Course Outline

MHN705 Healthy Brain Ageing

Course Coordinator:Christina Driver (cdriver@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Psychology

2024Semester 2

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus.

Please go to usc.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

Dementia is a major cause of disability among older people, with 10 million new cases per year, worldwide. Healthy ageing is accompanied by changes that impact cognition and behaviour. Thus, there is a spectrum of declining cognitive function, with normal ageing at one end and diseases such as mild cognitive impairment and then dementia at the severe end. In this course you will address the neurobiological changes in these diseases. Lifestyle factors can protect against dementia risk by up to 50 percent, so you will also learn how lifestyle interventions can prevent onset and progression. 

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Online – The online activities will include a variety of asynchronous, interactive learning materials, and options for lecturer and peer to peer collaborations, and lecturer and peer zoom drop-ins. 3hrs Week 1 13 times

Course Topics

  • Healthy brain ageing including from normal to dementia
  • The neurobiology of the ageing brain
  • Dementia risk factors and the history of treatments to date
  • Lifestyle factors and their impact on healthy brain ageing
  • A multidisciplinary approach to healthy brain ageing
  • Cognitive reserve

What level is this course?

700 Level (Specialised)

Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

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 Explain current processes in brain ageing in relation to physiological and neurobiological evidence, using most relevant academic literature. Knowledgeable
2 Evaluate and justify traditional and recent evidence-based approaches to improve brain health outcomes in a healthy ageing population including from an ethical perspective. Ethical
3 Model a multidisciplinary approach to healthy brain ageing and present to targeted specialist practitioners. Empowered
4 Apply advanced communication skills to targeted audiences, incorporating appropriate skills relevant to presentation genre. Empowered

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

Enrolled in Program AR602, AR706, OR SC546

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

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

You will be provided with multiple opportunities to gain early formative feedback relevant to your first assessment task by engaging with your learning materials. These include interactive self-check activities in the modules, posting responses to discussion forums and responding to your practice activities in the indicated manner. 

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 Artefact - Creative Individual 20%
To fit on A3 size poster
Week 6 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Oral and Written Piece Individual 40%
20 minutes
Week 11 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Written Piece Individual 40%
3000 words
Exam Period Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Infographic style poster
Goal:
The goal is to explain our current understanding of the processes involved in brain ageing to compare ‘healthy’ ageing versus other outcomes on the ageing spectrum.
Product: Artefact - Creative
Format:
You will design an infographic poster to inform the public on our current knowledge of healthy brain ageing and will be presented in an A3 poster size, following the guidelines provided. Your evaluation will include physiological and neurobiological evidence, to provide the basis for current approaches to promote healthy ageing.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Selection of the most relevant literature in relation physiological and neurobiological evidence.
1
2
Explanation of current processes in brain ageing, along the ageing spectrum.
1
3
Application of skills relevant for digital poster format.
4
All - Assessment Task 2:Education session presentation
Goal:
The goal is to model a lifestyle-based intervention (multidisciplinary) recommended for an ageing population to improve brain health outcomes, justified by recent evidence.
Product: Oral and Written Piece
Format:
You will present an education session to a multidisciplinary audience of health practitioners who are involved in the care of the elderly population. You will develop a recorded presentation (slides and spoken audio), according to the guidelines provided, to present to this audience. You will present a model of a lifestyle-based intervention (based on more than one lifestyle approach) you have developed, and justify to your health practitioner audience the importance of a multidisciplinary approach.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Explanation of current processes in brain ageing using most relevant academic literature.
1
2
Model a multidisciplinary approach (lifestyle-based interventions) to healthy brain ageing
3
3
Evaluation of recent evidence-based lifestyle intervention approaches to improve brain health outcomes in an ageing population.
2
4
Justification of recent evidence-based lifestyle intervention approaches to improve brain health outcomes in an ageing population.
2
5
Application of advanced communication skills to target audience and appropriate skills relevant to presentation genre.
4
All - Assessment Task 3:Mock ‘debate’ style article
Goal:
The goal is to justify both traditional biomedical and recent multidisciplinary lifestyle evidence-based approaches to improve brain health outcomes in an ageing population, including from an ethical perspective.
Product: Written Piece
Format:
You will be asked to prepare content for a mock ‘debate’, directed at a scientific or academic audience, according to guidelines provided. You will assume the position of two opposing authors and therefore perspectives, to justify the evidence-base for approaches from both a biomedical and multidisciplinary lifestyle basis. In doing so, you will be required to be sensitive to the ethical practices in these treatment approaches in an older population.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Evaluation of traditional biomedical and recent evidence-based multidisciplinary approaches to improve brain health outcomes in an ageing population.
2
2
Justification of traditional biomedical approaches to improve brain health outcomes in an ageing population.
2
3
Justification of multidisciplinary approaches to improve brain health outcomes in an ageing population
2
4
Justification of approaches from an ethical perspective.
2
5
Application of advanced communication skills to present a balanced argument, relevant to presentation genre of a debate.
4

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

All work submitted for assessment is to be word processed and submitted electronically. It is expected that students will have ready access to a computer with common productivity software and reliable Internet access. Students will be able to participate in video conferencing, and therefore it is recommended to have computer capabilities to join these sessions (e.g. webcam, microphone).

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: 

The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% 

The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale 

You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct 

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submission of assessment tasks will be penalised at the following maximum rate: 

5% (of the assessment task’s identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 

10% (of the assessment task’s identified value) for the third day 

20% (of the assessment task’s identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 

A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. 

Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late.                                              

To request an extension, you must contact your Course Coordinator and supply the required documentation to negotiate an outcome. 

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

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.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

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

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
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  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au