OPB201 Foundations of Optometric Practice
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | OPB201 |
|---|---|
| Assumed Knowledge: | Assumed knowledge: An understanding of communication skills from PYB007. |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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| CSP student contribution | $1,164 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,356 |
| International unit fee | $5,352 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | OPB201 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | Assumed knowledge: An understanding of communication skills from PYB007. |
| Coordinator: | Katrina Schmid | k.schmid@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit will provide you with foundation generic skills and key optometric knowledge to prepare you for your journey towards becoming an optometrist. In this unit appropriate foundation knowledge that underpins the profession (ocular anatomy and physiology, ophthalmic optics and visual science), scope of practice and competencies relevant to practice (ethics, digital citizenship, law, communication, cultural safety, and evidence-based practice) will be covered. The unit also introduces and applies the concepts of professional identity and skills required when working in a health care setting (professional skills, reflective skills, and research skills). Learning outcomes include the value of teamwork, reflections on learning and development of lifelong learning skills. Topics introduced in this unit will provide foundation materials for later units in the optometry program, through which you will further develop core knowledge and competencies.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Describe the scope of practice and skill competencies required for successful practice within the optometric profession;
- Achieve introductory collaboration and teamwork skills, interacting with peers and industry professionals; use and reflect on these experiences to develop your professional goals;
- Apply knowledge of the ethical and legal framework underpinning the optometry profession;
- Demonstrate effective communication skills with a diverse range of patients and have a beginning understanding in cultural safety;
- Solve basic problems related to ocular anatomy and physiology, ophthalmic optics, and visual science.
Content
As a first-year unit, the content and tasks you will complete aim to foster your development of key academic skills including your study skills, communication and interaction with peers.
This unit is delivered across 6 modules of learning.
Professional identity. Covers the optometric scope of practice and competencies and evidence-based practice. This module explores professional identity within optometry, and optometry's role in Australia's health system and team-based health care. You will learn about scope of practice and what it is to be a reflective practitioner. You will be introduced to evidence-based practice, types of research, how to collect evidence, start to be able to critically evaluate the evidence and begin to evaluate the validity and quality of evidence and research. You will also complete an online module about developing your career that has been produced in collaboration with the Student Success Group.
Introduction to communication, cultural safety and Indigenous perspectives. This module will focus on communication skills, understanding patients, and your reflection of the importance of communication for a successful optometrist. You will be introduced to the concept of cultural safety and information provided on Indigenous perspectives (resources supplied by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand).
Ethical and legal framework. This module will describe the foundation principles of ethics (including patient privacy and sustainable practice) in the context of a health professional, illustrated by case examples. You will also be introduced to the legal framework in which optometry is practiced.
Introductory ocular anatomy and physiology. This module will introduce you to foundation knowledge in ocular anatomy and physiology. It includes an overview of key structures and main physiological processes of the eye. How structural abnormalities lead to eye disease is introduced.
Introductory ophthalmic optics and lenses. This module will introduce you to foundation knowledge in ophthalmic optics and lenses, and image formation in the eye. The relationship between refractive abnormalities of the eye to the correcting lenses is explored.
Introductory visual science. This module will introduce you to the fundamental principles of how the eye responds to light and visual stimulation. This includes the relationships between colour, form and perception.
Learning Approaches
You will be guided through the development of foundational optometric knowledge with a strong theoretical basis. You will learn about the value of evidence, gather research information using a systematic approach, reference literature and present a coherent report based on the research process. You will gain key foundation knowledge to understand the eye, optical devices and vision.
This learning will be supported by a face-to-face lecture series and also digital learning resources and activities. These will collectively advance your understanding of each week's learning concepts. The content of these resources has been carefully designed to meet your course and discipline needs in optometry. Resources developed by the Student Success Group and the Library are embedded within this unit to support your success.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Some topics will include formative quizzes that are automatically marked so you can gauge your progress. You should use these resources to identify areas you might need to focus on or to modify your learning approach. Some assessment topics will involve you reflecting on what you have learnt by completing the required tasks.
You will gain feedback on your learning development through a range of interactive tools used during learning activities, and through timely feedback on your summative assessment tasks. You will receive written feedback by teachers of the unit on all assessment pieces. You are also encouraged to communicate with the unit coordinator and academic staff member presenting each module if you have any questions or concerns about the assessment items.
