CQUniversity Unit Profile
BMSC12007 Neurological Physiology & Measurement
Neurological Physiology & Measurement
All details in this unit profile for BMSC12007 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
Corrections

Unit Profile Correction added on 20-02-24

The residential school sessions for this unit will run as follows:

Session 1: Rockhampton campus. Week 8: April 29 and 30, 2024 (CB84, CG85 and CG93 mixed mode students only)

Session 2: Brisbane campus. Week 9: May 11 and 12, 2024 (CB77 students and mixed mode students only)

Session 3: Brisbane campus. Week 10: May 13 and 14, 2024 (CB77 students and mixed mode students only)

General Information

Overview

Accurate assessment and management of neurological conditions requires comprehensive knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. You will study the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, the pathophysiology of neurological conditions and diagnostic tests related to neurological function.This unit prepares you for entry into the clinical environment by discussing the foundational knowledge of neurophysiology and application of key clinical concepts that will be required to provide health care to patients within your chosen health profession.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 2
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite: BMSC11001 Human Body Systems 1 OR BMSC11011 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 OR BMSC11007 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 1 and BMSC11008 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 2

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).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2024

Brisbane
Bundaberg
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).

Class and 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.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Report
Weighting: 30%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 30%
3. Online Test
Weighting: 40%

Assessment Grading

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.

Previous Student 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.

Feedback from SUTE

Feedback

Students noted some discrepancies between the timing of on-campus practical sessions and the corresponding lecture content.

Recommendation

Ensure a more aligned schedule for on-campus practical sessions with the corresponding lecture content to improve students' comprehension and application of the material.

Feedback from SUTE

Feedback

Some students felt more contextualisation of learning for all disciplines was required.

Recommendation

Consider incorporating more practical examples and case studies relevant to all disciplines in the unit to enhance its applicability and address the concerns raised by students.

Feedback from SUTE

Feedback

Students appreciated the well-structured unit with clear reading guidelines directing to key information. The lectures were focused and adhered to the subject matter, enhancing the overall learning experience.

Recommendation

Continue emphasizing clear guidelines for readings and maintaining a focused approach in lectures (clear emphasis on the subject matter without unnecessary diversions or off-topic discussions).

Feedback from SUTE

Feedback

The explanations for assessments and practicals were clear and concise, contributing to a greater understanding and an effective learning experience.

Recommendation

Continue providing precise explanations for assessments and practicals, and consider incorporating additional opportunities for hands-on learning experiences.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Explain the detailed structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous system
  2. Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology to interpret key clinical concepts
  3. Describe assessment of neurological function in different neurological conditions
  4. Identify the pharmacological basis of drugs that affect the nervous system.


Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Report - 30%
2 - Written Assessment - 30%
3 - Online Test - 40%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

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
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Report - 30%
2 - Written Assessment - 30%
3 - Online Test - 40%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases

Third Edition (2021)
Authors: Hal Blumenfeld
Oxford University Press
New York New York , NY , USA
ISBN: 9781605359625
Binding: Paperback

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Romeo Batacan Unit Coordinator
r.j.batacan@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 04 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Neuroanatomy overview and basic definitions

Chapter

2

Events and Submissions/Topic

Tutorial - Introduction

Week 2 Begin Date: 11 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Brain and Environs: Cranium, Ventricles and Meninges

 

Chapter

5

Events and Submissions/Topic

Tutorial discussion of Clinical case week 2

Week 3 Begin Date: 18 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Corticospinal Tract and other motor pathways

Chapter

6

Events and Submissions/Topic

Tutorial discussion of Clinical case week 3

Week 4 Begin Date: 25 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Somatosensory pathways

Spinal nerve roots

Major plexuses and peripheral nerves

Chapter

7, 8, 9

Events and Submissions/Topic

Tutorial discussion of Clinical case week 4

Week 5 Begin Date: 01 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Cerebral Hemispheres and vascular supply

Chapter

10

Events and Submissions/Topic

Tutorial discussion of Clinical case week 5 

Vacation Week Begin Date: 08 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 15 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Brainstem and cranial nerves

EEG, epilepsy and seizures

Chapter

12

Moodle resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Tutorial discussion of Clinical case week 6

Week 7 Begin Date: 22 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia

Chapter

15,16

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8 Begin Date: 29 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Limbic System and higher order cerebral function

Chapter

18,19

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 06 May 2024

Module/Topic

ANS, neuropharmacology

Chapter

Moodle resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Written assessment Due: Week 9 Friday (10 May 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Begin Date: 13 May 2024

Module/Topic

No lecture due to residential school

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 20 May 2024

Module/Topic

Revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam preparation tutorial

Week 12 Begin Date: 27 May 2024

Module/Topic

Revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 03 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 10 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Online Test Due: Exam Week Monday (10 June 2024) 9:00 am AEST
Term Specific Information

The teaching team consists of Dr. Romeo Batacan Jr, Dr Alannah van Waveren, Dr. Ruth Newby and Dr. Maddie Higgins. Romeo is the unit coordinator and will be delivering live lectures and tutorials throughout the term, conducting on-campus practicals at Rockhampton and residential schools, and responding to all Moodle queries. Alannah will be assisting with the residential schools and marking. Maddie will be the face-to-face for the lectures at Bundaberg campus and Ruth will be conducting the on-campus practicals at Bundaberg. 

You can contact the teaching staff via the unit's Moodle Q&A forum. This forum is a great place to post questions relevant to your study. Please don't feel shy in asking questions as you will often find that other students also share your query. The Q&A forum will be monitored daily and you can expect responses in a timely manner. If your queries are of a personal nature, you are welcome to contact the unit coordinator via email at r.j.batacan@cqu.edu.au or phone 07 4930 9278. The General Discussion forum is a social space where students can communicate with other students in this unit. Please ensure that your conduct within this forum is consistent with the Student Charter.

Live lectures and tutorials will be delivered each week from Rockhampton campus, available to multiple other campuses and will be simultaneously recorded. The recordings of the lectures and tutorials will be available on the unit's Moodle site for all students to access. During the tutorials we will discuss clinical cases and weekly study questions that are provided to you on the Moodle site. The weekly study questions will focus on the key learning objectives for each week and assist in your preparation for the assessment items.

As per Australian education standards, you are expected to commit 150 hours of engagement to your study of this unit. For example, this can be broken as:

2-3 hours per week attending lectures and revising content through study notes
1-2 hours per week for completing assigned reading
2-3 hours per week completing the weekly study questions and attending tutorials
3-4 hours per week preparing your assessments or studying for the exam

 

For students enrolled via on-campus study at Rockhampton and Bundaberg campuses (e.g. CM17, CB84, CG85, CG93), you are required to attend weekly on-campus practical sessions at Rockhampton or Bundaberg depending upon your campus of enrolment.

On-campus practical session: There are 2 sessions of on-campus practicals offered each week, you are required to register and attend one on-campus practical session each week.

 

For students enrolled via mixed mode study (e.g. CB77, CB84, CG85, CG93), you are required to attend a compulsory residential school. The residential school sessions for this unit will run as follows:

Session 1: Rockhampton campus. Week 8: April 29 and 30, 2024 (CB84, CG85 and CG93 mixed mode students only)

Session 2: Brisbane campus. Week 10: May 14 and 15, 2024 (CB77 students and mixed mode students only)

Session 3: Brisbane campus. Week 10: May 16 and 17, 2024 (CB77 students and mixed mode students only)

Note: The residential school sessions for this unit are run as a 2-day block. You are required to sign up for one session of residential school only. You must attend the residential school session at the campus where you are enrolled to complete your course of study. Please nominate your campus for the residential school session via MyCQU (my.cqu.edu.au) before making arrangements for travel and accommodation. For work and health safety reasons, you must nominate your residential school session to secure a place. To ensure you can secure your preferred attendance dates it is recommended that you nominate your residential school session at the start of term. More information about enrolling into residential school will be available on Moodle.

