Unit Synopsis
On completion of this unit, you will be able to evaluate the evidence base for biochemical tests used in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases in the major organ systems of the body. Problem-solving and decision making skills will be developed through the 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 in order to promote the development of unit learning outcomes. The residential school may be scheduled outside of the term of offering of the unit.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 8 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisite Enrolment in Master of Laboratory Medicine. 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 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 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 Postgraduate 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. Written Assessment | 20% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 30% |
| 3. Laboratory/Practical | 0% |
| 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 .
Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 47.37% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 39.58% 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: Staff feedback & Self reflection
Some students found the unit content challenging.
Review and refine the unit content and delivery approach for future iterations to enhance student learning and engagement.
In Progress
Source: Informal student feedback
The Residential School was appreciated by students as it allowed them to put theory into practice.
Investigate the option of scheduling the Residential School earlier to align more effectively with the theoretical delivery of the unit.
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
- Appraise the limitations of laboratory procedures and 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 skills in the use of biochemical instrumentation including corrective action as required
- Evaluate biochemical clinical cases to derive a provisional diagnosis.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | |||
| 3 - Laboratory/Practical | • | ||||
| 4 - Examination | • | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Communication | • | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | • | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | • | ||||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |