BIOL271-19S1 (C) Semester One 2019

Evolution

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 18 February 2019
End Date: Sunday, 23 June 2019
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 1 March 2019
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 10 May 2019

Description

An introduction to evolution: patterns and processes of evolution; mechanisms of evolution, adaptation, speciation and extinction.

This course provides an introduction to evolution including the patterns and processes of evolution, the evolution of life history traits, mechanisms of evolution, adaptation, speciation and extinction.

It uses a partial Team Based Learning (TBL) approach in which most internal assessment is completed in structured, permanent learning teams: two lectures per week are traditional “we talk, you listen” sessions but every third lecture is a TBL session, and all tutorial sessions follow a similar “you talk, we guide” approach.

The course is intended for anyone interested in gaining an understanding of evolutionary theory and its role in our understanding of questions such as where species have come from, why are there so many different species, and the importance of evolution in everyday life.

Learning Outcomes

  • As a student in this course, I will develop the ability to:
  • Illustrate the patterns and processes of evolution using examples from the peer-reviewed literature (assessment tasks: tutorials 1 and 2, midcourse test, wikis, final exam)
  • Describe the mechanisms of evolution at the genetic level, and conduct and interpret basic population genetic analyses (assessment tasks: tutorials 3 and 4, final exam)
  • Build and interpret phylogenetic trees, and apply these skills to infer the evolutionary history of natural populations and species (assessment tasks: tutorials 5 and 6, final exam)
  • Explain why understanding evolution is important in everyday life, both orally and in writing (assessment tasks: tutorials, wikis)


    Transferable Skills Register
    As a student in this course, I will develop the following skills:
  • Synthesising information. In everyday life and in many job situations you will be required to read information from different sources, construct your own understanding and shape your own viewpoint. This skill will developed when answering questions from selected readings in tutorials 1-2 and when you work on your wikis.
  • Analysing and interpreting data. Important for research, as well as in a number of private-sector organizations. This skill will be developed when we assist you to analyse and interpret population genetic and phylogenetic data in tutorials 3-6.

Prerequisites

Timetable Note

Please note: Your mid-term course test has now been postponed till Saturday 30th March, location/time tba

Course Coordinator

For further information see School of Biological Sciences Head of Department

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Team-based learning 10%
Wiki contributions 15%
Final Exam 50%
Mid course Test 25%


You must attain an average score of at least 40% for in-course assessment (Wikis and TBL), an average score of at least 40% for the course exam and test, AND score at least 50% overall for the course, to be awarded a passing grade.

Notes

Feedback from Course Surveys

Student ratings:
2015
Course well organised: 4.2
Course stimulated my interest: 4.0
Course workload appropriate: 4.3
Course provided opportunities for active learning: 4.4
Overall, course good quality: 4.1

2014
Course well organised: 4.3
Course stimulated my interest: 4.0
Course workload appropriate: 4.1
Course provided opportunities for active learning: 4.5
Overall, course good quality: 4.1

2013
Course well organised: 4.4
Course stimulated my interest: 3.8
Course workload appropriate: 4.0
Course provided opportunities for active learning: 4.6
Overall, course good quality: 4.1

The following issues were raised in the online course survey completed by students at the end of the course last year. The responses were collated by the course coordinator and common responses scored.

Which aspects of this course were most positive?
Team Based Learning in lectures/tutorials/wikis (9/10 responses). For example:
“TBL sessions, when we discuss why certain answers are wrong and others are correct. Also the feedback we received from the first Wiki”
“The TBL sessions reinforced learning weekly which makes it easier now to study for exams”
“team based learning allowed a strong understanding of important concepts”
“The team based learning activities really helped me understand the concepts talked about in lectures and the wikis gave a good opportunity to practice writing”
“TBL sessions were good to learn from peers”

How could this course be enhanced to assist your learning?
We used wikis for the first time in 2015. They ran reasonably smoothly, although the main complaint in the course survey was that the expectations for the wikis were not clear enough, particularly for the first wiki. This is a fair enough comment, as it was hard to predict all the issues students might have with this assessment when run for the first time. As a response, we have added substantial detail to Learn, including a wiki FAQs page and a list of the marking scheme and common errors so in future our expectations for this assessment will be clearer.

Additional Course Outline Information

Academic integrity

It is essential that you are aware that plagiarism is considered a very serious offence by the Academic community, the University and the School of Biological Sciences. Plagiarism is defined as taking content from another work or author and presenting it, without attribution, as if it is your own work. Content here includes text (sentences or major parts of sentences), display items (graphs and tables), and overall structure (the detailed sequence of ideas). Plagiarism includes:
• re-use of previous assignments (even if each individual sentence has been rephrased to say the same thing in different words, if the overall structure is re-used)  
• copying of another student’s work (with or without their consent)
• the unreferenced use of published material or material from the internet e.g. cutting and pasting of paragraphs or pages into an essay.
For most pieces of in-term assessment you will be given information concerning the use of direct and indirect quotes from previously published work. If you are in any doubt about appropriate use of published material, please speak with a member of academic staff. If you are still unsure what plagiarism is, then seek advice.

It is a School policy that courses may request you submit work electronically for subsequent analysis of originality using Turnitin. Students agree that by taking courses in BIOL, required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism.  All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.  Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.

Assessment and grading system

A+ 90% or above
A 85 – 90
A- 80 – 84
B+ 75 – 79
B 70 – 74
B- 65 – 69
C+ 60 – 64
C 55 – 59
C- 50 – 54

A restricted pass (R) may be awarded to those who are close to a pass (i.e. an overall score of 48-49.9%) AND who have achieved at least a 40% overall score in both in-course assessment and tests/exams. If an R grade is awarded you gain credit for the course but cannot continue into papers that require this course as a pre-requisite. NB. The R grade is only available at 100 and 200 level - it cannot be awarded for third year papers.