 

For students of the CG95 course, as per your current study plan, you are not required to attend the residential school, instead you are required to complete an online assessment and submit a completed workbook.


All students are required to attend residential school/ on-campus practical classes wearing the uniform appropriate to their course to build a level of professionalism.

Assessment Tasks

1 Report

Assessment Title
Report

Task Description

You will complete a series of tasks and interpret data generated from neurophysiological measurement equipment. Tasks will include questions on brain structure, reflexes, EEG, EMG, and sensory and motor experiments. 

For students attending the on-campus practical sessions or residential school, you will perform hands-on activities and will be required to complete the following tasks:

Part A:  Complete an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Neurological assessments for the OSCE will be specific to student's course of study.

Part B: Submit a completed report within one week of attending the residential school or the last on-campus practical session.

For students enrolled in the CG95 course: You are not required to attend a residential school. Instead, you will be required to submit an online assessment (questions similar to OSCE in the residential school). In addition, you are also required to submit a completed workbook/report that has been contextualised to your course of study.


Assessment Due Date

The completed workbook/report must be submitted by Week 10 Friday 11:45PM AEST (CG95 students) or within one week of attending the residential school or the last on-campus practical session (CM17, CB77, CB84, CG85 and CG93 students).


Return Date to Students

Due to the multiple number of residential school sessions running until week 10, the report results will be available to students in Week 12.


Weighting
30%

Minimum mark or grade
In order to pass this unit, you must achieve 50% of the available marks for this assessment item.

Assessment Criteria

Questions will be marked as per marking scheme. The maximum score that can be achieved from this assessment item equals 30% of the total unit marks.

Please note that all late assessments will be penalized 5% per calendar day unless an application for extension has been approved.

All extension applications must be made through the extension request system on Moodle. Assessments that have been submitted more than 20 calendar days late will not be marked unless an extension request has been approved.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
To be uploaded and submitted on Moodle.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe assessment of neurological function in different neurological conditions


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written assessment

Task Description

In your role as a health professional you will be required to provide health care to patients with all kinds of neurological conditions. This assessment task is designed to present a real world presentation of a neurological condition similar to what you may come across in the clinical environment. You will be presented with a clinical case scenario along with information regarding the physical and neurological condition of a patient. You will be required to answer a set of questions based on this clinical case scenario. This assessment item is designed to assess your understanding of nervous system anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology of neurological conditions and application of key clinical concepts.


Assessment Due Date

Week 9 Friday (10 May 2024) 11:45 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024)


Weighting
30%

Minimum mark or grade
In order to pass this unit, you must achieve 50% of the available marks for this assessment item.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment criteria will be based on knowledge of theory, rationalisation, presentation of information and referencing. A detailed marking rubric will be available on Moodle.

Please note that all late assessments will be penalized 5% per calendar day unless an application for extension has been approved.

All extension applications must be made through the extension request system on Moodle. Assessments that have been submitted more than 20 calendar days late will not be marked unless an extension request has been approved.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
To be uploaded on Moodle and submitted as a Word document.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the detailed structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous system
  • Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology to interpret key clinical concepts
  • Describe assessment of neurological function in different neurological conditions
  • Identify the pharmacological basis of drugs that affect the nervous system.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Ethical practice

3 Online Test

Assessment Title
Online Test

Task Description

You will be required to complete an end of term online test. This online test will assess all content covered throughout the term. The test will be composed of different question types that will assess your understanding and application of key concepts discussed in the unit. Please see Moodle site for more details.


Assessment Due Date

Exam Week Monday (10 June 2024) 9:00 am AEST

Available for a 12-hour period during the Exam week


Return Date to Students

Marks will be available on 28 June 2024.


Weighting
40%

Minimum mark or grade
In order to pass this unit, you must achieve 50% of the available marks for this assessment item.

Assessment Criteria

Questions will be marked as per marking scheme. The maximum score that can be achieved from this assessment item equals 40% of the total unit marks.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the detailed structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous system
  • Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology to interpret key clinical concepts
  • Identify the pharmacological basis of drugs that affect the nervous system.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?