This course is the first semester of the four year Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD) program. The MChD provides an integrated spiral curriculum to progressively develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required of medical graduates to practice safely and ethically as junior doctors within internship programs at accredited teaching hospitals. 

During your study you will progress through a series of Curriculum Blocks. Block 1 forms the whole of MEDI8011. During Block 1 you will be introduced to the basic concepts, language and skills required to progress your learning in the Themes (Medical Sciences, Clinical Skills, Professionalism and Leadership, Population Health) and Frameworks (Indigenous Health, Social Foundations, Rural Health and Research) that are the bases of the curriculum.

Course Structure and Content

Block 1: Foundation Block

MEDI8011, MEDI8012, MEDI8015, MEDI8020, MEDI8025 and either MEDI8022 or MEDI8023 form part of Phase 1 of the MCHD program.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Acquire the concepts, language and foundation skills needed to use problem-based learning effectively, and to advance your learning during the remainder of Phase 1.
2. Describe in general terms, the constituents of cells and the function of the organelles; the transcription of genes and translation of proteins; the structure and function the different tissues and organs.
3. Comprehend and describe how a person comes to perceive themselves as well or unwell within different contexts and cultural settings.
4. Define the principles of evidence-based practice and explain why medical practitioners have an obligation to contribute to knowledge.
5. Recognise that ethical principles, respect for difference, and professional attitudes and behaviour are fundamental to all components of medical practice.
6. Discriminate among and recognise appropriate methods of knowledge acquisition to meet your own learning needs.

Research-Led Teaching

Courses within the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD) are categorised as Profession- Led. The Profession-Led features of Medicine 1A include teaching by medical practitioners in the course and expert tuition in clinical skills by medically trained tutors. The MChD curriculum is grounded in the principles of evidence based medicine and reflects current practice standards. Problem based learning cases have been devised by medically trained staff, who are discipline experts. Assessment is aligned to learning outcome statements and is developed in consultation with content experts.

 

The foundation medical science, professionalism and leadership, and, population health curricula have been developed and are taught by active researchers.

 

The curriculum associated with the Research Framework provides students with an introduction to the principles of medical research and the foundation knowledge for students to develop a research question that will be investigated in the formal Research Project Course in Year 2 of the program.

Additional Course Costs

Students are responsible for travel costs between the Acton and Canberra Hospital (TCH) campuses and other associated clinical teaching sites.

 

Students undertaking the Indigenous Health stream are periodically provided with short excursions to attend Aboriginal Health Centres. The cost of these excursions is borne by the ANU Medical School.

Examination Material or equipment

Examinations are conducted according to the Assessment Rule 2016. The information on the Examination Conduct page describes what to expect during an examination.

Required Resources

Students are required to purchase safety glasses and have suitable footwear for the laboratory. (Laboratory coats are provided to students, although you may elect to have your own).

 

Students are required to have a stethoscope. Students are provided one by the ANU Medical School in year one but any replacements are at the cost of the student.

Recommended Resources

Students are strongly recommended to purchase a suitable laptop computer. The ANU Medical School does not prescribe textbooks for its courses. However a recommended reading list of suitable textbooks is provided on the Medicine 1 course site under important information in Wattle and copies of representative textbooks are available in the library and/or PBL rooms.

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

1. Formative assessment and feedback will help to guide students understanding of the scope and format of the examinable material and expected level of comprehension required for a pass grade.
2. Feedback will be provided summarising performance in key disciplines and in examination sections benchmarked to the performance of the cohort.
3. Students who did not satisfy the pass criteria for the Medicine 1A examination will be provided with individual academic remediation in semester 2 and must pass the Medicine 1B examination to be eligible to pass Medicine 1A.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

ANU Medical Students are also directed to the Assessment Rule 2016 and the Academic Progress Rule 2019 for information related to progression requirements.

