Outline

Overview

This unit encompasses the material taught in NEUR3003. Advanced students perform a research project and present a mini-lecture on a current topic in neuroscience.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Department of Medical Sciences
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	ANAT2X10 or BMED2402 or BMED2403 or BMED2406 or MEDS2001 or PHSI2X05 or PHSI2X07 and an annual average mark of 70 or above in the previous year
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	NEUR3003
Assumed knowledge ?	Students who have not successfully completed an introductory neuroscience course are advised to familiarise themselves with the content in Bear, Connors and Paradiso Exploring the Brain"."
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Catherine Leamey, catherine.leamey@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Catherine Leamey, catherine.leamey@sydney.edu.au
	Atomu Sawatari, atomu.sawatari@sydney.edu.au
	Claire Goldsbury, claire.goldsbury@sydney.edu.au
	Vladimir Balcar, vladimir.balcar@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Kevin Keay, kevin.keay@sydney.edu.au
	Paul Austin, paul.austin@sydney.edu.au
	Daniel Johnstone, daniel.johnstone@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final exam Extended answer, open book (3 hour release)	50%	Formal exam period	3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Scientific lecture, lecture resources and supervisors report Presentation, resources, participation	40%	Multiple weeks	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	quiz Extended answer questions	10%	Week 05	50 mins
Outcomes assessed:
= Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Final exam: You will be required to answer 4 questions in this exam. One question from each lecture topic.
Mid-semester exam: This exam will cover material presented in the series of lectures in developmental neuroscience.
Scientific lecture, lecture resources and supervisors report: The lecture will be peer-assessed, assessed by academics from the unit and also by the unit coordinators (15%). Your lectures slides will be assessed by the unit coordinators (7.5%), your handout will be assessed by unit academics (7.5%) and your supervisor will be asked to evaluate your motivation, application, technical and intellectual skills in the laboratory environment (10%).
Peer assessment of colleagues: Your attendance at, and participation in peer assessment of your colleagues enrolled in NEUR3903 is a compulsory component of your satisfactory completion of this unit of study. You are expected to provide thoughtful and constructive critiques on each of the presentations given by each of your fellow students in the advanced stream of this unit. The marks that you give will form part of these students final assessment mark for this part of their unit. Attendance at these presentations is a compulsory part of the advanced unit and is treated like any university assessment process.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found 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.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Mastery of topics showing extensive integration and ability to transfer knowledge to novel contexts; treatment of tasks shows an advanced synthesis of ideas; demonstration of initiative, complex understanding and analysis; work is very well presented; all criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to an outstanding level
Distinction	75 - 84	Excellent achievement, consistent evidence of deep understanding and application of knowledge in medical science; treatment of tasks shows advanced understanding of topics; demonstration of initiative, complex understanding and analysis; work is well-presented; all criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to a superior level
Credit	65 - 74	Confident in explaining medical science processes, with evidence of solid understanding and achievement; occasional lapses indicative of unresolved issues; treatment of tasks shows a good understanding of topic; work is well-presented with a minimum of errors; all criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to a high level
Pass	50 - 64	Satisfactory level of engagement with and understanding of topic; some inconsistencies in understanding and knowledge of medical science; work is adequately presented, with some errors or omissions, most criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to an adequate level
Fail	0 - 49	Unsatisfactory achievement and engagement with the medical science discipline; inadequate understanding or fundamental misunderstanding of topics; most criteria and learning outcomes not clearly or adequately addressed or achieved; lack of effort/involvement in the unit

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:

All assignments must be submitted by the due date and quizzes and exams attended when they are scheduled. Students are expected to manage their time and to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines. Assessment items submitted after the due date without an approved extension using a special consideration or special arrangement form or request will incur penalties. Failure to meet assessment deadlines will incur mark deductions of 5% of the maximum awardable mark available for every day past the due date (for electronic submissions, days late includes Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). These deductions will continue for 10 calendar days, until the solutions for the assignment are released, or marked assignments are returned to other students. At that point the mark awarded will be zero.

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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	Introduction and Neural Development 1&2.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Neural Development 3-5	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Neural development 5-8	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	Cellular basis of cognition 1-3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Cellular basis of cognition 4-5 and mid sem quiz	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Cellular basis of cognition 6-7 and Molecular Neuroscience 1	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Molecular Neuroscience 2-4	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Molecular Neuroscience 5-7	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Neural degeneration 1-3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Neural degeneration 4-6	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Neural degeneration 7, feedback and wrap up	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Advanced lectures	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 13	Advanced Lectures	Lecture (3 hr)
Weekly	Advanced Research Project tutorials	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

The University of Sydney Coursework Policy 2014 states:
55 (2) A student enrolled in a unit of study must comply with the requirements set out in the faculty resolutions, award course resolutions or unit of study outline about undertaking the unit of study, including on matters such as: (a) attendance at and participation in lectures, seminars and tutorials; and (b) participation in practical work.

The Faculty of Science resolutions states:
9(1). Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Associate Dean.

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

To be advised by instructors.

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. Develop a mechanistic understanding of the major principles underlying the function and dysfunction of the nervous system, including aspects of its development and degeneration.
LO2. Develop an in depth awareness of the process of performing scientific research and how this contributes to our knowledge.
LO3. Gain an in depth understanding of a subfield of neuroscientific literature
LO4. Develop your critical evaluation skills.
LO5. Demonstrate a capacity to integrate information from a variety of sources.
LO6. Gain an awareness of ethical issues which need to be considered in the conduct of scientific research.
LO7. Develop your oral and written communication skills.
LO8. Develop your ability to perform effective searches of online Databases
LO9. Show an ability to think creatively about a research problem
LO10. Develop the capacity to interact respectfully with others from a range of backgrounds

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.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

NEUR3903: Cellular and Developmental Neurosci. (Adv)

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links