Unit Guide

SCI2010
Scientific practice and communication
Semester 1, 2016

Handbook link:
http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2016handbooks/units/index-byfaculty-sci.html

Table of contents

Table of contents
Unit handbook information

Synopsis

Mode of delivery

Workload requirements

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

Prohibitions

Co-requisites

Chief Examiner(s)

Unit Coordinator(s)

Lecturer(s)

Other staff details

Academic overview

Learning outcomes

Teaching approach

Feedback to you

Assessment summary

Assessment requirements

Assessment tasks

Examination(s)

10

Referencing requirements

10

Assignment submission

10

Unit schedule
Your feedback to us
Previous student evaluations of this unit
Unit resources
Learning resources

12
13
13
13
13

Reading List

13

Workbook and Workshop Activities

14

Moodle

14

Email versus Forums

14

Student Services

14

Learning Skills and SCI2010

14

SCI2010 plagiarism policy and the use of Turnitin

15

Required resources

15

Other information

16

Policies

16

Graduate Attributes Policy

16

Student Charter

16

Student Services

16

Monash University Library

16

Disability Support Services

16

Extensions and penalties

17

Penalties

17

Unit handbook information

Synopsis
Science and technology are the basis of modern life yet most people do not understand how
discoveries are made or commercialised. In SCI2010 you will examine the core elements of
modern science by looking back at the people, cultures, events and discoveries that allowed
science to emerge and contributed to the establishment of key concepts such as empiricism,
scepticism and rationalism. This unit will equip you with skills to assess the validity of scientific
information, to distinguish between real science, bad science and pseudoscience. The value of
science in solving real world issues, and improving the human condition are discussed using
current examples. Students will benefit from critical evaluation of a wide variety of literature,
ranging from peer-reviewed scientific publications to web sites promulgating pseudoscientific
remedies. These skills will help your analysis and communication of science and other disciplines.
You will complete assignments that will help improve your written and verbal communication to a
range of audiences including politicians, managers, the general public and your fellow educated
specialists. You will uncover and strengthen your own personal and professional ethical standpoint
on current issues such as vaccines, the funding of research by multi-national corporations and
plagiarism. Together the topics covered in SCI2010 give you a solid foundation on which to forge a
professional career whether it is directly related to science or not.

Mode of delivery
Malaysia (Day)
Clayton (Day)

Workload requirements
Two hours of lectures and one 2-hour workshop per week, or equivalent

Unit relationships

Prerequisites
Two semesters of first year university

Prohibitions
SCI2015

Co-requisites
None

Chief Examiner(s)
4

Associate Professor Roslyn Gleadow

Unit Coordinator(s)
Associate Professor Roslyn Gleadow (Clayton); Dr. Joash Tan Ban Lee (Malaysia)

Lecturer(s)
Name:DrBronwynIsaac
Campus:Clayton
Phone:+61 3 990 53641
Email:Bronwyn.Isaac@monash.edu
Consultation hours:By appointment

Other staff details

Details for workshop tutors and campus coordinators will be available through Moodle during the
semester.
Unit Coordinator & Clayton

Associate Professor Roslyn Gleadow (Clayton)

Campus Coordinator
Campus

Clayton

Phone

(03) 9905 1667

Email

SCI2010.coordinator@monash.edu

Office hours

By appointment

Malaysian Campus

Dr Joash Tan Ban Lee

Coordinator
Lecturers

Dr Song Beng Kah, Dr Lee Sui Mae, Dr Mahaletchumy

Arujanan

Campus

Malaysia

Phone

+603-55146107

Email

SCI2010.enquiries@monash.edu

Office Hours

By appointment

Tutor(s)

