CQUniversity Unit Profile.

For this assessment task, you will be required to select an infectious disease and identify the causative organism(s), their isolation and laboratory identification and their treatment, management and prevention.

• Title
• Introduction (background and direction of the selected case study)
• What is the disease?
• What is/are the causative organism(s)?
• How are they isolated and identified in the laboratory?
• How are they treated and/or managed?
• How can these diseases be prevented?
• Conclusion summarising the key points of the discussion
• Reference list of resources must be included as well as in-text citations
• Professional presentation, adherence to formatting, academic style requirements and word count

Generative AI
In developing your assignment, you should consult peer-reviewed journal articles and referenced textbooks. Extensive use of non-peer-reviewed sources of information is strongly discouraged. Students are permitted to use Generative AI for the assessment in the following ways:

• Developing literature search strategies
• Guidance on developing arguments
• Assistance in formatting and grammar

If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). 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 AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered breach of academic integrity. Your use of Generative AI must be clearly outlined in an appendix including the prompt used and Generative AI response. Failure to include an appendix may result in academic integrity investigation.

Please refer to the Assessment tab on the unit Moodle page for a full marking rubric.

For this task, you will be required to build on Assessment Task 1. Specifically, you will be required to select a case study or series of case studies that demonstrate how the disease(s) is/are treated and managed and how this may be compromised by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and/or the emergence of novel pathogens. This assessment task will involve application of knowledge related to "One Health" and how changes in environment impacts on infectious disease emergence and spread.

• Title
• Introduction (background and direction of the selected case study)
• What is the current situation?
• What are the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of the current approach/s?
• How will the weaknesses and challenges potentially impact on healthcare in the future?
• What are possible solutions to meet these challenges?
• What impact would these solutions have on patients, health care and the local/global community?
• Conclusion summarising the key points of the discussion relevant to the case study
• Reference list of resources must be included as well as in-text citations
• Professional presentation, adherence to formatting, academic style requirements and word count

Generative AI
In developing your assignment, you should consult peer-reviewed journal articles and referenced textbooks. Extensive use of non-peer-reviewed sources of information is strongly discouraged. Students are permitted to use Generative AI for the assessment in the following ways:

• Developing literature search strategies
• Guidance on developing arguments
• Assistance in formatting and grammar

If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). 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 AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered breach of academic integrity. Your use of Generative AI must be clearly outlined in an appendix including the prompt used and Generative AI response. Failure to include an appendix may result in academic integrity investigation.

Please refer to the Assessment tab on the unit Moodle page for a full marking rubric.

For this task, you will be required to attend a Block Practical where practical laboratory skills will be developed to allow you to better understand how pathogenic organisms may be isolated and identified and how antimicrobial sensitivity testing is performed and it's use in directing antimicrobial therapy. You will be required to document the results of the tests performed and to draw conclusions on the identification and treatment options for the pathogens isolated.

You will be assessed through a critical analysis and reflection of competencies completed progressively throughout the residential school. 

For this task, you will be required to complete an online open book test that will be conducted in Week 12.

The test will consist of three (3) parts:

Part A: 30 multiple choice questions (1 mark per question, total of 30 marks)

Part B: 20 short answer style questions (1.5 marks per question, total of 30 marks)

Part C: Choose two (2) out of a total of four (4) clinical case study style questions where you are presented with a brief patient history. You are required to suggest a provisional and differential diagnosis and answer questions about the case or condition (20 marks per question, total of 40 marks)

The online test will remain open for 12 hours on Friday of Week 12, and once commenced, you will have a total of three (3) hours to complete the test.

Questions will align with all of the Unit Learning Outcomes:

1 - Discuss the clinical significance, laboratory detection, treatment and management of commensal flora, pathogens and opportunistic pathogens of each of the human body systems.

2 - Appraise the use of standard and emerging techniques for detecting and identifying bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites causing human disease.

3 - Evaluate the use of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents and vaccines in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

4 - Discuss the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

5 - Compare and contrast emerging infectious diseases, including definitions, factors leading to disease emergence, monitoring and intervention strategies.

The online quiz will cover questions relating to the causative organisms of infectious diseases, their pathophysiology, isolation and identification, treatment, management and prevention. You will also explore the emergence of new pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. This will require you to demonstrate your knowledge of risk factors, clinical manifestations and pathophysiology of various diseases as well as the isolation and identification of specific pathogens. The test will be designed to incorporate questions from the wide variety of content covered throughout the entire term, enabling you to demonstrate your depth of understanding of the content. The use of case studies will also provide contextualisation and authenticity to the test.