Overview
In this unit you will be presented with common structural and functional variations of the lower limb as seen in podiatry practice. You will learn the aetiology, clinical diagnosis and management of common orthopaedic lower limb conditions. You will refine and develop your knowledge and skills in clinical gait analysis and biomechanical assessment which will be used to assess and diagnose biomechanical conditions of the lower limb. This will incorporate various motion analysis devices and medical equipment in the assessment and treatment of biomechanical conditions in a podiatric context.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: PODI12010 Advanced Anatomy and Podiatric Biomechanics. To be enrolled in this unit, students must be enrolled in CB86 Bachelor of Podiatry Practice (Honours) course. Co-requisites: PODI13007 Podiatry Clinical Practice 2 and PODI13010 Sports in Podiatry Practice.
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 1 - 2025
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 Undergraduate 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 Unit coordinator reflection
Some unit materials could be enhanced to include more contemporary developments in podiatric biomechanics
It is recommended that the teaching materials in this unit be updated to reflect contemporary developments in podiatric biomechanics, where relevant.
- Assess podiatric cases involving clinical biomechanics of the lower limb, and interpret and analyse findings
- Develop, implement, and evaluate podiatric interventions for patients with common biomechanical pathologies of the lower limb
- Evaluate peer reviewed biomechanical literature to support decision making in podiatry practice.
Per NPC1304
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||
| 2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | |||
| 3 - On-campus Activity - 20% | |||
| 4 - Presentation - 30% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||||||||
| 3 - On-campus Activity - 20% | ||||||||||
| 4 - Presentation - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Clinical Biomechanics of the Lower Extremities
Edition: First
Authors: Ronald L. Valmassy
Mosby
ISBN: 9780801679865
Binding: Hardcover
Whittle's Gait Analysis
Edition: Fifth
Authors: David Levine, Jim Richards, Michael W Whittle
Churchill Livingstone Elsevier
ISBN: 9780702042652
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom (both microphone and webcam capability)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
b.peterson@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Introduction to unit
• Overview of assessments
• Review of biomechanical terminology
• Review of the human gait cycle
• Root theory of lower limb biomechanics
Tutorial:
• Requirements for Written Assessment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Biomechanics and pathomechanics of the forefoot
Tutorial:
• Introduction to the biomechanical assessment form
• Introduction to the orthotic prescription form
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Biomechanics and pathomechanics of the midfoot and rearfoot
Tutorial:
• Other theories of lower limb biomechanics
Thursday – Practicum 9am to 5pm
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Biomechanics and pathomechanics of the ankle
Tutorial:
• Weeks 1-4 review activity
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Biomechanics and pathomechanics of the leg and the knee
Tutorial:
• Dynamic gait analysis part 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No class during vacation week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Biomechanics and pathomechanics of the hip
Tutorial:
• Dynamic gait analysis part 2
Thursday – Biomechanics clinical placement
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Biomechanical placement day 1
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Biomechanics and pathomechanics of the pelvis and lumbar spine
Tutorial:
• Reflection and Q&A following biomechanical clinical placement day 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Running biomechanics
Tutorial:
• Walking and running biomechanics
Thursday – Biomechanics clinical placement
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Biomechanical Placement Day 2
Professional Placement Due: Week 8 Thursday (8 May 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Lecture:
• Term review
Tutorial:
• Assessment preparation and feedback
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Presentation during lecture time
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No lecture or tutorial in Week 11.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No lecture or tutorial in Week 12. Students to use class time to prepare their Written Assessment (50%) for submission on Friday Week 12.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This unit will be taught and coordinated by Dr Benjamin Peterson.
1 Professional Practice Placement
Students are to complete two (2) days of biomechanical placement in Weeks 6 and 8. In order to be eligible for the PODI13008 clinical placement, students must have satisfied the pre-clinical requirements for PODI13007 and must attend their Practicum in Week 3 (see Assessment 3: 'on-campus activity').
On Day 1, students will practice and perform all the skills listed on Page 2 of the biomechanical assessment form, in addition to other skills outlined in a competency checklist made available via Moodle. On Day 2, students will practice and perform all the skills listed on Page 1 of the biomechanical assessment form.
Students will receive feedback from the clinical supervisor during each session regarding areas that require improvement.
