Unit Outline

This unit will introduce you to clinically relevant microbial diseases and common antimicrobial agents. A review of the immune system will be provided for you. Key characteristics of clinically relevant pathogens will be explained, including their epidemiology, classification and modes of transmission. The mode of action, adverse effects and indication of antimicrobial agents will be explained. Important features of common vaccines will be reviewed. The spread of antibiotic resistance and the need for appropriate antimicrobial stewardship will be discussed.

The workshops will reinforce content presented during the unit fostering an understanding of the role of pharmacists in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

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


1	Describe the fundamentals of microbiology, epidemiology, and prevention strategies for infectious diseases of local, national and international importance.
2	Explain the role of pharmacists in preventing infectious disease outbreaks, and promoting safe and effective antimicrobial use.
3	Discuss the laboratory processes involved in the sampling, culturing, identification and antimicrobial sensitivity testing of microbes from biological specimens, and the clinical relevance of these activities.
4	Explain the mode of action, adverse effects and indication of antimicrobial agents.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CSA116 AND CZZ101 AND CZZ102
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	CJA214

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to the feedback from the previous student cohort, the unit delivery has been condensed to 7 weeks to allow for a break from classes over January. As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2024, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s eVALUate surveys following your completion of the unit.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	In-Term Test One	Week 3	30 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 2:	In-Term Test Two	Week 5	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	End of Semester Exam	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: In-Term Test One

Task Description:

You will sit a 50 minute face to face test consisting of multiple-choice questions and/or short answer questions.

Task Length:

50 minutes

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamentals of microbial life	LO1, LO2
2	Describe mechanisms through which infectious agents colonise and cause disease in the human host	LO1, LO2
3	Explain developments in the field of microbiology that facilitate the control of infectious diseases	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 2: In-Term Test Two

Task Description:

You will sit a 50 minute face to face test consisting of multiple-choice questions and/or short answer questions.

Task Length:

50 minutes

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamentals of microbial life	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Describe mechanisms through which infectious agents colonise and cause disease in the human host	LO1, LO2, LO3
3	Explain developments in the field of microbiology that facilitate the control of infectious diseases	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 3: End of Semester Exam

Task Description:

You will sit a 1 hour 40 minute face to face exam in the exam period, consisting of a combination of multiple-choice, short answer and/or case-based questions.

Task Length:

2 hours

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamentals of microbial life	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Describe mechanisms through which infectious agents colonise and cause disease in the human host	LO1, LO2, LO3
3	Explain developments in the field of microbiology that facilitate the control of infectious diseases	LO1, LO2, LO3
4	Describe the mode of action, adverse effects and appropriate use of antimicrobial agents.	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.