Unit Synopsis
This unit creates the foundations for an understanding of physics as it applies to our world around us, our bodies and our clinical environments. You will learn how to explain observed phenomena, predict changing behaviour and communicate using science conventions. You will apply problem-solving skills and knowledge of physics to find reasonable solutions to both word- and numerical-based situations.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
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 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
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. Online Quiz(zes) | 40% |
| 2. Online Test | 60% |
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 .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 66.67% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 16.05% 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: Unit coordinator reflection Informal student feedback
The availability of two online tutorials each week was well received by students.
Consider maintaining the provision of two online tutorial sessions per week to accommodate diverse student work-life balances.
There were two online tutorials offered per week. One was in the day time and the other in the evening to provide flexibility for those with work and other commitments.
Source: Unit coordinator reflection Feedback from teaching team
Moving the Online tests from Weeks 5 and 10 to Weeks 4 and 8 respectively has allowed for more timely feedback to be provided to the students.
Invest in the option to continue with timetabling of the two online tests in Weeks 4 and 8 in future deliveries.
The Online tests were timetabled in Weeks 4 and 8 for the 2025 iteration.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflection Feedback from teaching team
The cost of the prescribed textbook has increased significantly in recent years, adding to financial strain on students.
Explore more affordable alternatives for the prescribed textbook to help reduce financial strain on students while still providing them with the necessary resources for their studies.
All the prescribed textbooks for Term 1, 2025 were accessible through CQUni Library, easing the financial burden on students.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflection Feedback from teaching team
Scheduling tutorials during the same week as the related content instead of retrospective coverage the following week allowed for immediate application and reinforcement of the material.
Consider scheduling tutorials in the same week as the related course content in future iterations.
Weekly tutorials were scheduled in the same week as the related course content for Term 1, 2025.
Source: PASS Leaders Informal student feedback
Weekly Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) were well-utilised and positively received by students.
Investigate potential of maintaining the availably of PASS in future iterations to enhance academic support.
In Progress
Source: Informal student feedback Unit Coordinator PASS Leaders
Students may benefit from more varied and updated learning resources to complement existing materials and support diverse learning preferences.
Explore opportunities to enhance the resource set by updating existing content and adding alternative formats and interactive elements to enrich learning and sustain student engagement.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Discuss fundamental concepts, theories and principles of classical mechanics, matter, heat, sound, electromagnetism, electromagnetic energy and the atom
- Apply fundamental physics concepts, theories and principles to explain physical phenomena of everyday life and clinical situations and to predict outcomes under changing conditions
- Use problem-solving and numeracy skills, knowledge of fundamental physics concepts, theories and principles, and standard conventions of science communication to present reasonable solutions to problems.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • |
| 2 - Online Test | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |