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School of Biological Sciences BIOL 328 Behaviour and Conservation Ecology 1st Trimester 2012 COURSE OUTLINE & INFORMATION
School of Biological Sciences
BIOL 328 Behaviour and Conservation
Ecology
1st Trimester 2012
COURSE OUTLINE & INFORMATION
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The figure on the cover illustrates the hihi or stitchbird, Notiomystis cincta, placed in its own endemic monotypic family, the Notiomystidae. Now transferred into ZEALANDIA™, the Karori Sanctuary, the hihi is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List because it has a very small range and population. Intensive conservation efforts aim to improve its status, but the long-term survival of the few remaining translocated populations is uncertain in the long term with all requiring intensive and ongoing management. The hihi mating system is bizarre, the birds being highly promiscuous with intense competition for breeding opportunities, including often large groups of male birds moving between the territories of fertile females and forcing copulations on them. In addition to targeting fertile females, they are sometimes recorded conducting similar behaviours towards non–fertile females and even recently fledged juvenile birds. The majority of hihi attempt to breed as socially monogamous pairs in this environment, but there are variations on this theme with frequent evidence of polygyny, polyandry and polygynandry. The socially paired male will also engage in a mixed reproductive strategy: he becomes an extra–pair male at other nests once his own female is no longer fertile. Perhaps their most unusual behaviour is that they copulate in two positions. Along with the normal Passeriformes style, hihi perform face–to–face copulations. This appears to be unique in the bird world. These face–to–face copulations are forced by the male and resisted by females. Most often they occur between extra-pair males and socially paired females, but not exclusively so, as social mates will also perform such behaviour. It’s no surprise therefore that extra-pair paternity is high and common across nests.
On page 3 the figure illustrates the life cycle of the Argentine ant (Iridomyrmex humilis). An important invasive species in many parts of the world, including New Zealand, as these ants are readily transported by human activity. Their nests can contain many queens, and new colonies are often formed when inseminated queens walk off to new locations followed by a number of workers.
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BIOL 328
Behaviour and Conservation Ecology
1st Trimester 2012
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
COURSE OUTLINE & INFORMATION
Lecturing staff
Ben Bell
- Room KK709, Telephone (04) 463 5570, E-mail [email protected]
Phil Lester
- Room KK505, Telephone (04) 463 6094, E-mail [email protected]
Wayne Linklater (Course Coordinator)
- Room KK617, Telephone (04) 463 5233 ext. 8575, E-mail: [email protected]
- Office hours: during laboratory times Tuesday & Friday 13:10 – 15:00 pm in KK109 or KK617, or by appointment.
Teaching assistants
Gaius Wilson, Room KK125, Tel: (04) 4635233 ext. 8011, [email protected]
Paul Mensink, Coastal Ecology Lab 2, Island Bay, Tel: (04) 470-9253, [email protected]
Anna Carter, Room KK517, Tel: (04) 4635233 ext. 7443, E-mail: [email protected]
Alexandra Sebastien, Room KK414, Tel: (04) 4635233 ext. 7860, Email: [email protected]
Technical staff
Arian Pike, KK420, (04) 463 5233 extn 5580, [email protected]
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Trimester dates
Teaching begins 5 March and ends 8 June. The examination period continues from the end of teaching until 4 July. Enrolment in this course implies that the student will be available to attend an examination on any day during the examination period.
Withdrawal dates
Information on withdrawing from the course can be found at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/home/admisenrol/payments/withdrawlsrefunds.aspx
Class times and locations
Lectures: Monday 9:00-10:50 in HULT119, and Wednesday 11:00-12:50 EALT206. Laboratory/Tutorial: Mon 13:10 – 15:00 pm: KK109
Course content
BIOL 328. CRN 9219. Behaviour and Conservation Ecology. 20 points (2/3) “This course will cover the behaviour and conservation ecology of animals and plants. The course will include ethology and sociobiology, and ecological, genetic and biogeographic principles relevant to biological conservation. Topics will incorporate pest control, environmental impact assessment, and conservation
priority ranking. Case studies and issues of topical interest will be debated”.
