Outline

Overview

This unit of study will cover the therapeutics of immunology and cancer including the pharmaceutical sciences that underpin such drug therapies. This unit will also include the epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical features of immunology and cancer. Through the use of case-based learning, students will participate in the interpretation, application and dissemination of pharmaceutical and pharmacotherapeutic concepts and knowledge. On completion of this unit of study students will be able to apply an understanding of the pharmaceutical sciences to optimising the drug and non-drug therapy of patients with cancer and immunological disorders. Interprofessional communication and the application of specialist knowledge to implementing pharmacist cognitive services such as clinical interventions and/or medication management review will also be explored. Students will become familiar with drug information software and a number of computerised drug information databases. Role-plays will be used to develop students' communication skills for interaction between pharmacists and their clients (patients, doctors, other health professionals).

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PHAR5723
Academic unit	Pharmacy
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	(PHAR5711 or PHAR5911) and PHAR5712 and PHAR5713 and PHAR5714 and PHAR5715 and PHAR5716 and PHAR5717 and PHAR5718
Corequisites ?	PHAR5721 and PHAR5722 and PHAR5920
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Rebecca Roubin, rebecca.roubin@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam	Written Exam MCQ, short answer	60%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Final exam	OSCE Clinical skills assessment	25%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Tutorial assessments Prework, professionalism, and participation in case tutorials.	15%	Ongoing	12 x 3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial assessments: Pre/post-work and in class tasks in each tutorial must be completed to attain satisfactory participation marks. If a task is failed, the students may be given an opportunity to repeat the task at a time convenient to the coordinator/tutorial facilitator. Furthermore, attendance at all 12 tutorials is compulsory. Assessment includes the generation of a “letter to the doctor” and a full medication review – both submitted online in Canvas on the due date.
OSCE: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has three stations. Each student will be given three topics, with time to prepare for the three topics. Immediately after the preparation time, each student will discuss the topics, and the issues and concerns raised when reviewing the topic, at three closed book stations, with a pseudo-doctor (who is also the examiner), a pseudo-patient (who is also the examiner), and a pharmacy colleague (who is also the examiner).
Final examination: The exam will comprise a mixture of multiple choice questions and short answer questions. These questions will include all content covered in lectures, tutorials and tutorial preparation.

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	Cancer 1	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Cancer 2	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Cancer 3	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Cancer 4	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Cancer 5	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Cancer 6	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Immunological disorders 1	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Immunological disorders 2	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Immunological disorders 3	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Immunological disorders 4	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Immunological disorders 5	Tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Immunological disorders 6	Tutorial (3 hr)
Weekly	Cancer and Immunological disorders	Lecture (48 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: In accordance with the School Policy on Attendance, students must attend a minimum of 85% tutorials (10 of 12 tutorials) to satisfy attendance requirements for this unit of study. If a tutorial is missed due to illness or misadventure, students are to submit a special consideration form along with supporting documentation. Students arriving more than 10 minutes after the commencement of the tutorial will be marked as absent. Students swapping a tutorial without prior approval from the UoS co-ordinator will be marked as absent.

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

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. outline physiology and pathophysiology associated with disease states of the immune system and cancer
LO2. demonstrate a working understanding of fundamental concepts and techniques of chemistry necessary for understanding drug delivery, drug action and therapeutics in immunological disorders and cancer
LO3. demonstrate an understanding of the pharmacological mechanisms of action and the properties drugs display as biologically active molecules in the treatment of immunological disorders and cancer
LO4. demonstrate an understanding of pharmaceutical factors impacting on therapeutic efficacy in immunological disorders and cancer
LO5. apply an understanding of basic and applied sciences to the management and solution of pharmaceutical and clinical problems including metabolism and enzymic degradation of drugs in immunological disorders and cancer
LO6. communicate effectively with patients, families, carers and other health care professionals in the context of medicines and immunological disorders and cancer-related issues
LO7. apply a systematic reasoning process to address a range of health and drug-related problems the areas of immunological disorders and cancer
LO8. provide pharmacy cognitive services in the areas of immunological disorders and cancer
LO9. provide over the counter products using endorsed professional protocols and prescription medicines and appropriate advice and counselling for immunological disorders and cancer
LO10. apply appropriate clinical reasoning skills to generate a medication review, including communication with the physician, according to principles of practice and adequate patient care

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.

This is the second time this unit has been offered, with changes made based on the student and staff feedback received last year.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit.

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no additional WHS requirements for this unit.

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

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PHAR5723: Immunology and Cancer

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

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect