Course Title: Biological Chemistry

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Biological Chemistry

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BIOL2260

City Campus

Undergraduate

135H Applied Sciences

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2016

BIOL2260

City Campus

Undergraduate

171H School of Science

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2017,
Sem 1 2018,
Sem 1 2019,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 1 2021,
Sem 1 2022,
Sem 1 2023

Course Coordinator: A/Prof. Rajesh Ramanathan

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2887

Course Coordinator Email: rajesh.ramanathan@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 3.2.15 (City campus)

Course Coordinator Availability: Monday Friday 0900-1700 by appointment please email


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

 

Required Prior Study

You should have satisfactorily completed following course/s before you commence this course.

Alternatively, you may be able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge before you start this course.

Contact your course coordinator if you think you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning.


Course Description

This course will provide you with an in-depth knowledge and practical skills on the structural and functional components of cells, tissues and organisms (at undergraduate year level 2). It provides a study of the chemical processes taking place in organisms and the technical skills needed to investigate these processes. It introduces key concepts of biological chemistry and relates them to cell physiology, with an emphasis on structure-function relationships.

The course aims to develop your knowledge of different aspects of biochemistry through lectures, and the application of skills and knowledge is demonstrated in practical sessions, which help develop the employability skills required in biochemical analysis in a range of industries.

The course also develops skills related to the critical assessment of scientific data and the presentation of scientific results used in all disciplines within the sciences.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following BH090MEHDD, BP226P7, BH087SCBDD and BP229BISC Program Learning Outcomes:

  • PLO-2 Scientific knowledge
  • PLO-3 Inquiry and Problem Solving 
  • PLO-4 Communication


On successful completion of this course, you should be able to: 

  1. State the key chemical components in different organisms, their key functions, locations and understand how they are synthesised and degraded; recall the key metabolic pathways, the enzymes involved and how they are regulated; apply knowledge to explain how enzymes are integral to the functioning of organic systems 
  2. Prepare biological samples for chemical analyses and enzyme assays 
  3. Apply common biochemical techniques including centrifugation, chromatography, biochemical assays for analysing different biological samples and discuss experimental results using tables, plots, and interpret them using knowledge acquired through lectures, tutorials and private study 
  4. Adhere to protocols and procedures, take appropriate precautions to ensure laboratory processes are followed with regard to environmental, occupational health and safety, and ethical standards and regulations 
  5. Work independently and in teams in the laboratory and in tutorial-based exercises through practical classes and observations  


Overview of Learning Activities

The learning activities in this course include: 

  • Lectures will either be face-to-face or online where syllabus material will be presented and explained, and the subject will be illustrated with demonstrations and examples. Students will have opportunities to ask questions and contribute to lecture discussions.  
  • Completion of quizzes and pre-labs questions are designed to give students practice in the application of theory as it applies to solving biochemical problems. Students will be given feedback on their progress and actively identifying knowledge gaps which will be addressed during subsequent lectures/practicals.   
  • Students will be provided with knowledge on scientific writing, data generation and interpretation (conceptual and numerical problems) to generate high quality reports relevant to biochemical industries during prac sessions. The prac sessions will be taught either on campus or virtually online. 
  • Students are expected to complete independent study, working through the course materials and prescribed reading to build the knowledge required to satisfy the requirements of the course

 


Overview of Learning Resources

 

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course. 

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.


Overview of Assessment

 

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task 1: Formative quizzes 
Weighting: 15% 
This assessment supports CLOs 1. 

Assessment Task 2: Pre-Lab Assessments 
Weighting: 10%
This assessment supports CLOs 2-5. 

Assessment Task 3: Practical Reports 
Weighting: 40%
This assessment supports CLOs 1-5. 

Assessment Task 4: Analysis of course concepts 
Weighting: 35% 
This assessment supports CLOs 1 

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.