ANSC20005 Assessment guide 2021 PDF

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ANSC20005 Companion Animal Biology. Assessment 2021. This course will be assessed by a written piece of work (50%), comprising two portions, and a final examination (50%) to be held during the University exam period. Assignment: Consists of two sections, both of which will cover the same topic and species (see below for list of topics). The first part is a 2000 word piece and forms the main part of the assignment. The second piece takes the form of a one side A4 document –an executive dissemination summary of the main piece (more on this later in the semester). The 2000-word piece will be marked by teaching staff (30% of overall subject mark), following the guidelines below and the separate assessment rubric on LMS. The mark for the dissemination summary (total of 20% of subject mark) will be based on the marks from staff, peer- and self-assessment. Guidelines will be issued nearer the time to help you assess summaries accurately. The self-assessment mark you receive is not the score you gave yourself, but is based on how accurately you managed to evaluate your own summary (as compared to the mark your summary received from your peers and the staff (i.e. marks will be adjusted on a sliding scale depending upon how divergent your self assessment is from the other two marks)). Exam: will cover all taught aspects of the course, both from University lecturing staff, guest speakers and demos/visits. It will be an online exam with some choice of questions – more information will follow as we get towards the end of semester. TOPIC for ASSESSMENT task  Please note that both portions of the assignment will be on the same product.  The assignments can be applied to any companion animal species. If you have any doubts about whether your chosen species is “companion” then please ask. Product assessment: Choose any product (see examples and exceptions below) that is commercially available for your species. For the chosen product, you should clearly describe the purported benefits of the product and how it fits within the larger grouping of products that it exists within. With reference to the biology of your species analyse whether an actual need exists for the product and if it does, the extent to which the product meets this need. You should also consider health and safety implications of using the product both from animal and human perspectives. You should focus on how your chosen product supports either a life-stage of a companion animal (young, elderly, breeding animal etc.) or a specific issue for your chosen species (obesity, joint problems, behavioural anxiety etc.). This will allow you to get into a greater level of depth within the word limit.

Your piece should make clear reference to the existing literature and where possible take note of any bias in the available source material - It is expected that internet and other sources will be used in addition to journal papers but be aware that manufacturer websites and testimonials are likely to represent a specific viewpoint in relation to their products. Examples: You need to choose a specific named product. Your product may be an enrichment, clothing, toys, nutritional treat, environmental, high tech, indoor or outdoor focussed. Your product should be above the basic needs of your chosen animal species. For example, I would expect a cat to be provided with a basic litter tray to meet its needs. You may chose to talk about a litter tray that provides something above this level of basic need – for example an electronic litter tray. When looking at the advantages and disadvantages of your chosen product, you can relate those to either a broad or narrow range of similar products. As an example, you might choose the “Acme* raised dog bed”. You can relate the advantages and disadvantages of this product to either the grouping of “raised dog beds” or “dog beds” in general.

Acme* raised dog bed

Raised Dog Beds

OR Dog Beds

Exceptions: Non-allowable products include Feeds / Foods that make up most the animal’s intake (treats / nutritional supplements / dental chews etc are acceptable); Veterinary prescription medications and other products only available via veterinarians; Other medicinal / health products such as worming tablets, flea treatments, etc. If you are not sure please check. Equally products for applications or species at a commercial scale are not acceptable – they must be aimed at companion animals and their owners.

Submission: Submit one copy via the link of the LMS homepage. This will be checked via Turnitin. No hard copy in required. ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON TIME. To help the subject program flow smoothly, and to ensure that we can give you timely feedback about your progress in the subject, it is critical that your assignments are

submitted on time. If you find you are unable to submit your assignment on time, you must contact the subject coordinator before the submission date explaining why the assignment will be overdue, and requesting an extension to a new, negotiated submission date. Requests for extension will judged on their merits (see module on student support). If you hold an Academic Adjustment Plan (AAP) please contact me early in the semester. Refer to the University’s policies on lateness and penalties for more information. Word limits 2000 ± 10%. Tables, figures, illustrations and reference list are not counted. Citations in the text (i.e. author names) are part of the word count. Normal university penalties for exceeding word limits apply. Plagiarism Plagiarism is the presentation of the work of others as if it were your own and it is not acceptable. There are serious consequences if you are found guilty of plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism and its penalties: don't copy from other students and reference correctly. More information on plagiarism and University guidelines is available at http://academicintegrity.unimelb.edu.au/. Work will be submitted via Turnitin. Feedback Feedback will be returned using Canvas’ speed grader tools, with both comments and highlighted rubric sections. Feedback from the 2000-word piece will be received back prior to the summary piece submission to allow you to respond to any issues....