Mr Hikari Oh Kan Fu, Mr Yew Peng Nian

SCI2010 Main Office

Clayton Campus, 18 Innovation walk Rm 311 & 25

Rainforest walk Rm 117

location
SCI2010 Enquiries

SCI2010.enquiries@monash.edu

Academic overview
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit students will be able to:
1. Outline the central components of scientific thinking and their historical origins;
2. Distinguish science from pseudoscience and bad science;
3. Acquire, critically analyse and communicate complex scientific ideas and information;
4. Present scientific information using different media including formal and informal writing,
spoken presentations and visual media;
5. Discuss the purposes of, and methods behind, effective science communication and
identify how approaches can be adapted for different audiences;
6. Develop a research question within a given set of topics and address it using the primary
scientific literature;
7. List the ways in which science is regulated and assess their effectiveness in promoting
ethical professional practice;
8. Identify different destinations for science graduates and the list generic and technical skills
that will help them gain employment.

Teaching approach
The work is structured around three themes: science and how to communicate it, scientific
principles and philosophy, ethical practice of science. Topics are introduced in the two weekly
lectures, and put into their intellectual context. The information and ideas presented in lectures are
supported by practical activities carried out in the workshops (a two hour tutorial) that help
students to develop transferrable science skills through enquiry-based learning, peer-assisted
learning, group discussions and presentations. Some lectures and workshops may be replaced
with on-line learning activities.

Feedback to you
We will endeavour to provide detailed feedback for assignments 1a, 1b and 1d via Moodle
withintwo weeks of your submission for work submitted on time. Feedback for assignment 1c will
begiven verbally and/or in writing during the workshop in Week 10. We will aim to provide
writtenfeedback for assignment 2 within 14 days, via Moodle.

Assessment summary
Workshop participation and activities: 15% + Spoken presentation(s): 5% + Written assignment(s):
40% + Examination (2 hours): 40%

Assessment Task

Value

Week Due

Submitted Via:

Workshop participation:
attendance and activities

15%

Ongoing

Various

Assignment 1a. Written

assignment
(Press release)

5%

Week 3

Online

Assignment 2. Spoken
presentation

5%

Week 5

Attendance at
workshop

Assignment 1b Written
assignment
(Annotated bibliography)

10%

Week 7

Online

Assignment 1c Draft literature

review

Formative

Week 10

Attendance at
workshop

Assignment 1d Written
assignment
(Final scientific literature review)

25%

Week 12

Online

Written examination

40%

In exam period

Assessment requirements
Assessment tasks
Participation

Due date: Ongoing

Details of task: Attendance at workshops, workshop Activities, weekly quizzes on Moodle and
online activities.
Value: 15%
Criteria for marking:
Attendance of weekly workshops, workshop Activities, weekly Moodle quizzes and online activities.
Assignment 1 Scientific Literature Review
Assignment 1 is composed of four sub-sections (a, b, c, d). Each assignment builds on the
previous assignment and focuses on a different style of communication. The feedback is provided
in time for you to use it to improve your next assignment.
Assessment 1a: Press release

Mode of delivery: Written

Submission: Via Moodle

Submission: Via Moodle

Due date: See Moodle for specific date/time. Allow at least48 hours togenerate your Turnitin
report before the due date.
Details: Locate a primary scientific article.Write a press release on the chosen primary scientific
article. A Turnitin report with <10% similarity must be attached.
Word limit: 200 words (including title), (excluding reference). (Penalties apply if word limit
isexceeded. See p10 and 22 of workbook).
Value: 5%
Estimated return date: 14 days from submission
Criteria for marking: See detailed criteria and submission checklist in the workbook.
Writtenfeedback will be provided on your writing style and the content and structure of your
work.Students identified as having writing and/or comprehension problems will be referred to
theLearning Skills Unit.
Assessment task 1b: Annotated Bibliography

Mode of delivery: Written

Submission: Via Moodle
Due date: See Moodle for specific date/time. Allow at least 48 hours to generateyour Turnitin
report before the due date/time.
Details of task: Write an annotated bibliography based on your chosen literature review
topic,including summaries of five articles, an introduction to the topic and a statement of your
researchquestion. A Turnitin report with 10% similarity must be attached (see workbook for
details).
Word limit: 850 words (including main title, in-text citations & keywords), (excluding summarytitles
in reference format, reference list, annotations and original abstracts). (Penalties apply if wordlimit
is exceeded. See p10 and 25).
Value: 10%
Estimated return date: 14 days from submission.
Criteria for marking: See detailed criteria and submission checklist in the workbook.
Writtenfeedback will be provided on your writing style and the content and structure of your work.
Tutorswill discuss specific aspects of your assignment with you in class.
Assessment task 1c: Draft Literature Review

Mode of delivery: Written (in workshops)

Submission: Hard copy, bring to workshop.
Due date: Week 10in your workshop.
Details of task: Write a draft of your literature review ready for peer review in your workshop.

Word limit: 2000 words

Value: Formative (i.e. no marks)
Estimated return date: Week 10in your workshop.
Criteria for marking: Your tutor and another student will provide verbal and/or written feedback on
your draft to help you improve it before final submission. The draft should aim to meet the same
criteria as the final literature review (below).
Assessment task 1d: Final Literature Review

Mode of delivery: Written

Submission: Via Moodle
Due date:See Moodle for specific date/time. Allow at least 48 hours to generateyour Turnitin
report before the due date/time.
Details of task: Write a scientific literature review addressing a specific research question refined
from the list of broad topics provided at the start of semester. A Turnitin report with 10% similarity
must be attached (see workbook for details).
Word limit: 2000 words (including title, subheadings, in-text citations & keywords),
(excluding,figures/tables, their captions & reference list). (Penalties apply if word limit is
exceeded.)
Value: 25%
Estimated return date: 14 days from submission date.

Criteria for marking: See detailed criteria and submission checklist in the workbook. Written
feedback will be provided on your writing style, the content and structure of your work and
referencing. A breakdown of the marks is given in the workbook.
Assignment 2 Presenting Science

Assignment 2 is completed concurrently with parts of Assignment 1.

Mode of delivery: Group task; oral presentation
Due date: See Moodle for specific date/time
Details of task: Identify a recent article on science in the popular media and trace the science
presented to the relevant primary scientific article. Critically analyse the science, and produce an
oral presentation in the form of a conference presentation or a TV or radio show. Students must
complete a collaboration agreement. Class members will be invited to ask questions after the
presentation.
Time limit: 4 minutes per person within the group (e.g. group of five equals 20 minutes, while
agroup of four would equate to 16 minutes).

Group Roles: All students are expected to participate in all aspects of the assignment, including
finding a media article, tracing the primary article, developing presentation materials, & delivering
the presentation.
Value: 5%
Estimated return date: 14 days from presentation.
Criteria for marking: See detailed criteria and submission checklist in the workbook. Written and
oral feedback will be given on the content, structure and style of the presentation, the suitability of
visual aids and communication style.

Examination(s)
There will be a 2-hour written examination during the examination period for each semester.
Questions include multiple-choice, short- and long-answer.

Referencing requirements
Referencing for all assignments should follow the author-date style specified in the SCI2010
Workbook, Appendix 1.

Assignment submission
Detailed information on how to complete each assignment, assignment objectives, together with
checklists for submission are given in the Workbook.
Student declaration forms- compulsory
A student declaration form must be completed on Moodle before you submit your first assessment
piece. Completion of this form is a statement made by you confirming that you will not engage in
any form of cheating, plagiarism or collusion in this unit. THIS IS COMPULSORY before anything
can be submitted. Assignment Dropboxes will not open until this had been done.

Online Submission:
Use Moodle to submit assignments. Do not submit files attached to email. Emailed assignments
will not be marked.
You must submit your work as a .doc or .docx file.
Include your authcate and the assignment number in your file name e.g. aatan1_A1d.
Submit to the correct Assignment Dropbox. (for details see workbook or ask your tutor)
Add any additional files (e.g. Turnitin reports) before clicking submit.
You will receive a confirmation message within Moodle once you have successfully submitted
your assignment to the electronic assignment dropbox.
Comments and grading of your assessment will be communicated to you via Moodle.

