Overview
In this unit you will study the structure and function of the immune system and be introduced to foundational concepts that underpin how the immune system works. You will explore the mechanisms that control the human body’s ability to detect, contain and remove or destroy harmful pathogens whilst retaining tolerance to its own cells. You will also demonstrate your competency in understanding and analysing laboratory tests in the assessment of the immune response. Depending on your discipline, you will be required to attend a residential school. Students enrolled in CM17 Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine), CL10 Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (Honours), and CG93 Bachelor of Medical Science (Specialisation) are required to attend the compulsory residential school to complete the portfolio assessment. Students enrolled in CM60 Bachelor of Nutrition and CM61 Bachelor of Nutrition / Master of Nutrition and Dietetics will not attend on‑campus or residential laboratory classes and will complete an equivalent portfolio assessment via Moodle.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: BMSC11001 Human Body Systems 1 OR BMSC11007 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 1 OR BMSC11010 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE and unit coordinator reflection.
Many students felt anxious about the invigilated exam as it was their first exposure to this format, even though mock exams were provided and reviewed in tutorials.
Enhance exam preparation scaffolding, including expanded practice questions, annotated exemplars, and clearer guidance on expected depth of responses, to better support students with limited prior exposure to invigilated assessment formats.
Feedback from Moodle, unit coordinator reflection and student feedback.
The unit introduces a substantial amount of new terminology, which many students experience as learning a new language in the early stages of the course.
Retain and further develop terminology flashcards as a core learning support, given the substantial volume of new discipline-specific language introduced in the unit.