ZOOL19004 - Integrated Pest Management

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

There are many human activities in natural systems where success relies on the management of pest insect, plant, and vertebrate species. Agriculture is perhaps the most obvious endeavour in which pests can cause massive environmental and economic damage if not managed effectively (e.g. weeds). In this unit the taxonomy, functional anatomy and morphology of pest species will be introduced, particularly insects which collectively form the most problematic pest group. The ecology of pest species, particularly as related to their management, will be explored, especially in the context of chemical and biological methods of population control. Integrated pest management and modern control strategies will be discussed as the contemporary best-practice solution to pest management.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisites: BIOL11099 Living Systems OR BIOL12110 Agricultural Production Systems

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).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026


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. Written Assessment 20%
2. Practical Assessment 30%
3. Examination 50%

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

Term 1 - 2019 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 25.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.67% response rate.

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: Student unit evaluation and verbal feedback at residential school.
Feedback:
 ASSESSMENT A student expressed disappointment at the essay component of the exam.

Recommendation:
 The Unit coordinator should review the exam content but retain a level of assessment commensurate with third year.

Action Taken:
 This was done by Dr Stitz before she resigned from the UC role for the unit.
Source: Student unit evaluations
Feedback:
 RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL Students expressed some disappointment in the residential school structure and content.

Recommendation:
 The Unit coordinator will assess the relevance of the practical component of the Unit (residential school) to ensure it provides appropriate practice in accordance with the unit learning outcomes.

Action Taken:
 The residential school was replaced with home insect collection kits that still met the ULO's and reduced complaints of duplication between the ZOOL19004 and ZOOL12009
Source: Student unit evaluation
Feedback:
 LECTURES AND DELIVERY Students expressed the opinion that lectures were informative.

Recommendation:
 Lectures will continue to be offered in the same manner.

Action Taken:
 Prof Robson delivered live and prerecorded lectures that were well-received.
Source: Students
Feedback:
 Students were dissatisfied with assessment return, feedback and requirements.

Recommendation:
 This was the last year this unit will be taught, but in the future the HoC will take a more active role in training last-minute hires in CQUni systems and policy and procedure. Also, special consideration will be given to assessment requirements when last-minute changes are implemented by another person than the proposer.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Define terminology relating to the anatomy, physiology, ecology, efficacy as a pest, and management of insects, vertebrates, and plants
  2. Link insect, vertebrate, and plant physiology and ecology with their efficacy and management as a pest species, in verbal and written form
  3. Describe the diversity of pest management practices, particularly in the context of guarding against environmental, economic, and social damage, in verbal and written form
  4. Discuss the concepts, principles, and logic of integrated pest management in verbal and written form
  5. Acquire taxonomic skills by preparing properly curated insect specimens and identifying them to the level of order at a minimum
  6. Acquire practical skills in the scientific study of insects as a pest species by conducting experimental research on insect pests and thier management in both field and laboratory settings.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Written Assessment • • • •
2 - Practical Assessment • • •
3 - Examination • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
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