Instructions for submitting an assignment electronically are found at http://www.vle.monash.edu

/moodlesupportforstudents.html

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11

Unit schedule
The table below shows the planned schedule of activities and assessment for this unit but from
time to time it may be necessary to adjust this for operational reasons. Please listen for
announcements in lectures and/or check official announcements on Moodle regularly.
Wk
start

Wk

WS#

Lectures

Workshop

29 Feb

1. Life of Sci

Publish or Perish
PLUS OA1:Project
management

2. Scientific thinking: E,
R, S
07Mar

14Mar

3. Why communicate?
4. Old and new media

Scientific literature:
What are the
important bits

5. Presentations

How to talk science

Assignment/
Feedback

A1a dueWed
16Mar3 pm

6. Magician/
Illusionist
21Mar

No lecture

OA2: Language and

academic integrity

7. Origins of science

Presentations

Feedback for A1a

A2 due
inworkshop

Scientific arguments

Pseudoscience

A1b dueWed
20Apr3 pm
Feedback for A2

Mid-semester break
04 Apr

8.Philosophy of Science
11Apr

9.Pseudoscience
10.Pseudoscience

18 Apr

11. Scientific revolutions

12. Scientific revolutions

25Apr

No lecture

OA3:Literature
review toolkit

02May

13.Ideals of Science
/Evil Scientists

Ethical dilemmas

feedback on A1b

The peer-review
process & literature
review consultations

A1cdue at
workshop
Feedback on A1c

14.Ethics of animal
experimentation
09 May

10

15.Ethics of human
experimentation
16.Bias in science and
summing up

16May

11

17. Careers panel

12

23May

12

18. Leveraging SCI2010

for a career

Volunteering &
employability:
careers modules

Revision lecture

Formative Online
Exam Revision:
Quizzes

A1d due Wed

25May 3 pm

Your feedback to us
One of the formal ways students have to provide feedback on teaching and their learning
experience is through the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey. The feedback
is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied with
and areas for improvement.

Previous student evaluations of this unit

In response to the last SETU of this unit, the following changes have been made:

The unit is more challenging intellectually

Volunteer opportunities have been included in the discussion of science career destinations

Student feedback has highlighted the following strengths in this unit:

The quality of feedback

High level of structural organization
Opportunities for face to face interaction with academic staff

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to;
https://emuapps.monash.edu/unitevaluations/index.jsp

Unit resources
Learning resources
A workbook will be provided at the first lecture or workshop. Bring this to all workshops. Reading
materials and DVDs will be available in the library or online via Moodle.

Reading List
Required readings for SCI2010 are available via the library reading list link on Moodle:

http://lib.monash.edu/non-cms/resourcelists/s/sci2010.html

Links to other materials will be provided on Moodle

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Workbook and Workshop Activities

A wide range of activities will be performed in the workshops during the semester. Some of these
activities will contribute marks toward your final grade. Students will be provided with a workbook
at the first lecture or workshop, and are required to bring this to each session. Further resources to
support these activities will be provided via Moodle.

Moodle
SCI2010 uses the Moodle Learning Management System. You are expected to log in daily. You
will be able to access schedules, resources, assignment drop-boxes and useful links. The
discussion forums are an important channel for communication between staff and students; you
are advised to check them often, and use them to ask questions about any aspect of the unit.
Important updates and changes to activities and schedules are posted as announcements which
should pop up when you log in; you can also access these through the news link on Moodle at any
time.

Email versus Forums

All communication should be made via Moodle Discussion Forums unless it is of a personal
nature. General questions will be answered on Moodle and not via email. There are forums for
specific topics and campuses. Check Moodle for details.

Student Services
The University provides many different kinds of support services. Contact your tutor if you need
advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students. The Monash
University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be
more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab
in my.monash portal for more information. Students who have a disability or medical condition are
welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability
Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis

Website: http://www.monash.edu.au/equity-diversity/disability/
Telephone: 03 9905 5704 to book an appointment with a DLO;
Email: dlu@monash.edu
Drop In: Equity and Diversity Centre, Level 1 Gallery Building (21 Ancoro Imparo Way),
Monash University, Clayton Campus.

Learning Skills and SCI2010

Learning Skills, located in the Hargrave-Andrew Library on the Clayton campus offer a range of
classes to help students develop transferrable skills such as note-taking, database searching and
report writing. Several classes are run specifically for SCI2010 students, and we encourage all
SCI2010 students to take advantage of these classes to improve your comprehension, database
searching and writing in science. Students identified as struggling with writing and/or
comprehension of the material in SCI2010 will be referred to these classes.

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To identify up-coming sessions, log in to your my.monash portal, click the Library tab, and then
click Search and enrol in events. An information desk in the library can also advise you, and dropin sessions with learning advisors are available throughout the week. Learning Skills staff are also
available for drop-in sessions at the Berwick, Gippsland, Peninsula and Monash Malaysia libraries.

More details are available in the workbook relating to sessions that will be specifically targeting
material from this unit.

SCI2010 plagiarism policy and the use of Turnitin

Plagiarism is taken seriously in SCI2010, and we encourage students to think critically and write
creatively. In order to help you avoid similarity to existing sources, you will be required to use
Turnitin for some of your assignments. It will be possible to check both the draft and final
submissions of your Annotated Bibliography and Literature Review using Turnitin. Details on how
to use it will be given in workshops and/or lectures. A Turnitin similarity report including the
Similarity Index (%) and full Turnitin report (classic version) must be included with the final
submission, of certain assignments. This must include the similarity index even if the match
percentage is zero. Penalties apply for failure to include an appropriate Turnitin report with your
assignment.

If you submit an assignment without a Turnitin report: your assignment will be returned to
you, and late penalties will apply (see above) until you resubmit your assignment with a
Turnitin report.
If you submit an assignment with a Turnitin report with a similarity >10%: your assignment
will be returned to you, and late penalties will apply until you resubmit your assignment with
a % similarity of 10%. i.e. you will lose marks for each day it takes to resubmit the
assignment with the appropriate report.
Allow at least 48 hours for a Turnitin report to be processed prior to your assignment
submission as the system can be quite slow during busy periods such as the time around
the due date for the assignments. Bear in mind that it is likely that you will need to submit
your work to Turnitin more than once in order to achieve a similarity index 10%.

Monash Library Unit Reading List (if applicable to the unit):

http://readinglists.lib.monash.edu/index.html

Required resources
Students generally must be able to complete the requirements of their course without the
imposition of fees that are additional to the student contribution amount or tuition fees. However,
students may be charged certain incidental fees or be expected to make certain purchases to
support their study. For more information about this, refer to the Higher Education Administrative
Information for Providers, Chapter 18, Incidental Fees athttp://education.gov.au/help-resourcesproviders

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Other information
Policies
Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that
staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how
they might uphold them. You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

Graduate Attributes Policy

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/management/monash-graduateattributes-policy.html

Student Charter
http://www.monash.edu/students/policies/student-charter.html

Student Services
The University provides many different kinds of services to help you gain the most from your
studies.Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at:
http://www.monash.edu/students
http://www.monash.edu.my/student-services/

Monash University Library

The Monash University Library provides a range of services, resources and programs that enable
you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research.
Go tohttp://www.monash.edu/libaryor http://www.lib.monash.edu.my/orthe library tab inhttp://my.
monash.eduportal for more information.

Disability Support Services

Students who have a disability, ongoing medical or mental health condition are welcome to contact
Disability Support Services.
Disability Advisers visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis.