Prerequisite and restrictions
Prerequisite: BIOL/ENVI 222 or BIOL/GEOL 214, 15 points from BIOL/ENVI/STAT299. Restrictions: BIOL 318, BIOL 321. Corequisites: None.
Course content and learning objectives
At the completion of this course we expect students to have a good understanding of behaviour and conservation ecology, with emphasis on the ethology, behavioural ecology, applied ecology and conservation ecology of animals, including humans. We also aim to give students instruction on planning a team research project, from concept to report and poster presentation. We expect students to be able to convey this information in an effective manner both orally and in writing. More specific objectives are conveyed by the assessment rubrics which accompanies this course outline (Appendix I - III).
Course delivery
The course material is delivered in lecture and laboratory format. Lecture and laboratory times may also be used as tutorials to assist the learning of lecture material or conducting the research project. The research project will be conducted with the advice of the lecturers and teaching assistants. Laboratory times will be used to assist students in conceptualising, initiating, conducting, analysing and writing research projects.
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Expected workload
The course is designed to impose an approximately 14 hour workload per week of instruction over the approximately 14 weeks of the trimester, including the examination period. The work will include attending lectures and laboratories, conceiving, conducting and presenting a research project, and study towards the final examination.
Group work
The research project requires working as a group and 10% of your grade will be determined by a scientific poster composed and presented by the group. A detailed description of the research project is given under ‘Animal behaviour project: individual report and group poster’ below.
Readings
The recommended text is: Blumstein DT & Fernandez-Juricic E. 2010. A primer of Conservation Behavior. Sinauer.
- and is available from Vic Books.
There is a range of books in the Library dealing with aspects of animal behaviour and conservation. The following books might also be useful: Begon, M., Harper, J.L. & Townsend, C.R. (1996). Ecology: Individuals, Populations and Communities 3rd edition. Blackwell Science. Krebs, C.J. (2008). The Ecological World View. CSIRO Publishing. Schmitt, R.J. & Osenberg, C.W. (1996). Detecting Ecological Impacts. Elsevier. Townsend, C.R., Begon, M. & Harper, J.L. (2008). Essentials of Ecology 4th
edition. Wiley.
Further books listed below deal with particular aspects of animal behaviour and behavioural ecology. More references may be given to you in the lectures (see also the Periodicals section that follows). Alcock, J. (2009) Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach 9
th edition
Catchpole, C.K. & Slater, P.J.B. (2008) Bird Song: Biological Themes and Variations 2nd
edition Davies, N.B., Krebs, J.R. & West, S.A. (2012) An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology 4
th edition
Dugatkin, L.E. (2009) Principles of Animal Behavior 2nd
edition Manning, A. & Dawkins, M.S. (1998) An Introduction to Animal Behaviour 5th edition * Audio CDs come with these books
Periodicals
Some of the material presented to you is derived from the scientific journals where relevant research is published before it finds its way into textbooks. Journals will be especially useful when planning your research projects and preparing your report. The following are among the more useful behavioural, ecological and conservation journals held in the library - some are on periodical closed reserve: Animal Behaviour, Behaviour, Behavioural Ecology & Sociobiology, Biological
Conservation, Conservation Biology, Ecological Applications, Ecology, Ethology, Ibis,
Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Biogeography, Nature, NZ Journal of Ecology, NZ
Journal of Zoology, Notornis, Oecologia, Oikos, Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
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Video material
The following video will be accessible through the University Library’s video collection after its use in behaviour lectures: Vis 2110 Questions about Behaviour. 24 mins. Open University: SD206/01V: Biology Brain &
Behaviour.
Blackboard
Course materials will be progressively posted on to Blackboard. It is important to note that these only provide you with an outline of the course material and are not to be regarded as a substitute for attending lectures or labs.
