Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

The assessment of the course will be done by section and in a continuous manner.  The weight of each module with respect to the final grade of the course is Section 1, 25 %; Section 2, 40 %; and Section 3, 35 %. To pass the course students must get at least a 5 in each module and in the final grade of the course.

The evaluation in each section will be as follows:

Section 1: Methodological block. Exercises delivery (5 %); Questionnaire with multiple-choice questions (20 %).

Section 2: Characterization of experimental models of laboratory (microcosms). Exercises delivery (4 %); Notebook lab delivery (8 %); Questionnaire with multiple-choice questions (28 %).

Section 3: Study of a natural environment: microbial diversity. This integrated section is taught by three teaching units: Microbiology (M), Botany (B), and Zoology (Z).  A Visum examination (14 %, B, and Z); Report delivery (3.5 %, M); Questionnaire with multiple choice and/or short questions (17.5  %, M, B, and Z). Questions concerning the content included in the Manual of the course explained in practical laboratory sessions and/or explained in the field trip (module 3) could be included in the three questionnaires. The final grade for this module will be distributed in the following manner: Microbiology (17.5 %), Botany (8.75 %), and Zoology (8.75 %). The requirements to sum the obtained notes in the other units are A minimum note of 4.5 in each Visum examination (B and Z), and a 4 in the report delivery (M) and in the questionnaires (M, B, and Z).

In each section, the student's attitude in the laboratory, punctuality, the use of laboratory equipment (gown and goggles), having passed the safety tests in the teaching laboratories and the safety tests on the out-of-campus activities, and the understanding and follow-up of the Manual of the subject will be taken into account. This assessment does not entail an increase in the score, but it can mean the reduction of up to 20% of the final mark obtained in each section.

Since attendance to the activities programmed in this course is mandatory (practical sessions and field trips), the absence of any of the sessions must be justified 48h after the date of the activity. The non-attendance to the field trip without justified cause will result in a penalty (2 points) in the final note of Section 3, and this penalty shall be maintained in the recovery exam. In case of a strike, if a student decides to exercise his right to strike, he will have to communicate to the responsible for a maximum period of 48h after the day of the strike. In any case, the absence may exceed 20 % of the programmed activities. The maximum absence in each of the sections is set at a maximum of 10% to be evaluated. If this value is exceeded, the student will be qualified as Not-Valuable.

Students who do not pass the evaluations of the different sections of the course will be able to recover them in the date scheduled at the end of the semester (recovery exam), performing a questionnaire with multiple choice and/or short questions and/or a visum examination associated with the section not previously passed. In this course, there will be no consideration of improvement, neither global nor by sections. To be able to attend this exam it is necessary that the student has been previously evaluated for continuous evaluation activities equivalent to 2/3 (67 %) of the final mark. 

Students who do not obtain the minimum qualification required to pass each of the sections of the integrated laboratory, will not be able to pass the subject. In this case, the final maximum grade of the subject will be 4.

As this course is differentiated into sections, from the second enrolment, students will only have to perform again the specific sections that have not been previously passed.

Single assessment

Students entered for a single assessment must complete face-to-face practical sessions (PLAB) and field trips (PCAM).

Single assessment consists of a single examination with short-answer and multiple-choice questions on the contents of the practical sessions taught during the different modules of the subject. Specifically, by Module, it will include Test questionnaires (Modules 1, 2 and 3 (Microbiology)) and Visum exams of Zoology and Botany (Module 3). In the case of Module 3, the same requirements will be requested, to be able to add the grades obtained in the other units, indicated for continuous evaluation.

This exam will have a weight of 65.4 % of the final grade of the subject, the rest of the final grade will correspond to the rest of training activities programmed by Module: Delivery Exercises (Modules 1 and 2); Delivery Laboratory notebook (Module 2); Submission of the Microbiology Report (Module 3), as well as the Questionnaires Tests / Short Questions of Zoology and Botany (Module 3), which will follow the same procedure as in the continuous evaluation.

The single assessment examination will coincide with the same date set in the calendar for the last continuous assessment test (final assessment Module 3). It can be recovered on the day set for the subject’s recovery.