CQUniversity Unit Profile
BMSC13010 Pharmacology
Pharmacology
All details in this unit profile for BMSC13010 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.
General Information

Overview

In this unit, you will develop an advanced knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy. You will explore the mechanism of action of major drug classes used in the treatment of diseases relevant to your profession. Pharmacokinetics, receptor selectivity, efficacy and the optimum route of administration of pharmaceuticals will also be studied. You will be required to understand the practical responses of pharmaceuticals on various tissue types and relate this content to other aspects of Medical Science and your respective professions.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 3
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites CG93 Medical Science, CL10 Medical Laboratory Science and CG95 Paramedic Science: BMSC12010 CB66 Health Science (Allied Health): MBIO12013 and BIOH12008 CB86 Bachelor of Podiatry Practice (Honours): ALLH11001, and BMSC11008 (or ALLH11004), and HLTH11027, and PSYC11010, andBMSC11007 (or ALLH11005), and ALLH11009 (or ALLH12007), and ALLH11006 and HLTH12028

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 3 - 2023

Mixed Mode

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).

Residential Schools

This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.

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. Written Assessment
Weighting: 25%
2. Laboratory/Practical
Weighting: Pass/Fail
3. Practical Assessment
Weighting: 25%
4. Examination
Weighting: 50%

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

Residential school was engaging and helped my learning and skills

Recommendation

Maintain and continue to update the residential school activities

Feedback from SUTE

Feedback

Pre recorded tutorials were of little value and engagement was limited without face to face interactions

Recommendation

Face to face and updated tutorial content will be delivered

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Discuss the basic principles and the applications of pharmacology - pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug design and clinical trials
  2. Classify the major groups of medicines with respect to use in pathophysiologies, their actions and side effects
  3. Perform data acquisition, analysis of results and discussions of findings of pharmacological experiments
  4. Provide an evidence-based explanation of how pharmaceuticals mediate their effects.
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 - Written Assessment - 25%
2 - Laboratory/Practical - 0%
3 - Practical Assessment - 25%
4 - Examination - 50%

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
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Rang and Dale's Pharmacology

Edition: 9th edn (2019)
Authors: Ritter J, Flower R, Henderson G, Rang H
Elsevier / Churchill Livingstone
London London , UK
ISBN: 9780702074486
Binding: Paperback

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
  • Computer-aided learning modules (CALs)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Andrew Fenning Unit Coordinator
a.fenning@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 06 Nov 2023

Module/Topic

Drug-receptor interactions/Drug targets/Signal transduction

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 2 and 3 from the textbook

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Week 2 Begin Date: 13 Nov 2023

Module/Topic

Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Trials

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 8, 9 and 10 from the textbook

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Week 3 Begin Date: 20 Nov 2023

Module/Topic

Autonomic Pharmacology and Cardiovascular 1

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 12, 13 and 14 from the textbook

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)


Simulated drug effects Due: Week 3 Friday (24 Nov 2023) 11:55 pm AEST
Week 4 Begin Date: 27 Nov 2023

Module/Topic

Cardiovascular 2-4

Residential School (28/22/2023-29/11/2023)

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 21, 22 and 23 from the textbook

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Vacation Week Begin Date: 04 Dec 2023

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 11 Dec 2023

Module/Topic

CNS Pharmacology (transmitters, depression, psychosis, ageing)

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, 45, 46 and 47 from the textbook

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Week 6 Begin Date: 18 Dec 2023

Module/Topic

CNS Pharmacology - drugs of abuse, analgesia and anaesthesia

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 41, 42, 43, 48 and 49 from the textbook

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Vacation Week Begin Date: 25 Dec 2023

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 01 Jan 2024

Module/Topic

Antibiotics, antifungals and antiseptics

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 50, 51 and 53 from the textbook

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Week 8 Begin Date: 08 Jan 2024

Module/Topic

Obesity, gastrointestinal, respiratory and endocrine pharmacology

Chapter

Online course material and PowerPoint notes/lecture videos

Chapters 28, 30, 32 and 35 from the textbook  

Events and Submissions/Topic

Module lecture content (pre-recorded ECHO360)

Week 9 Begin Date: 15 Jan 2024

Module/Topic

All content delivered - revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Complex reasoning - mythical drug review / data analysis report from practical tasks Due: Week 9 Friday (19 Jan 2024) 11:55 pm AEST
Week 10 Begin Date: 22 Jan 2024