Granting of terms
Terms are granted to students who: (1) Submit required material for assessment on time (see later section on
punctuality) (2) Contribute to and present a group poster on the behaviour project (3) Achieve a terms score of at least 20 marks (40% of 50 possible marks (4) Pay extra course charges (e.g., lab coats).
Note also comments under plagiarism (see later section).
Assessment
Item Weight Comment Due date
Individual project proposal 15 % 1 A4 side
2nd side for bibliography
21 March hand-in to Biology reception, level 5 New Kirk Building before 4pm
Group poster presentation 10 % A3 sheet 21st May displayed and assessed during the laboratory
Individual project report 25 % ≤ 6 A4 sides (including bibliography)
8 June hand-in to Biology reception, level 5 New Kirk Building before 4pm
Final Exam 50 % 3 essays 3 hours
TBA between 11Jun. – 4 Jul.
Exam: Essays, 3 hour duration. Exam period: 11 June – 4 July, 2012
The exam timetable will be published during May. The format of the final examination will be discussed with you in the last lecture session.
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Punctuality for handing in course work and penalties
Deadlines for submitting work are set to provide a steady flow of work at reasonable intervals for students and staff. Assignments must be submitted on time to ensure fairness for all students in the course. Requests for extension of due dates can be granted only when supported by a note from the Student Health Service, Student Counselling Service, or your personal physician, or when you make prior arrangements with one of the course lecturers well in advance (>1 week) of the deadline. Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. A penalty mark of 5% per day will be incurred for late work.
Class representative
A request for your appointment of a class representative will be made during the first laboratory or lecture. This person will fulfil the usual duties of this position.
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Course content & timetable (subject to change).
WEEKS, dates MAJOR LECTURE TOPICS, Lecture and laboratory topics
WEEK 1: 5-9 Mar INTRODUCTION TO CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR
Monday Conservation science and crises (WL)
Monday Lab. 1: Animal behaviour project: Tutorial – what makes a good research proposal?
Wednesday Conservation behaviour? (WL)
WEEK 2: 12-16 Mar ETHOLOGY
Monday Ethology – experimental approach, pattern recognition, habitat selection (BB)
Monday Lab. 2: Animal behaviour project: Tutorial - conception, design (incl. statistical testing), and proposal writing
Wednesday Animal behaviour & conservation; ethology - historical perspective; foundations and approaches (BB)
WEEK 3: 19-23 Mar ETHOLOGY
Monday Ethology – communication: bird song and case study (BB)
Monday Lab 3: Animal behaviour project: Tutorial - conception, design (incl. statistical testing), and proposal writing
Wednesday Ethology – communication: bird song elaboration, song learning, dialects, and case study (BB)
Wednesday Individual research project proposals due (hand in at Level 5 Biology reception before 4pm)
WEEK 4: 26-30 Mar BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY
Monday Behavioural ecology – approach, optimality, competition, territoriality, sociobiology, group living (BB)
Monday Lab 4: Animal behaviour project: proposal elective and group formation, plan of action
Wednesday Behavioural ecology – approach, optimality, competition, territoriality, sociobiology, group living (BB)
WEEK 5: 2-6 Apr BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY
Monday Behavioural ecology - mating systems, including leks (BB)
Monday Lab 5: Animal behaviour project: data collection
Wednesday Behavioural ecology - mating systems, avian brain and behaviour (BB)
Mid trimester break
WEEK 6: 23-27 Apr CONSERVATION ECOLOGY: INVASIVE SPECIES
Monday Christmas Island ants and biological invasions (PL)
Monday Lab. 6: Animal behaviour project: data collection
Wednesday Invasional meltdowns and predicting invasive species (PL)
WEEK 7: 30 Apr – 4 May CONSERVATION ECOLOGY: INVASIVE SPECIES
Monday Pest species and their chemical control (PL)
Monday Lab. 7: Animal behaviour project: data analysis and presentation (held in KK216 Cyber Commons)
Wednesday Biological control and biological control gone wrong (PL)
WEEK 8: 7-11 May CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR: APPLYING TOOLS AND INTERPRETING RESULTS
Monday Population enumeration: behaviour in line-transect and mark recapture methods (WL)
Monday Lab 8: Animal behaviour project: Tutorial – what makes a good poster?
