BIOTECH 7007 - Biotechnology in Practice
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2025
-
General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code BIOTECH 7007 Course Biotechnology in Practice Coordinating Unit Molec & Biomedical Science Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 11 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assumed Knowledge Relevant undergraduate degree in Biology or Biotechnology, which include subjects in Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology and/or Genetics. Previous laboratory experience in an undergraduate degree is desirable but not essential. Restrictions Available to Graduate Certificate in Biotechnology (Biomedical), Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology (Biomedical), Master of Biotechnology (Biomedical) and Master of Biotechnology (Biomedical) (Advanced) students only Assessment Workshop question sheets, tutorial presentation and practical Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Andrew Hao
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
-
Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
1.Understand and provide examples of commercial biotechnology related research and development.
2. Understand the nature of intellectual property, the importance and limitations of patents, the patenting process, patent infringement (freedom to operate), and IP management.
3. Understand the issues and processes involved in regulating genetically manipulated organisms and new pharmaceuticals.
4. Understand the essential information, skills and stages involved in the commercialisation of biotechnology research, including the principles of good laboratory practice (GLP), quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA), and apply these skills to the in-house production of a product identified for development.
5. Demonstrate an ability to collect, research and integrate information from different sources and present in both written and oral forms as a research and development plan, individually and or collaboratively as part of a team.
6. Understand and critically evaluate published literature.
ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
1, 2, 5 -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Workshops
Workshops consist of a series of interactive presentations where students engage in discussions on pre-assigned articles (flipped classroom approach), with a focus on critical concepts and key terminologies. These sessions also include question sheets as part of the assessment.
The workshops provide students with insight into the decision-making processes involved in bringing a new biotechnology product to market, including legal, production, and cost considerations.
As part of their core course requirements, students must also complete BIOTECH 7030 - Science Commercialisation & Innovation, which complements the objectives of this subject.
Practicals
The practical component is divided into two modules:
1. Research & Development (R&D): Focused on optimizing a product for biotechnology applications.
2. Production: Small-scale production of the selected product.
The practical sessions emphasize laboratory skills, time management, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), Quality Assurance (QA), and Quality Control (QC). Students will gain hands-on experience in the practicalities of laboratory-based production within the biotechnology sector while reinforcing concepts covered in the workshops.
For example, students will learn to differentiate between process-oriented QA measures and product-oriented QC procedures (testing), highlighting their importance. They will also develop record-keeping skills aligned with major accreditation agencies (e.g., NATA), ensuring reliable and consistent production standards.
Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies
required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).Learning Activities Summary
Workshops – A total of 12 workshops; each session 4 hours in length.
Topics covered include quality management (QA, QC, GLP), intellectual property (patents), and the processes involved in product selection, market introduction, small-scale laboratory production, storage, viability, and distribution. Case studies will be used to illustrate these concepts.
All workshops require prescribed reading prior to each session. The teaching activity comes from the interactive learning mode, whereby students will also be asked to participate in key decision making steps. Every second workshop will include a set of questions specific to the topic discussed, to be answered in small groups, within the allocated session. This will reinforce the critical concepts covered and assess their understanding.
Practicals - There are a total of 5 practicals, each session 6 hours in length.
The first two practicals will focus on R&D for developing a new biological product, along with general laboratory skills and safety.
The remaining three practical sessions will concentrate on preparing the selected product for small-scale laboratory manufacturing.
These sessions will also introduce quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) principles, with practical demonstrations. For example; if competent cells are used as the product.
Practical sessions will include - choice of bacterial strain(s) for manufacture of competent cells (check for freedom to operate), verification of strain (genotyping by sequencing), optimisation of conditions for maximum transformation efficiency, achieving required standard (transformation efficiency),testing of storage conditions and maintenance of competence, product testing in selected research laboratories, evaluate feedback, release of final product.
Specific Course Requirements
Students are required to attend a 6 hour laboratory practical component throughout the semester, for a total of 5 practical sessions.
Students must attend at least 80%, i.e. 4 out of the 5 practical sessions. Attendance to each practical session is essential in achieving the main goals of this subject. It is not possible to provide additional assessment to replace the laboratory and problem solving skills, team work & co-operation, that are part of the laboratory component of the subject.
No additional practical times will be made available to students missing more than two practical sessions.
-
Assessment
The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Due to the current COVID-19 situation modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching Assessment task Type of assessment Percentage of total assessment for grading
purposes
Hurdle
Yes
or NoOutcomes being assessed / achieved Approximate Timing of Assessment Workshop
question sheets (x4)Formative
& Summative
30%
(7.5%
for each question sheet)No 1,2,3,4 Weeks 2,4,5,7 Tutorial
PresentationFormative& Summative 20% No 1,2,3,4 Weeks
2- 8 (depending on who is
presenting)Practical
Reports (x2)Formative& Summative
50%
(20% for each report)No 1,2,3,4,5,6 Weeks
8, 10Assessment Detail
Modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching
Workshop Question Sheets (total of 20%):
Students will complete a total of 2 question sheets with the format of questions changed slightly to include problem solving questions. Students will have had prescribed reading prior to each session. Topics are designed to determine the level of understanding and reinforce critical concepts relevant to the subject matter. The start of each subsequent workshop will be used for formative feedback and addressing any shortcomings in understanding.
Group Presentation (15%):
Groups comprising of 2 or 3 students (depending on class numbers) will act as a biotech startup, developing and marketing a proprietary bacterial expression system for recombinant protein production.
Each group will present an overview of the field, highlight a key advancement (supported by data from a research paper), and propose potential improvement. The presentation must also address intellectual property (IP) considerations and freedom to operate.
Practicals – (total of 65%):
Pre-practical quizzes are designed to assess critical project information, background knowledge of procedures, and relevant calculations. Each quiz is worth 3%, contributing to a total of 15%.
Laboratory journals must be submitted by 12 PM on the day following each practical session. Each lab journal is worth 3%, with a total weight of 15%.
Final written report (5,000 words) will include laboratory work, data analysis, and key background information related to the practical component. Detailed guidelines will be provided later in the course. The report is worth 30%.
Peer evaluation is your opportunity to assess yourself and your group members on teamwork throughout the Biotechnology in Practice practical series and group presentation. You will evaluate each member’s contributions, punctuality, communication skills, and overall effort in supporting the group’s work. This component is worth 5%.
Submission
For all Faculty courses except Level II and III SAVS courses
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 5% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late, up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied.
Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
-
Student Feedback
The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
-
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
-
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
-
Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.
