Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Emily Don emily.don@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites [(BIOL2220 or BIOL247) and ((BIOL2230 or BIOL257) or (MEDI2300 or MEDI204) or (admission to BHumanSc))] and 20cp at 2000 level including BIOL2220 or BIOL247
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit follows on from BIOL2230 and BIOL2220. We will investigate the interaction of the renal and respiratory systems in the control of body pH. The next topic is the control of blood pressure leading to a discussion of hypertension and exercise. We continue with endocrinology discussing signal transduction and messenger pathways, and the role of hormones in the regulation of blood chemistry. A discussion of neuroendocrine systems and function of thyroid, sex, growth, mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid hormones leads into a discussion of stress and the stress hormones. The immune system will be introduced to develop an understanding of immunity and health problems associated with autoimmune responses. As obesity is currently a major threat to human health we will consider energy balance and the neurological basis for homeostatic and hedonic control of appetite before investigating other factors involved in weight control including genetics, foetal programming, protein leverage and the gut microbiota. Guest lectures will showcase important aspects of physiology in a clinical and research perspective. Practical classes will make use of laboratory experiments to measure physiological parameters such as blood pressure during exercise, and acid and base levels in the urine. In these classes students will act both as investigators and experimental subjects.

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:

ULO1: Explain how the cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory systems contribute to homeostasis
ULO2: Identify the components of the neural and endocrine systems that maintain energy balance in the human body
ULO3: Perform measurements of physiological responses safely in human subjects
ULO4: Identify the components, mechanisms and consequences of an immune response
ULO5: Analyse experimental data and interpret physiological significance
ULO6: Synthesise information from the scientific literature for presentation in written and oral formats, individually and in groups
ULO7: Evaluate and synthesize information on contemporary topics in human physiology

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

Attempt all assessments, and
Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%, and
Achieve at least 40% in the final examination

Hurdle Assessments

Formal Exam (50%) In order to ensure academic integrity and test if the unit learning outcomes have been acheived, students must sit an invilgilated exam and demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the unit content. Therefore, a mimimun mark of 40% on the formal exam is required to pass the unit. If this is not obtained, students will be given a second chance to sit a supplemental exam.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7^th day (including weekends). After the 7^th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted

Essay and Seminar Assessments -YES, Standard Late Penalties apply

Quzzes and Formal Exam -No, unless Special Consideration is Granted

Special Consideration The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Quizzes on Laboratory content and outcomes	10%	No	Weekly
Case study quizzes	10%	No	Weeks 6, 7 and 10
Essay	20%	No	Week 8
Seminar	10%	No	Week 8
Formal exam	50%	Yes	Exam period

Quizzes on Laboratory content and outcomes

Assessment Type ¹: Lab report
Indicative Time on Task ²: 5 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%

The laboratory content will be assessed by submission of a quiz either during, or shortly after the practical session. The quizzes will be administered through iLearn and will be partly multiple choice questions, and partly the submission of data or outcomes of data analysis from experiments