Students

MEDI204 – Neuroscience 1

2018 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Cara Hildreth
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to BClinSc and 12cp at 100 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit allow students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the organisation of the nervous system, how the nervous system develops and communicates information and the neural control of movement, somatic sensation and homeostatic function. A large emphasis will be placed on the clinical consequences that arise from pathological changes to these systems, with practical sessions aimed at integrating information learnt in lectures with associated pathology.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Describe the organisation of the nervous system and how this relates to the production of movement, perception of somatic sensations and regulation of essential bodily functions.
  • Discuss the pathological changes that may affect neural control of movement, somatic sensation and homeostatic function and apply this knowledge in a clinical context.
  • Identify the brain structures critical for movement, sensation and homeostatic function.
  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in Schedule 1 of the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, which is available at: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment.

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

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

Students will be awarded a final grade 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 demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, attempt all assessment tasks, meet any ungraded requirements including professionalism and achieve an SNG of 50 or better.

 

Student Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses. As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including tutorials, as well as clinical- and laboratory-based practical sessions.

Furthermore, lectures and seminars are key learning activities that you are expected to attend throughout completion of the B Clinical Science course. While audio recordings and lecture slides may be made available following these large group sessions, it is important to recognise that such resources are a study aid and should not be considered an alternative to lecture or seminar attendance.

Students who do not maintain adequate attendance (greater than or equal to 80% of scheduled classes) may be deemed unable to meet expectations regarding professionalism and may be referred for disciplinary action (which may include exclusion from assessments and unit failure).

Similarly, as part of developing professionalism, students are expected to submit all work by the due date. Applications for assessment task extensions must be supported by appropriate evidence and submitted via www.ask.mq.edu.au. For further details please refer to the Special Consideration Policy available at https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

 

Late Submission

All assignments which are officially received after the due date, and where no extension has been granted, will incur a deduction of 10% for the first day, and 10% for each subsequent day including the actual day on which the work is received. Weekends and public holidays are included. For example:

Due date

Received

Days late

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

Fri 14th

Mon 17th

3

30%

75%

45%

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 25% No ongoing
Practical Test 25% No ongoing
Final Exam 50% No University Exam Period

Quiz

Due: ongoing
Weighting: 25%

7 in-class quizzes that cover lecture material and/or learning material provided. Best 5 marks count towards final mark.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the organisation of the nervous system and how this relates to the production of movement, perception of somatic sensations and regulation of essential bodily functions.
  • Discuss the pathological changes that may affect neural control of movement, somatic sensation and homeostatic function and apply this knowledge in a clinical context.
  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

Practical Test

Due: ongoing
Weighting: 25%

Two in class tests covering material presented in neuroanatomy practicals.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the organisation of the nervous system and how this relates to the production of movement, perception of somatic sensations and regulation of essential bodily functions.
  • Identify the brain structures critical for movement, sensation and homeostatic function.
  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

Final Exam

Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 50%

The final exam will consist of a combination of multiple-choice and/or short-answer style questions and may cover lecture, tutorial and/or practical material.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the organisation of the nervous system and how this relates to the production of movement, perception of somatic sensations and regulation of essential bodily functions.
  • Discuss the pathological changes that may affect neural control of movement, somatic sensation and homeostatic function and apply this knowledge in a clinical context.
  • Identify the brain structures critical for movement, sensation and homeostatic function.
  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

Delivery and Resources

Technology Used

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will generally require students to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device. Students who do not own their own laptop computer may borrow one from the university library.

Required Unit Materials

All students are required to wear closed shoes and a lab coat/gown to attend practical classes and assessments in a laboratory venue.

Recommended Readings

Unit readings for this unit are available via the university library website.

The recommended texts for this unit include:

  1. Bear, M.F., Connors, B.W., Paradiso, M.A., Neuroscience. Exploring the Brain (4th Ed). Wolters Kluwer.
  2. Crossman, A., & Neary, D., Neuroanatomy: an Illustrated Colour Text (5th Ed). Churchill Livingstone.
  3. Kandel, E., Schwartz, J., Jessell, T., Siegelbaum, S., Hudspeth, J., Principles of Neural Science (5th Ed). McGraw-Hill Education - Europe

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Describe the organisation of the nervous system and how this relates to the production of movement, perception of somatic sensations and regulation of essential bodily functions.
  • Discuss the pathological changes that may affect neural control of movement, somatic sensation and homeostatic function and apply this knowledge in a clinical context.
  • Identify the brain structures critical for movement, sensation and homeostatic function.
  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Practical Test
  • Final Exam

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Describe the organisation of the nervous system and how this relates to the production of movement, perception of somatic sensations and regulation of essential bodily functions.
  • Discuss the pathological changes that may affect neural control of movement, somatic sensation and homeostatic function and apply this knowledge in a clinical context.
  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Practical Test
  • Final Exam

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Explain the specific function of each brain region and the pathological changes that may affect their function.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Practical Test
  • Final Exam