Wednesday Behavioural physiology: stress and distress (WL)
WEEK 9: 14-18 May CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR: SEXUAL SELECTION
Monday Sex allocation theory and tests (WL)
Monday Lab. 9: Poster presentations and assessment during laboratory time
Wednesday Sex allocation tools (WL)
WEEK 10: 21-25 May BEHAVIOUR & STATISTICS
Monday Null hypothesis testing (WL)
Monday Lab. 10: Tutorial – report writing
Wednesday Multi-model selection and inference (WL)
WEEK 11: 28 May – 1 Jun CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR
Monday Meta-populations: reintroduction, restocking, harvesting, assisted migration (WL)
Monday Lab. 11: Tutorial – report writing
Wednesday Evolutionary theory and mechanisms: Evolution and socio-ecology (WL)
WEEK 12: 4- 8 Jun HUMAN BEHAVIOUR & CONSERVATION
Monday Human behaviour (WL)
Monday Lab. 12: Tutorial – exam preparation and writing
Wednesday Human dimensions of wildlife management (WL)
Friday 8 June Individual behaviour project report due (hand in at Level 5 Biology reception before 4pm)
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Animal behaviour project: individual report and group poster
For your practical exercise in animal behaviour, a team project will be undertaken, extending over the entire course. This project is the focus of your laboratory work in the course (as described in the course schedule above).
Project development
This assignment aims to teach you skills of experimental design, observational/experimental techniques, data analysis, data interpretation and presentation. Suggested project approaches will be given to you in the introductory sessions. You will each develop an individual project proposal that will be handed in for evaluation on Thursday 28th July. Academic staff will select a number of the best proposals, provide the best of them for consideration and together make any modifications thought necessary. During the following laboratory (Monday 26th March) each member of the class will either:
1. form a group of four or five and decide collectively which of the projects to do, or
2. decide individually which project you want to do and the be allocated to teams of four or five people.
If fewer than four or five people elect a project then that project will be dropped and the students that elected it take a second choice. More than one group can do each project. All members of a team are required to contribute equally to the team effort. Your team effort is assessed by the evaluation of the group poster presented during the
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laboratory on Monday 14th May. You are also assessed as an individual within a team and you will need to submit an individual report on 8th June. Your report should include a data summary as an appendix. By week 2 you should have an idea for your proposal and be starting to write your research proposal. Use week 5 and 6 for observations and collection of data, leaving you with week 7 and 8 for collating and analysing your group’s data and to start thinking about presenting your poster and writing up your individual report. Any sites for the study can be considered. Experimental approaches are particularly useful. We encourage you to work with common animals in easy to access places to answer interesting but tractable questions. Others may consider working at Wellington Zoo or ZEALANDIA™ but such places are unlikely to enable experimental approaches. Let us know if you want to work in Wellington Zoo or ZEALANDIA™, as we will need to get permission. Field studies can be done anywhere on any organism, even at home, so long as the work is possible and your health and safety are assured. Some of you may have already done behaviour-oriented studies in BIOL 327: these should not be repeated for the present exercise.
If you have problems, make use of the teaching assistants – they are your first ‘port of call’. Use the laboratories to meet and discuss your project with other members of the group, teaching assistants and the lecturers. Remember too that you can use laboratory times for project work. You have the option of using the trimester break for further individual work should you wish.
As this is both an individual and team effort, we require all members of each team to support each other and to turn up at laboratory sessions devoted to this project.
