Course Coordinator: Dr David Wilson

Practical Coordinator: David Wilson
Phone: +61 8 8313 3193
Email: david.p.wilson@adelaide.edu.au 
Location: Room S523, Medical School South, Frome Rd.

1	Display integrated knowledge of physiological processes in diverse systems related to human health and disease, in particular the cardiovascular, respiratory, bone marrow, neurological and gastrointestinal systems.
2	Critically evaluate and synthesise scientific information related to health research
3	Assemble and communicate research findings in advanced written and spoken formats
4	Demonstrate technical competence and professional conduct in a research laboratory environment
5	Be able to explain major concepts in physiology and use this knowledge to interpret case studies of human disease

In Integrative and Applied Systems Physiology, there are no required textbooks. The material covered is derived from reviews and original articles in the scientific literature, and you will be directed to the relevant resources at the appropriate time.

We recommend that you hold on to whatever basic physiology text that you used in second year to use as a basic reference.

Textual and audio-visual material will be provided online regularly through MyUni to assist with learning of topics covered in lectures as well as assessment preparation. In addition, a number of lectures will be delivered entirely online. As such, students are reminded to view MyUni often throughout the semester as it is assumed that information that is posted there will be read by all students.

Integrative and Applied Systems Physiology consists of lectures, lectorials, tutorials and a practical stream. The research-focused lectures offer a series of inter-related modules covering the following main topics: cardiovascular and respiratory health and disease, gastrointestinal and endocrine signalling, neuroimmunology and bone marrow physiology, delivered by successful and active medical researchers. Revision lectorials and tutorials support material covered in lectures as well as develop problem-solving skills. The research practical stream, Physiology in Action, involves a hands-on research project supervised by experienced researchers in an active research laboratory and is supported by a series of workshops which are designed to develop research skills, including analysis, interpretation and communication of results.

A full-time student should expect to spend, on average, a total of 48 hours per week on their studies. This includes both the formal contact time required for the course (e.g. lectures, tutorials, practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g. reading and revision, assignment preparation). Integrative and Applied Systems Physiology is a 6 unit course. As such, the expected workload will on average be 24 hours per week, including up to 9 contact hours per week.

Week	Topic	Lecture
Week 1	Gastrointestinal	Introduction and GI signalling
Week 2	Gastrointestinal	Secretion and absorption
Week 3	Gastrointestinal	Cell growth, repair and death pathways
Week 4	Bone marrow	Normal and pathological blood cell production
Week 5	Integrative Physiology	Understanding the balance of multiple systems Case based learning
Week 6	Integrative Physiology	Understanding the balance of multiple systems Case based learning
Week 7	Integrative Physiology	Understanding the balance of multiple systems Case based learning
Week 8	Respiratory	Cases: Snap, crackle and pop
Week 9	Vascular	Cases: Integrated cardiovascular
Week 10	Vascular	Cases: Hypertension
Week 11	Cardiac	Arrhythmias
Week 12	Cardiac	Hypertrophy and heart failure
Week 13	Revision	Revision

Note: the order of the delivery of modules may change depending on approved conference attendance

During this course students may be exposed to human diagnostic specimens and/or blood products as part of the practical component. To comply with standard safety precautions it is recommended that students be vaccinated with the hepatitis B antigen. If they are involved in handling of biospecimens (as indicated by the laboratory supervisor), vaccination will be compulsory. The University Health Service or SA Pathology can assist with immunity status checks and administering hepatitis B vaccinations. Medical expenses are the responsibility of the student.

All students will be a part of a small group placed in an active research laboratory for completion of the practical component of the course. Each group will develop a hypothesis for testing using contemporary research techniques appropriate to the field. Over the semester, novel research findings will be collected for communication in a final presentation. Each group will be supervised by a medical researcher who is an expert in the field.

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
Written exam - Paper A	Summative	20%	1
Written exam - Paper B	Summative	24%	1
Written exam - Paper C	Summative	20%	1
Practorial	Summative	9%	2
Final report	Summative	12%	3
Oral presentation	Summative	10%	3
Lab supervisor assessment	Summative	5%	4

Details of each assessment task are shown above. In brief, the course contains 3 written exams covering lecture material, and a number of summative assignments as part of Physiology in Action. Dates and explicit details for each assessment task will be given in advance via MyUni.

