Integrated Eye Care and Ocular Therapeutics (10296.2)

Required texts

Recommended texts:

Salmon JF. Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systematic Approach (9th Ed). Elsevier; 2020. The 8th and 10th edition of this textbook is also suitable.

Bruce AS, Loughnan MS. Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z. Australia: Elsevier; 2011.

Onofrey BE, Skorin Jr. L, Holdeman NR. Ocular Therapeutics Handbook: A Clinical Manual (4th Ed). Mexico: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2020. The 3rd edition of this textbook is also suitable.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Contract Cheating 
Contract cheating (academic outsourcing / ghost-writing) is a form of academic misconduct in which students submit written or creative work which has been drafted or produced by someone else and claim authorship for it. It includes (but is not limited to) using a third party, artificial intelligence, offering their services for commercial or other benefits, to complete (either partially or fully) an assignment or other assessment items on behalf of the student.  

You are at risk of contract cheating if you ask someone (including artificial intelligence) to:

• Complete an assignment for you
• Substantially edit your assignment
• Do your university work for you, with or without compensation
• Check test or quiz answers
• Sit a test or quiz for you
• Provide someone with your UC login details
• Use someone's work as your own

You may also be at risk of contract cheating if you provide information to people or organisations outside UC, such as:

• Assignment questions and briefs
• Lecture notes
• Marking rubrics and marking guides

UC considers contract cheating serious misconduct which may attract suspension or exclusion from the university. Furthermore, we, as your education provider, have mandatory reporting responsibilities under National Law. We are required to notify the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) if we believe that a registered health practitioner (including those with student registration) has behaved in a way that constitutes notifiable conduct including signature departure from accepted professional standards. Contract cheating can result in UC submitting a mandatory notification to AHPRA.

You can learn more about contract cheating in the Academic Integrity Module, a compulsory module that provides information about a range of issues including plagiarism and contract cheating. UC provides a range of services to support student learning. Further information regarding Study Skills, Studiosity and Medical & Counselling services are available on your unit's Canvas site.

Artificial intelligence services must not be used by students in assessments or assessment preparation.

Special assessment requirements

Coursework and Assessments

In order to pass and successfully complete 10296 Integrated Eye Care and Ocular Therapeutics, students must:

• Achieve a mark of at least 50% in the final examination; and
• Achieve a final aggregate (overall) mark of 50% or higher

If an answer provided by a student in an assessment is likely to cause patient harm, contradictory in nature, or is inappropriate, the student may have marks deducted, to no less than a zero grade for the entire assessment item. 

Students are required to cooperate in laboratory classes, workshops or remediation sessions where students may be asked to practice optometry skills on each other, with each student as the patient and practitioner in turn and in approximately equal duration. By both conducting the clinical procedures and participating in the tests, you will gain an insight and empathy into the issues associated with testing visual function, both from the point of view of both an optometrist and patient. 

This course aims to develop your professional and communication skills in preparation for your journey towards being a health professional. During classes and placements, you will be required to demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict. Any action or omission that affects the safety of your patient or peers or is deemed disrespectful to your patients, fellow students or the teaching staff can result in failure of a patient assessment task regardless of the aggregate mark for the assessment. Virtual classes have additional requirements where you will further develop communication skills in the virtual environment. While in a virtual environment, students are required to present themselves and communicate with peers, staff and invited speakers in a professional way. Hence, the default for all virtual classes is for all student web cameras to be turned on during virtual classes. Instructors may require students to interact either verbally, through polls or the shared chat function. Students who do not participate in this way can be marked as absent for the class. Students who need guidance on expected behaviors and participation may consult with the Unit Convenor and/or Study Skills. Instructors may request that cameras are turned off under certain circumstances.

Additional Assessment

For those students who do not qualify for a supplementary examination, but who have failed the final examination (hurdle assessment) with a grade of 45-49.4% AND are in their final unit in their final semester in the Bachelor of Vision Science and have passed all other units, e.g. finishing this unit would result in completion of the Bachelor of Vision Science, AND the student has obtained an aggregate mark greater than 50% for the unit, those students are eligible for an additional assessment as follows: Students will be given an opportunity to attempt an additional piece of assessment for the corresponding failed assessment and must complete this supplementary assessment successfully (mark of 50% or greater) in order to pass this unit. The content of the additional assessment will be comparable to the failed assessment and may take the form of written or oral assessment. It will be held following the Semester 1 examination period and students should expect to have their grade withheld (WH) until the additional assessment has been completed. If the student passes the additional assessment (50% or better), they shall receive the minimum required mark required to receive a pass grade in that unit (e.g. 50/100).