Module/Topic

All content delivered - revision

 

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 29 Jan 2024

Module/Topic

All content delivered - revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 05 Feb 2024

Module/Topic

All content delivered - revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 12 Feb 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Term Specific Information

Your teaching team

Your unit coordinator is Dr Andrew Fenning together with a team of laboratory and postgraduate support staff who will be managing the different components of the unit. You can contact me using the forum on the unit's Moodle site, via phone (0749232568) or email (a.fenning@cqu.edu.au). Updated contacts of the team assisting this Unit will be available via Moodle.


The unit

BMSC13010 Pharmacology fits into your course as a direct follow-on to BMSC12010 (Clinical Biochemistry) incorporating important aspects of your learning journey to date such as physiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, cardiorespiratory physiology and neurophysiology as examples. Successfully completing BMSC13010 allows for important scaffolding to other third level (advanced) units such as Paramedic and Podiatry specific pharmacology units, Clinical Physiology units and related advanced level medical science units. BMSC13010 is a core unit in several courses, including:

• Bachelor of Medical Science (CG93)
• Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (CL10)
• Bachelor of Paramedic Sciences (CG95)
• Bachelor of Podiatry (CB86)

And as electives for:

• Bachelor of Science (CU18)
• Bachelor of Health Science (Allied Health) (CB66)

 

Delivery and study commitment

This unit has all of the lecture content presented over the first 8 blocks of the unit schedule/unit Moodle page (these lectures are all pre-recorded). This is delivered on topic/module areas rather than a traditional weekly schedule. The 8 blocks/modules of content delivery will have an associated recorded ECHO360 lecture (and PowerPoint file) and be delivered in a 2.5-3 hour time format. The PowerPoint file and lecture content are the primary delivery medium for this unit and will be where the end of term invigilated examination questions are drawn from. The final 4 weeks of the unit schedule have no content delivery - this has been intentionally left free to allow for consolidation and self managed/directed study and completion of any remaining assessment items. As the examination forms an integral component of your tasks during the term, you should use this time to prepare for this item. You still have the same amount of content/contact time as other units - it has just been designed and delivered in a topic format of 8 weeks x 3 hours rather than 12 weeks x 2 hours.

As with other Units - the design is such that students are expected to spend on average 10-12.5 hours per week (150 hours total) on associated study activities for this Unit. As a rough "time budget estimate" the approximate guide for your study per assessment is as follows:

• Assessment item 1 CALs (25%) - 20 hours
• Assessment item 2 Laboratory/Practical Residential school (CG93, CL10 and CU18 courses only) (0%)
• Assessment item 3 Mythical drug review / data analysis report from the practical tasks (25%) - 40 hours
• Assessment item 4 End of term formal invigilated examination (50%) 90 hours

If you consider the lecture content and other activities will total approximately 40 hours, your own study needs to account for the rest (110 hours). Assessment items 1 and 3 have elements which are "time on task" activities to also contribute to the weekly content and hence the generic content study for this Unit. Use these details as a guide because your study journey and requirements are unique (some students may require less or more hours than suggested to pass).

 

Practical/Residential School information - important details (Assessment item 2)

If you are enrolled in the Medical Science (CG93), Medical Laboratory Science (CL10) or Science (CU18) courses it is a course level learning and skill requirement for compulsory attendance of the laboratory residential school. If you are enrolled in Paramedic Science (CG95), Podiatry (CB86) or Allied Health (CB66) courses, it is not compulsory for your course level learning outcomes to attend the residential school (you can still attend if you wish, however consider your study load). For those students who attend the residential school there is a specific practical and data report to complete as an alternative to the mythical drug review. For those students needing to complete the residential school it is scheduled for 28/11/2023-29/11/2023. Remember to monitor any COVID19 related information or restrictions.

 

Brief assessment overview and tips

• Assessment item 1 Simulation - a simulated series of laboratory experiments which allow you to visualise drug-receptor interactions and responses
• Assessment item 2 Laboratory/Practical Residential school (CG93, CL10 and CU18 courses only)
• Assessment item 3 Mythical drug review / data analysis report from the practical tasks - a mini review of an imaginary drug which requires you to integrate knowledge from the previous assessment items and formulate a mechanism of action and how you would test the drug OR report and analysis of experiments conducted during the residential school
• Assessment item 4 End of term formal invigilated examination - content knowledge and problem solving

 

Make sure you cite correctly and gather sufficient reference materials for the written assessment item 3 - this was a common feature for a less than optimal grade.

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Simulated drug effects

Task Description

Gaining familiarity on where and how drugs act on tissues is an important experimental and clinical skill used in your future professional and personal lives. This task requires you to complete an online simulated set of activities and submit your responses / answers which are derived from this task in the electronic answer booklet provided in Moodle. The simulation is a virtual pharmacology experiment which will enable you to perform drug additions and view the responses. This will help to develop a basic understanding of the laboratory and analysis linked to drug design and testing and drug/organism interactions. As noted in lectures, drug dosing experiments enable pharmacologists to investigate the physiology and pharmacology of in vitro tissue preparations. The theory behind the simulated experiments is discussed further in the experimental instruction manual which is available on the unit Moodle site under the “essential information” tab, as are the step-by-step instructions for using this online module.

 

 

In order to complete this activity, you are required to follow the instructions outlined in the instruction manual and collect experimental data generated from the simulated tissues. Once you have collected your data, you are required to prepare responses, observations, calculations and answer a series of questions which relate to the online module you just completed. The completion of this activity will enable you to further understand concepts relating to agonists, antagonists, EC50s, cumulative concentration responses and will enable you to get an introductory understanding of how pharmacological experiments are conducted. This task will help those students prepare for the laboratory setting and may (in conceptual form) also assist in completion of Assessment item 3.


Assessment Due Date

Week 3 Friday (24 Nov 2023) 11:55 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 5 Friday (15 Dec 2023)


Weighting
25%

Minimum mark or grade
50%

Assessment Criteria

This task requires the submission of observations, data, graphs and responses generated as a result of completing the simulated experiments. The data tables and graphs you submit will be assessed for your ability to interpret and present the generated data in a professional manner. The written responses you submit each contain weighted marks as outlined in the instruction manual and will be marked either correct or incorrect based upon your understanding of key concepts and the interpretation of the results you develop. Given the nature of the task referencing is unnecessary however the responses still need to be in your own words.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Discuss the basic principles and the applications of pharmacology - pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug design and clinical trials
  • Classify the major groups of medicines with respect to use in pathophysiologies, their actions and side effects
  • Provide an evidence-based explanation of how pharmaceuticals mediate their effects.

2 Laboratory/Practical

Assessment Title
Pharmacology laboratory experiments

Task Description

This task is for the CG93, CL10 and CU18 course learning outcomes students only - with a submission linked to the Assessment item 3 task. You will be provided with a laboratory workbook on the Moodle site. This workbook will contain all the tasks (experiments, skills and data analysis) that need to be completed during the residential school block. Group experimental activities during the residential school will foster team work and provide hands-on experience of the pharmacological techniques used in testing and research laboratories. Completion of the tasks will evidence student engagement and understanding of the principles behind the pharmacological tests. Laboratory staff or demonstrators will assess your individual experimental capability during residential school to ensure your understanding of the learning outcomes.  There is a linked submission task for this residential school in lieu of the mythical drug review in Assessment item 3.  Please check the residential school timetable, the Moodle site and Term Specific Information in the Unit Profile for the dates.


Assessment Due Date

This task will be completed during the residential school - submission of the report as Assessment item 3


Return Date to Students

This task will be completed during the residential school - submission of the report as Assessment item 3


Weighting
Pass/Fail

Assessment Criteria

Successful completion of the laboratory activities/workbook at the residential school and submission of the linked report in Assessment item 3.


Referencing Style

Submission
Offline

Submission Instructions
Successful completion of the laboratory activities/workbook at the residential school and submission of Assessment item 3

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Perform data acquisition, analysis of results and discussions of findings of pharmacological experiments

3 Practical Assessment

Assessment Title
Complex reasoning - mythical drug review / data analysis report from practical tasks

Task Description

 

This assessment item has two distinct options and is modularised depending on the courses/programs you are studying.  Option 1 - Mythical drug review is for the CG95/CB68/CB66 students to complete.  Option 2 - Data analysis report from practical tasks is for the CG93/CL10/CU18 students to complete and is linked to the residential school attendance component (pharmacological laboratory experiments) from Assessment item 2.

