Assessment/Standards

Macquarie University uses the following grades in coursework units of study:

HD	High Distinction	85-100
D	Distinction	75-84
CR	Credit	65-74
P	Pass	50-64
F	Fail	0-49

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Grading Policy, which is available at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded one of these grades plus a Standardised Numerical Grade (SNG). The SNG is not necessarily a summation of the individual assessment components. The final grade and SNG that are awarded reflect the corresponding grade descriptor in the Grading Policy.

To pass this unit, students must complete all assessments and receive a total mark of at least 50%.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks

Applications for assessment task (including exam) extensions must be submitted via www.ask.mq.edu.au. For further details please refer to the Disruption to Studies Policy available at http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html 

Late Submission of Work

All assignments which are officially received after the due date, and where no extension has been granted by the unit convenor, will incur a deduction of 5% for each day including the actual day on which the work is received. Weekends and public holidays are included. For example:

Final Mark	Raw Mark	Deduction	Days Late	Received	Due Date
50%	e.g. 65%	15%	3	Monday, 17th	Friday, 14th

The University examination period information is available at http://students.mq.edu.au/student_admin/exams/

The timetable will be available in draft form approximately eight weeks before commencement of the examination period, and in final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations.

NB: It is Macquarie University policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are required to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, i.e. the final day of the official examination period.

Work commitments, holidays, pre-booked flights etc are not accepted by the University as legitimate reasons to miss a scheduled exam. Please don’t assume anything about the exam schedule  e.g. the HLTH200 exam was on a Saturday in a previous session.

About this Unit

HLTH200 Contemporary Health Issues provides an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Health Studies. It provides an in-depth introduction to many of the key public health issues facing contemporary society including health and inequality; infectious and non-communicable diseases; indigenous health; environmental health; and impacts of globalisation on health.

The unit consists of three (3 x 1 hour) lectures per week. Assessment is based on three on-line quizzes, one written assignment and a final exam.

Technology

HLTH200 has an online learning space accessed via iLearn.mq.edu.au. You are required to have available appropriate technology e.g. a laptop or a desktop computer and a reliable internet connect to access course content, online assessment tasks and recorded lectures.

Textbooks and Readings

There is no set textbook for the unit. Required readings for lectures are identified on the HLTH200 iLearn page under the relevant weeks. These readings are readily available via the library online catalogue; public access websites (e.g. PLoS Medicine, WHO). The complete list of readings can be found in the Student Guide to HLTH200 available on the HLTH200 iLearn page. You will get more out of the lectures if you familiarise yourself with the readings in advance. The readings expand upon the key points covered during lectures and will be part of the material covered in the quizzes, the assignment and the exam.

Attendance

All lectures are scheduled in your individual timetable. In most cases lectures are recorded, however, attendance is expected at lectures as this is where the majority of learning occurs. Failure to attend may impact your final results. The structure and content of the lecture program, including related readings, are available in iLearn.

The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

Anticipated Workload

This is a 3cp unit. It is generally expected that students will commit about 3 hours per week per credit point in their studies, or a total of approximately 117 hours. Thus, in addition to attending the weekly class for three hours, students are expected to complete appropriate reading, research and other activities equivalent to at least 6 hours per week. You should note that there are peak times of study during the semester when several more hours per week will be required in order to complete the required assignments.  Students are advised to consider the due date for all their assessment tasks as these peak times may coincide with similar demands from other units of study.

Activity	Approx. hours per week	Total hours over session
Lectures	3	39
Reading	2	26
Research	1	13
Assessment	3	39
Total	9	117

Please refer to the HLTH200 ilearn space for the lecture schedule.

HLTH200 as offered in S2 2014 has changed from previous years in terms of the assessment. Previous years had a report, an essay and a final exam as the three forms of assessment. To provide students with more feedback, and more immediate feedback, on how well they are grasping the key concepts of the Unit, as well as to provide a greater variety of types of assessment, in S2 2014 the essay assignment is replaced by three (3) online quizzes. Thus the assessment consists of three quizzes, one written report, and a final exam.