LQB596 Immunology and Immune Dysfunction

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Explain and apply understanding of immunological pathways and application in immune protection/dysfunction
2. Evaluate critical knowledge of the complementary relationships that exist between immune pathways and clinical disease
3. Critically analyse, interpret, report and reflect upon clinical immune dysfunction case studies, research literature and clinical data, and use appropriate scientific communication conventions to report findings of immune disease pathogenesis
4. IIlustrate understanding of therapeutic use to modulate immune process/functionality

Content

Learning Approaches

A context-based approach will help you construct your knowledge and understanding in this unit. This unit will be team-taught and as such will employ a variety of teaching and learning models. A large part of working in immunology is the ability to process and explain complex pathways integrating compounding factors to understand disease susceptibility or protection. The learning approach will include self-directed theory modules that develop and refine your knowledge and understanding of learning concepts. The application of theoretical knowledge is integrated into clinical case study workshops to provide an open forum where learning is constructed rather than delivered. Case study workshop sessions utilise the knowledge acquired from online modules and published scientific papers in both class-based academic and peer-led learning activities to support understanding and as well as developing the ability to work individually or as a team in an ethical, culturally sensitive and professional manner.

Apart from discipline-specific knowledge and clinical understanding, you will develop basic scientific communication skills. To develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate immune processes students will use digital software such as BioRender which is used in real-world scientific practice (meetings, grants, presentations, publications etc..) to communicate pathways and alternate scenarios when associated with microbial insults, immune dysfunctions, and immunotherapeutics. Using a digital forum with relevant software, students work in groups to create a community of practice for understanding complex immune processes in a peer learning forum.  

Your learning activities and assessment tasks will be focused on developing and demonstrating these skills and capabilities.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Throughout the semester you will be provided with feedback on your learning by completing formative assessment tasks and discussing them with your classmates and teaching staff. You can also receive immediate feedback on your own progress by completing the self-directed learning activities available to you online, where available. Feedback on summative assessment items will be provided and you should use this feedback to identify areas you might need to focus your learning on.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment for this unit consists of a written theory examination and two clinical case study reports. Your ability to meet learning milestones embedded in this unit is critical to the successful completion of this unit while ensuring that learning outcomes and aims have been met. The first unit milestone will be a progress examination focused on the immunology-based theory modules and workshop content covering both theoretical and application concepts.  This checkpoint will allow the teaching team and you to monitor your performance in the unit and provide, where needed, the opportunity for you to seek feedback and assistance from the teaching team. Your second assessment task will develop your understanding of immune processes as applied to clinical immune dysfunction and chronic disease outcomes.  This checkpoint will allow you to assess your ability to comprehend and apply immune processes and accurately present clinical data/medical information. You will receive summative feedback after your first case study submission to support your second case study understanding, You will also receive formative feedback on your learning at weekly class discussions and during problem-based learning workshops and clinical exercises. After completing each assessment case study, you will be required to submit a report to Turnitin which assists with plagiarism awareness. Feedback on your reports will be provided in addition to the criteria rubric.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Examination

This progress examination will assess your knowledge and understanding of the theoretical content and application to immune dysfunction delivered in online theory modules, tutorials and workshops in the first half of the unit. A number of multiple-choice and short-answer questions will be used.

Assessment: Case Studies

Our understanding of immune pathways is rapidly changing. The understanding and mapping of immunological pathways is critical in defining the immune dysfunction and determining potential therapeutic targets is central in immune research and clinical settings. BioRender is a graphical illustrations software used by industry in reports, publications, grants and presentations to graphically represent immune pathways of disease within oral and written case study reports to inform colleagues. You have been asked to provide a graphical (BioRender) and written report to your clinical research team mapping the immune profile of two distinct clinical immune dysfunction cases (Case Study 1 (30%) and Case Study 2 (30%)). In these case study reports, you will outline the process(es) of dysfunction and identify, key immune targets for therapy (PART A).  You will use the knowledge gained in the report at a clinical group meeting to assess the suitability of selected clinical immunotherapeutics to modulate the disease state (PART B). The assessment of the immunotherapy will be done in consultation with your clinical research team (peers and academic team) during your clinical group meeting (workshop class). At the end of the group meeting, you will individually submit a summary of your assessment of the immunotherapies for review (at the end of class) in addition to your pre-class background document. In this case study problem-solving task, you will use critical thinking skills and immunological theory to answer questions related to a real-world clinical immune dysfunction disease case study.

This assessment includes an in-class assessment with a submission to Canvas at the end of the timetabled workshop time. 

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Immunology (eBook):

Title: Cellular and Molecular Immunology.

Authors: Abbas, Abul K., Lichtman, Andrew H., Pillai, Shiv,

Ninth edition. 2018

Link to QUT Library eBook: Cellular and Molecular Immunology