Individual project report While you will work as a team of four or five on your poster, this is an opportunity for you to present an individual report on the work you tackled. You will need to hand in the report on your project (maximum length 5 pages not including the appendix of your group’s raw data). This project report is to be written by each member of the group individually, drawing on the information you collected as a team. The project report should follow the format of a scientific journal article. So your report needs to include: Your name and student ID no. Title Abstract Introduction Methods Results Conclusions Acknowledgements Bibliography (references)
Don’t collaborate on this component of assessment, and don’t simply copy what you plan to collectively put on the poster. Instead, we require you to present in your own words a summary of the objectives of your study, the methods used, the results that emerged, the initial conclusions you reached, and the part you played in data collection and initial analysis. Also include a personal evaluation of the exercise to date, including problems you faced (and hopefully solved), and what you learnt from it. Oh yes – make sure too that your name and project title go on your report!
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Cite any key references you used (but no need to go overboard on this) and acknowledge any assistance you received. Individual project report assessment The report will be assessed using the rubric presented in Appendix I. Use this rubric as a guide when preparing your written report to ensure that you satisfy the marking schedule. Team poster We ask that you produce posters on A3 sized sheets (portrait) using PowerPoint (no other software application please). We can arrange to have your group’s poster printed in SBS, using the printer/photocopier machines in the room next to KK518. To achieve this, your group will need to send to a Teaching Asistant the appropriate PowerPoint file configured to print portrait on A3 paper. This needs to be done the week before you make your Monday poster presentation and no later than Thursday 22nd September.
Make sure that you only supply the final, fully checked and edited version of your poster. We cannot pay for multiple (proof) printing - though costs of the final printing will be met by SBS. We shall accept only A3 portrait formats.
For tips on preparing a poster go to Google web sites on preparing a poster. Samples of posters are available on campus – within SBS and elsewhere. We shall examine some during the lab sessions, allowing you to debate their quality and impact.
Poster assessment In your individual project report you are required to adhere to a strict format, but in the poster you are free to put over your information in a more creative way, with less emphasis on the text, more on an imaginative design that conveys your message in an eye-catching way. Such a creative opportunity must not be at the cost of ideas and quality, however. Fundamental to a good poster is an imaginative construct for the project as a whole. Your poster presentation is worth up to 10 marks, assessed overall as follows: Information: 7 marks Design: 3 marks
It will need a title, your team names, and some coverage of the methods and results, with conclusions on the outcome/significance of your work.
Think carefully about your title. Try and make it succinct and eye-catching, and relevant to what you have done. Don’t over do it though, and avoid being too informal. Its aim is to represent and advertise your work in a single phrase. The best titles are often those that make statements.
Presenting a poster is a mix of art and science. You need to attract the eye, to be relevant, and to put your message over in a succinct and clear way. Don’t put too much information in to your display – avoid excessive text – and make good use of illustrative material, such as graphs or photographs. Ensure that a references list is there (and correct). In consolidating your project in to a single poster, you need to balance up brevity against adequate reporting of your findings.
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Further information
Further Information on the course will be found on Blackboard or on SBS notice boards.
Enjoy the course!
We hope that our collective experience and enthusiasm for animal behaviour and conservation ecology will provide you with a good course experience! We realise that some of you are contemplating higher degrees or careers in this field, and encourage you to discuss your interests with staff and demonstrators. A great deal of research activity goes on within SBS and its research centres that many of you may be unaware of, and we shall be pleased to tell you more about this. We shall also let you know of some of the seminars held in SBS that are of particular relevance to the course, or of society activities in and around Wellington that may interest you. Ask us about this, and our research interests. For those anticipating graduate studies, a special session with staff is held at the end of the second trimester.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
General University policies and statutes Students should familiarise themselves with the University's policies and statutes, particularly those
regarding assessment and course of study requirements, and formal academic grievance procedures.
Student Conduct and Staff Conduct The Statute on Student Conduct together with the Policy on Staff Conduct ensure that members of the
University community are able to work, learn, study and participate in the academic and social aspects of the
University's life in an atmosphere of safety and respect. The Statute on Student Conduct contains information on what conduct is prohibited and what steps can be taken if there is a complaint. For queries
about complaint procedures under the Statute on Student Conduct, contact the Facilitator and Disputes
Advisor. This Statute is available in the Faculty Student Administration Office or on the website at:
www.vuw.ac.nz/policy/StudentConduct The policy on Staff Conduct can be found on the VUW website at:
www.vuw.ac.nz/policy/StaffConduct
Academic Grievances
If you have any academic problems with your course you should talk to the tutor or lecturer concerned or, if
you are not satisfied with the result of that meeting, see the Head of School or the Associate Dean (Students) of your Faculty. Class representatives are available to assist you with this process. If, after trying the above
channels, you are still unsatisfied, formal grievance procedures can be invoked. These are set out in the
Academic Grievance Policy which is published on the VUW website:
www.vuw.ac.nz/policy/AcademicGrievances
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic integrity is about honesty – put simply it means no cheating. All members of the University
community are responsible for upholding academic integrity, which means staff and students are expected to
behave honestly, fairly and with respect for others at all times.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating which undermines academic integrity. Plagiarism is prohibited at Victoria.
The University defines plagiarism as follows:
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as if it were your own, whether you mean to or not.
‘Someone else’s work’ means anything that is not your own idea, even if it is presented in your own style.
It includes material from books, journals or any other printed source, the work of other students or staff,
information from the Internet, software programmes and other electronic material, designs and ideas. It also includes the organisation or structuring of any such material.
Plagiarism is not worth the risk.
Any enrolled student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary procedures under the Statute
on Student Conduct (www.vuw.ac.nz/policy/studentconduct) and may be penalised severely. Consequences of being found guilty of plagiarism can include:
an oral or written warning
suspension from class or university
cancellation of your mark for an assessment or a fail grade for the course.
Find out more about plagiarism and how to avoid it, on the University’s website at:
www.vuw.ac.nz/home/studying/plagiarism.html
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Students with Disabilities
The University has a policy of reasonable accommodation of the needs of students with disabilities. The policy aims to give students with disabilities an equal opportunity with all other students to demonstrate
their abilities. If you have a disability, impairment or chronic medical condition (temporary, permanent or
recurring) that may impact on your ability to participate, learn and/or achieve in lectures and tutorials or in
meeting the course requirements, then please contact the Course Coordinator as early in the course as possible. Alternatively you may wish to approach a Student Adviser from Disability Support Services to
confidentially discuss your individual needs and the options and support that are available. Disability
Support Services are located on Level 1, Robert Stout Building, tel 463-6070, email: [email protected]. The name of your School’s Disability Liaison Person can be obtained from the School Administrative
Assistant or the School Prospectus.
Student Support Staff at Victoria want students' learning experiences at the University to be positive. If your academic
progress is causing you concern, the following staff members will either help you directly or quickly put you
in contact with someone who can.
Faculty/section Staff member Location
Science, and
Architecture and Design
Liz Richardson
Deputy Dean (Equity)
Cotton Building, room 150
FHSS Ann McDonald,
Student Support Co-ordinator
2 Wai-te-ata Road
Law Kirstin Harvey Old Govt Building, room 103
Commerce and Administration
Dr Colin Jeffcoat Railway West Wing, room 119
Kaiwawao Maori Liz Rawhiti Old Kirk, room 007
Manaaki Pihipihinga Melissa Dunlop 14 Kelburn Pde, room 109D
Victoria International Anne Cronin 10 Kelburn Pde, room 202
The Student Services Group is also available to provide a variety of support and services. Find out more at
www.vuw.ac.nz/st_services/ or email [email protected]
VUWSA employs two Education Coordinators who deal with academic problems and provide support,
advice and advocacy services, as well as organising class representatives and faculty delegates. The
Education Office is located on the ground floor, Student Union Building, phone 463 6983 or 463 6984, email [email protected]
VUW Course Outline General Information
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Appendix I – Scientific proposal assessment rubric
Author__________________________________
Content Mechanics Score
Clear identification of the science problem
Imaginative and appropriate selection of appropriate tools to address science problem
Clear logical argument is outlined
Expected products of proposed research are outlined and directly address the science problem
Clear evidence of creativity: novel idea, innovative presentation.
