Units
Biochemical Research Skills
Unit code: LQB681
Contact hours: 5 per week
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
In the real world, the design and completion of successful research and/or business projects demand that individuals gather information, solve problems, work effectively as a part of a team and analyse and communicate results in a critical manner. This unit offers opportunities for you to develop these skills that are valued highly by potential employers and research project leaders. The aim of this unit is to assist you to demonstrate and strengthen a number of generic research skills in a mentored problem-based learning environment that mirrors a real-world research team and the challenges that they face.
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 2 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
In the real world, the design and completion of successful research and/or business projects demand that individuals gather information, solve problems, work effectively as a part of a team and analyse and communicate results in a critical manner. This unit offers opportunities for you to develop these skills that are valued highly by potential employers and research project leaders. This unit is a capstone biochemistry unit designed to prepare you as a prospective graduate for independent and group research.
Aims
The aim of this unit is to assist you to demonstrate and strengthen a number of generic research skills in a mentored problem-based learning environment that mirrors a real-world research team and the challenges that they face.
Objectives
On completion of this unit, you should:
1. Be able to apply problem-solving skills to project design and data interpretation.
2. Develop your abilities to work and contribute in a significant way to the organisation and function of a collaborative research team.
3. Consolidate your information literacy skills in the areas of information access, retrieval and evaluation, by designing efficient search strategies.
4. Improve oral and written communication skills through individual presentations, group submissions and as a contributor to on-line discussions.
5. Be able to design, modify and successfully execute an experimental protocol, including reagent preparation, programming and execution of software for a sophisticated automated chromatography system.
Content
Critical Thinking Workshops focusing on Biochemical Research Skills and related Problems:
Group Laboratory Project:
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
The unit comprises a series of critical thinking workshops and a closely mentored practical project where you work in a group to purify and characterise an enzyme from intact tissue. The unit has four hours of formal student contact per week however additional off-campus research & planning also will be required.
There will be no formal lectures or examinations. You will spend:
The unit integrates a number of specialist biochemical techniques including centrifugation, advanced liquid chromatography, electrophoresis and spectrophotometry using state-of-the-art equipment. In addition, workshops facilitated by the Unit Coordinator will provide you with an overview of options available for any particular situation and this is supported by comprehensive on-line resources and academic mentoring to support your studies and project work The unit affords you a truly unique and rewarding laboratory experience.
Assessment
Teams commence operation in week 1 and the first assessment item is completed by week 2, hence enrolment in this unit after week one is discouraged.
On a weekly basis you will be required to submit material in the form of assessable items, reagents lists and contribute to on-line discussions using the unit's Blackboard site.
Your grade for this unit will be determined by continuous assessment based upon both group and individual exercises. Components of the assessment will be evaluated by the academics, the laboratory technician and colleagues in your project team. 75% of your final assessment will be allocated by week 13.
Formative assessment and feedback is an intrinsic feature of the design of this unit.
The following assessment scheme is provided as a guide only. Weightings are negotiated with you in week 1.In this unit you will receive weekly feedback and advice on project progress from academics and demonstrators throughout the project, and the summative assessment items 1,3 and 4 below are returned to students throughout the semester.
Assessment name:
Project (applied)
Description:
Your contributions to teamwork, leadership and organisation of team activities will be assessed constantly throughout the semester. You also will be required to complete exercises for assessment on a regular basis. Some exercises are evaluated as group submissions and others as your individual submission. Exercises will include the generation of a flow diagram for the protocol created by your team, and the design of software to perform FPLC on your enzyme preparation. The precise portfolio of activities and assessment weightings may vary each year. The current portfolio and weightings will be available from the unit's Blackboard site. Your group also must provide evidence of project planning skills on a regular basis through the provision of detailed project plans and weekly team requests for reagents and equipment necessary to execute your protocol. Formative and Summative.
Relates to objectives:
1-5
Weight:
45%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group with Individual Component
Due date:
Throughout Semester
Assessment name:
Report
Description:
You must submit a final scientific report that summarises the methods and outcomes of the semester-long project either as an individual submission (single author), a group report (all members in your team share authorship) or any combination of team members as authors. Summative.
Relates to objectives:
1-5
Weight:
25%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group with Individual Component
Due date:
Week 14
Assessment name:
Problem Solving Task
Description:
You will be assessed throughout the semester on your ability to think critically and scientifically. You will participate in several problem solving exercises including critical evaluation of project proposals and rectifying problems commonly encountered when using Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE). You also will be required to make quality contributions regularly throughout the semester to a number of on-line activities enabled through the use of Blackboard class discussion forums. Formative and Summative.
Relates to objectives:
1
Weight:
15%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Throughout Semester
Assessment name:
Annotated Bibliography
Description:
You will receive instruction for effective searching of bibliographic databases and you will search the scientific literature for strategies available for the purification of your enzyme. You will carefully document your efforts and submit your search strategies, how they were refined and your search outcomes for assessment. Summative.
Relates to objectives:
3
Weight:
15%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Week 5
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
The unit is supported by a comprehensive ScROLL website providing technical information relevant to the projects: http://www.life.sci.qut.edu.au/epping/LSB607OLT/607.html
Required Text Books
There is no prescribed text for this unit, although students considering postgraduate work in this area are encouraged to consider the purchase of one of the following reference texts:
Risk assessment statement
Personal Protective Equipment:
1. Laboratory coat - 100% cotton or polyester/cotton mix (65% polyester is max. allowable).
2. Safety eye protection glasses - selected and used in accordance with AS1336, AS1337 and AS 1338.
Risk Assessment Statement
This unit includes a laboratory component. In order that you become proficient in necessary practical skills, you will be trained in the handling of equipment, materials and specimens normally associated with this discipline. You are required to complete an online health and safety quiz prior to entry to the laboratory. A passing score of 9/10 is required and will be checked prior to entry to the first laboratory. You may resit the quiz until this score is achieved. You are referred to the university's health and safety web site
If you have an underlying health condition you are encouraged to consult the lecturer in charge of the unit, as you may be required to take additional precautions on occasions.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 08-Oct-2012
