VCE Biology Workshop

VCE Biology Workshop

Booking information and payment policy

VCE Biology Unit 4 Outcomes 1 and 2

The School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne is running two-hour workshops for VCE Biology students to complete practical activities in the Mendel laboratory at the Parkville campus.

The workshop has been designed to address the criteria of VCE Biology, Unit 4, Outcomes 1 and 2.

• Activity 1: Evidence for evolutionary change using Drosophila melanogaster (60 minutes).
• Activity 2: Immunity and influenza: an ELISA case study (60 minutes).

Attending schools will also be offered access and notes to an online activity which addresses the criteria of VCE Biology, Unit 3, Outcome 1.

• Activity 1: An investigation into how antibiotic resistance may be transferred.

Workshop

Workshops will be held from Thursday 16 July – Friday 24 July 2026, see Week 1 and 2 times.

Please select your first, second and third session preference on the booking request form.

Week 1: 17  July, sessions will run:

• 10 – 12pm
• 1 – 3pm

Week 2: 20 – 24 July,

• 9.30 – 11.30am
• 12 – 2pm
• 2.30 – 4.30pm

Session bookings are on hold and accepted after open sessions are full:

• 16 July 10am – 12pm and 1 – 3pm

BioSciences staff (with WWCC) including a lead and bench demonstrators and technical staff will support students (1 staff: ~12 students). A lead demonstrator will give content background and introduce equipment for the two fast-paced activities. We supply all materials except printed notes.

The lab seats ~120 students so small classes from different schools may attend in the same session. Students will work together, but each student will have their own equipment to complete all steps of the activities e.g., dissecting microscope, CO₂ for anaesthetising tube of flies, ELISA kit, micropipette.

Entry requires school staff present and adhering to safety protocols, PPE, enclosed shoes, no devices. You may interact with and take photos of your students. Appropriate behaviour is expected at all times. As curriculum timing may vary, ensure your students come prepared and verify their work.

Booking and payment

The workshop cost is $35 (incl. GST) per student (to cover lab coats, consumables, and staffing etc).

Bookings are for both activities and made in the order that they are requested. Please note that only one booking is required per school. Session availability/remaining seats is updated on our website.

To book, please promptly complete the booking request form. We will reach out to you to confirm your session time. Invoices will be sent from the end of January 2026, after which payment will be due within 30 days. If payment is not received within 30 days, your session may be made available to schools on the waiting list.

If your numbers increase or decrease after you have provided a payment, please reach out to us – we will arrange an additional payment/refund accordingly. Note, refunds may not be possible after Friday 12 June 2026.

Once payment is received, we will send access to the online activity, further information for the workshop, and electronic student and staff (answers) notes for the workshop and the online activity. Please provide each student with printed student workshop notes to complete in the workshop.

Enquiries

Please send booking requests to head-biosciences@unimelb.edu.au

Please send workshop enquiries to biosci-outreach@unimelb.edu.au