Course Outline

MHN712 Translational and Applied Neuroscience for Mental Health

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

2027Trimester 1

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

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

In this course you will focus on translational and applied research to better understand mental health problems and disorders, and how the latest neuroscientific research findings are put into practice. You will explore fundamental neuroscience principles and techniques, and how these are utilised to better inform the way mental health is understood and how novel treatments can impact brain structure and function to help improve mental health conditions.

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 12 times

Course Topics

  • Introduction to the brain, neurobiology, and neuroanatomy
  • Introduction to neuroimaging
  • Translational research and applying neuroscientific evidence
  • Principles of treatments for mental disorders and their impacts on brain structure and function

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 Build an advanced knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurobiology and neuroimaging in relation to mental health disorders and their development. Knowledgeable
2 Reflect on and appropriately discuss treatment approaches to mental health disorders from an ethical perspective. Ethical
3 Review and identify relevant neuroscientific evidence from the appropriate peer-reviewed literature to evaluate new developments in mental health themes and concepts. Creative and critical thinker
4 Identify, interpret and effectively communicate appropriate neuroscientific evidence to justify principles of various treatment approaches. Empowered
5 Identify interdisciplinary approaches in mental health research, evaluate the impacts of therapies and interventions on brain structure and function. Engaged

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

Must be enrolled in program AR503, AR602 or AR706

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

By engaging with your learning modules, you will have opportunities to gain early formative feedback relevant to your first assessment task, through interactive self-check questions and activities. At Week 3, a progress check in will be conducted and opportunities for additional support will be made available.

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 20%
Multiple elements; 2-3 hours per module
Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Written Piece Individual 35%
1000 words (+/-10%) excluding evidence table/s and reference list.
Week 6 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Written Piece Individual 45%
1,500 words (+/-10%), excluding evidence table/s and reference list.
Week 12 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Foundational skills development
Goal:
The goal of the learning portfolio is to allow you to develop foundational knowledge and skills in translational and applied neuroscience for mental health, by engaging with a suite of learning modules. The modules include formative tasks designed to prepare you for Assessment Tasks 2 & 3.
Product: Portfolio
Authorship Statement: No
Format:
You will complete 12 online learning modules which will include self-checks, short answers and/or reflections, and interactive elements that will then provide generic formative feedback. These activities will help build your skill development required for Assessment Tasks 2 & 3. This task enables opportunities for self-assessment, a critical skill in lifelong learning, as well as allows evidence of learning for your subsequent assessment tasks. Full details including recommended and final due dates will be outlined in your learning management system, including a first recommended due date in Week 3, and the recommendation to complete all modules by Week 12.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstration of building an advanced knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurobiology and neuroimaging in relation to mental health disorders and their development.
1
2
Interpretation of appropriate neuroscientific evidence.
4
3
Reflection on treatment approaches to mental health from an ethical perspective
2
4
Identify peer reviewed neuroscientific evidence to evaluate mental health themes and concepts
3
5
Identification of interdisciplinary approaches in mental health research
5
6
Evaluation of the impacts of therapies and interventions on brain structure and function
5
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Neuroscience Evidence Critique
Goal:
This assessment builds your neuroscience literacy by asking you to clearly explain a foundational neuroscience, critically evaluate peer-reviewed evidence, recognise its limitations, and consider its relevance to mental health.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement: No
Format:
You will choose a neuroscience topic covered in the first 5 modules and complete a written task that explains the topic, evaluates relevant peer-reviewed evidence, and considers its relevance to mental health. Full details and guidance provided in your Learning Management System.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstration of building an advanced knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurobiology, and neuroimaging, in relation to mental health disorders and their development.
1
2
Review of appropriate peer-reviewed literature
3
3
Identification of relevant neuroscientific evidence from the appropriate peer-reviewed literature.
3
4
Interpretation of appropriate neuroscientific evidence
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Intervention briefing document
Goal:
This assessment develops your translational neuroscience literacy by asking you to evaluate how neuroscience evidence can inform the ethical, responsible, and collaborative use of a mental health intervention in real-world care.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement: Yes: A2 - Embedded / V2 - Scaffolded
Format:
You will complete a 1,500-word intervention brief based on a selected intervention pack. You will be provided with an intervention pack as a starting point, then use additional peer-reviewed research to develop an Intervention Briefing Document addressing translation into practice, ethics, communication and interdisciplinary care. The task builds on skills assessed in the portfolio and demonstrates how those activities informed key aspects of your briefing document. Full details and guidance provided in your Learning Management System.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Review of relevant neuroscientific evidence from the appropriate peer-reviewed literature to evaluate new developments in mental health themes and concepts.
3
2
Identification and interpretation of appropriate neuroscientific evidence to justify principles of treatment approach.
4
3
Identification and interpretation of the interdisciplinary approach in mental health research.
5
4
Evaluation of the impacts of therapies and interventions on brain structure and function.
5
5
Reflection on, and effective communication of, appropriate treatment approaches to mental health disorders, including from an ethical perspective.
2 4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, 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

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:
(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: