Course Coordinator:Helen Faddy (hfaddy@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Biomedicine
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course explores microorganisms that cause disease in humans. You will study microbial diversity, classification, genetics, and metabolism, and investigate their roles in infection, diagnosis, treatment and public health. You will also develop skills in laboratory work, analysing biological data and scientific communication. This course builds foundational knowledge and skills for understanding the biological basis of infectious diseases and provides a strong foundation for advanced studies in biomedical science and health-related fields.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Online learning materials with interactive modules and formative revision tasks | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly online workshop to engage with theory and its application, working through problems with the guidance of academics. | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 2 – Interactive small class workshops with skill development and collaborative learning | 2hrs | Week 1 | 6 times |
| Laboratory 1 – Science laboratory (wet lab) for collaborative learning and practical skill development. The week 12 session will be dedicated to presentation of assessment. | 3hrs | Week 2 | 6 times |
200 Level (Developing)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Demonstrate foundational knowledge of microbial diversity, classification, and physiology, and explain their relevance to human health and disease. | Knowledgeable |
| 2 | Analyse microbial genetics, metabolism, and symbiotic relationships to understand their roles in pathogenesis, resistance, and host interactions. | Knowledgeable |
| 3 | Apply diagnostic, epidemiological, and laboratory techniques to investigate infectious diseases and interpret clinical and public health data. |
Creative and critical thinker Problem solving |
| 4 | Evaluate host immune responses and antimicrobial strategies, including vaccines, immunotherapies, and drug treatments, in the context of disease prevention and management. | Knowledgeable |
| 5 | Work collaboratively to critically assess and communicate elements of emerging infectious diseases, utilising an integrated One Health approach. |
Engaged Communication |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
BIO100 or LFS103 or enrolled in SC357
Not applicable
LFS261 or LFS262
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
This course will provide you with early feedback on your learning in the form of formative online quizzes and subsequent in class feedback on summative tasks from week 2 onwards.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | Individual | 25% | Task 1a <200 words per task Task 1b ~1000 words |
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Artefact - Technical and Scientific | Group | 35% | One A4 page infographic OR 5 minute podcast |
Week 11 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check and in class |
| All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 40% | 2 hours. |
Exam Period | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Laboratory portfolio | |||||||
| Goal: | To assess your understanding of key practical techniques related to microbiology. This includes application of practical techniques to case studies and a reflection on your progress in this skill development. |
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| Product: | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | ||||||
| Format: | Task 1a (5%): In class worksheet/lab book completion, completed fortnightly Task 1b (20%): Written case-based lab report, including reflection, due Week 7. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Outbreak response communication plan | |||||||
| Goal: | Describe the characteristics and transmission of a newly emerged pathogen and develop a response plan for a simulated outbreak. |
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| Product: | Artefact - Technical and Scientific | ||||||
| Format: | Students select a disease outbreak scenario and their choice of assessment- infographic or podcast. Submit via Canvas in week 11, and presented to class in Week 12. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:End of Semester Examination | ||||||||||
| Goal: | To demonstrate your understanding of key theoretical and practical concepts covered in this course. |
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| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | |||||||||
| Format: | Exam consisting of multiple choice, short answer and mixed format questions. Completed via Canvas utilising secure lockdown browser. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | ||||||||||
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Recommended | n/a | 2021 | BROCK BIOLOGY OF MICROORGANISMS, GLOBAL EDITION. | 16th | n/a |
You must wear a lab coat, enclosed shoes, and safety glasses during laboratory classes. You must bring your own copy of the BIM206 course manual to class. A bound copy of the workbook will be available for purchase from the UniSC MyPrint Shop, or alternatively, you may download a PDF copy from the Canvas course site, print the manual and bind it yourself.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
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For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.
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