Draft is well organized: basic proposal structure in place
Terminology is clearly described
Sources of information are authoritative and are cited; figures/tables labelled
9
Basic identification of the science problem
Straightforward, appropriate use of appropriate tools to address question
Logical argument is basically complete; some logical gaps
Expected products of the proposed research are outlined and address the science problem, if indirectly
Draft is well-organized; basic proposal structure in place
Terminology is clear; writing could be clearer
Sources of information are authoritative and are cited; figures/tables labelled
6
Science problem not clearly identified
Use of selected tools is unjustified
Logic of the proposal is undeveloped
How the proposed research will address the science problem is unclear
Draft is disorganized; major components of proposal structure missing
Terminology and writing are opaque
Sources of information are not acknowledged or not authoritative; figures/tables not clearly labelled
3
No science problem identified
Tools are inappropriate or not described
Objectives, methods and outcomes do not follow logically
Outcomes unclear
Draft is disorganized; major components of proposal structure missing
Unable to understand work proposed
No sources of information acknowledged or poor choices of information sources; no figures/tables to better convey understanding
1
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Appendix II – Poster Marking Rubric Presenter:
Date: 1 = not good, 5 = excellent
1 2 3 4 5
Article synopsis handout
Structure
Were the text, tables and figures arranged well on the page so that
information was conveyed efficiently but attractively?
Were necessary jargon introduced and defined?
Was there too much or not enough information?
Content
How successful was the author at condensing and synthesising the:
Hypotheses or aims,
Methods & Results, and
Conclusions of the research.
The science
Did the poster accurately represent the science?
Is the poster convincing?
How useful is the poster as a starting point for discussion and future
study?
Totals
Mark out of 50
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Appendix III – Scientific report assessment rubric
Author__________________________________
Beginning 1
Developing 2
Accomplished 3
Exemplary 4
Score
Introduction Does not give any information about what to expect in the report.
Gives very little information. Gives too much information--more like a summary.
Presents a concise lead-in to the report.
Research Does not answer questions. Answers some questions. Answers some questions and includes a few other interesting facts.
Answers most questions and includes many other interesting facts.
Purpose/Problem Does not address an issue. Addresses an unrelated issue. Addresses a somewhat related issue.
Addresses a real and related issue.
Procedure Not sequential, most steps are missing or are confusing.
Some of the steps are understandable; most are confusing and lack detail.
Most of the steps are understandable; some lack detail or are confusing.
Presents easy-to-follow steps which are logical and adequately detailed.
Data & Results Data table and/or graph missing information and are inaccurate.
Both complete, minor inaccuracies and/or illegible characters.
Both accurate, some ill-formed characters.
Data table and graph neatly completed and totally accurate.
Conclusion Presents an illogical explanation for findings and does not address any of the questions suggested in the template.
Presents an illogical explanation for findings and addresses few questions.
Presents a logical explanation for findings and addresses some of the questions.
Presents a logical explanation for findings and addresses most of the questions.
Grammar & Spelling
Very frequent grammar and/or spelling errors.
More than two errors. Only one or two errors. All grammar and spelling are correct.
Attractiveness Illegible, unappealing or confusing design.
Legible but print too small or too large, difficult to read and follow links to illustrations.
Legible writing, clear illustrations appropriated appointed.
Legible, structure easy to follow, appealing appearance such that motivated to read.
Novelty & creativity
No evidence of innovation Some innovation but ambiguous Innovation in ideas, techniques or presentation
Innovative ideas, techniques and presentation.
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