Course Title: Plant and Animal Biology
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Plant and Animal Biology
Credit Points: 12.00
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
BIOL2547 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
171H School of Science |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2023 |
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Nitin Mantri
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7152
Course Coordinator Email: nitin.mantri@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 223.01.62B
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment in person or online via MS Teams; email
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
This course is intended as an introduction to plant and animal biology. It introduces the student to the morphology and anatomy of plants and animals (how they are constructed), and to the physiology of plants (how they work, in particular the process of acquisition of water and ions, photosynthesis, and control of growth and development) and animals (digestion, hormones, locomotion, nervous system, circulation, respiration and water balance).
The aim of the course is to provide knowledge and understanding in plant and animal science for future career and employment aspirations in biotechnology and environmental biology areas.
Students are guided through the course by structured lectures preceding relevant practical classes in the laboratory or in the field to achieve competence in technical skills.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
This course contributes to the development of the following Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO1: Apply an interdisciplinary knowledge of scientific theories, principles, concepts, and practices in the environmental sciences
PLO2: Analyse and critically examine scientific evidence through research with reflection on the role, relevance and significance of environmental science
PLO3: Apply principles of scientific inquiry, tools, and techniques relevant to environmental science to solve problems informed by evidence-based decision making.
On successful completion of the course you should be able to:
- Describe the structure of plants and animals, including their tissues, organs and cell types.
- Identify the physiological processes in plants including water and nutrient transport, photosynthesis, and regulation of growth and development.
- Conduct experimental work to understand plant and animal structure and function, analyse the data and draw appropriate conclusions.
- Justify plant/animal biology concepts and findings in a variety of formats, including written reports, graphical and oral presentations.
- Apply plant/animal biology concepts to First Nations knowledge as well as contemporary industrial practise.
Overview of Learning Activities
You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as lectorials, tutorials, laboratories, discussions, individual and group activities.
Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both. Prior to attending the timetabled, face-to-face sessions you may be expected to complete the specified online activities such as virtual simulations.
Students have the roles of active learners and are responsible for attending and actively participating in all planned student learning experiences, i.e. lectorials and practical classes; reading all relevant references pointed out during planned student learning experiences; and undertaking such other private study as will benefit their learning towards the objectives of the course. Although no minimum attendance is required, students must be aware that sessions are available only at the times specified and cannot be repeated. In addition, most students would find that regular attendance at planned student learning experiences is needed to achieve the necessary standard to pass this course and to complete the assessment associated with them.
You are encouraged to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course Site.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course Site.
The course website on Canvas LMS will provide you with a detailed syllabus, lecture slides, lecture video recordings, and supporting material for practical classes such as laboratory manuals, videos, and links to additional resources.
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 Item 1: Online Quizzes
Weighting: 20%
This assessment supports CLOs 1, 2, 5
Assessment Item 2: Practical Reports and Presentation
Weighting: 50%
This assessment supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Assessment Item 3: Problem Based Assessment
Weighting: 30%
This assessment supports CLOs 1, 2, 4 & 5