Note that the final marks for Integrative and Applied Systems Physiology may be moderated by the Examination Panel under some circumstances. Moderation is only ever used to improve a mark or grade, not to decrease it.

PAPER A
Paper A will be a 50 minute closed-book, written examination administered during the ordinary lecture period. This will consist of several short answer questions covering material in the first module of the lecture stream.

PAPER B
Paper B will be a 50 minute closed-book, written examination administered during the ordinary lecture period. This will consist of several short answer questions covering material in the second module of the lecture stream.

PAPER C
Paper C will be a 50 minute closed-book, written examination administered during the ordinary lecture period. This will consist of several short answer questions covering material in the third module of the lecture stream.

For full details about assessment for the Practical (Physiology in Action), please see the relevant material for the course on MyUni.

Hurdle Requirements and Course Criteria
To successfully pass the course students must achieve all of the following criteria:
- Achieving a final combined mark for theory papers A, B and C of 50% or higher.
- Attend practicals and attain a supervisor’s mark of 2.5 or higher (out of 5)
- Complete all practical assignments, including practorials, to a passable standard
Any student not meeting these hurdle requirements will not be eligible to pass the course, regardless of performance in other components.

Submission of work for assessment
Staff will clearly indicate the deadline (date and time) for coursework submission in the course information contained within MyUni. In addition, assessment deadlines will be announced via MyUni at least 7 days prior to the submission deadline. Unless otherwise indicated, coursework should be submitted electronically via MyUni as instructed. Any students experiencing technical difficulties should contact the course coordinator and MSTRC staff at the earliest opportunity. Coursework submitted to any location other than those specified will not be accepted. This includes submissions to personal staff email addresses.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Submission dates may be extended under exceptional circumstances. Please see the course coordinator at the earliest opportunity if you feel that you require an extension. Upon receipt of an application for extension, staff may:
- Refuse permission for extension, specifying the appropriate reason(s); or
- Grant permission for extension without penalty; or
- Grant permission for extension with a penalty as guided by this policy.

Please note the School of Medical Sciences policy that assessments handed in late to 3rd year courses will receive a penalty of 30% of the mark for each day late, with a mark of zero after 3 days. Any potential difficulties in meeting assessment deadlines should be discussed in good time with the practical co-ordinator (Dr David Wilson) Please note that attendance at all practical sessions is expected. Occasional absences for medical, compassionate, or other reasons are OK, but these need to be justified with appropriate documentation. Anticipated absences should be cleared with the course co-ordinator, and the rest of the group informed. Absences beyond this will result in a zero supervisor mark, and an adjusted mark for poor contribution to group assignments

Replacement Exams Policy
This applies to ALL exams, including those held during class, not just those at the end of semester exam period

(1) Students seeking a replacement examination must refer to the University policy. The policy and an application form can be downloaded from the following site: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html

(2) For all courses in Physiology, requests for replacement examinations should be made by submission of the completed form and supporting documentation to the Faculty office. If the illness or exceptional personal circumstance occurred before the exam, students must submit their application no later than 5 business days after the occurrence of the condition, illness and/or exceptional personal circumstances, which form the grounds on which their application is made, regardless of the date of the primary exam. If the illness or exceptional personal circumstance occurred on the day of the exam, students must notify an examination supervisor and apply for a replacement exam within 5 business days of the date of the primary exam. The application will be considered by the School of Medical Sciences Examinations Committee who will decide the outcome based on the materials provided by the student in support of their application and in line with the policies of both the University and the Faculty of Health Sciences.

(3) The School Examinations Committee will not approve applications where the nature of the illness is considered minor. This decision cannot be made where no evidence is provided as to the severity of the illness. We strongly respect the right of students to keep the specific nature of their illness confidential. However the new University Policy on Replacement exams requires your medical practioner to complete sections 3 and 4 of the appropriate form (see http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html) certifying that they considered your illness to be major. Replacement examinations cannot be approved without this certification (i.e. on the basis of a medical certificate alone). Students are strongly advised to take a copy of this form with them for completion by their medical practitioner at the time of their consultation.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING ACADEMIC REPLACEMENT EXAMS: Academic Replacement Exams cannot be applied for. These are different to replacement exams for medical or compassionate reasons. They may be offered at the discretion of the School of Medical Sciences examinations committee, to permit students to re-sit any or all Papers if their overall performance in papers A, B & C was close to the required level (45% average standard).