This is an individual assessment task. In some circumstances, students may have to work in groups (patient is unable to attend). In this instance, students must ensure that all members of the team contribute equally to the task. This must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the clinical supervisor. Students must submit the PODI13008 Clinical Placement Logbook via Moodle as evidence of completion of this assessment item.
Generative AI is not permitted to be used during this assessment task.
Week 8 Thursday (8 May 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Students are to upload their clinical skills log book by the due date as evidence of completion of this task.
Week 10 Thursday (22 May 2025)
Feedback will be provided in-person by the clinical supervisor at the time of the assessment and marks will be made available via Moodle by Thursday Week 10.
Students will be examined based on their assessment, presentation skills, and evaluation of their ‘patient’. During the course of the day, students will be required to present their assessment findings to the clinical supervisor. Students may be asked to demonstrate selected assessment components, and/or be posed questions regarding their presentation and evaluation. Students will be required to be at a competent level for every criteria and at an ‘Overall Competent’ level by the end of the 2 placement days. If students are assessed as ‘not competent’, they will be able to practice the skill again and request to be re-assessed within the same day.
- Assess podiatric cases involving clinical biomechanics of the lower limb, and interpret and analyse findings
- Develop, implement, and evaluate podiatric interventions for patients with common biomechanical pathologies of the lower limb
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Presentation
Students will be required to provide a PowerPoint oral presentation worth 30% based on a biomechanical case study. The oral presentation will be up to 15 minutes long with a Question and Answer session of 5 minutes. Students can choose to present 'live' or play a pre-recorded video presentation. The student must be present to answer questions during the Question and Answer session This is an individual assessment task. Referencing (if any) should follow APA format.
Generative AI is not permitted to be used during this assessment task. Patient data is not to be entered into any Generative AI platform under any circumstances. Inclusion of AI generated material in this assessment item may result in a case being raised for a suspected breach of academic integrity.
Week 10 Tuesday (20 May 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Students are required to submit their powerpoint slides or presentation on their Moodle site by 9am Monday Week 10. Students will then present their presentation during the week 10 lecture time.
Week 12 Tuesday (3 June 2025)
Feedback will be made available via moodle.
Students will be marked according to a purpose made marking rubric which will be available on the student's Moodle site.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate podiatric interventions for patients with common biomechanical pathologies of the lower limb
- Evaluate peer reviewed biomechanical literature to support decision making in podiatry practice.
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
3 On-campus Activity
During tutorials and practical sessions, students will be required to complete a range of tutorial activities, according to the 'on-campus activity schedule and checklist' available via Moodle. Students are required to complete the activities and submit them via Moodle. Additional detail about this assessment task will be provided to students at the beginning of the term.
Generative AI is not permitted to be used during this assessment task.
Week 9 Friday (16 May 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Students are to upload their task sheets on their Moodle site
Week 11 Friday (30 May 2025)
Marks for this assessment will be made available via moodle
Students will be marked according to a task sheet specific to this assessment task.
- Assess podiatric cases involving clinical biomechanics of the lower limb, and interpret and analyse findings
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
4 Written Assessment
Students will be required to submit a literature review (up to 2000 words) and a reflection (up to 200 words), evaluating peer-reviewed biomechanical literature. The instruction guide for this assessment task will be made available via moodle, and will require students to: identify relevant studies, report on the quality and the findings of the included studies, and formulate an introduction, method, results, discussion, conclusion, and reflection.
The use of Generative AI is permitted in this assessment for the purposes of brainstorming, creating structures, and generating ideas for improving your work. Any use of AI should be referenced appropriately. No AI-generated content is allowed in the final submission. Inclusion of AI generated material in this assessment item may result in a case being raised for a suspected breach of academic integrity.
Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Students must submit their assessment via moodle by the due date
Exam Week Friday (20 June 2025)
Results will be made available via Moodle
Your report must include:
a) Cover Page: Assessment Title, student’s name, student number, unit code, unit title, unit lecturer’s name, due date of the assignment and word count.
b) Format:
a. Microsoft Word document only (.doc and .docx), or PDF.
b. Font size 12 (Times New Roman or Arial or reasonable default-type font such as Calibri)
c. Text double spaced
d. Pages numbered consecutively
e. Your student number must be clearly seen in the right side of the footer.
c) References:
a. APA format
b. Reference at least 10 primary sources of information
You will be marked according to a purpose made marking rubric which will be made available at the beginning of term.
- Evaluate peer reviewed biomechanical literature to support decision making in podiatry practice.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
