Outline

Overview

This unit of study provides information on the biology of micro-organisms with particular reference to the importance of micro-organisms in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences. The unit also involves the application of basic microbiological principles to the production of clean and sterile pharmaceutical products in both community and hospital pharmacy, and in industrial manufacture. Topics include the comparison of the structure, function and importance of the major groups of micro-organisms; pathogenicity and epidemiology of infectious diseases; infection control measures and principles underlying treatment of infectious diseases; mechanisms of action, characteristics, and types of antibiotics and chemical antimicrobial agents; antibiotic resistance; principles and methods of sterilisation, disinfection and preservation; concepts of good manufacturing practice and aseptic techniques. The practical component is illustrative of the lectures and focuses on techniques of handling microbial culture and identifying micro-organisms; factors affecting the microbial growth; transmission of diseases and host defence mechanisms; basic aseptic microbiological technique applicable to preparation of pharmaceutical products; and evaluation of different chemical antimicrobial agents.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PHAR2812
Academic unit	Pharmacy
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	BIOL1XX8 or BIOL1XX3
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Lifeng Kang, lifeng.kang@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Andrew Holmes, andrew.holmes@sydney.edu.au
	Timothy Newsome, timothy.newsome@sydney.edu.au
	Nicholas Coleman, nicholas.coleman@sydney.edu.au
	Dee Carter, dee.carter@sydney.edu.au
	Leona Campbell, leona.campbell@sydney.edu.au
	Christopher Harmer, christopher.harmer@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam	Final exam closed-book MCQ and SAQ, covering all lectures.	60%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Practical report Report	13%	Multiple weeks	4 pages in 1 week
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Microbiology practical Attendance and preparation of knowledge	5%	Multiple weeks	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Pharmacy laboratory Attendance and participation	3%	Multiple weeks	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test	Quiz closed-book MCQ, covering both lecture and labs.	15%	Week 08	40 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Video demonstration quizzes Online quizzes	4%	Week 10	20 minutes each
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Microbiology practical: Attendance at all practical sessions is compulsory. Students are required to comply with the laboratory rules at all times. Attitude to work, effort and understanding will also be assessed. Pre-work tasks and post-lab tasks (of the previous class) must be completed prior to coming to class. These will be checked by your demonstrator.
Pharmacy laboratory: Attendance at all practical sessions is compulsory. Students are required to comply with the laboratory rules at all times. Attitude to work, effort, and understanding will also be assessed. Pre-lab tasks must be completed prior to coming to class. These tasks will be checked by your demonstrator during each practical session.
Quiz: This is a closed-book, multiple-choice assessment. Questions of the mid-term quiz come from materials from the first 8 weeks of semester. This includes all lectures and practical lab classes, including theoretical background of practical classes as well as the results of each exercise.
Video demonstration quizzes: Short videos will demonstrate different aspects, requirements, and techniques to prepare sterilised pharmaceutical products. After the film, the students need to complete an online assessment (a series of multiple-choice questions) related to that film. Students are required to answer questions without consulting other students. The allowed time and instructions to complete each assessment will appear on screen prior to the assessment.
Pharmacy practical: The report should be carried out in groups of two students.
Final exam: The final exam will consist of a series of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. All aspects of the unit of study including lectures and practical classes will be examinable.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to students who demonstrate the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the units material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the units material and can solve routine problems and/ or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory adequately referencing the original source of the work.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Intro to Micro and Infection	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Micro Intro & Techniques	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Major Infectious Diseases	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prokaryotes-General Structure	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 1	Practical (3 hr)
Week 03	Prokaryotes-Special Features	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prokaryotes - Identification/Classification	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 2	Practical (3 hr)
Week 04	Intro to Medical Microbiology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Transmission & Epidemiology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 3	Practical (3 hr)
Week 05	Pathogenicity	Lecture (1 hr)
	Host Defence Barriers	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 4	Practical (3 hr)
Week 06	Medically Important Bacteria I	Lecture (1 hr)
	Medically Important Bacteria II	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 5	Practical (3 hr)
Week 07	Medically Important Viruses	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Prac 6	Practical (3 hr)
Week 08	Medically Important Eukaryotes	Lecture (1 hr)
	Antibiotics I	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 7	Practical (3 hr)
Week 09	Antibiotics II	Lecture (1 hr)
	Mid-term Quiz (Note: split venues)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prac 8	Practical (3 hr)
Week 10	Sterilisation I	Lecture (1 hr)
	Sterilisation II	Lecture (1 hr)
	Sterile production	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 11	Chemical Antimicrobial Agents I	Lecture (1 hr)
	Chemical Antimicrobial Agents II	Lecture (1 hr)
	Good manufacturing practice	Workshop (1 hr)
Week 12	Contamination Control/Cleanroom	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Revision/Review/Feedback	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Remedial session	Lecture and tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	Remedial session	Lecture and tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance at the 2 workshops and all practical sessions is compulsory.

An attendance list will be circulated at each session. Students must sign the attendance list.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Price Hugo & Russell’s Pharmaceutical Microbiology, 8th edition.

Prescott's Microbiology. 9th edition.

Introduction to Modern Virology. 7th edition.

Russell, Hugo & Ayliffe's: Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization, 5th edition.

Microbiology: an introduction. 12th edition.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand the microbial world and its relationships with other forms of life and the environment
LO2. describe and understand organism structures, functions, and bio-relationships (in man and environment) of major microbial groups (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa)
LO3. for each microbial group, describe the pathological processes of infection in man
LO4. demonstrate an understanding of processes for preventing infections (e.g., hygiene, infection control processes, antibiotic prophylaxis, and immunisation)
LO5. demonstrate an understanding of managing infections with pharmaceuticals (including notions of culture and sensitivity, therapeutic decisions and dosage regimens, and theory behind therapeutic failure)
LO6. demonstrate an understanding of mechanisms, causes, and consequences of antimicrobial drug resistance (in particular, the relationship with antimicrobial drug misuse/overuse in humans and in animal husbandry)
LO7. describe and understand the importance of managing microbial contamination of pharmaceutical products.
LO8. understand sterile production and good manufacturing practice

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

According to USS feedback, improvements have been made to practicals and the Canvas site.

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PHAR2812: Microbiology and Infection

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect