Subject - Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

Click on the unit title below to read how we have responded to your questionnaire responses.

BIO1OF - Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms (2010)

Unit outline
This unit comprises a study of cells and their molecular organisation, including methods for studying cells, cell structure, structure and function of sub-cellular organelles and components, features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, the activities of cells, including production of energy, cell cycle, the role of proteins in cells, the role of DNA and RNA in the synthesis of proteins, and gene control in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Also studied are the structure and function of various systems and their co-ordination in animals, from cells to multicellular organisms, basic concepts underlying animal design and the interaction of animals with their environment.

Feedback to students
In order to reduce the differences in content taught in lectures on the two campuses, it has been proposed that the university’s capacity for video-linkage might be used to present the same lectures simultaneously on the two campuses. It is also possible that we will provide one or more new practicals that promote inquiry/research and critical thinking.

BIO1GEN - Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution (2010)

Unit outline:
This is an introduction to general genetics and human biology suitable for students intending to pursue further studies in these areas or as a one-semester terminal subject. Included is the history and importance of genetics in understanding human nature and in improving quality of life. Topics include the nature and functioning of the genetic message, the mechanics of inheritance, developmental and quantitative genetics, genes in populations, conservation and ecological genetics, human behavioural genetics and the significance of human genetic variation, genetics in larger evolutionary patterns, the origin of life, speciation, macro-evolution and the origins of modern humans.

Feedback to students:
BIO1GEN continues to be a popular and well received subject. According to the student response, the best thing about this unit was the way the practicals consolidated and supported the material presented in lectures, and the high level of feedback from the teaching staff. Students say that this unit can be improved by putting lecture notes and the practical manual online. These suggestions will be implemented for next year.

CHE1BAS and CHE1GEN - Basic Chemistry and General Principles of Chemistry (2010)

Unit outline
Students study the chemistry of atoms and molecules, atoms, molecules and ions, quantum theory and the electronic structure of the atom, periodic relationships among the elements, chemical bonding and molecular geometry. Also studied is the chemistry of carbon compounds, hydrocarbons, delocalised bonding and aromatics, alkyl halides, hydroxyl compounds, aldehydes and ketones and acids. In addition, gases and liquids, the properties of gases, thermochemistry, intermolecular forces, physical properties of solutions and acids and bases.The laboratory course is compulsory and an attendance requirement applies.

Feedback to students
Students of General and Basic Chemistry have appreciated the delivery of this subject and particularly found remedial assistance, workshop revision sessions and practical classes useful in developing their abilities in Chemistry. They would have appreciated greater feed back on their progress and more interactive exercises at the expense of the material covered. In 2011 these subjects will incorporate the teaching of generic skills which will entail a greater variety of student activities. Students who experience particular difficulty will be identified and assisted. Assessment will be more varied and ongoing throughout the semester giving ample opportunity for feed back to students.

GEO1PRO Processes that shape the earth (2010)

Unit outline:
In this unit students are introduced to the study of planet Earth, its origin and evolution, its composition and the processes that have shaped it. After describing the planets of the solar system, the structure of the Earth, metamorphism and the composition of the Earth's crust are covered, particularly the different types of minerals and rocks that are present. Then the surface processes of volcanism, erosion and deposition that shape the landscape are described, including the landforms and sediments produced in the various environments across the Earth's surface. The practical course focusses on mineral and rock identification.

Feedback to students:
Fascination for the foundation concepts of Earth Sciences continues to be a popular aspect of this subject. The practical part of the subject is regarded as giving a strong support to their theoretical understanding. Students commonly request more excursions as a particular aid to their development. The incorporation of teamwork and assignments as part of the assessment has been regarded most positively by students. In 2011 this subject will incorporate the teaching of writing, oral skills, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving as essential elements of student development. An emphasis will be made on a variety of approaches to developing the theoretical understanding and practical skills of students to real geological problems.

PHY1PAE Physics for Life Sciences (2010)

Unit outline:
The generation of sufficient energy to meet the massive demands of a modern technological society, without impacting adversely on the environment, is an important issue. While the problems of environmental pollution, resource depletion, greenhouse effect, ozone hole etc, are well known, they are not necessarily well understood. It is important that discussion of these issues be well informed. The physical principles central to the range of conventional and alternative energy technologies is discussed, and on completion, students should understand the advantages and disadvantages of the various technologies and some of the techniques used to monitor and analyse any hazardous effects. This is an introductory course with minimal mathematical content and no specific science background or previous experience of the above topics is assumed. The unit may be taken independently or in conjunction with PHY1LSB.

STA2BIO - Biostatistics (2010)

Unit outline:
In this unit students practice with the techniques commonly used in biostatistics chosen from: chi-squared tests, regression methods, one and two-way analysis of variance and bio-assay. Students are introduced to the important experiment design principles of randomisation and blocking. Extensive experience with a major statistical package is gained, with some of the data sets being provided by biological science staff.

Feedback to students:
From verbal feedback during the semester, it was clear that the students were able to see the connection between statistics and their science subjects, particularly Theoretical and Applied Ecology where they undertake field studies. According to responses from the Student Feedback Survey, they were very satisfied with the organisation of the subject, including the lecture notes, tutorials and computer labs, online material, and the connection between assessments and learning objectives. Students particularly liked the tutorials and computer labs where they applied what they had learned, and some thought that it would be worthwhile spending more time on examples in tutorials. If possible I will restructure the lectures so that more time can be spent on activities.

Unit outline:
This unit provides an understanding of ecology through studies of population ecology, community ecology and applied ecology. The topics considered include population ecology, types of competition, dynamics of simple competition systems, competition models and real systems, types of predation, dynamics of simple predator-prey systems, predator-prey models and real systems, decomposers, parasitism and mutualism. Other topics include community ecology, transfer of energy and materials within communities, abiotic and biotic determinants of community structure, food web stability and complexity, applied ecology principles and dynamics of biological control, application of island biogeography and dynamics of agricultural and managed forest ecosystems.

Feedback to students:
The best thing about this unit was the field work, which involved close looks at several local habitats and provided introductions to many different ecological field techniques. This unit can be improved by including more DVD or internet material to illustrate particular examples in lectures and by converting all of the lectures to power point presentations, while trying to make them more interactive. The next time the unit is offered more student discussion related to the lecture material will be built in to the presentation format. More group interaction will also be incorporated into the practicals and tutorial/discussion exercises.

WEM2EPA - Environmental Pollution Control A (2010)

Unit outline:
The aim of this unit is to provide an understanding of environmental pollution and its control, via examination of physical, chemical and biological processes within the atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic environment.

The fundamental concepts of nutrient cycling (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) in the environment are discussed together with the sub-cycles of these macro-nutrients in the hydrosphere and the lithosphere. Water quality is discussed with particular reference to river health, and soil quality with special reference to agricultural production. Individual pollutants are discussed in terms of the consequential perturbation effects on the nutrient dynamics prevalent in the hydrosphere and lithosphere. The basis tenets of environmental pollution and control within the aquatic environment are explored via a review of the principal organisms affected, and their use in environmental assessment and monitoring. The subject overall emphasises sustainable environmental management.

Feedback to students:
According to the student response, the best things about this unit were: Oral presentations, Field Trips, Assignments, Presentations on speaking and preparation of PowerPoint presentations, Guest lecturers with expertise in their area, Good interesting lectures.

According to the student response, this unit can be improved by: More field trips and practicals, less oral presentations, not as many guest lecturers, and provision of marking criteria to students.

Due to the positive nature of comments only the following changes will be made the next time the unit is offered: Provision of marking criteria, additional practical/field trips where appropriate and better co-ordination of guest lecturers to ensure content structure is systematic.

WEM3WMA - Waste Management and Treatment (2010)

Unit outline:
The aim of this unit is to provide an understanding of the principles and practice of waste management and pollution control relating to wastewater and solid wastes, with an emphasis on the recovery of water, nutrients, resources and energy. Topics covered in wastewater management include; the characteristics of municipal and industrial wastewaters, unit processes in wastewater treatment plants, design and modelling of wastewater treatment systems, constructed wetlands, remote wastewater systems, and wastewater disposal /reuse. Solid waste management topics include; solid waste collection systems, recycling, composting, energy recovery (incineration), and the design and operation of sanitary landfills. Also covered are some aspects of environmental management systems, cleaner production methods and industrial ecology.

