AVBS2006: Semester 1, 2024

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Units AVBS2006 Semester 1 2024 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

AVBS2006: Animal Farming Systems

Semester 1, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Animal farming systems play a key role in global food security and underpinning global economies. They are dynamic systems that experience constant change and sometimes even controversy! This unit builds on the animal production and management knowledge gained in AVBS 1002 and challenges students to create more sustainable approaches to production. By exploring the holistic nature of various farming systems, students in this unit can begin to understand the complexity of farming animals and the factors driving changes in practices. We will focus on ruminant, pig, poultry, and aquaculture systems in Australia and compare with international farming systems. Current issues facing animal farming systems will be explored and we will consider how these industries are changing to meet both the needs of the environment and society. The unit aims to inspire and motivate students through research-informed teaching and application of the principles of scientific thinking for the basis of decision making for improving productivity in animal farming systems.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	AVBS2006
Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	BIOL1XX7 and AVBS100X
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Basic handling skills for production animals
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Luciano Gonzalez, luciano.gonzalez@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Luciano Gonzalez, luciano.gonzalez@sydney.edu.au
	Jessica Rickard, jessica.rickard@sydney.edu.au
	Russell Bush, russell.bush@sydney.edu.au
	Sergio Garcia, sergio.garcia@sydney.edu.au
	Sonia Liu, sonia.liu@sydney.edu.au
	Roslyn Bathgate, roslyn.bathgate@sydney.edu.au
	Cameron Clark, cameron.clark@sydney.edu.au
	Wendy Muir, wendy.muir@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam Holistic summation of all content.	35%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Aquaculture Canvas Quiz 1 A supervised Canvas quiz held in class on content from aquaculture module	5%	Week 03 Due date: 04 Mar 2024 at 11:00	20 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Oral presentation See assignment page on Canvas for full details.	20%	Week 07 Due date: 12 Apr 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 26 Apr 2024	12 minute presentations
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Pigs & Poultry Canvas Quiz 2 Content from the pigs and poultry modules	10%	Week 07 Due date: 08 Apr 2024 at 12:00	45 min
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Case study report See information on the assignment page in Canvas.	20%	Week 13 Due date: 24 May 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 07 Jun 2024	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Ruminants Canvas Quiz 3 Content from Ruminants Module.	10%	Week 13 Due date: 20 May 2024 at 12:00	45 min
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Quiz: A short quiz made up of 5 multiple choice and 2 short answer questions. If you miss any of the Tutorial Quizes, you may be able to apply for Special Consideration, in order to sit a replacement quiz. If you do not complete any of the Tutorial Quizes and are not awarded Special Consideration, you will recieve 0 for that corresponding quiz.

Oral Presentation: A group assigment, where you will need to research, write and record a 12 minute presentation on a topic within a module of your choice. If you do not attempt the oral presentation by the closing date, you may be able to apply for Special Consideration. If you do not attempt the assignment and are not awarded Special Consideration, you will recieve 0 for the case study report.

Case Study: A group assignment, where you will need to research, write and submit a report on a topic within a module of your choice. If you do not attempt the research report by the closing date, you may be able to apply for Special Consideration. If you do not attempt the assignment and are not awarded Special Consideration, you will recieve 0 for the case study report.

Final Exam: A closed book exam, examining content from all modules. If you do not attempt the Final Exam, you will need to apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a replacement exam. If you do not attempt the Final Exam and are not awared Special Consideration, you will recieve an Absent Fail (AF) grade for this unit, as the Final Exam is a compulsary assessment.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas

Assessment criteria

See the rubric on the assignment page on Canvas

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

As per the School/Faculty policy.

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.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Unit of Study Welcome and Introduction	Lecture (1 hr)
	Aquaculture- Lecture 1	Lecture (1 hr)
	Aquaculture- Lecture 2/3	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Aquaculture- Lecture 4/5	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Aquaculture- Lecture 6/7	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Pigs- Lecture 1/2	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 03	Pigs- Lecture 3/4	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Pigs- Lecture 5/6	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Pigs- Lecture 7/8	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Poultry- Lecture 1/2	Lecture (2 hr)
	Poultry- Lecture 3/4	Lecture (2 hr)
	Practical Day 1- Camden Campus	Practical (7 hr)
Week 06	Poultry- Lecture 5/6	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Poultry- Lecture 7/8	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Practical Day 2- Camden Campus	Practical (7 hr)
Week 08	Ruminants- Lecture 1/2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Ruminants- Lecture 3/4	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Ruminants- Lecture 5/6	Lecture (2 hr)
	Ruminants- Lecture 7	Lecture (1 hr)
	Ruminants- Lecture 8	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Ruminants- Lecture 9/10	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Ruminants- Lecture 11/12	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Ruminants- Lecture 13/14	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Ruminants- Lecture 15/16	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Lecture Summary	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Practical Day 3- Camden Campus	Practical (7 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

See Canvas for specific details

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

none

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. Identify and describe the range of animal production systems that are used in Australia and overseas in various environments, and the drivers of change in farming practices.
LO2. Identify and critically evaluate current issues facing animal farming systems in Australia.
LO3. Critically evaluate scientific and technical information in animal production systems and use it to identify potential solutions to problems.
LO4. Effectively communicate a key issue in animal production systems.
LO5. Conduct work independently and in teams to source, critically evaluate and analyse scientific literature and communicate effectively in different modes to a variety of audiences.

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.

We have changed assessments for early feedback quiz in week 3 and we have revised practical content to avoid overlap with Year 1 units.

Additional information

Additional costs

Students need to provide their own lab coats, safety eye wear and appropriate foot wear for practical days at Camden campus

Site visit guidelines

See Canvas for information on practical days at Camden campus

Work, health and safety

See Canvas for risk assessments for practical classes

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

Support for students

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

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

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