Course Outline

BIM300 Advanced Professional Skills in Biomedical Science

Course Coordinator:Nicole Reinke (nreinke@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Biomedicine

2026Trimester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

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 unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This course develops professional and research skills required for a successful career in biomedical science. You will analyse and evaluate scientific research articles, boosting your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. You will enhance your communication and interpersonal skills by engaging in different methods of scientific communication, discussing integrity and ethical considerations in scientific research and professional settings, and providing self and peer assessment. To improve your employability, you will learn to address selection criteria, an essential skill for successful job applications.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Asynchronous, self-directed online learning modules. 2hrs Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On-campus, synchronous interactive workshops 3hrs Week 1 12 times

Course Topics

  • Transferable Skills and Employability
  • Searching for, Reading and Critiquing Scientific Literature
  • The Role of Communication in Science
  • How to Formulate a Research Question
  • Experimental Design Strategies
  • Importance of Statistics in Scientific Research
  • Data Analysis
  • Ethics and Integrity in Scientific Research

What level is this course?

300 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

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 Analyse and evaluate scientific data and scientific literature Creative and critical thinker
2 Communicate science to diverse audiences using written and oral methods. Empowered
3 Generate constructive feedback for self and peer assessment Creative and critical thinker
4 Display organisational and planning skills for effective autonomous and collaborative learning in group work tasks Empowered
5 Develop skills to enhance career planning and employability Empowered
6 Reflect on ethical issues in scientific research. Ethical

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Students must have completed a minimum of 144 units of study and be enrolled in SC355, SC357, SC385, UB001, SC302 or SC301.

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Early feedback will be provided in class from peers and educators in the week 1, 2, 3 and 4 workshops regarding chosen topics and approaches to skill development. Formative assessment activities for assessments 1, 2  and 3 will be completed in class. Feedback for assessment task 3 will be provided to the milestone submissions. 

Assessment tasks

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 Portfolio Individual 30%
Maximum of 1000 words
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check and in class
All 2 Activity Participation Individual 30%
Presentation of approximately 10 min + 5 min Q+A. Written self-evaluation of up to 300 words.
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check and in class
All 3 Literature Review (or component) Individual and Group 40%
Maximum of 2500 words.
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check and in class
All - Assessment Task 1:Employability Tasks
Goal:
The goal of this portfolio is to provide you the opportunity to reflect on your current skill set by addressing selection criteria for a job that interests you. This is an essential component of successful job applications. You will also reflect on your understanding of research and professional integrity and ethics, to answer scenario-based and short answer questions.
Product: Portfolio
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Individual submission of selection criteria with plagiarism check (week 5). Research and professional integrity and ethics scenarios and short answer questions will be responded to in class (week 12). Further details and updates will be provided on the course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Developed skills to enhance career planning and employability
5
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation
All - Assessment Task 2:Presentation of an Original Research Journal Article
Goal:
This individual presentation aims to assess your ability to critically analyse a scientific journal article and communicate your analyses to a general audience. You will develop skills in communication and critical analysis.
Product: Activity Participation
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will present to the student audience during class (weeks 5-7). This presentation will be video recorded to allow you to examine your own presentation and submit a self-evaluation of your skills. Further details and updates will be provided on the course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Analysis of scientific data and scientific literature
1
2
Communication of science to a general audience
2
3
Reflection of appropriate ethical issues of the data presented
6
4
Generation of constructive feedback for self and peer assessment
3
5
Displayed organisational and planning skills for effective autonomous and collaborative learning in group work tasks
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Literature Review
Goal:
This written article aims to assess your ability to analyse, present and communicate scientific data in an essential format for scientific research. You will develop skills in planning, data analysis, communication and critical literature analysis.
Product: Literature Review (or component)
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Group submission of a scientific review article (week 10). Individual demonstration of critical analysis skills (in class – week 12).
Comprehensive instructions, milestones, due dates, marking details and updates will be co-developed and available in the course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Analysis of scientific data and scientific literature
1
2
Communication of science to a scientific audience
2
3
Reflection of appropriate ethical issues related to the data analysed and presented
6
Generic Skills:
Communication, Collaboration, Organisation, Information literacy

Directed study hours

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.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

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.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

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.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

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

Assessment: Submission penalties

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

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: