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Unit Synopsis
On completion of this unit, you will be able to evaluate the evidence base for biochemical tests used in the diagnosis and management of diseases in the major organ systems of the body. Problem solving and decision making skills will be developed through use of authentic case studies. Skill development in instrument calibration, best practice measurement, interpretation of test results and test quality control monitoring will occur through practical exercises. You will be required to attend a residential school at the biochemistry laboratory on campus. The exception to this is for nutrition students enrolled in CM60, CM61, or CM62. For these students, you will meet the learning outcomes required for your degree through an alternative assessment and are not required to attend the on-campus residential school. However, If you wish to gain laboratory skills, you may enrol for the on-campus residential school activity.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisites: BMSC12010 and (BUSN11016 or BMSC11003 or HLTH11027). 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 2 - 2026
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Case Study | 20% |
| 2. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books | 0% |
| 3. Case Study | 30% |
| 4. 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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web 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.
Source: SUTE
Some students indicated that practical in-class assessment needed more time for completion.
Assess the suitability of the current time allocation for practical assessment and modify it if required.
Overall, the current time allocation has been appropriate, and no further issues have been raised in this regard. Therefore, no changes are recommended at this time. The suitability of the time allocation will continue to be monitored and reviewed if necessary. The current time allocation has been reviewed and is considered appropriate.
Source: SUTE
The automated instrument had a technical issue during the residential school so students were unable to use it for their practical tasks.
Assess ways to improve the reliability of the technical instrument for residential school delivery, through upgraded servicing or replacement with new equipment.
The faulty instrument has been replaced with new equipment to ensure reliability in future sessions.
Source: SUTE & self reflection
Adding more case studies to the residential school would improve students' learning and better prepare them for the practical class test.
Consider including more case studies in residential school
Additional case studies have been incorporated into the residential school to enhance learning and better prepare students for the practical class test.
Source: Student feedback
Students appreciated the quiz questions included in the tutorials.
Based on the positive feedback, quiz questions will continue to be included in future sessions.
In Progress
Source: Student feedback & Self reflection
The residential school was engaging and helped to develop confidence and laboratory skills.
Continue to deliver the engaging residential school in future offerings.
In Progress
Source: Self reflection
Students would like more feedback on their assessment task.
More detailed feedback will be provided.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the various processes involved in biochemical method evaluation, interpretation and development
- Explore the limitations of laboratory procedures, regulatory aspects including external quality assurance and accreditation bodies
- Describe the rationale and clinical correlation of specialised biochemical tests used in the detection and monitoring of processes affecting the major organ systems
- Demonstrate competency in biochemical instrumentation, including specimen handling and test processing in automated systems and institution of appropriate corrective action as required in response to errors in automated instrumentation function where required by discipline-related competencies
- Evaluate biochemical clinical cases to derive a provisional diagnosis.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Case Study | • | • | |||
| 2 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books | • | ||||
| 3 - Case Study | • | • | |||
| 4 - Examination | • | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |