DEV2011: Early Human Development from Cells to Tissues

2 x Moodle quizzes (5% each; 10% total)
There were two timed Moodle MCQ quizzes in week 3 and 10 which were available for around 4 days. These consisted of 20 questions in 30 minutes on all lecture and practical content up until the week of the test. The questions for these tests were not released back to students (only a numerical grade). These quizzes were quite straightforward, provided you were somewhat up to date with lecture content.

Practical reports (8%)
There were four assessed practicals during semester. There was only one wet-lab, which was a buccal smear of our own cheek cells. The other labs involved our demonstrators giving poster presentations, and/or showing us anatomical specimens (the final assess prac on developmental disorders is definitely the most interesting of them all!). The assessment for the practicals consisted of 4 reports each worth 2% (8% total). These reports were made up of a few short answer questions relating to the previous week's practical activity, and were completed via a Moodle quiz. The questions themselves generally did not involve reciting of facts, but rather they required application of knowledge.

Cell profile report (2% draft + 20% final report)This was the big project for this unit. The cell profile report was essentially a ~10 page report on a cell type assigned to your practical group, and involved three sections: an introduction to the cell type, a results section, and a discussion section. There were about 10 possible cell types (including neurons, myocytes, erythrocytes, etc.) The introduction section of the report was essentially a brief description of the function of the cell type and its development. The results section was probably the most enjoyable part for me - each student was assigned a histology slide containing a histological sample of a foetal mouse. Throughout semester, we were given time (imaging sessions) to take magnified images of these specimens, which would then go into our report. The task was then to describe what can be seen in the image, how the different components function, and how our given cell type ties in with this. The final section was the discussion - we were allowed to pick

This unit essentially discusses human developmental biology - starting from fertilisation, how cells in our body arise, and how these cells come together to form tissues.

Contrary to the rumours, I wouldn't say that this unit is an "easy" WAM boost - I personally found the unit content to be intellectually challenging (there is definitely a large amount of content), and the assessment to be fair (but definitely not a bludge ). This was also quite a popular biomed unit, and ties in quite well with some parts of BMS2011 and the developmental biology component of BMS2021.

Julia, Sonja (neuro-development) and Helen (research in developmental biology) took most of the lectures, and there were also multiple guest lecturers.
- Dr Julia Young [unit co-ordinator]
- A/Prof. Craig Smith
- Dr Ellen Menkhorst
- Danielle Rhodes
- A/Prof. Edwina McGlinn
- A/Prof. Helen Abud
- Dr Sonja McKeown [deputy unit co-ordinator]
- Dr Megan Wallace
- Prof. John Bertram
- Dr Justin Adams
- Krishan Singh

None. The only MCQ revision was two revision lectures at the end of semester.

4 out of 5. A well-organised, interesting unit, with close links between the lecture and practical content. One of the downsides was the lack of adequate feedback for the online and mid semester exams (apparently it's faculty policy that the questions from tests couldn't be released back to students, but anyway).

Yes, with screen capture.

Per week: 2 x 1-hour face-to-face lectures, 1 x online lecture, 1 x 2-hour practical

The lectures were standard lecture-type classes. Each week, there was also an online lecture, with embedded MCQs to test our knowledge.

The practical classes each week were split into two parts: a tutorial, and practical. We were divided into smaller groups and assigned a demonstrator and cell type (for the cell profile report - more info later). The tutorials were essentially a weekly lecture content review using a set of short answer questions uploaded onto Moodle about the previous week's lecture content. We were expected to complete the questions before class, and then discuss the answers as a group. These questions tested the basic theory, and I think that it's important that you at least understand these concepts before doing any of the assessed tests/exams. The other half of the practical classes involved either an imaging session (for the cell profile report - more info below), or an assessed practical (around every second week).

Semester 1, 2018.
This unit is only available in Semester 1.

HD

Generally the assessment was fair, well-constructed and well thought out. Aside from lab reports and the MST, you also have 2 online timed 'exams' on Moodle worth 5%; these are pretty easy so if you know your lecture materials you won't have any trouble at all.

The 'major' in-semester assessment task for DEV2011 is the cell profile report, which is a long journal article-style paper that you write on a specific cell type, looking at the developmental aspects of that cell as well as writing a 'discussion topic' (which can be anything so long as it's related to that cell type). You also need to take microscopic images of your cell type and associated tissues from a specific slide of a mouse/rat embryo provided to you (you have an opportunity to do this most weeks, but you really should only need 1 or 2 sessions to get everything you need). My cell type was the lymphocyte - kinda ironic given that I dropped immunology for developmental biology - and my discussion topic was “The role of lymphocytes and the immune system in contemporary regenerative medicine.” Although I was pretty heavily pressed for time in writing this report (because second year biomed is relentless), it was a pleasure to write this report because you're given a good deal of freedom in doing so. However, as you are reminded several times throughout the semester, 'you're not alone' and you should approach the academic staff for help if you need assistance/advice etc.

However, the cell profile report brings me to what is basically my only gripe with this unit - the fact that it is worth only 10% of the semester grade. Hopefully this will be changed in later years, but this is a long assessment task and the effort and time required to complete it to a high standard is worth well over 10% of your semester mark. I've put this in my SETU survey, but the end-of-semester exam doesn't need to be worth 60% for what it is, and some of that allocation should be put towards the report (I personally believe it should be work 20-25% at least).

In summary, this was an absolutely brilliant unit, and I'm greatly looking forward to taking DEV2022 and later DEV units further into my degree. The unit was exceptionally organised and executed, and the material was a pleasure to learn, especially given its relevance to my biomed studies (NB to biomed students, if you're doing Biomed/Sci look to do DEV2011 in the same semester as BMS2011, it really helps with the embryological component of BMS2011) and the fact that it had a really interesting clinical skew, especially in the areas that dealt with developmental defects. I'm not entirely sure if DEV2011 is a prerequisite for postgrad medicine for BSc students - I think it is because it fulfils the anatomy prerequisite for Monash postgrad MBBS and UoM MD - but it's a unit worth taking nonetheless.

I don't have much to say about the exam other than that it's not particularly difficult, even though it's definitely harder and tests way more material than any of the in-semester assessment. It is comprised of 90 MCQs, and the fact that you're given 3 hours to complete it in is extremely generous (i.e. I was able to go over my responses 3 or so times in full, mainly because leaving early meant that I had to go outside - and it was fucking freezing outside that day haha).

A word of advice for the exam is to make sure that you can do (and already HAVE done during the semester) the lecture-review questions for each week. Although the lecture-review questions aren't MCQs, they test the generally the same material that is on the exam, and being able to do these questions without issue means that you won't have much trouble with the exam proper.

The lab-based component of DEV2011 is kind of different to other second-year life science units in that you don't do very much actual 'lab stuff' in the traditional sense. Only ~1-2 weeks are spent doing that sort of thing, where you extract and stain a sample of your own buccal epithelial cells in different ways for imaging under light and confocal microscopes, which was pretty cool. Also, the first hour of your 'lab' session is spent in a small tute-group (in a designated tute room), in which you'll go through lecture-review questions (kinda like unassessed pre-labs) and a developmental biology case study. The tutors in general were all really helpful and friendly, and they all work, study or do research in a field of developmental biology so they know their stuff!

Also, not all labs are compulsory/assessed; only weeks where you have to complete a lab report (which is essentially a basic worksheet worth 2% each of your semester mark) require you to be there if you want the marks. This semester, these were weeks 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 + 1 week where you had the MST during your lab session.

Most of the other labs were taken up by imaging for your cell profile report, which I'll talk about in a bit.

As noted above, I really enjoyed the course material. The first week is just an intro to developmental biology and a basic overview of cell biology (organelle function etc. etc.), but it picks up in terms of interest quickly. Each week comprises 3 lectures on a specific 'sub-topic':

I opted to enrol in DEV2011 at the last possible second after changing my mind about taking IMM2011 (well, technically after the last possible second, I had to email Julia Young to enrol ), and it was easily the best decision I made this semester. Although I really, really didn't enjoy any of the Animal Development stuff in BIO1011 and 1022 (which is required for DEV units) - I was extremely pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this unit, so much so that I've decided to switch my GEN/PHY major to GEN/DEV. All the teaching staff were fantastic, and the assessments were pretty much all interesting and engaging. The only complaint - and I'll elaborate on this a bit more later - is to do with the mark breakdown of the unit (so pretty minor stuff).

Not at all, and no sample/practice exams either.

4.5 out of 5

Yes, with screen capture.

Human Embryology and Developmental Biology, Carlson 2009 (4th Edition). You don't explicitly need it, but it's a fantastic textbook for developmental biology and a great source of info for course material (it's particularly helpful for the Cell Profile Report).

