There are two (2) online quizzes to be completed during the term which together contribute to 30% of your overall grade. These are online quiz 1 and online quiz 2. 

The quizzes can be accessed via the MEDS11001 unit Moodle site, under the 'Assessment' tile.

Each quiz will consist of 15 multiple choice or similar style questions and each quiz is worth 15% of the final grade for this unit. You will have 23 minutes to complete each quiz (equating to approximately 1.5 minutes per question).

Online quiz 1 is to be completed in week 4 (worth 15%) and will assess content related to weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4. Online quiz 1 will open at 9 am (AEST) Thursday 3rd April and will close at 11.59 pm (AEST) Friday 4th April.

Online quiz 2 is to be completed in week 7 (worth 15%) and will assess content related to week 5, 6 and 7. Online quiz 2 will open 9 am (AEST) Thursday 1st May and will close at 11.59 am (AEST) Friday 2nd May.

Each quiz will be open for 39 hours and you will need to allocate 23 minutes during the 39 hour period it is open to complete each online quiz.

Once started, the quiz cannot be paused, stopped or re-started. Once the time limit is reached any open questions will be automatically submitted. Once you have completed the quiz, it cannot be retaken.

You will require stable internet access to complete these online quizzes.

As these quizzes involve multiple choice questions and similar style questions you will be required to select the most appropriate answer from a selection of possible answers in relation to the question asked.

These online quizzes must be completed by you, without assistance or collusion with others. Any evidence of collusion will be dealt with in adherence with the CQU student academic integrity policy and procedure.

Please be advised the use of Large Language Models (LLMs), a type of artificial intelligence (AI) such as Chat GPT are not permitted in this assessment. This assessment task is intended for students to demonstrate understanding of the unit’s learning outcomes. 

Quizzes will be graded on the correct answers provided related to the questions asked.

There are fifteen questions within each online quiz and each question is worth one mark.

Medical ultrasound is an important diagnostic tool used in healthcare, requiring both technical proficiency and interpersonal skills from those who perform it. 
You are required to complete a written assessment with reflective components to discuss the role of the sonographer within the Australian healthcare system, compare ultrasound to other diagnostic imaging modalities, and reflect on your own personal attributes and motivations for this career. To inform your response to the following questions, you are required to draw on information from credible sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles, sonography textbooks, and guidelines from professional associations. 

1.    The Role and Responsibilities of a Medical Sonographer

• Discuss the role of the sonographer in the context of the Australian healthcare system. In your response, describe the key responsibilities of a sonographer, focusing on patient centred care, communication, image acquisition and collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Analyse how professional frameworks, such as the Australian Sonographers Association (ASA) Code of Conduct, guide sonographers in their interactions with patients and colleagues.
•  Conclude by reflecting on the importance of understanding the responsibilities of the sonography profession and whether your initial perceptions of the profession have changed following your research into the role and the ASA Code of Conduct.

2.    Comparing Ultrasound to Other Imaging Modalities

• Compare and contrast Ultrasound (US) to Computed Tomography (CT) in terms of safety, the use of ionising radiation, diagnostic strengths, and limitations. Include in your response examples of when ultrasound would be the modality of choice.
• Examine the role of diagnostic medical ultrasound in patient-centered care and communication in comparison to other imaging modalities (i.e., CT, MRI, X-ray, nuclear medicine), explaining how sonographers' direct patient contact differs from these modalities and its importance in diagnosis and patient management.

3.    Personal Attributes and Reflection for Sonography

• Consider on your own personal motivations for choosing a career in sonography and the attributes and skills that you believe are essential to success in this role. Answer the following:
  • Identify three (3) skills or attributes essential to the role of the sonographer.
  • Draw on personal experiences to reflect on which of these attributes you align with including areas for personal growth that may be required to prepare yourself for the challenges of becoming a sonographer.
  • Discuss whether any of these experiences influenced your decision to pursue sonography. If not, discuss your primary motivation for choosing this profession?

Length:

•    1000 words (+/- 10%). Reference list, title page and headings are excluded.

Presentation requirements:

•    Submit your assessment as a Word document, with 1.5 line spacing and using a 12-point Arial font (not including headings). 
•    Include a separate title page with your name, student number, word count and assessment title. 
•    Include one (1) numbered reference list in CQU Vancouver format on a separate page at the end of the assessment for the whole assessment. 

Referencing requirements: 

•    This assessment requires you to conduct your own research to support your response.
•    You must consistently use in-text citations to support your analysis and discussion.
•    You must clearly indicate the sources of your information through accurate referencing.
•    A minimum of four (4) contemporary peer-reviewed journal articles (published within the last 10 years) must be included in your reference list.
•    All in text citations and all references in the reference list are to be accurately formatted using the CQU Vancouver referencing style. 

Submission requirements:

•    Online submission via the assessment tab on Moodle before the due date and time. 
•    All submissions must be uploaded through Turnitin. 
•    When submitting, file names must follow the format: Surname_First name_student number_MEDS11001_WrittenAssessment.doc

An inherent requirement is that this assessment task is written in appropriate academic language, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. 

The use of Generative AI for this assessment:

Students are permitted to use Generative AI for this assessment in the following ways:

• a supplementary resource for the development of ideas
• guidance for structuring the assessment

If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). If students choose to use generative AI, the following statement must be completed and included on a separate page at the end of the 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 must be from the primary source (i.e. information returned by AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). There is information on CQU's Academic Learning Centre (ALC) site that can assist you with referencing AI.  A link to this can be found through ALC website and on your unit Moodle page. Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered a breach of academic integrity. 

You will be assessed on the following criteria:

• Quality of submission addressing the topics in the questions clearly and concisely, with relevant and appropriate discussion and analysis of each topic
• Accuracy of spelling and grammar
• Correct use of medical and sonographic terminology
• Appropriateness of the reviewed literature
• Correct and accurate referencing
• Academic writing and expression
• All text, images, diagrams and tables correctly referenced and the word limit is adhered to.

A detailed marking rubric/criteria for this assessment will be made available on the unit Moodle site.

During your attendance at the compulsory Residential School, you will participate in practical activities, where you will observe, learn and perform practical scanning techniques and skills relating to the sonography profession. 

Attendance for the entirety of the residential school is compulsory and you must attend the residential school at your campus of enrolment. You will be automatically allocated to this campus, and appropriate staffing/resource arrangements will be made for that location.

Following participation in the residential school practical activities, a practical assessment will be conducted and completed on the second day of the residential school (Thursday).

For this, you will be assessed on your ability to perform sonographic imaging in specific anatomical planes of the body and identify the associated image orientation and recognise key sonographic landmarks. 

If for some reason your first attempt at the practical test is unsuccessful, you are permitted a single re-sit of the practical assessment.

Detailed information about this assessment and marking criteria will be made available on the unit Moodle site.

The practical assessment will be conducted by a sonography lecturer or tutor, who will observe and assess your ability to carry out practical skills relating to your knowledge of anatomical planes of the body, sonographic scanning planes and associated image recognition. Assessment of the task will be relative to the practical assessment marking criteria, which will be made available on the unit Moodle site.

The practical assessment is different from other assessments in this unit, it is not weighted, but rather a pass/fail assessment, meaning you need to pass this assessment task to successfully complete this unit.

As per the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework), Section 5.54, this assessment must be completed on the final day of the residential school in the absence of an approved extension.

To demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the unit's content, and to assess whether the unit's learning outcomes have been achieved, students are required to complete an end of the term online test.

This online test will assess the content covered in the entire unit (weeks 1 to 12). This includes material covered in lectures, tutorials, the e reading list and any additional resources or learning materials on Moodle supplied during the term.

The test will consist of a combination of question types, including multiple choice, mix and match, fill in the blank, labelling questions and short and long answer questions which require typed answers. Please ensure you read the questions thoroughly before beginning to formulate your answers and ensure you are using appropriate terminology at all times. 

The end of term online test will be available on Moodle under the 'Assessment tile' with two hours of working time allocated. Once started, the test cannot be paused, stopped or re-started. Once the time limit is reached any open questions will be automatically submitted. Once you have completed the test, it cannot be retaken.

A stable internet connection is required for the online test.

This is an individual task. The online test must be completed by you, without assistance or collusion with others. Any evidence of collusion will be dealt with in adherence with the CQU student academic integrity policy and procedure.

Please be advised the use of Large Language Models (LLMs), a type of artificial intelligence (AI) such as Chat GPT are not permitted in this assessment. This assessment task is intended for students to demonstrate understanding of the unit’s learning outcomes. 

Multiple choice questions will be automatically marked correct or incorrect.

Written response questions will vary in mark allocation. Each question will have the maximum marks allocated displayed next to the question.

Short and long answers will require:

• use of correct anatomic names of structures and recognition of their normal and abnormal sonographic appearances
• use of correct sonographic terminology
• evaluation of clinical information
• detail to demonstrate depth of understanding and critical thinking.
• identification of sonographic imaging planes, protocols and conventions as relevant
• explanation of pre and post scanning requirements, including medico legal aspects and infection control standards