Feedback to students:
This course aims to provide an introduction to the engineering aspects of wastewater and solid waste management. While many Environmental Management and Ecology (EME) students do not see their future as being in waste management, they nevertheless value the knowledge of this industry provided by this course. According to the student response the best aspects of this course were: lecture delivery, lecture notes and field trips. There were no substantial suggestions about improvements that could be made. This unit will continue to offer an accessible introduction to waste management, from the engineering point of view, with a content that reflects the rapidly changing technologies in this industry.

WEM3RMA Sustainable Resource Management (2010)

Unit outline:
In this unit students are provided with an understanding of natural resource management within an ecological context. Three major areas are reviewed including the following topics; water resources descriptive and quantitative hydrology, availability and utilisation of Australia's water resources, planning and technology of water resource development projects, forest and agricultural resources, Australia's native and softwood forest resources and their management, factors influencing agricultural production and sustainable farm management practices.

Feedback to students:
According to the student response, the best thing about this subject is the fieldtrips, feedback and enthusiasm of the lecturers. The students reported that this subject could be improved by more feedback on the freshwater component of the subject, and guest lecturers from industry and government, both of which will be initiated the next time the unit is offered.

Semester 2 2010

BIO1AD Animal Diversity, ecology and behaviour (2010)

This is an introductory unit for students wishing to pursue advanced studies in biology units in subsequent years. It may also serve as a one-semester terminal unit. It consists of an introduction to animal diversity, ecology and behaviour. The unit provides an introduction to the biology of animals, including the origin of animals and an evolutionary approach to the study of the protozoa, sponges, cnidarians, and flatworms, as well as the two major lines of coelomate animals, the annelid-arthropod-mollusc line and the echinoderm-chordate line, including a treatment of the origin of our own phylum, the Chordata and of the vertebrate classes; and concepts in animal ecology, such as the ecosystem, community, food web, energy flow, predation, parasitism and competition. The study of animal behaviour covers instinctive behaviour, learning and memory, social behaviour and the development of behaviour in an individual.

BIO1PS Plant Science (2010)

In this unit students are introduced to the biology of plants, their role in natural landscapes and their use by human societies, with particular emphasis on the distribution and adaptation of vegetation, especially desert vegetation, grasslands and tropical rainforests; the origin and adaptation of the unique Australian flora; the structure and functioning of plants in the Australian environment and in agriculture; and the diversity, evolution and ecological importance of bacteria, fungi, algae and land plants. Two case studies are used to introduce students to plant biotechnology. Students are introduced to the diversity of plants through visits to the wildlife reserves of the university and the Botanic Gardens and the observation and experimental study of plants in practical classes.

STA1LS Statistics for Life Sciences (2010)

In this unit students are introduced to the basic statistical methods that are very useful for students in biological sciences, medical sciences, agricultural sciences, nutrition, and health sciences. For example, this unit will cover essential skills for students to analyse data from experiments and write reports. It is specifically designed for students who do not have a strong background in mathematics, and further, it does not assume any previous training in statistics or probability. The unit covers descriptive statistics, estimation, hypothesis testing, test for proportions and means, analysis of variance, regression analysis, and analysis of cross-classified data. The use of the statistical computing package Minitab is an integral part of this unit. Successful completion with a minimum of C grade qualifies students for most of the second-year level units in statistics, including STA12SS, STA21MAS, and STA22BS.

STA1PSY Statistics for Psychology (2010)

This unit is designed to introduce students undertaking the major stream of psychology to a range of statistical methods used in contemporary psychological research. Topics include: descriptive statistics, data entry and manipulation; exploratory data analysis, basic probability models and sampling, estimation and confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and its relation to confidence intervals; the power of a test and its relation to sample size; effect sizes and an introduction to meta-analysis; analysis of single and two group designs; correlation and simple linear regression; analysis of categorical data; non-parametric statistical methods; multiple regression and related methods. The statistical computing package SPSS is an integral part of this unit with weekly tutorials held in a computing laboratory.

CHE1APL Applications of Chemistry (2010)

Subjects studied include chemistry of solutions, equilibrium, entropy and free energy, acid-base equilibria, electrochemistry and chemical kinetics. The unit also examines chemicals in our environment, such as soaps, detergents, cleaning agents, water treatment to remove hardness and bacteria, pesticides and their analysis using chromatography. Chemistry of life: acid derivatives; food chemistry, amino acids and proteins, carbohydrates and synthetic polymers are also covered, along with metals in our environment, coordination compounds and the analysis of the metallic elements using spectroscopy.

GEO1ERS Earth structure, resources and history of life (2010)

The first part of this unit covers the large-scale processes that deform the Earth's crust and cause earthquakes (plate tectonics), the faulting and folding that result, and the resources of the Earth (ore deposits, fossil fuels and groundwater) including their occurrence and formation. The following section describes the concept of geological time and the history of life on Earth, from microbes to humans, and the factors that have affected the evolution of plants and animals, including climate change and catastrophes like meteorite impacts. The practicals focus on the interpretation of geological maps and the study of fossils.

ECO1ISB Introductory Statistics for Business (2010)

In this unit students consider how to communicate and interpret commercial and economic information in terms of statistical measures. The probability approach is introduced, with applications to inferential statistics and hypothesis testing using sampling distributions in the realms of economics and commerce. Simple linear regression and testing for various hypotheses in business, economics and finance is also covered.

WEM2EGE Ecological genetics and evolutionary ecology (2010)

The aim of this unit is to provide an understanding of ecology, ecological genetics and evolutionary ecology by consideration of the following topics: the maintenance and distribution of genetic variation, the measurement of inbreeding, the impact of natural selection, the evolutionary history of species' distributions, co-evolutionary processes, speciation and extinction.

WEM2EPB Water and air quality (2010)

The aim of this unit is to provide an understanding of the chemical and physical aspects of pollution control in aquatic and atmospheric environments. Subjects covered will include; the hydrology of inland streams and lakes, water quality parameters, analytical methods, chemical speciation (complexation, precipitation and adsorption), redox processes, natural organic matter (NOM), biogeochemistry, as well as the physical and chemical aspects of atmospheric processes. Other topics covered are the impacts and management of point and diffuse source pollution, eutrophication, river and ocean discharges, stormwater management, air pollution, and water treatment engineering.

WEM2OEB Origin and evolution of Australian biota (2010)

This unit introduces the student to the Australian environment and its biota. The continent's history as part of Gondwana; its geological structure, climate, soils and biogeography are studied to explain the development and distribution of Australian biota and ecosystems. Several framework areas will be reviewed, including geology and biogeography, major features of the Australian landscape, their origin and history, the climatological determinants and distribution of weather patterns, soil science and origins, properties of soils, hydrological variables within aquatic systems and catchment theory. This framework is used to examine selected plant and animal groups that contribute significantly to the past or present biota of Australia and to review the distribution and evolution of biological communities, fire and human impacts.

WEM3RMB Conservation biology and environmental law (2010)

This unit aims to provide an understanding of natural resource management within an ecological context, by consideration of the following topics. Conservation biology identification and restoration of threatened ecosystems, management of invading or pest species, design of ecosystem reserves, single species and whole community conservation, managing community change and succession, environmental policy and legislation, the structure of environmental law in Australia and the management of renewable and non- renewable resources.

WEM3WMB Environmental assessment (2010)

The aims of this unit are to provide an understanding of the principles and practices of environmental impact assessment, toxicology, risk assessment and environmental audits. Topics considered include concepts and principles of toxicology, risk analysis, hazard analysis, Geographical Information System (GIS), environmental audits and impact assessment including policy, legislation and administration at national, state and local level, and case studies of environmental audits and impact assessment studies. A ten week industrial workplacement is a compulsory component of this unit.

Content Approved by: Head of Department
Page maintained by: Administrative Officer
Last Updated: October 20, 2011

Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Life Sciences

Department of Environmental Management & Ecology

Subject evaluation 2010