AVBS2004: Semester 2, 2022

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Units AVBS2004 Semester 2 2022 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

AVBS2004: Animal Nutrition

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

One of the greatest limiting factors to the health and wellbeing of animals under our care is the nutritional value of their feed. Whether provided by nature or manufactured to meet the production and health needs of farmed animals, being able to provide suitable nutrition to animals in our care is fundamental to good animal health management. This Unit is broadly divided into three sections, namely: estimating the nutritive value of feeds; estimating the nutrient requirements of animals and diet formulation. The focus is on building up knowledge on animal nutrition by assessments of nutritional adequacy and solving of nutritional problems, with a particular emphasis on wildlife and animals used in agricultural production systems. The principles discussed in this course will be expanded in third year, in which species-specific systems will be described within the animal production major. In this unit you will develop the skills to create diets based on sound science, to meet animal requirements for a variety of purposes and under a variety of constraints and identify deficiencies, excesses and imbalances in diets and optimising nutritional health and minimising disease risk.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	AVBS2004
Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	ANSC3101
Prerequisites ?	(BIOL1XX7 or MBLG1XXX) and 6cp from AVBS100X
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Alex Chaves, alex.chaves@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small test	Online short answer quiz Short answer quiz	15%	Week 05 Due date: 30 Aug 2022 at 08:00 Closing date: 30 Aug 2022	1h
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Problem based learning report Report	40%	Week 07 Due date: 13 Sep 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 15 Sep 2022	10-14 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Plan/script/1 minute video Written plan/script for video plus 1 minute video presentation	10%	Week 09 Due date: 04 Oct 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 06 Oct 2022	1-5 pages + 1 minute video
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual video presentation Video presentation	35%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Nov 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Nov 2022	5 minutes
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Online short answer quiz: the examination will consist of 15-30 short answer questions using lecture contents from the first 4 weeks of the semester and reading material.
Problem based learning report: Students need to comment on the ability of each diet to meet the nutritional requirements of these animals using the diet formulation reports. Please indicate nutrients required by the animals of each scenario and the amounts of these nutrients provided in the diet.
Plan/script/1 minute video presentation: Assessable draft of the video presentation e.g. write up a plan/script/1 minute video presentation in week 9 for quick feedback before submitting the final video in week 13.
Individual video presentation: This presentation is about creating a diet to meet nutrient requirements for a specific class of animal.

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library Reading List, available on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction to AVBS2004; 2. Feed types and composition / Feed fractions; 3. Physically effective fibre concept.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to Canvas, Diet formulation software	Computer laboratory (3 hr)
Week 02	1. Digestibility; 2. Energy; 3. Metabolisable protein (MP) and lipid digestion.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Problem-based learning	Practical (3 hr)
Week 03	1. Rumen microbiology - bacteria, archaea, fungi and protozoa (Part 1); 2. Rumen microbiology - bacteria, archaea, fungi and protozoa (Part 2); 3. Factors to consider in the ensiling of forages;	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Problem-based learning	Computer laboratory (3 hr)
Week 04	1. Evolution and role of silage inoculants in ensiling; 2. Digestive disturbances in feedlot cattle - acidosis & bloat; 3.Monogastric digestion.	Lecture (3 hr)
	Problem-based learning	Computer laboratory (3 hr)
	Short answer quiz (15%)	Online class (1 hr)
Week 05	1. Pasture versus total mixed ration (TMR) 2. Diet formulation; 3. Beef nutrition.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Problem-based learning	Practical (3 hr)
Week 06	1. Macrominerals; 2. Microminerals; 3. Water Soluble Vitamins.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Problem-based learning	Practical (3 hr)
Week 07	1. Fat Soluble Vitamins; 2. Use of unsable veggies as animal feeds; 3. Video presentation guidelines 2022.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Problem-based learning (PBL) report submission	Practical (3 hr)
Week 08	1. Wildlife nutrition (Taronga Zoo); 2. Wildlife nutrition; 3. Nutrition geometry.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Written plan/script for video plus 1 minute video	Practical (3 hr)
Week 09	1. Camelid nutrition; 2. Dairy nutrition; 3. Horse nutrition.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Submission written plan+1 minute video. Design diet for video presentation	Practical (3 hr)
Week 10	1. Dogs and cats nutrition; 2. Poultry nutrition; 3. Swine nutrition.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Design diet for video presentation	Practical (3 hr)
Week 11	1. Fish nutrition; 2. Sheep nutrition; 3. Carbon footprint of beef from a global and Australian perspective.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Design diet for video presentation	Practical (3 hr)
Week 12	1. Use of indigestible markers in animal nutrition; 2. In vivo experiments in animal nutrition; 3. In vitro experiments in animal nutrition.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Preparation of video presentations	Practical (3 hr)
Week 13	1.Poultry production in Australia - an updated industry view; 2. Pigs production in Australia - an updated industry view; 3. Altering the fatty acid composition of milk and beef.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 13	UoS evaluation; Submission individual video presentation.	Computer laboratory (3 hr)
Weekly	Drop-in session / Q&A (3h/Week)	Online class (39 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Referencing guide: Vancouver. Any and all available works can be cited in the reference list. Acceptable sources include: published or accepted manuscripts and manuscripts on preprint servers, if the manuscript is submitted to a journal and also publicly available as a preprint. Do not cite the following sources in the reference list: Unavailable and unpublished work, including manuscripts that have been submitted but not yet accepted and personal communications. References are listed at the end of the report and video presentation and numbered in the order that they appear in the text/video. In the text, cite the reference number in square brackets.
Attendance: Students are required to attend 3 lectures, a 2 hour practical session and commit to of 1-2h online learning sessions on a weekly basis. Please check timetable for updates regularly.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Book: Animal Nutrition. McDonald, P, Edwards, RA, Greenhalgh, JFD, and Morgan, CA. 7th Edition, Prentice-Hall, 2011.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. describe feed types and composition
LO2. outline factors to consider in the ensiling process of forages
LO3. describe digestion differences between animals
LO4. examine the factors that affect the digestibility and metabolisable energy of feeds
LO5. characterise the microbes organisation in the rumen
LO6. explain the reasons for differences in nutrient requirements within and among animals
LO7. design and evaluate animal diets.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Final MCQ in exam period (40%) was replaced by a short answer quiz in week 4 (15%) and a Plan/Scrip/1 minute video presentation in Week 9 (10%). Also, small increase on weight for both PBL report (from 30% to 40%) and video presentation (from 30 to 35%) since these require a large amount of work and student's dedication.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

General laboratory safety rules

No eating or drinking is allowed in any laboratory under any circumstances
A laboratory coat and closed-toe shoes are mandatory
Follow safety instructions in your manual and posted in laboratories
In case of fire, follow instructions posted outside the laboratory door
First aid kits, eye wash and fire extinguishers are located in or immediately outside each laboratory
As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that you have a current tetanus immunisation. This can be obtained from University Health Service: unihealth.usyd.edu.au/

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

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