Unit Outline

In Haematology 1, you will study blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases, including the aetiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of blood diseases such as leukaemia, anaemia, haemophilia and deep vein thrombosis. In the first half of the unit you will study normal haemopoiesis, routine haematological screening procedures, recognition of cells of the peripheral blood and recognition of normal and abnormal features in peripheral blood smears are examined. In the second half of the unit, you will study normal haemostasis, the causes and classification of bleeding disorders, anticoagulant therapy, thrombotic disorders, laboratory investigation of haemostasis and quality control. An integrated series of lectures, tutorials and practicals present theoretical concepts with an emphasis on the development of laboratory skills and problem solving through haematological case studies. This unit is co-taught with a related unit to students in the Bachelor of Laboratory Medicine, and although you will be provided with similar knowledge and laboratory skills as these students, you will also undertake additional learning activities and assessment. This is necessary for you to develop and demonstrate the higher level investigatory and communication skills to satisfy the Australian Qualification Framework level 9 requirements of a Master’s degree.

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.	Communicate, demonstrate and apply practical methodology and theoretical knowledge, about the structure and physiology of haematological cells and their function in health and disease.
2.	Communicate, demonstrate and apply practical methodology and theoretical knowledge about the haemostatic system and its function to health and disease.
3.	Critically analyse and interpret laboratory data and clinical information to diagnose haematological disorders.
4.	Apply haematological determinants to diagnose haematological disorders through the correlation of laboratory data with clinical presentation and provide a theoretical basis to justify further laboratory testing.
5.	Communicate using discipline specific terminology related to haematology.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

None.

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:	Weekly MCQs	Week 2	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Mid Semester Laboratory Test	Week 7	20 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Critical Analysis of Laboratory Data	Week 10	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 4:	End of Semester Laboratory Test	Week 12	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 5:	Final Exam	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Weekly MCQs

Task Description:

This assessment task consists of weekly in class multiple choice or short answer quizzes that are equally weighted.

Task Length:

20 minutes

Due Date:

Week 2

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Interpret information about the structure and function of haematological cells and relate to health and disease	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
2	Interpret information about the haemostatic system and its function in health and disease	LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Mid Semester Laboratory Test

Task Description:

This is a laboratory-based test, and you will be performing microscopic blood film evaluations. Your ability to interpret and correlate laboratory findings to haematological knowledge will be assessed by a series of related short answer questions.

Task Length:

3 hours

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Present laboratory findings as blood film reports and propose further laboratory testing underpinned by theoretical knowledge	LO1, LO3, LO4
2	Relate the structure and function of haematological cells to health and disease	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment Task 3: Critical Analysis of Laboratory Data

Task Description:

Critically analyse sets of laboratory data to identify the erroneous results and explain the biological or technical reasons behind the errors and propose technical solutions.

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 10

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse laboratory data to identify errors	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Propose biological or technical reasons for errors	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5
3	Develop solutions to correct errors	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5

Assessment Task 4: End of Semester Laboratory Test

Task Description:

This is a laboratory-based test, and you will be performing coagulation screening tests and microscopic blood film evaluations. Your ability to interpret and correlate laboratory findings to haematological knowledge will be assessed by a series of related short answer questions.

Task Length:

3 hours

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Relate normal function and disease processes to practical observations	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
2	Use laboratory data to diagnose haematological and haemostatic disorders	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
3	Correlate clinical presentation and laboratory data to recommend further testing	LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment Task 5: Final Exam

Task Description:

This is a closed book paper-based exam, where you will be required to demonstrate your individual ability to communicate and apply theoretical and practical knowledge. You may take one A4 double sided or two A4 single sided pages of typed notes into the exam

Task Length:

3 hours

Due Date:

Exam Period

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, pass the theory and practical components and 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.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

The following text are the required readings for Haematology 1 and Haematology 2:
1.   McKenzie, Landis-Piwowar K, SB & Williams JL, Clinical Laboratory Hematology, 4th edn, Pearson, 2020
o   This text is only available to students as an eBook and can be purchased from Pearson. The link to the Pearson website is here.
o   Hard copies of previous versions are available in the library.
2.   Rodak BF & Carr JH, Clinical Hematology Atlas, eBook, Elsevier, Health Science Division, 2022
o   This text can be purchased from Booktopia. The link to the Booktopia website is here.