This model will combine class-based and e-learning activities, together with the student's independent learning.

Lectures: Students will acquire the necessary scientific-technical knowledge for the course in in-class and virtual lectures. Students will have access to study material (presentations, figures, schemes) to follow the course.  

Laboratory classes: The practical classes are based on the observation of the different groups of organisms studied in the theory classes. Laboratory classes will take place in 2 hour sessions at the Palaeontology laboratory, in reduced groups. Some practical classes could be adapted to virtual (on-line) sessions.

Autonomous activities: The activities mentioned above must be complemented with the personal work and study from the student.

Exercises carried out in laboratory classes or as independent work will be submitted on the dates determined by the lecturers.

The organization of the lectures and practical classes will be published on the Campus Virtual (CV).

Approximately 15 minutes of one session along the academic year will be devoted to allow students to carry out the surveys for evaluating teaching performance and the subject.

All students registered on this subject (whether for the first time or not) are required to carry out the same activities (lectures and laboratory classes) and will be subject to the same assessment criteria.

Assessment for this subject is continuous throughout the course and is based on the following elements:

1. Exams. Exams, representing—jointly—70% of the final grade. These exams will take place during the course and will include all content covered in lectures and practical classes.

A minimum grade of 4 in each exam is required to average with the other course grades. Students who have obtained a grade lower than 4 must present themselves for re-assessment of the exams

The students who pass all the exams may take the re-assessment to improve their final grade. The mark used to calculate the final grade will be that obtained in re-assessment.

2. Laboratory classes. The exercises/ tests carried out in laboratory classes represent 30% of the final grade. Attending laboratory classes is mandatory. Students attending less than 80% of the practical sessions will not be eligible for assessment and will be awarded the grade of zero (0) for this activity. There is no re-assessment for the practical exercises.

To pass the subject it will be necessary to obtain a minimum overall grade of 5 points.

Schedule of the assessment activities

The dates of the assessment activities and the submission of exercises will be published in the Campus Virtual (CV). They may be subject to changes inprogramming due to unforeseen eventualities. Any modification will be announced through this platform.

Assessment activities will not be permitted for any student at different dates or times to that the ones already established, unless for justified causes duly advised before the activity, and with the lecturer's previous consent. In all other cases, if an activity has not been carried out, this cannot be re-assessed.

Irregularities committed by the student, copy and plagiarism

According to the UAB academic regulations, assessment activities will be qualified with a zero (0) whenever a student commits academic irregularities that may alter such assessment.

Irregularities contemplated in this procedure include, among others:

• the total or partial copying of a test, practical exercise, report, or any other evaluation activity;
• allowing others to copy;
• presenting group work that has not been done entirely by the members of the group, as well as the inadequate use of IA platforms;
• presenting any materials prepared by a third party as one's work, even if these materials are translations or adaptations, including work that is not original or exclusively that of the student;
• having communication devices (such as mobile phones, smartwatches, etc.) accessible during theoretical-practical assessment tests (individual exams).

Unique assessment

• Students who request it will have the right to a single assessment. This will consist of a single final test that will contain a theory exam (30% mark), a problem test (40% mark) and the delivery of the practicals (30% mark). The latter cannot be recovered in the final exam.
• The date of the single assessment tests will coincide with the final exam that the rest of the students will take.
• The single evaluation must be requested using the specific form made available by the Gestió Acadèmica de la Facultat de Ciències [Academic Management of the Faculty of Sciences], and must be communicated by email to the coordinator of the subject before October 2025.
• With reference to the recovery and review of the final qualification, the same procedures will apply as for the continuous assessment.

Not assessable

When the minimum required assessable evidence will not be available, the resulting grade for the student will be 'not assessable'.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies

For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction or translations. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.