AGRI12001 - Animal Behaviour and Welfare

Showing: 2026 HE Term 2
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will provide you with a holistic approach to evaluating and maintaining animal behaviour and welfare in a variety of production animal settings. You will learn about the key concepts of animal welfare and their applications, as well as the principles of animal behaviour for a range of domestic animal species. You will develop practical and technical skills for high standards of animal welfare. You will explore regulations regarding animal welfare and develop strategies for compliance, particularly in the context of livestock production and supply chains. You will learn about the importance of animal welfare to the economic and social outputs of animal-based industries both in Australia and overseas.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite: Minimum of 24 credit points. 

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Bundaberg Emerald Mixed Mode Rockhampton
Term 1 - 2027 Profile
Bundaberg Emerald Mixed Mode Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Presentation 20%
2. Practical and Written Assessment 50%
3. Written Assessment 30%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Observation and student feedback
Feedback:
Placing a group assessment at the beginning of the term means that students who withdraw from the unit, which occurs more often at the start of term, cause significant disruptions to their assessment group. Group assessments should therefore be held later in the term.

Recommendation:
Hold group assessments later in the term, preferably after census date.

Action Taken:
The first group assessment has been moved to mid term to minimise disruptions
Source: Class and SUTE feedback
Feedback:
Students continue to enjoy and derive great benefit from the residential school.

Recommendation:
The residential school component for this unit should continue to be delivered, with a mix of individual and group tasks. There should continue to be an emphasis on hands-on learning.

Action Taken:
Additional practical opportunities have been incorporated into the residential school
Source: UC Reflections.
Feedback:
Conduct a major reevaluation of the learning material.

Recommendation:
Refreshing this unit for the new iteration of AGRI12001 to have a welfare and behaviour focus will require a major revaluation of the unit's learning material. This process should begin in late 2025.

Action Taken:
This unit has undergone a refresh to be centred around animal behaviour and welfare, and run for the first time in T1 2026
Source: In Class
Feedback:
Hands on practical and research opportunities

Recommendation:
Continue to ensure that there are hands-on opportunities with livestock at CQIRP to give an introduction to animal research and broader industry relevance

Action Taken:
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Feedback:
The residential school was a highlight

Recommendation:
Continue to align the theoretical and design process to ensure the enrichment item leads to practical implementation opportunities

Action Taken:
In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Evaluate and explain the behaviour and welfare of animals
  2. Develop and implement animal welfare and safe animal handling strategies
  3. Critique animal welfare codes of practice and legislation
  4. Explain the role of animal behaviour in livestock production and husbandry practices.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Presentation
2 - Practical and Written Assessment
3 - Written Assessment
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10