| UNIT TITLE |
Fundamental Biomedical Techniques |
| UNIT CODE |
SCH1111 |
| CREDIT POINTS |
15 |
| FULL YEAR UNIT |
No |
| MODE OF DELIVERY |
On-campus
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DESCRIPTION
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In the laboratory component of this unit students learn how to: work in accordance with biomedical laboratory safety policy; measure-out solids and liquids to make solutions and buffers of required concentrations and pH; dilute solutions and particles to required levels; employ sterile technique; prepare media, inoculate microbial cultures on liquid and solid media; record microbial growth on plates and under the microscope; and identify microbes of biomedical significance. The principles behind these laboratory operations, and behind the equipment used to perform them, are explained in the lectures.
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| LEARNING OUTCOMES |
Upon completing this unit, students should be able to:
- demonstrate an ability to work in accordance with biomedical laboratory safety policy;
- weigh solids to an accuracy of 10-5 gram;
- pipette liquids to an accuracy of 5X10-7 litre;
- dilute solutions and particles in the range 10-1 to 10-12;
- prepare sterile media;
- inoculate microbial cultures aseptically on to liquid and solid media;
- isolate, purify, amplify, electrophorese, and sequence DNA.
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| UNIT CONTENT |
| The science taught in this unit is cross-cultural and internationally relevant.
Laboratory safety, biomedical careers and developing a portfolio;
Scientific notation, basic formulae and calculations;
Basic biomedical laboratory techniques;
Solutions, dilutions, pH and buffers;
Microscopy (light, phase contrast and electron microscopy);
Microbiological techniques;
Molecular Genetic Techniques. |
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| TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSES |
| Seminars (including a biomedical careers seminar), lectures (with industry based lecturers), and practical laboratory classes totalling 4 hours per week. Laboratory sessions include pre-lab presentations on the theory and methodologies underpinning each session. Students will work in teams to discuss 'focus points' that involve the interpretation and critical analysis of data. Guidance on the preparation and compilation of laboratory reports, and on developing a portfolio that can be presented to potential future employers will be provided. |
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| GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES |
The following graduate attributes will be developed in this unit
- Ability to work in teams
- Critical appraisal skills
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| ASSESSMENT |
| Grading Schema 1 |
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| Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners. |
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Item
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On-Campus Assessment
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Value
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Assignment
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Laboratory report
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20%
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Examination
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Laboratory calculations
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30%
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Examination
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Practical Examination
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50%
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| Students must attend at least 90% of the laboratory and tutorial classes in order to obtain a pass in this unit. |
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| TEXTS |
| Medic, S. & Ziman, M. (2011). Biomedical laboratory techniques. Edith Cowan University Publications. |
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| SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES |
| Schuster, S. C. (2008). Next-generation sequencing transforms today's biology. Nature methods. Volume 5, pp16-18. New York City, USA, Macmillan. |
| Cole, E. S. (2008). Conventional light microscopy: Current protocols essential laboratory techniques. Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. |
| Savage, P. J., Campellone, K. G., & Leong, J. M. (2007). Interaction of enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli (EHEC) with mammalian cells: Current protocols in microbiology. Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. |
| Burnett, L. C., Lunn, G., & Coico, R. (2009). Biosafety: Guidelines for working with pathogenic and infectious microorganisms: Current protocols in microbiology. Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. |
| Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., & Maniatis, T. (2001). Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual (3rd ed.). Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. |
| Schwarz, S. C., & Schwarz, J. (2010). Translation of stem cell therapy for neurological diseases: Translation research Volume 156(3): pp155-60. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Elsevier. |
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| JOURNALS |
| BioTechniques |
| Journal of General Microbiology |
| Today's Life Sciences |
| Trends in Genetics |
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| Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005) | |
| For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Student Equity, Diversity and Disability Service website: |
| http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/student/support/student-equity |
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Academic Misconduct
Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
- plagiarism;
- unauthorised collaboration;
- cheating in examinations;
- theft of other students’ work.
Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.
The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.
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