Course Coordinator:Andrew Marshall (amarsha1@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Plants enable other life forms on the planet and drive all ecosystems. This course explores concepts of plant adaptations to the environment. You will learn about the mechanisms that enable plants to survive, grow and reproduce in the harshest environments, and examine key processes and applications such as flowering, pollination, fruit production, germination, plant growth regulators, root function, soils and plant nutrition, photosynthesis and carbon sequestration, plant water relations, transpiration, carbon partitioning, nursery propagation and plant tissue culture.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Asynchronous learning material | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Laboratory 1 – On Campus lab | 3hrs | Week 1 | 6 times |
| Fieldwork – Fieldwork. Week to be determined | 6hrs | Not applicable | Once Only |
| Seminar – On campus seminar | 1hr | Week 1 | 3 times |
Plant reproduction; seed germination; plant hormones; root, stem and leaf function; plant nutrient, water and carbon uptake; plant propagation.
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Perform and interpret nursery and laboratory experiments, and record and report relevant information in a standard scientific format. |
Empowered Ethical |
| 2 | Evaluate the sustainability implications of plant growth and reproduction strategies | Sustainability-focussed |
| 3 | Describe physiological processes in plants, recognize structural features, relate structure and function to ecology, and apply this framework to new situations. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
| 4 | Search the scientific literature for information and present this information in an appropriate descriptive, critical written format. |
Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
| 5 | Use a microscope to examine and illustrate specimens, use scientific apparatus to quantify aspects of physiology, and use scientific observation skills to interpret scientific results. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
You will have prior knowledge and skills in scientific research design and statistical methods that can be used to summarise, analyse and interpret scientific data.
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Answers provided to quiz conducted in week 4.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Quiz/zes | Individual | 0% | 1 hour |
Week 4 | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All | 2 | Written Piece | Individual | 50% | 6 pages |
Week 10 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 50% | 2 hours |
Exam Period | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Formative Quiz | |||||||
| Goal: | To embed learning objectives and knowledge covered in the early weeks |
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| Product: | Quiz/zes | ||||||
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| Format: | Online Quiz |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Scientific Report | ||||||||||
| Goal: | To develop data collection, analysis, reporting and literature review skills by conducting real experiments and using scientific apparatus related to plant growth and reproduction |
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| Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||
| Format: | You will submit a scientific report containing the introduction, methods, results and discussion from the practical work conducted. |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:End of trimester examination | |||||||
| Goal: | To demonstrate the cumulative learning in this course including plant physiological processes, structure and function in relation to ecology, and plant management strategies to ensure sustainability |
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| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | ||||||
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| Format: | This 2-hour examination will be based on learning material, practicals and field trip, and will be held in the central examination period. |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Recommended | BJ Atwell, PE Kriedemann, CGN Turnbull | 2010 | Plants in Action (available as a free on-line edition: http://plantsinaction.science.uq.edu.au/edition1/?q=content/title-page) | n/a | Macmillan Education Australia |
Laboratory coat, covered shoes, hat
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
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