PHYS40110 - Introductory Physics

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will prepare you for university study in engineering or the physical sciences (which may include allied health). You will gain an introductory understanding of the basic concepts in physics and learn to apply the principles of physics to solve problems of a physical nature in everyday life. Topics covered in this unit include measurement, motion, forces and mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, properties of matter, heat and thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism, waves, and optics. This unit assumes an intermediate level of mathematical knowledge.

Details

Level Non-award
Unit Level Not Applicable
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

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 No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2023

Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 3 - 2023 Profile
Online

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 Non-award 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. Written Assessment 30%
3. 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 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 75.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 23.53% 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: Unit evaluation
Feedback
Multiple assessments throughout the term helped learning.
Recommendation
Continue with the multiple assignments and online quizzes.
Action Taken
The number of quizzes was actually increased from 3 to 5 to provide more immediate feedback.
Source: Unit evaluation
Feedback
Recording the tutorials would be helpful.
Recommendation
Zoom tutorials will be recorded and made available via Moodle.
Action Taken
Zoom tutorials were recorded and made available on Moodle.
Source: My Experience
Feedback
Issues with figures in the textbook.
Recommendation
Rectify the issues with the figures in the textbook.
Action Taken
Issues were rectified.
Source: Unit evaluations
Feedback
The interactive nature of the online lectures and tutorials is engaging.
Recommendation
Continue to offer live online sessions.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Students
Feedback
The exam preparation resources provided useful information.
Recommendation
Continue to provide exam preparation resources and develop additional ones if required.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Students
Feedback
There is a lot of individual assessment items, some quite large, and it can be difficult to manage.
Recommendation
Review the number of assessment items and the number of questions in each.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Recall fundamental physics concepts and techniques
  2. Solve quantitative and qualitative problems using appropriate physics and mathematical techniques
  3. Analyse information using physics techniques
  4. Communicate physics in a competent, logical and professional manner
  5. Improve physics comprehension through effective reflective practice.

This course has no external accreditation.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • • • •
3 - Examination • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Self Management • • • •
2 - Communication • • •
5 - Problem Solving • •
6 - Critical Thinking • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9