Unit Synopsis
Accurate assessment and management of neurological conditions requires comprehensive knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. You will study the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, the pathophysiology of neurological conditions and diagnostic tests related to neurological function.This unit prepares you for entry into the clinical environment by discussing the foundational knowledge of neurophysiology and application of key clinical concepts that will be required to provide health care to patients within your chosen health profession.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisite: BMSC11001 Human Body Systems 1 OR BMSC11011 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 OR BMSC11007 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 1 and BMSC11008 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 2 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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School |
Compulsory Residential School View Unit Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 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 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Report | 30% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 30% |
| 3. Online Test | 40% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web 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.
Source: SUTE
Lecture B was scheduled after the laboratory sessions, which limited students’ ability to preview the clinical applications of the content beforehand.
Ensure that Lectures A and B are scheduled before the laboratory sessions, so that students have access to the theoretical content and an understanding of the clinical relevance prior to participating in the labs. Although Lecture A covers the essential theoretical content needed for the neurophysiological measurements in the laboratory, it would be beneficial for students to also gain an overview of the clinical relevance of this material beforehand to better understand its application in practice.
Lectures A and B were scheduled one week before the corresponding laboratory sessions, ensuring students had access to the relevant theoretical content and clinical context before undertaking the laboratory activities.
Source: SUTE
The unit timetable clashed with the compulsory classes for OT students.
Discuss the issue with administration team to ensure that future timetables do not conflict with compulsory classes, allowing all students to attend the unit without scheduling issues.
The scheduling issue was discussed with the administration team to minimise timetable conflicts with compulsory classes in future unit offerings and support student attendance.
Source: SUTE
The unit was very well-organized, with extensive resources provided to prepare students for each assessment item. Each lecture included a clear outline of the topics to be covered, which was then reinforced through case scenarios in the tutorials.
Continue providing clear lecture outlines and supporting resources, and emphasize the clinical application of existing case scenarios to further reinforce students’ understanding and application of the content in preparation for assessments.
Clear lecture outlines and supporting resources continued to be provided, with greater emphasis placed on the clinical application of case scenarios to reinforce students’ understanding and application of key concepts in preparation for assessments.
Source: SUTE
Students requested clear guidance on what is expected and how to perform during the laboratory sessions.
Ensure that instructions and performance expectations are clearly provided before each laboratory session to support student preparation and engagement.
Clear instructions and performance expectations were provided prior to each laboratory session to support student preparation and engagement.
Source: SUTE
Some Occupational Therapy students reported difficulty recognising the relevance of detailed neurophysiology content to their future practice, although practical activities such as reflex assessment helped some students better appreciate its clinical application.
Strengthen the clinical contextualisation of neurophysiology content by incorporating more discipline-specific examples and applications relevant to Occupational Therapy, particularly within lectures, case scenarios, and practical activities.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Students valued the lecturer’s knowledge, enthusiasm and ability to explain complex neurophysiological concepts, while some requested more detailed explanations within the PowerPoint slides to support their understanding of the content.
Review the PowerPoint slides to include additional explanations of key concepts where appropriate, while maintaining a clear and manageable level of content.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Many students found the practical laboratory sessions enjoyable, interesting and helpful in consolidating their learning. However, some students indicated that additional preparation and clearer instructions and expectations before practical activities would further enhance the residential school learning experience.
Continue providing access to online pre-laboratory manuals and ensure that instructions and expectations are clearly communicated prior to practical and residential school sessions.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Students generally valued the case study, quizzes and assessments and considered them relevant to the content taught.
Continue using case studies, quizzes and assessments that align with the content taught and support students in applying and consolidating their learning.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the detailed structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous system
- Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology to interpret key clinical concepts
- Describe assessment of neurological function in different neurological conditions
- Identify the pharmacological basis of drugs that affect the nervous system.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Report | • | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Online Test | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | |||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Report | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||
| 3 - Online Test | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||