Website:monash.edu/disability
Telephone: 03 9905 5704 to book an appointment with an Adviser;
Email:disabilitysupportservices@monash.edu
Drop In: Level 1, Western Annexe, 21 Chancellors Walk (Campus Centre) Clayton Campus

For students at Malaysia campus, please contact the Student Wellbeing and Activities Office

16

For students at Malaysia campus, please contact the Student Wellbeing and Activities Office
located in Building 2, Level 2, Room 2238.
http://www.monash.edu.my/student-services/homepage/current-students/wellbeing-and-activities
/disability-support

Extensions and penalties

University-wide rules governing special consideration were introduced in 2008 and are strictly
enforced. All applications for special consideration MUST be made using the official form and be
accompanied by documentation, such as a medical certificate, counsellors report or other form of
evidence. See http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html for university
information. This can be scanned and uploaded to Moodle in the relevant Special Consideration
Dropbox.
APPLICATIONS MUST BE MADE NO LATER THAN TWO UNIVERSITY DAYS AFTER THE DUE
DATE OF THE RELEVANT ASSIGNMENT.

SCI2010 Special consideration procedure

Special consideration information and forms are available on the SCI2010 Moodle site. Students
must submit the special consideration forms and supporting documentation to theSpecial
Consideration Dropbox on Moodle. We do not accept hard copies handed to tutors or
other staff. You will be informed of the outcome via Moodle.

Assignments: Extensions for the final literature review (Assignment 1d) can only be given by the
unit coordinator or lecturer. Applications should be made well in advance of the deadline. In
general an extension will only be considered if you have arranged it in advance. Extensions on all
other assignments can be given by your tutor but only with official documentation and supporting
evidence even if it is only for one day. Please note: Technical difficulties or having a lot of other
work due at the same time are not valid reasons for last-minute extensions.You may not miss your
scheduled workshop more than twice in a single semester
without official approval.

Workshops:If you miss a workshop due to illness you should try to attend another workshop inthe
same week. Make sure you let the tutor know who you are and which workshop younormally
attend. It is also courteous to send an email apology for your absence to your owntutor. If you are
unable to attend any sessions that week (including if you are attending educationplacements or
elite sport commitments) you will need to submit a special consideration formwithin two days,
accompanied by supporting documentation, or you will lose attendance points.Workshop activity
marks can only be made up by completing the relevant tasks. It is yourresponsibility to ensure you
have read the relevant workshop slides on Moodle as importantinformation and reminders are
often communicated at these sessions. It is often not possible tocomplete these outside of the
workshop itself.

Penalties
Late submission

17

Per 24 hours, 10% of total available mark, or part thereof (including weekends). Work will notbe
accepted more than 7 days after the due date unless an extension has been granted.
* You must be present at workshop 4 for Assignment A2. If you are unable to attend workshop4,
the A2 presentations, please discuss this with your tutor as soon as possible. Presentationsmust
be given in your workshop in that week unless there are extraordinary circumstances.
Beingoverseas, on holiday or working are not acceptable reasons for missing the workshop.

Inappropriate submission

Submission without a Turnitin report or Turnitin report with Similarity >10%: your assignment will
be returned to you, and late penalites will apply (see above) until you resubmit your assignment
with an appropriate Turnitin report. Your assignment will not be marked until a Turnitin report with
similarity 10% is submitted. For details see Other information, below.

Work that is significantly plagiarised, or is the product of collusion or cheating, will be disallowed
and the students name placed on a register in the Faculty of Science.

Exceeding the word limit

The word limit is a limit, not an average. The School of Biological Sciences administers this uniton
behalf of the Faculty of Science. They are enforcing new word limit penalties for all units runwithin
the school. The penalties are a 10% deduction of the total available mark for the
assignment, will be deducted for each 10% (or part thereof) over the word limit. Please
seedetailed assignment instructions within the main workbook for further details. There are
nospecific penalties for being under the work limit. However, you may lose marks for lack
ofcontent or not covering the topic appropriately.

Copyright Monash University 2016. All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968, this work may
not be reproducedin any form without the written permission of the host Faculty and School/Department.

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