BMSC11012 - Foundations of Immunology

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit you will study the structure and function of the immune system and be introduced to foundational concepts that underpin how the immune system works. You will explore the mechanisms that control the human body’s ability to detect, contain and remove or destroy harmful pathogens whilst retaining tolerance to its own cells. You will also put this into practice at the Residential School where you will conduct laboratory tests that demonstrate the immune response.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites:

BMSC11001 Human Body Systems 1

OR

BMSC11007 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 1

OR

BMSC11010 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1


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).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
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).

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 20%
2. Laboratory/Practical 0%
3. Written Assessment 50%
4. In-class Test(s) 30%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 65.52% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.13% response rate.

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.

Source: SUITE feedback
Feedback
Students found the weekly worksheets and associated weekly tutorial helpful in assisting with the assessment quizzes.
Recommendation
Tutorials incorporating test-like questions will be retained.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUITE feedback
Feedback
Students enjoyed the residential school and found the handouts assisted with their preparation for the invigilated in-class test.
Recommendation
Residential school format and handouts will be retained.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUITE feedback
Feedback
Earlier assessment feedback may be beneficial.
Recommendation
Assessment timing will be examined to see if earlier assessment feedback is possible.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Outline the role of the major cells and tissues in the induction of an immune response
  2. Explain the processes of self/non-self-discrimination
  3. Describe how the non-specific and specific arms of the immune system work together to effect an immune response
  4. Explain how the structure and function of antigen recognition molecules facilitate interaction with antigens
  5. Outline the typical mammalian immune system responses to various challenges such as proteins, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, helminths, fungi and other representative multi-cellular organisms.
  6. Demonstrate competence in the performance of basic laboratory tests in the assessment of the immune response.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
2 - Laboratory/Practical •
3 - Written Assessment • •
4 - In-class Test(s) • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Communication • • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • • •
5 - Team Work •
8 - Ethical practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10