Overview
Integrating evidence-based practice with clinical expertise to solve research problems improves patient outcomes. This postgraduate unit will allow you to apply scientific research skills to a clinical problem, formulate a clinical question, gain knowledge of the skills required to undertake critical inquiry, and interpret data and research findings to inform your practice. You will practice these research skills using scientific rigour whilst applying ethical principles of research.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: Enrolment into CG91 Bachelor of Medical Sonography/Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography AND completion of 120 credit points OR CV69 Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology/Graduate Diploma of Echocardiography AND completion of 120 credit points
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
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 data, 2025.
Students enjoyed learning basic research techniques and using Gen AI to answer a clinical question, then critiquing the Gen AI output using their new research skills.
Continue assessing TEQSA requirements regarding incorporation of Gen AI into assessment items for learning and teaching, especially for students learning basic research processes.
Feedback from Accreditation body review.
Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry (ASAR) required change to assessment 1 from multiple choice quizzes (MCQs) to another form of assessment.
Assessment 1 will be changed from MCQs to another form of assessment item.
- Search, analyse and critically appraise relevant evidence-based information
- Formulate a clinical question
- Interpret data and research findings to devise how this might be applied to clinical practice
- Practice research with scientific rigour whilst applying ethical principles of research
This unit links to the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry (ASAR):
- Foundation Units of Competence 2, 3 & 5
- Standard Seven: Research and Scholarship, Criteria 7.4 & 7.5.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Online Test - 20% | ||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||