ECHO13006 - Adult Echocardiography

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Accurate analysis and assessment of complex cardiovascular disease and their pathological processes is a core part of all echocardiographic examinations. In preparation for clinical placement you will attain the knowledge and skills needed to analyse complex cardiovascular disease. This will include consideration of the echocardiographic generated images and assessment measures, haemodynamic calculations, pressures and valve prosthetics. You will apply knowledge to practical echocardiographic tasks in the laboratory setting, and utilise simulated clinical scenarios and case studies to analyse diagnostic data to provide differential diagnoses within an ethical framework of best practice and patient safety. You will demonstrate the professional knowledge, attitude and skills required to perform a complete echocardiographic study within a time frame related to clinical expectations. This unit prepares you for the clinical environment using the Assessment of Readiness for Clinical tool (ARC) in conjunction with other assessment tasks. Attendance at practical activities is a requirement of this unit.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 12
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.25
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites

MPAT12001 Medical Pathophysiology

AND

ECHO12003 Principles of Cardiac Assessment OR ECHO12008 Doppler Echocardiography

AND

ECHO12005 Cardiac Clinical Unit 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 No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2025

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Brisbane
Sydney

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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 12-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. In-class Test(s) 50%
2. In-class Test(s) 50%
3. Practical Assessment 0%
4. Performance 0%
5. Reflective Practice Assignment 0%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 62.50% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 24.24% response rate.

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.
Feedback
Lecture content was pre-recorded and outdated.
Recommendation
Assess lecture currency and refresh content where necessary. Maintain pre-recorded format.
Action Taken
Lecture content is still pre-recorded due to the nature of online delivery. Lecture content was evaluated and updated as necessary.
Source: Unit coordinator observation.
Feedback
Students did not perform as well in the first in-class test (weeks 1-5) compared to the second in-class test (weeks 6-11).
Recommendation
Review learning content for the first half of the term to improve student engagement and learning. Provide updated revision materials that scaffold student learning.
Action Taken
A dedicated pre-in-class test preparation session was offered. Worked examples were used to demonstrate appropriate adaptation and application of generic formulas. A generic formula sheet was also provided for use in in-class test 1.
Source: SUTE.
Feedback
Students raised concerns about volume of content in the unit.
Recommendation
As a double credit point unit, the volume of content in this unit is large. Consider the development of strategies to help students prepare and make informed study decisions for the volume of learning required in the unit.
Action Taken
Strategies and additional learning support was provided through weekly tutorials. Students were reminded of workload requirements and advice was provided on managing requirements.
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report.
Feedback
Concerns were raised about the high volume of content, which made it difficult to retain all the information, and the limited time available to prepare for the final exam.
Recommendation
Students will be reminded that third-year or double credit point units naturally require more commitment. Students will be encouraged to carefully review the unit profile and assessment schedule at the start of term to enable breakdown of tasks into manageable weekly goals. Students will be prompted more frequently to engage with support resources and activities and to reflect on study habits.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report & Email.
Feedback
Unit coordinator support throughout the term was appreciated.
Recommendation
Continue to provide regular updates and clear guidance on assessments, expectations, and timelines to help students feel informed and supported. Build on successful engagement strategies by incorporating more interactive elements such as case studies and peer discussions. Continue to promote access to tutoring, consultation hours, and online resources, and encourage students to seek help early.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Unit coordinator reflection.
Feedback
Students tend to underperform in Part B of the practical measurement assessment (perhaps due to time constraints and its high-stakes nature) and clinical supervisor feedback suggests poor measurement performance during subsequent placement blocks, on occasion. Therefore a revised teaching and assessment strategy may better support student learning, measurement mastery and skill retention.
Recommendation
The implementation of a workbook-style assessment will be considered as part of the learning and teaching strategy to support progressive skill development. This approach encourages repeated practice and timely feedback, helping students build confidence and proficiency in measurement tasks over time.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Differentiate between the aetiology, pathophysiology and echocardiographic assessment process associated with a variety of cardiovascular disease processes
  2. Perform and interpret measurements and advanced haemodynamic calculations applied to 2D, colour and spectral Doppler derived echocardiographic measures
  3. Differentiate prosthetic valve and valvular surgical intervention functionality and disease processes
  4. Analyse case-based clinical information to formulate differential diagnoses and plan patient management
  5. Perform an echocardiographic examination efficiently and effectively
  6. Display professional behaviour, teamwork and communication skills consistent with safe practice
  7. Apply reflective feedback to professional practice improvement.

Linked to National and International Standards
1. ASAR Accreditation Standards for Cardiac Sonography - critical practice Unit 8 - Cardiac, Foundation units of competence - 1 - 5.
2. European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Core Syllabus
3. American Registry for Cardiac Sonography Core Syllabus

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - In-class Test(s) • • • •
2 - In-class Test(s) • • • •
3 - Practical Assessment • •
4 - Performance •
5 - Reflective Practice Assignment •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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 • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10