Pathophysiology is fundamental knowledge for professionals working in the health sciences. It delves into the underlying mechanisms of various disorders and bridges the gap between normal anatomy and physiology and how these change to create dysfunction in the body. Understanding pathophysiology is crucial for making clinical decisions as it can be used to diagnose disorders or conditions, provide effective management of disorders or conditions, inform treatment options, predict how a disorder or condition may evolve over time, or even allow for early intervention where possible. For this assessment task you are required to create an informative and visually engaging poster that outlines the pathophysiology of a specific disorder or condition and how it is diagnosed. The poster should demonstrate your ability to apply your knowledge of normal physiological processes to the development of the pathophysiological disorder or condition, how this disorder or condition can have widespread effects in the body, and the types of diagnostic tests that can be used to identify the disorder or condition. The poster should be completed in Microsoft PowerPoint or similar. 

Please review the Task Summary document for specific details about the assessment task on the Moodle site. Briefly, this assessment has two parts. Part A is the selection of one (1) topic from those listed on the BMSC12016 Moodle site, and your topic selection is final. The topics will be related to vascular, heart and respiratory diseases or conditions (Weeks 3, 4 and 5 content). In the same location will be the link to select a presentation time for week 6. Once the topic is chosen, start researching your topic using appropriate resources, focusing on normal anatomy and physiology, aetiology, pathophysiology, effects in the body, and diagnostic procedures. Create the poster and submit by 9am on Tuesday of Week 6 (22nd April 2025). Part B is the live presentation of the poster followed by a question and answer session of the presented material. This will be done via Zoom and students will be allocated ten (10) minutes to present the poster and then five (5) minutes to answer a series of questions about the poster presentation. 

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) 

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents such as Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT, etc., is permitted for the following purposes:

• To generate ideas and guide the structuring of the poster
• To developing literature search strategies
• To compile suitable literature sources and locating data 

If Gen AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). If students choose to use Gen AI, the following statement must be completed and included on the front page of the uploaded assessment: "I have used (insert technology) to (insert how you used this) in accordance with the requirements of this unit. The reason I used this was to (explain why you used it). The details of how I used it as (insert how). I hereby declare that the submission is an appropriate representation of my individual skills and abilities to meet the requirements of the task/s." 

As per academic writing requirements and assessment criteria; citations of information should be of the primary source (i.e. statistics returned by Gen AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the Gen AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as Gen AI sources could be considered a breach of academic integrity. Your use of Gen AI must be clearly outlined in an appendix as a separate file which includes the prompts used and Gen AI response (in line with marking rubric). Failure to include an appendix may result in academic integrity investigation.

Marks for this assessment will be awarded as per the rubric/marking guide provided in the Assessment tile on the Moodle site. Your poster assessment will be marked on the following types of criteria, but is not limited to this criteria:

• Clear and detailed understanding of the anatomy and physiology, how this links to the pathophysiology of the disorder or condition
• Clear and detailed understanding of the effect of the disorder or condition on the body, and how it is diagnosed
• Sections of the poster are clearly outlined and there is structured flow
• Appropriate use of images
• Quality of poster presentation - e.g. eye-catching, self-explanatory, etc.
• Quality, quantity and formatting of references
• Grammar, sentence construction, and spelling

Pathophysiology case studies provide a real-world context for understanding the mechanisms that underlie various disorders or conditions. Case studies allow for the interplay between normal physiological processes and the deviations that lead to the pathological disorder or condition being explored. They also highlight the various roles played by healthcare professionals in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients. As part of the case study, students will need to apply critical thinking skills to analyse case study information to be able to identify the aetiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, likely diagnosis, and treatment options.

The case study will be presented in an online format with various question styles used to assess understanding of the disorder or condition. The case studies will be related to diseases or conditions covered in weeks 3 to 10 of this unit. As you progress through the online case study, you will be provided with information about the patient's clinical presentation, their history, the results of a physical examination and any other relevant tests, disease diagnosis and treatment plan. With each set of information there will be an associated question(s) to assess your ability to apply what you have learnt to the patient in your case study. To understand how the case study and associated questions will be presented in the assessment task, a practice online clinical case study will be provided. 

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI)
The submitted assessment item must be your own work, and not written, prepared, or composed using Gen AI agents. Note: Cutting and pasting of Gen AI material into assessments may be considered contract cheating and/or plagiarism. If you have questions about the appropriate use of Gen AI material, please speak with the unit coordinator. 

Your case study responses will be marked on the following type of criteria, but is not limited to this criteria:

• Level of knowledge and understanding of the major causes, risk factors, and clinical manifestations of the specific disorder or condition
• Application of learned content to explain the mechanisms of physiological dysfunction and consequences of dysfunction
• Level of knowledge and understanding of the diagnostic and treatment options of the specific disorder or condition
• Correctness, relevance and completeness of the response to the question asked
• Correct spelling and use of appropriate terminology