Failing grades:   D   40-49             E  0–39

Late submission of work

Reports and assignments should be handed in on time. Extensions may be granted if you have a valid reason. If you require an extension, you should request one from the course co-ordinator (or the lecturer responsible for marking the work), with as much notice as possible.  Please do this BEFORE the deadline for the assignment. If you have been given an extension you should hand the work DIRECTLY to the course coordinator (do not put it in the drop box as it may not be cleared after the due date).
If an extension has not been granted:
• work must be handed in by the due date to gain full credit
• work handed in up to 7 days after the deadline will be marked, but the marks will be discounted 25% before they are recorded to the student's credit
• any work handed in more than 7 days after the deadline date will not be marked or earn credit.

Notes

What if I have written more than the word or page limit?
If there is a word limit on an assignment, it is usually there to stop you doing too much work and to encourage you to write succinctly.  It also makes things easier to assess.  You can be up to 10% over without too much worry, but if the length increases beyond that your mark may suffer due to failure to follow the requirements.  If you find yourself way over the word limit have a chat to the lecturer concerned about how to trim your assignment to an acceptable length.

Requests for extensions

Reports and assignments should be handed in on time. Extensions may be granted if you have a valid reason. If you require an extension, you should request one from the course co-ordinator (or the lecturer responsible for marking the work), with as much notice as possible.  Please do this BEFORE the deadline for the assignment. If you have been given an extension you should hand the work DIRECTLY to the course coordinator (do not put it in the drop box as it may not be cleared after the due date).
If an extension has not been granted:
• work must be handed in by the due date to gain full credit
• work handed in up to 7 days after the deadline will be marked, but the marks will be discounted 25% before they are recorded to the student's credit
• any work handed in more than 7 days after the deadline date will not be marked or earn credit.

What do I do if I’m sick?

If you feel that illness, injury, bereavement or other extenuating circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from completing an item of assessment worth 10% or more of total course assessment or if these circumstances affected your performance in such assessments, you should apply for Special Consideration. Applications for Special Consideration should be submitted via the Examinations Office website
http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/regulations/general/general_regs_aegrotat.shtml and notify the course co-ordinator within five days of the assessment or its due date. If this is for medical reasons you should visit a doctor within 24 hours of the assessment (application form available on-line or from the Student Health Centre). The Special Consideration provisions are intended to assist students who have covered the work of a course but have been prevented by illness or other critical circumstances from demonstrating their mastery of the material or skills at the time of assessment – they do not excuse you from doing the assessment within a reasonable time agreed with the course co-ordinator. You should expect to be required to submit additional work if you miss a major assignment (e.g. a field trip for which a major write-up is required).

In rare cases you may not be able to complete an assessment or attend a field trip, because of involvement in international or national representative sport or cultural groups. In such cases you should also apply for Special Consideration. Please review the Special Considerations policy because very few kinds of activities will be eligible for consideration (e.g. holiday trips, birthday parties etc. are not given special status in the University policy).

Students prevented by extenuating circumstances from completing the course after the final date for withdrawing, may apply for Special Consideration for late discontinuation of the course. Applications must be submitted to the Examinations Office within five days of the end of the main examination period for the semester.

For further details on Special Consideration applications, please refer to the Examinations Office website http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/regulations/general/general_regs_aegrotat.shtml.

What if I fail part of the course?

In BIOL, we require a satisfactory level of achievement in both the theoretical aspects of the discipline and in practical activities. This means you must attend all class activities and submit all items of assessment unless you have a very good reason not to (e.g. medical reasons). A student must attain an average score of at least 40% for in-course assessments (e.g. assignments, reports) and an average score of at least 40% in the exam and/or test, AND score at least 50% overall for the course, to be awarded a passing grade. See course outline for clarification of the assessment items included in each category and ask the coordinator if you are still unsure.

What’s the best way to give feedback?

We welcome constructive feedback at all times – help us to make this a valuable course for you.  We endeavour to remain approachable at all times.  If you would rather give feedback anonymously, please use the on-line course survey or talk to lab demonstrators, or your class rep (who will all report back to the staff-student liaison committee that includes a representative from each of the undergraduate classes). Class representatives will be selected from each class at the start of course.

What’s the best way to complain?

If you feel you have not been fairly treated during this course, please raise the issue with the lecturer or course co-ordinator in the first instance.  Other avenues include your class rep., who can raise issues anonymously, or the UCSA education coordinator.

Where to submit and collect work

All assignments should be placed in the designated collection box in the foyer of the 2nd floor of the School of Biological Sciences (near the main office), unless directed otherwise by the course co-ordinator. All assignments must be accompanied by a cover sheet signed by you stating that the submitted work is not plagiarised. Cover sheets are available on top of the collection boxes, or you can download one from the Biology website (under Undergraduate). In addition, you may also be asked to submit your work electronically (via Learn) for analysis in Turnitin. You will be given instructions on how to do this in the assignment handout.

Marked assignments can be collected from the Secretaries' Office, unless directed otherwise by the course co-ordinator. Teaching staff will endeavour to return work as soon as possible, and should contact you if there are likely to be any delays that will prevent return within the maximum 4-week timeframe.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $883.00

International fee $4,000.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Biological Sciences .

All BIOL271 Occurrences

  • BIOL271-19S1 (C) Semester One 2019