Overview
In Foundations of Chiropractic 4, you will commence development of manipulative technique setups relative to the spine and pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities. You will continue to build your knowledge of functional biomechanics of the spine, pelvis and extremities as you perform further musculoskeletal assessments. Current public health issues and the potential roles of the chiropractic profession will be investigated.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: CHIR12005 & CHIR12004
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 2 - 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).
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
Assessment Overview
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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
Some students noted that greater clarity around the coverage of selected assessment topics within lectures and learning materials would be beneficial, particularly in relation to health promotion and community diagnosis.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator reviews learning materials and lectures so they include clearer signposting of key concepts assessed within the unit, particularly for health promotion topics, to further support student understanding and preparation for assessment.
- Interpret basic findings and explain the biomechanics of musculoskeletal assessments of the spine, pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities to recommend appropriate management
- Demonstrate manipulative technique setups for full spine and pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities at an introductory level
- Investigate current public health issues and the potential role of the chiropractic profession.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - On-campus Activity - 30% | |||
| 2 - Portfolio - 30% | |||
| 3 - Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) - 0% | |||
| 4 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 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 - First Nations Knowledges | |||
| 11 - 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 | 11 | |
| 1 - On-campus Activity - 30% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 30% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) - 0% | |||||||||||
| 4 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.knight@cqu.edu.au
Week 1- Introduction with hand and wrist
Begin Date: 13 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Welcome and introduction with unit outlines
2. Introduction to the biomechanics of wrist and hand manipulative set ups
3. Introduction to manipulative setups and practitioner biomechanics
Practical's:
Wrist and Hand
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" -evaluation and adjustive procedures (set-ups) for the wrist and hand pages 329-337
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2- Elbow and Knee
Begin Date: 20 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of elbow and knee manipulative set ups
2. Patient Communication and Informed Consent
Practical's:
Elbow and knee
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" - evaluation and adjustive procedures (set-ups) for the elbow (pages 319 - 325) and knee (pages 354 - 364)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3- Shoulder
Begin Date: 27 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of shoulder manipulative set ups
2. Burden of Musculoskeletal disease in Australia and beyond
Practical's:
Shoulder
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" - evaluation and adjustive procedures (set-ups) for the shoulder pages 298 - 315
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4- Cervical Spine
Begin Date: 03 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of cervical spine manipulative set ups
Practical's:
Cervical spine
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" (set-ups) for the Cervical spine pages 162 - 174 and lower cervical spine adjustments pages 180-188 (refer to the practical ppts for specific set ups)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Portfolio : Quiz 1: In the second practical class
Week 5- TMJ
Begin Date: 10 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) assessment and manipulative set ups
Practical's:
TMJ
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" evaluation and adjustive procedures for the TMJ pages 288 - 294
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6- OSCE 1
Begin Date: 17 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Lecture:
1. Culture and health - how they are related
Practical's:
1. Review
2. Mid-term OSCE
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
OSCE 1- Due: week 6 second practical class, individual timeslot will be released on moodle ahead of time.
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 24 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Vacation Week
Chapter
Vacation Week
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Week 7- Thoracic Spine and Ribs
Begin Date: 31 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of thoracic and rib manipulative set ups
2. Adjusting levers in manipulative therapy
Practical's:
Thoracic and rib and OSCE 1 Feedback
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" evaluation and adjustive procedures (set-ups) for the Thoracic spine and ribs pages 195 - 232 (refer to the practical ppts for specific set ups)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8- Lumbar Spine and Pelvis
Begin Date: 07 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of lumbar spine and pelvis manipulative set ups
Practical's:
Lumbar and pelvis
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" evaluation and adjustive procedures (set-ups) for the lumbar spine pages 238 - 266 and for the pelvis 274 - 280
Events and Submissions/Topic
Portfolio - Quiz 2: In the second practical class
Portfolio- Quizzes Due: Week 8 Friday (11 Sept 2026) 10:00 am AEST
Week 9- Hip
Begin Date: 14 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of hip manipulative set ups
Practical's:
Hip
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition" evaluation and adjustive procedures for the hip pages 344-349
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10- Foot and Ankle
Begin Date: 21 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Introduction to the biomechanics of foot and ankle manipulative set ups
2. Health promotion
Practical's:
1. Foot and ankle practical
Chapter
Bergmann, T "Chiropractic Technique; Principles and Procedures, 3rd edition"- evaluation and adjustive procedures for the foot and ankle pages 368- 380
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11- Review
Begin Date: 28 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Lectures:
1. Culture and health - how health practitioners can play a role
Practical's:
1. Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12- OSCE 2
Begin Date: 05 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Practical: OSCE 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
OSCE 2- Due: week 12 first practical class timeslot, individual timeslot will be released on moodle ahead of time.
OSCE 1 and On Campus Activity Sheet Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2026) 9:00 am AEST
OSCE 2 Due: Week 12 Tuesday (6 Oct 2026) 10:00 am AEST
Exam Week
Begin Date: 12 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
End of Term Test-
Week 13- Wednesday 14/10/26- 11:00am-1:00pm
End of term test Due: Exam Week Wednesday (14 Oct 2026) 11:00 am AEST
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 19 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 On-campus Activity
OSCE 1 and On-Campus Activity Sheet Assessment
Weighting= 30%
This on-campus activity consists of two components.
You must achieve a combined mark of 50% between the two components to pass this assessment.
Each component contributes to 50% of the assessment's total.
1. Week 6- OSCE 1
Due: Week 6, Friday 10:00 AEST
Components will consist of:
a) Performing chiropractic technique manipulative set ups for the cervical spine and upper extremities.
b) Demonstration of appropriate patient communication and practitioner positioning.
c) Appropriate hygiene and informed patient consent procedures.
Please note; all practical assessments will be video recorded for moderation purposes. Recordings will not be made available for general review but will be accessed by staff to ensure grades are appropriately awarded.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge
There is no 72 hour grace period for this assessment.
2. On Campus Activity Form
Due: Week 12, Friday- 09/10/2026- 09:00 AEST
During practical classes, there will be an associated on-campus activity. These will be a mix of activities, but could and will include things like: demonstrating clinical skills learned during the last class, participating in a discussion on the weekly theoretical topic.
These activities are designed to develop your clinical skills and theoretical knowledge. The tasks will be completed during the first 10-15 minutes of each class. You will be provided with an on-campus activity sheet which you will be required to bring to each class and upon completion of the activity have your in-class tutor sign and date it.
It is your responsibility to ensure this sheet is completed and kept safe as it is proof of completion. Once you have completed the assessment, you will need to upload the sheet to Moodle.
Please note: A maximum of 2 make up sessions will be offered in the event of illness or exceptional circumstances (with appropriate supporting documentation) otherwise you will need to consider applying for Consideration of Special Circumstances or receiving a fail grade.
Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2026) 9:00 am AEST
This activity will take place in the second class of week 6 with the results released to students by the next practical class with individual feedback.
Via Moodle and in person feedback in the next practical class.
The assessment criteria for this unit will seek to ensure that this assessment examines your newly developed clinical skills. A detailed rubric will be provided on Moodle.
The criteria will examine the following:
- Professionalism and effective communication with your mock patient
- Knowledge and clinical skills - demonstrating manipulative set-ups and patient assessments
- Ethical practice
- Interpret basic findings and explain the biomechanics of musculoskeletal assessments of the spine, pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities to recommend appropriate management
- Demonstrate manipulative technique setups for full spine and pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities at an introductory level
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Portfolio
Portfolio Task
Weighting= 30%
You must achieve a combined mark of 50% between the two quizzes to pass this assessment.
Your portfolio task will be made up of two quizzes which will occur in weeks 4 and 8.
Quiz 1 -Week 4- Friday- 7/8/2026- 10am-
Quiz 2- Week 8- Friday- 11/9/2026- 10am
- Both quizzes will be held during the first 30 mins of your scheduled practical.
- Both quizzes will be invigilated and held on Campus in BNE Computer labs.
- The quiz will be completed online in Moodle and will be open for 30 minutes.
- You will have 30 minutes to complete each quiz.
- These quizzes will assess your understanding and knowledge of the theoretical content delivered in the lectures this term. The questions will be written to test your comprehension and application of the material provided in the preceding weeks.
Please note:
- This is a closed-book task, and not a group activity.
- Level of GenAI use allowed:
- Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge
- There is no 72 hour grace period for this assessment.
Week 8 Friday (11 Sept 2026) 10:00 am AEST
Each of the tasks in the portfolio will be due on Friday of week 4 and 8.
a) The results of the quiz will be released via Moodle after the quiz is closed.
The assessment criteria will involve selecting or providing the most accurate and correct answers to the questions posed in each quiz.
- Investigate current public health issues and the potential role of the chiropractic profession.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Ethical practice
3 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
OSCE 2
Weighting: PASS/FAIL assessment task: You MUST achieve 65% to pass this assessment.
Due- Week 12- 06/10/2026 10:00 AM
- components will consist of:
a) Performing chiropractic technique manipulative set ups for the thoracic and lumber spine and lower extremities
b) Demonstration of appropriate patient communication and practitioner positioning.
c) Appropriate hygiene and informed patient consent procedures
Students may be allowed one re-attempt and must be completed within seven consecutive days after receiving a mark for the initial assessment.
All practical assessments will be video recorded for moderation purposes. Recordings will not be made available for general review but will be accessed by staff to ensure grades are appropriately awarded.
Level of Gen AI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge
There is no 72 hour grace period for this assessment.
Week 12 Tuesday (6 Oct 2026) 10:00 am AEST
This activity will take place in the first class of week 12
Results will be returned via Moodle
The assessment criteria for this task will ensure that this assessment examines your newly developed clinical skills. A detailed rubric will be provided on Moodle. This OSCE is a pass/fail task and you must achieve 65% to pass. *
The criteria will examine the following:
- Professionalism and effective communication with your mock patient
- Knowledge and clinical skills - demonstrating manipulative set-ups and patient assessments
- Ethical practice
*If eligible, students may be allowed one re-attempt and must be completed within seven consecutive days after receiving a mark for the initial assessment.
- Demonstrate manipulative technique setups for full spine and pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities at an introductory level
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Ethical practice
4 Written Assessment
End of Term Test
Weighting= 40%
This end-of-term test will be undertaken in a CQUni computer lab on whichever campus that you are enrolled. The test will involve a mix of question types including multiple choice, short answer and matching styles. The test will assess all theoretical content taught across weeks 1-12.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge
There is no 72 hour grace period for this assessment.
Exam Week Wednesday (14 Oct 2026) 11:00 am AEST
The end of term test will be timetabled and held in the BNE computer labs
Results will be released via Moodle within 14 days
This is test will assess your comprehension and application of all the content delivered across the 12 weeks of term. You will undertake the test in a computer lab and the multiple choice questions will be automatically marked by Moodle while the short answer questions will be marked by the UC. The assessment criteria will involve selecting or providing the correct answers and communicating your answers clearly in written form.
- Interpret basic findings and explain the biomechanics of musculoskeletal assessments of the spine, pelvis, temporomandibular joints and extremities to recommend appropriate management
- Investigate current public health issues and the potential role of the chiropractic profession.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Ethical practice
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?