Other recommended readings (don't buy these, but peruse them in the library as needed if you don't already own a copy):

• Functional Histology, Kerr 2010
• Molecular Biology of the Cell, Alberts et al. 2008 (5th Edition)
• Developmental Biology, Gilbert 2010 (9th Edition)

Semester 1, 2014

D

Two online Moodle tests (Weeks 3 and 10): 5% each
Midsemester test (Week 6, in lab session): 10%
Cell Profile Report: 20%
Final exam: 60%

This subject is a prerequisite for DEV2022 and 3rd year DEV units.

The content is fairly varied. At the start of semester, you learn about the various ways in which developmental biology is studied. You then move on to the basics of cells, such as communication, movement, adhesion, proliferation and death. After that, you learn about gamete formation, and the initial steps that occur during and after fertilisation. This includes the initial life of the zygote, how it develops and turns into an embryo, and the formation of the main cell layers.

After that, the focus is more on how individual cell types develop from these layers. Germ cells, muscle cells, nerve and neural cells, spinal cord and connective tissue cells, epithelial cells, blood and blood vessel cells, bone cells and stem cells are all covered. The last week is mostly revision.

Unfortunately, I found a significant proportion of the lectures fairly dull. Some of this is due to the subject matter, which I do not blame anybody for, but some of it was also because there were times when the lecturer was just reading from the lecture notes. In those times, it honestly would have been better had I just stayed at home and used the time to learn things by myself. There were some good lecturers who tried to explain things well, but these were in the minority, in my opinion. Also, a fair amount of the work in this unit requires rote-memory, which is something I don't particularly like to do (and there's a lot of content as well). In addition, I feel the lecture structure wasn't the best. There were just a couple of lectures that seemed 'out-of-place' given what we had just studied.

The labs were optional. I attended most of them in the first half of semester. You need to attend at the beginning in order to collect your cell slide. Most of the rest of the labs just consisted of us filling in our lab booklets with answers to questions, from the various posters put up around the lab. I think the material was designed to complement the stuff you learn in lectures, but after a while, my motivation for that decreased. The lab in the week before the midsemester test really helped for the test though. My lab demonstrator was very helpful and friendly, and pointed me to a good resource (Functional histology by Jeff Kerr). Honestly, I stopped going a week after the midsemester test.

There was one thing the labs were very good for, however: they provided a good amount of time to get work done on the Cell Profile Report. This is a written report on a cell type that you are assigned to when you first come in to the lab at the very beginning of semester. Basically, it's more like a research essay, but it's not like you're trying to research a topic you're really unfamiliar with (like in the BIO1011 and 1022 essays). You will write on the functions of your cell type and how it comes about from the initial fertilised egg. You then get a section to write on your own research choice for your cell type (and when I say your own choice, there have been some very creative and diverse choices in the past).

You also use a high-powered microscope to take pictures of the slide you collected (that's one of the good things about the lab time, the microscopes are there in practically all of the weeks). You're meant to annotate these pictures and use them in your report.

I didn't really consult the textbook much, so I can't really comment on its quality, but it seemed to explain some of the concepts fairly well.

The online Moodle tests are doable as long as you have your lecture notes with you. The mid-semester test isn't too bad either, as long as you've revised. It has a few questions from the lab the week before.

The final exam is divided into four parts. One consists of MCQ questions (and is worth around half the exam mark). The other three parts are short-answer (1-1.5 pages was what the lecturers intended) responses. In each of the three parts, you respond to one out of six prompts. (so there are 18 short-answer questions in total, but you answer three). I felt that this probably saved me from failing in the exam, because it meant that as long as you knew a few areas quite well, you could find something to write decently about. Some MCQ questions were directly recycled from the online and midsemester tests. I honestly was very lazy with this subject and ended up cramming for it on the night before the exam (please don't do that). I wouldn't suggest to take this unit if you're just looking for something to do. It genuinely seems like it'd be quite taxing if you didn't have a real passion for it.

Too many to mention. Most lecturers only take 2-3 lectures each.

Not available. No sample exams either.

3/5

Yes, with screen capture.

B. M. Carlson, Human embryology and developmental biology (4ed. in Semester 1, 2013)

Not compulsory to buy. Did not consult much during semester.

3 x 1 hour lectures per week1 x 3 hour lab per week.

Semester 1, 2013

Unknown at this time.