BMSC12011 - Medical Microbiology 1

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will provide you with evidence based learning and practice to maximise your diagnostic capabilities for the accurate detection, identification and management of infectious diseases of humans. This unit will provide you with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of infectious diseases, the laboratory identification of causative pathogens as well as their pathogenicity and epidemiology. The unit will also include provision of the skills necessary to undertake common practical laboratory processes in clinical bacteriology.

Details

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

Co-requisites

MBIO19012 Microbiology AND

BIOL12106 Molecular Biology OR BMSC12012 Molecular Cell Biology

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
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. Laboratory/Practical 0%
2. Presentation 20%
3. Written Assessment 30%
4. Oral Examination 50%

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 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 77.78% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 42.86% 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: Student feedback data.
Feedback
Some students found the length and depth of knowledge required in the written assessment too much
Recommendation
The written assessment will be reviewed to ensure that the assignment length/depth of analysis is appropriate for the students' level of study.
Action Taken
After consultation with other teaching staff the written assessment was maintained as it was felt that it was particularly relevant to the clinical focus of the degree.
Source: Self reflection
Feedback
The open book nature of online testing leads to a disproportionate number of D & HD grades.
Recommendation
Alternatives to open book online testing will be explored.
Action Taken
Viva Voce assessment replaced the online test following personal reflection and consultation with the learning and teaching team.
Source: SUTE feedback + Informal feedback
Feedback
Viva assessment was an excellent way of demonstrating knowledge of the unit.
Recommendation
Viva Voce Assessment will be maintained as it allowed for more authentic assessment in an invigilated setting.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE feedback
Feedback
The laboratory practical is very useful for reinforcing the unit content. The laboratory workbook was very comprehensive and also assisted student learning.
Recommendation
Refinements will be made to further enhance the relevance of the Residential School practical to our students' clinical practice and to include more advanced techniques where possible.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Informal feedback
Feedback
The rubric for the written assessment was unclear in some parts.
Recommendation
The rubric will be reviewed and updated to increase it's usability and clarity.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Discuss the clinical significance and laboratory detection of bacterial commensal flora, pathogens and opportunistic pathogens of each of the human body systems
  2. Appraise the use of molecular techniques for identifying bacteria causing human disease
  3. Use practical skills to isolate, identify and test the basic antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic bacteria
  4. Discuss the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria
  5. Apply appropriate quality control processes for the practice of bacteriology.


Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Laboratory/Practical • •
2 - Presentation • •
3 - Written Assessment • •
4 - Oral Examination • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
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