During the semester and at the end of semester you will be provided with opportunities to provide feedback on the teaching and learning content of this unit. This is for your benefit and future students who will enrol in and complete this unit. Your feedback, comments and suggestions will be used to make improvements and modifications to the unit where possible to improve the learning outcomes for everyone.
Assessment
Overview
Summative Assessment
Your assessment consists of three main assessment tasks, each of which focuses on a different module or group of related modules.
In the first assessment, Reflection on the Profession, you will collaborate with peers and engage in active research involving interviews with industry professionals. You will analyse the interviews, to identify and reflect on how the key takeaways may influence or challenge your understanding of optometry as a profession. You will explore how this new understanding could be used to develop your professional goals.
The second assessment is an analysis of case scenarios where you will show your understanding of the ethics and legal framework that underpin the profession, and your knowledge of situations that affect communicating with patients and your understanding of cultural safety.
The third assessment is an exam to be held in the central exam period at the end of semester and will assess your depth of understanding of ocular anatomy, ophthalmic optics and visual science.
Detailed information on each of these assessments is provided on the Canvas site. To assist your exam preparation a session that includes sample questions and how to tackle answering these questions is provided. Assessment items 3 is a threshold assessment, where you are required to complete the assessment to a satisfactory level to pass the unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Reflection on the Profession
You will work in groups to gather information about the work of an optometrist and also interview workers in the eye care industry, this could be front counter staff, optical dispensers, optometrists, and industry representatives. You will use this information and your experiences to reflect on the different roles of eye care professionals and your future career as an optometrist. As part of this you should identify important skills that will be required for professional practice.
You will complete the information seeking and subsequent reflections in your groups. Each group member will participate in and contribute to these processes. You will complete an individual reflection about your personal journey as an optometrist.
Learning the skill of reflecting on your learning is an important professional competency. It is a yearly task optometrists complete on reflecting about their learning when completing continuing professional development activities. Producing your reflection paragraph, which considers what your learnt and how you will use this information, replicates the task optometrist complete every year on the continuing professional development they have completed to maintain optometric registration.
This group task does not meet the criteria for automatic submission extension. The use of Gen AI is authorised in this assessment only for information gathering and grammar proofreading and editing.
Assessment: Case Study Analysis
You will show your knowledge in this area by answering questions about 4 case studies requiring insight and critical thought. You will submit a short report using Canvas. This assessment is considered an assignment and thus eligible for the 48-hour automatic extension.
Assessment: Examination (invigilated)
You will be assessed on your knowledge of ocular anatomy and physiology, visual science, and ophthalmic lenses. Questions will comprise very short answer (one mark) and longer answer questions (5-6 marks). Answers may require drawings of the eye, diagrams, graphs, or solving optical problems.
Threshold Assessment:
This task must be completed to a satisfactory level, this means that a pass mark must be obtained on this exam. A school-based resit will be available for students that do not satisfactorily complete this task, i.e with a mark of 40-49%. You will be supported to achieve the required learning outcomes and thus assisting your future success in units building upon this core knowledge. Students are advised to seek feedback on their performance from the unit coordinator prior to the reattempt. Students will not be eligible for a reattempt if their overall grade in the unit is a failing grade.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
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.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
To be advised. There is no official text book for this unit. All materials required will be provided via the Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no-out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Entry-Level Competency Standards for Optometry 2014
1: Professional Responsibilities
Relates to: Examination (invigilated)
Relates to: Reflection on the Profession
Relates to: Case Study Analysis
Relates to: Case Study Analysis
Relates to: Case Study Analysis
Relates to: Case Study Analysis
Relates to: Case Study Analysis
Relates to: Reflection on the Profession
5: Health Information Management
Relates to: Case Study Analysis
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.OP45 Bachelor of Vision Science
- Apply scientific knowledge and core skills of vision science and optometry.
Relates to: Case Study Analysis - Reflect and apply critical thinking, problem solving and analysis to generate optometric and vision science solutions in clinical and scientific settings.
Relates to: Case Study Analysis, Examination (invigilated) - Conduct effective ethical, culturally safe, and evidence-based clinical and technical ocular assessments that include data collection and experimental protocols.
Relates to: Case Study Analysis - Employ effective communication technique/s using a range of oral, written and digital formats culturally and ethically responsive to the needs of diverse audiences and settings that meet professional standards.
Relates to: Reflection on the Profession - Practice as an inclusive, collaborative and reflective professional with capacity to develop resilience, interprofessionalism, and commitment to sustainability goals.
Relates to: Reflection on the Profession, Case Study Analysis