Student feedback (additional information)

In addition to SELS, the Medical School conducts in house formative surveys of the student experience of teaching and learning in its courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Block 1: Foundations (17 weeks)	Formative mid-semester test Clinical Skills Progressive Reviews (hurdle) Final Examination Weekly timetables are available in the Outlook calendar. Please refer to WATTLE for specific details of the individual week's activities: Please see the Research Project Handbook for the Research Project Schedule.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Final examination	100 %	1,2,3,4,5,6
Clinical Skills Progressive Reviews (hurdle)	0 %	1,3,4,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Attendance is compulsory for the following activities:

• Orientation/Introduction week
• Rural week

 

Attendance is compulsory for the following activities. A record of attendance of 85% or greater is required for each of the following learning activities:

• PBL sessions
• Practical sessions
• Professionalism and Leadership class and group work sessions
• Population Health group work sessions
• Clinical Skills sessions (both face to face and online sessions)

 

Absences

The procedures for taking a leave of absence from the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery Program are more stringent than other programs at the ANU. It is important that the school regulates and monitors the conditions of leave to ensure students are not missing out on key learning outcomes and also to ensure the wellbeing of our students is monitored and managed.

Approval for all planned and unplanned absences will be considered for professional development activities and personal circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Students must follow the Leave Application Process.

 

Absence due to COVID

The University’s expectation is that all those students who can attend in-person will do so. This is particularly important for the laboratory/workshop/tutorial (as appropriate) component of this course. If you are not able to attend because of Covid-19 related travel restrictions/health barriers, please follow the standard Leave Application Process.

 

Unsatisfactory attendance

The Year 1 Student Coordinator will receive regular attendance reports and may investigate individual students who do not meet the attendance requirements. The Year Student Coordinator may issue a warning letter to the student or can refer the student to either the Chair of the Academic Progress and Assessment Committee and/or the Professional Behaviours Committee.

Examination(s)

Medicine 1A includes a formative mid-semester test, which provides students with an introduction to assessment structure and expected standards within marking criteria. Students who perform poorly on the formative mid semester test will be offered remediation.

Assessment Task 1

Final examination

A series of written examinations comprising sections of:

• single best answer multiple choice questions (MCQ) and extended matching questions (EMQ), (40%);
• evolving modified essay questions (Minicases) (30%); and
• short essay questions (30%).

Due date

To be held during the end of semester 1 written exam period of 16-17 June 2022 (exact details will be advised via Wattle)

Assessable content

The examination will assess content that is aligned to the level 3 learning outcome statements for Block 1. While the majority of the exam question topics will also be aligned with teaching and learning activities (and their Level 4 outcome statements), a proportion will assess related topics where there is a reasonable expectation that a student will have acquired the knowledge and skill through self-directed learning and discussions in problem based learning sessions.

 

The proportion of assessed content in the examination is also mapped to the curriculum themes and frameworks based on the representation of these components within the curriculum. Please note that some content from the curriculum of the Clinical Skills Theme is assessed in the written examination.

Marking criteria

The Year 1 Assessment Committee approves marking rubrics for each written question, including definitions of pass (CRS) and higher-level pass (HLP). Where post hoc

adjustments are required, the Chair of the Assessment Committee approves these.

Standard setting procedures are used to determine the pass mark for each examination section. Student results are scaled to the pass mark to derive the standardised score for each exam section.

Students must achieve a weighted, average scaled mark of 50 or greater to pass the Examination.

Assessment Task 2

Clinical Skills Progressive Reviews (hurdle)

Demonstration of competence in specific clinical skills. Students will be required to undertake a series of short performance based assessments to demonstrate their competency in clinical skills appropriate to their level of study. 

Observed performance involving clinical assessment of a volunteer patient/actor focusing on history taking, clinical examination and/or reasoning skills developed in the clinical skills curriculum.

History taking or scenario based assessment may be evaluated either face to face or online.

Assessment requirements:

Students will be asked to demonstrate competence in physical examination skills which will be observed and assessed. Students must be assessed as competent in their clinical skills to meet the hurdle requirement.

Due date:

To be held at the end of Block 1 (exact details will be provided via Wattle).

Further assessment if required - Summative OSCE completed in Medicine 1B: 1 December 2022

 

Marking criteria:

Marking criteria based on key step guides provided in clinical skills tutorials and by clinical skills academic coordinator.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students