No AI- The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment. 

As aspiring diagnostic medical sonographers, students are expected to demonstrate competence in performing abdominal ultrasound examinations with precision, professionalism, and within clinically appropriate timeframes. This assessment is designed to evaluate the technical and professional skills necessary to competently perform sonographic examinations of the renal system as well as the entire abdomen. Both components of the assessment will be conducted in a clinical simulation setting within the sonography laboratories, utilising a standardised patient model. A standardised patient refers to a student who has been formally briefed and prepared to act in the role of a patient, allowing for a realistic and controlled assessment environment.  

Assessment 1 is comprised of two distinct components:

• Part A- A sonographic scanning skills assessment encompassing three sub-sections ( A1: Renal module, A2: Epigastric module, A3: Biliary module)
• Mock assessment (formative)
• Part B - A comprehensive sonographic scanning skills assessment of the full abdomen.

Assessment 1-Part A

The purpose of Assessment 1 – Part A is to evaluate your overall capability as a student practitioner across the renal, epigastric, and biliary modules. You will be assessed holistically on the professional, technical, and clinical components of the examination. During the assessment, your assessor will observe you performing the required scans and evaluate each task against the standards outlined in the Assessment of Readiness for Clinical (ARC) tool. All assessments will be initially marked live. For Part A and the mock assessment only, video recordings will be shared with the student as a tool for learning and reflection. Once all marking is complete, students will receive the finalised ARC tool(s) as part of feedback.

Mock Assessment

Mock assessments are designed to evaluate your developing skills at key points during the term, providing valuable feedback to support your ongoing learning and improvement. These assessments offer an opportunity to reflect on your performance and make targeted adjustments ahead of the final assessment. You will be required to complete sonographic examinations within designated timeframes, aligned with the relevant imaging protocols. This includes meeting expectations across the professional (pre-scan, in-scan, and post-scan conduct), technical (image acquisition and technique), and clinical (knowledge and decision-making) domains, as outlined in the unit lab manual and reinforced through practical labs, lectures, demonstrations, and tutorials. Mock assessments are formative in nature and are intended to provide experiential learning. They do not contribute to your final unit grade. The associated ARC tools used during these sessions are not moderated and should be used as personal learning aids to guide your progress. 

This is a pass/fail assessment.

You must demonstrate critical skills consistently throughout the assessments with a view to becoming a capable student practitioner on completion of this unit. Each module covers a different examination which varies in protocol and complexity and is thus marked accordingly. Please review the Appendix to the ARC tool for a listing of Correct Practice and explanation of what would determine a critical or non-critical error. There is no limit on non-critical skill errors, however there is a limit on critical skill errors. Demonstration of consistent critical skills in the clinical, technical and professional components and all critical requirements (bolded points) in the professional component, is required to pass. 

Professional (pre-scan, during, and post-scan) requirements:

• Apply patient care techniques and effective communication to obtain relevant patient history, informed consent, and to direct ‘patients’ accordingly
• Apply professionalism in dealing with 'patients', colleagues, equipment, and the scanning setting 

Technical (scanning) requirements:

• Students are required to perform routine sonographic scanning techniques, image optimisation, and acquisition, in a reasonable time period.

Clinical (knowledge) requirements:

• Students are to narrate their actions during the sonographic examination to demonstrate underlying knowledge and thought processes of the skills being performed as relevant to the examination.
• Difficulties during the examination are to be verbalised and actions justified.

There is only ONE attempt per student per assessment. 

No AI- The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

This assessment will require you to correctly complete and correctly upload the following documentation to Moodle:

The following are due week 1 (Monday, 14th July 2025 at 1pm AEST):

• Submission of an accurately completed and signed Student Acknowledgement and Lab Agreement
• Submission of an accurately completed and signed Consent Form - Sonographic Examination for Teaching Purposes
• Lab Induction and Quiz completed and passed (Note: 100% pass mark is required. Multiple attempts are allowed)

The following documents are due week 12 (Friday, 9th October 2025 at 5pm AEST):

• Submission of completed Lab Manual Formative Feedback Forms 

The purpose of this assessment is to prepare you for professional behaviour, attendance, and documentation responsibilities on clinical placement, as well as to develop self-reflection skills by setting weekly goals and following up on progress. 

The correct completion and upload of documentation:

Demonstrates understanding of the lab processes, procedures and Codes of Conduct.
Ensures that you agree to take part in scanning procedures with due regard for volunteer consent processes.
Ensures you understand safety procedures and requirements when in the sonography labs. 
Ensures that you attend scanning labs as scheduled.
Allows you to collect tutor and peer feedback on your skills in ultrasound scanning, image optimisation, and documentation, patient care, communication, and ergonomic performance.
Helps you to respond to feedback with your own reflections and objectives for practice and improvement
Ensures you complete your Formative Feedback Forms before leaving at the end of each lab (as you would be required to complete documentation for each patient's scan before the end of a clinical shift) and to have it signed by your tutor. (If you do not have all lab days signed off on your Lab Manual, you will need to write in the reason for this, however all forms in this assessment must be completed accurately and either signed off or an explanation given to pass this assessment).

To pass this assessment item you must:

• Complete all paperwork accurately and on time.
• Save and upload in the format specified.
• Submit by the due date and time specified.

Documentation in the clinical environment must be correctly issued, otherwise there can be dire consequences for the patient and legal ramifications for the sonographer. Hence, in the lab, non-completed or incorrectly completed paperwork will be returned to students to correct and re upload. As sonographers, it is important for you to both understand and comply with requirements regarding paperwork and documentation.

This is a pass/fail assessment task in a pass/fail unit - a fail grade for any component of a pass/fail assessment task will result in a fail grade for the assessment task, and subsequently the entire unit.

Additionally, in a non-graded pass/fail unit, all assessment items must be correctly and accurately submitted by the due date, as there is no opportunity to apply a five percent penalty, due to the pass/fail nature of each assessment task.

AI Planning- AI may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. This level focuses on the effective use of AI for planning, synthesis, and ideation, but assessments should emphasise the ability to develop and refine these ideas independently. You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

There are two (2) separate online quizzes to complete for this unit. These will assess:

• Your understanding of sonographic anatomy
• Your ability to identify normal variants and discriminate these from pathological processes
• Your knowledge of sonographic techniques and protocols

The purpose of these quizzes is to ensure adequate review of anatomy and their sonographic appearances sufficient preparation of protocol and procedures is undertaken prior to sonographic labs.

• Once available, quizzes are open for 33 hours.
• The first quiz is in week 5 and covers the bladder, prostate, right and left kidneys (renal system).
• The second quiz is in week 10 and covers pancreas, aorta, liver, biliary system, spleen and professional components.
• You are allowed ONE attempt at each quiz, so please ensure you are prepared beforehand.
• The time limit for the quiz is 20 mins and there are 20 multiple choice questions.
• These assessment tasks must be completed on or before the due dates.
• No late submissions are permitted after each quiz has closed, so please ensure adequate time for completion, with additional time for computer mishaps. If you have computer/quiz access difficulties, you need to contact TaSAC as soon as possible for assistance. Take a screenshot of the issue. After you have contacted TaSAC, please contact the unit coordinator for assistance if you cannot complete the quiz in the allocated time before the end of the quiz.
• In the event you are unable to complete the quiz in the allocated time and have suitable medical/supporting documentation, you can apply for an extension through the Assessment Extension system on Moodle before the end of the quiz to be granted an extension to the quiz time without academic penalty.
• In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete a quiz after it has closed.

Answers will be either correct or incorrect and tabulated by the unit's online Moodle system.

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 test, it cannot be retaken.

Students must achieve a cumulative pass rate of 60% across the two quizzes to pass this assessment. (Please note that if one of the quizzes is not completed, a maximum cumulative score of only 50% can be achieved).

This assessment is to be undertaken as an individual, and is not approved as group work. Colluding with other students on non-group work tasks is considered academic misconduct, and will be reported to the Academic Integrity Unit.

This is a pass/fail assessment task in a pass/fail unit. A fail grade for any component of a pass/fail assessment task will result in a fail grade for the assessment task, and subsequently the entire unit.

In a case that an accumulative score of 60% is not achieved in the two quizzes, a third quiz will be made available to students. This quiz will assess content from all weeks of the unit and the result can considered for the overall minimum 60% required to pass the assessment item.

No AI- The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

Professionalism and professional behaviour are critical parts of any medically aligned profession, and encompass the manner in which we treat our colleagues, patients, and the professional settings and equipment provided to us. The purpose of this assessment is to ensure that students from the Medical Sonography course are well-equipped to embody the high standards of professionalism that are expected from CQUniversity students while on their upcoming clinical placements, and as graduate sonographers in their future careers. Developing your professionalism during this unit will prepare you for the next environment in which you will be expected to maintain professional behaviour whenever in your uniform and representing the university, placement site, and yourself.

This assessment will require you to treat each of your lab sessions as a scheduled "work shift" and to exhibit professional attitudes to ensure you are prepared to enter the work force with the skills required to provide safe and professional patient care. As such, this assessment is based on assessment of student application and attendance during labs throughout the term. You must comply with uniform standards in all lab sessions. 

Expected behaviour and its relevance to the clinical environment is listed in the Professional Behaviour Assessment Document. Additionally, please familiarise yourself with the CODE OF CONDUCT in the Lab Manual as well as the ASAR CODE OF CONDUCT and the CQU CODE OF CONDUCT so that you have a clear understanding of the rationale for, and importance of this assessment. All of these documents are posted on Moodle (under Assessment 5 documentation) for your information. Professionalism extends to colleagues, staff, patients, environment, and equipment.

This assessment is marked against the Professional Behaviour Assessment (PBA) description and incorporates a process of warnings and feedback on expected behaviour of students when in the lab environment. This will commence in week 3 of the term, and apply to activities within the lab. A warning is known as a Lapse in Professionalism (LiP). Up to three LiPs can be received within the unit without adverse consequence. A fourth LiP however will result in the assessment being graded as a fail.

In the event that a LiP point is accrued, written documentation of the reason will be completed by the on-site lecturer or the unit coordinator, and provided to you as feedback. You will have the opportunity to seek further clarification from unit coordinator.

If unprofessional attitude or behaviour is reported by fellow classmates and not witnessed by a staff member, an unofficial warning with formative feedback will be provided in writing detailing the allegation, and your response will be documented.

There is a COMPULSORY professional behaviour Zoom session on MONDAY 14th July 2025 6:30 pm AEST.

The LiP system is designed to provide a warning to students when they exhibit unprofessional behaviour, and hence up to three LiPs (official warnings) can be issued within the unit without adverse consequence. A fourth LiP however will result in the assessment being graded as a fail.

A maximum of three LiP points can be accrued to pass this assessment.

As this is a pass/fail unit, a pass in all assessment items is required to pass this unit.

No AI- The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

Assessment 1-Part B

The purpose of Assessment 1 – Part B is to assess your competency in performing a complete abdominal ultrasound examination. You will be assessed holistically on the professional, technical and clinical components of the examination. During the assessment, your assessor will observe you performing the full abdominal scan and will assess your performance against the standards outlined in the Assessment of Readiness for Clinical (ARC) tool. This assessment will initially be marked live, and moderation will follow. Video recordings of your performance will be used for this purpose which provides a more robust marking process than the live assessment. One grade will be allocated at the completion of all marking and you will receive the final ARC tool/s as feedback.

Please carefully review the assessment information and ARC tools posted on the unit Moodle site. 

Provisional results will be released once moderation is finalised. If a student does not meet the criteria for a pass grade of the abdominal scanning assessment, they will receive targeted feedback and be offered one opportunity to re-sit the full assessment.

If Part B is not passed outright, re-sit assessment will be required in week 13. 

If a student passes a subtype in Assessment 1 – Part A but does not pass the corresponding skill area in Assessment 1 – Part B as well as the re-sit, the academic team may review performance across both parts. In such cases, Assessment 1 – Part A and Part B may be considered collectively to determine whether the required competency has been demonstrated. This approach ensures that assessment outcomes reflect consistent skill development and are evaluated fairly, with consideration of the student's performance over time. 

Please be aware that all assessments will be video recorded. Videos may be viewed by CQU sonography staff and tutors for the purposes of marking and moderation of assessments, and may be required to be viewed by other CQU staff in the event of a student requesting either a Review of Grade or an Appeal of Grade. However, video recordings of the part B assessment will not be released to students.