 

Option 1 - Mythical drug review (CG95/CB68/CB66)

This task requires you to establish the potential mechanism of action and outline a series of experiments you could use to verify the pharmacological actions of an imaginary drug. Communication, problem solving and applying knowledge to a variety of scenarios will be part of your everyday future in health care. This fictitious drug task will require you to apply your understanding of pharmacological principles to postulate a mythical drug's cellular target(s), mechanism of action and physiological effects. In a real world context, pharmacologists are required to test new chemical compounds and work to identify the physiological effects they have within the body (for example, does a new compound increase heart rate?). Once the physiological effects for new compounds have been identified, pharmacologists must then work to identify the mechanism through which the observed effects are mediated (for example, what receptors are activated or blocked, what proteins undergo phosphorylation, what genes are turned off and on). You should approach this from the perspective that the mythical drug will achieve better clinical outcomes or effects compared to a known existing drug or compound. This could be related to actual positive effects or decreased side effects or a combination of both.

 

 

In this assessment item you are given the observations/effects for four imaginary drugs. You are to choose one of the three options to report on. Once you have made your choice you are to describe how the drug works and a series of experiments you could use to test the mechanism/s through which the imaginary drug is mediating its effects.

 

 

Imaginary drugs you can choose from -

Bustachol - a new medication which is used to treat both clotting and high cholesterol

• Revivasep - a new medication used for the treatment of the complications of sepsis to improve survival (isn't an antibiotic)

Microbebusta - revolutionary new broad spectrum compound which shows antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial effects

 

 

As a guide, you may like to consider how experimental techniques we have covered in simulation could be used, clinical trials and any other methods you have identified during your literature search to determine the mechanism of action for your imaginary drug. It would be advantageous to position your proposed experiments with a discussion on existing compounds that may have similar properties. The use of peer-review journal articles as information sources is expected (a minimum of 10 primary references are required for this assessment item), whilst the use of internet / pharmaceutical company websites is discouraged. Word limit for this assessment item is 2500 words. By completing this task it is hoped you will gain a greater understanding of receptor targets and how drugs work, demonstrate basic knowledge of preclinical tissue bath testing and clinical trials, and demonstrate creative written expression and advanced literature review and integration.

 

Option 2 - Data analysis report from practical tasks (pharmacology laboratory experiments) (CG93/CL10/CU18)

This item is linked to Assessment item 2 - residential school.  During the residential school you will have completed practical tasks which are used to test and compare various pharmaceutical agents demonstrating competency in the pharmacological testing laboratory.  You will complete a report based on one of the experiments chosen by the Unit Coordinator.  This will compliment the practical exercises completed during the residential school.  This report will involve a review and analysis of the experimental technique, drugs tested and data analysis of the responses recorded.  More details will be provided during residential school and on Moodle.

 


Assessment Due Date

Week 9 Friday (19 Jan 2024) 11:55 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 12 Friday (9 Feb 2024)


Weighting
25%

Minimum mark or grade
50%

Assessment Criteria

A detailed marking excel criteria sheet/rubric can be found on the unit Moodle page, however assessment will be based on the knowledge of theory, rationalization and justification of your arguments/ideas/proposed experiments, quality and quantity of information sources used, presentation of references, presentation and formatting the content (including images, figures, or tables), spelling and grammar.

 

 

Marking criteria mythical drug review:

Fundamental content - 15 marks

Positioning of your arguments - 15 marks

Writing style/overall presentation - 10 marks

Referencing - 10 marks

Total = 50 marks

 

 

Marking criteria data analysis report from the practical tasks:

Introduction - 10 marks

Analysis of the data collected (results/discussion) - 30 marks

Writing style/overall presentation - 5 marks

Referencing - 5 marks

Total = 50 marks


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Perform data acquisition, analysis of results and discussions of findings of pharmacological experiments

Examination

Outline
Complete an invigilated examination

Date
During the examination period at a CQUniversity examination centre

Weighting
50%

Length
180 minutes

Minimum mark or grade
50%

Exam Conditions
Closed Book

Materials
Dictionary - non-electronic, concise, direct translation only (dictionary must not contain any notes or comments).
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?