Diversity of Life and Habitats (11772.1)

Required texts

There is no required text for this unit, although access to the following (via the library or other units such as 11722 Biological Concepts) will be useful:

Urry et al. (2021) Campbell Biology, 12th edition (Australian and New Zealand Version). Pearson. ISBN-13: 9781488626241. 

Submission of assessment items

Special assessment requirements

The final mark for this subject will be calculated by an accumulation of marks from each assessment item. To achieve a passing grade or higher in this subject, students must:

• Attend at least 80% of practical classes; and
• Attempt all assessment items; and
• Achieve a final aggregate mark of 50% or higher.

The unit convenor reserves the right to question students on any of their submitted work for moderation and academic integrity purposes, which may result in an adjustment to the marks awarded for a specific task.

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Learner engagement

The contact hours for each student in this unit consist of 12 hours of lectures (1 hr x 12 weeks), 12 hours of workshops (1 hr x 12 weeks) and 22 hours of practicals (2 hr x 11 weeks). The remaining 104 hours of workload should be distributed across self-directed study and the various assessment tasks.

Note that some optional extension activities may be made available during semester. Students are strongly encouraged to complement their studies by completing these activities, however they are optional and hence additional to the 150 hours of notional workload associated this unit.

Participation requirements

Participation in lectures/workshops is highly recommended. While timetabled as a lecture for practical reasons, the lecture/workshop sessions will be interactive and potentially involve outdoor activities. In some cases this will render lecture recording unfeasible, hence the expectation is that all students will attend the 2 hr lecture/workshop in full. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items. In particular, the week 5 lecture/workshop session will include an in-class assessment. 

Participation in practicals is a compulsory condition of this unit. A student must participate in at least 80% of the practicals in order to pass the unit. In the event that you cannot attend your assigned workshop due to illness or unavoidable commitments, contact the unit convener as soon as possible to negotiate an alternative practical class (if available). You will need to provide a medical or counsellor's certificate in such circumstances.

Required IT skills

An ability to use basic word processing and spreadsheet software. Any additional training will be provided as part of classes.

Work placement, internships or practicums

There are no formal WIL activities in this unit. However students will be participating in activities that simulate real-world field experiences and should endeavour to approach these activities with apposite professionalism.

Additional information

Laboratory and field safety
Practicals for this unit are run in a laboratory environment. It is essential that students are familiar with lab safety requirements prior to their first practical. Safety practices include wearing closed shoes while in the laboratory. Similarly, students are required to wear appropriate field clothing for on-campus and self-directed field trips/outdoor activities, this includes footwear, hats and clothing appropriate to the situation and weather.

Provision of information
Notifications through the unit's Canvas site (including in Announcements or Discussion fora) and via UC email are deemed to be made to the whole class. It is the responsiblity of the student to ensure that they regularly check their student email and the unit's Canvas website.

Caveat
Unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the teaching team could result in changes to the mode of delivery of lectures, workshops and practicals, and to assessments. Students will be advised if this occurs and appropriate alternatives will be arranged.

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