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Deferred Exams and Assessments

In the event a student misses an intra-semester assessment due to an extenuating and evidenced circumstance, the student must contact the Unit Convener and request a deferred exam/assessment/quiz within three (3) days of the scheduled assessment. The request must be made in writing (by email) with an 'Assignment Extension' form. Students must provide documentary evidence (e.g. medical certificate) or other relevant documents as requested by the Unit Convener before sitting the deferred assessment. Failure to do so will result in a zero grade being awarded for that assessment item. Students will be informed of the date of the deferred assessment via the student's University email and the deferred assessment may take place within three (3) days of the email being sent by the Unit Convenor and/or representative. Students are not permitted to defer a deferred intra-semester exam, quiz or assessment. Any student unable to undertake the deferred intra-semester exam will be failed for the assessment task and will result in a zero grade being awarded for that assessment item.

In the event a student is unable to attend their scheduled final examination and the reason meets the criteria for acceptable grounds for extenuating circumstances, the student should submit a 'Request for Deferred Examination Application' form with original documentary evidence to the Timetabling and Examinations Office (through the Student Centre). This must be lodged within three (3) days of the scheduled examination. Deferred Examination Applications lodged after the due submission date may be considered only if circumstances made it impossible for the application to be lodged before, or immediately after the original examination (e.g. ongoing serious illness exists). Students are not usually permitted to defer a deferred final examination. Any student who does not undertake their deferred final examination will received a mark of zero for the examination. Where students are able to provide evidence of exceptional circumstances that led to them being unable to sit their deferred final examination, they may apply for a late withdrawal from the unit using the 'Enrolment Amendment' form.

If a student is feeling unwell or hold a current medical certificate on the day of any scheduled examination, they should not attempt the examination as once the examination paper has been opened, the student is unable to defer the examination, and no consideration will be given for illness when the examination is marked.

Students are only permitted one extension per assignment and one deferral per examination/assessment (on the grounds of illness or other unavoidable and verifiable personal circumstances) unless otherwise approved. Students must make themselves available for deferred intra-semester exams and quizzes which will be scheduled by the Unit Convener and informed to the student through the Canvas site or student email. It is the student's responsibility to ascertain the correct timetable for their examinations and quizzes. Deferred final examations are centrally administered by the Timetabling and Examinations Office.

Inclusion and engagement

Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP)

If you have a RAP that you wish to apply to your learning activities and assessments, it is your responsibility to communicate with your unit convener in writing or email at least 7 days before your in-class assessment is due. Please attach your RAP with your request.

Participation requirements

This unit contains participatory elements which are vital to the Optometry Board of Australia entry-level competencies for optometrists (https://www.optometry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Professional_support/Guidelines/Final_Entry-level-Competency-Standard-for-Optometry-2022.pdf).

Except in the case of extenuating circumstances, 100% attendance is expected at all lectures, case-based seminars, tutorials and laboratories. Please note that not all learning material covered in lectures, e.g. worked examples of problems or discussion in small groups, will be captured by the lecture recording software. Students are expected to attend for the entire time scheduled for laboratories. It is expected that students unable to fulfil these participation requirements will inform the Unit Convener as soon as practical, by telephone or email. Failure to adhere to these requirements may result in failure of an associated assessment piece. For inability to attend a scheduled laboratory session, an 'Absence from Laboratory' form (available on UCLearn Canvas) with supporting documentation should be submitted to the Unit Convener; students may be required to attend an additional laboratory session to complete the required tasks. Consideration will be given for illness; evidence such as a medical certificate will be required. The final decision will be at the discretion of the unit convener.

Contact details for the Unit Convenor and the Administration Office are given in Section 1.

As mentioned above, students are required to cooperate in classes, acting as patient and practitioner when practicing optometry skills on each other. During classes you will be required to demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict. Any action or omission that affects patient safety or is deemed disrespectful to your patients, fellow students or the teaching staff can result in failure of a patient assessment task regardless of the aggregate mark for the assessment.

Required IT skills

The use of UCLearn Canvas, library searching skills, and word and data processing (Microsoft Office Suite) skills are necessary for this unit.

This unit may also involve online meetings in real time using the Virtual Room in your UCLearn teaching site. The Virtual Room allows you to communicate in real time with your lecturer and other students. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset. For more information and to test your computer, go to the Virtual Room in your UCLearn site and 'Join Course Room'. This will trigger a tutorial to help familiarise you with the functionality of the virtual room.

In-unit costs

Students may wish to print electronically provided material for their own study. There are no additional in-unit costs. 

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

Pursuant to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, optometry practitioners (registered optometrists) and education providers have an obligation to report 'notifiable conduct', to the Optometry Board of Australia in order to prevent the public being placed at risk of harm.

Education providers are also required, under s.143 of the National Law, to make mandatory notifications in relation to students, if the provider reasonable believes:

1. a student enrolled with the provider has an impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm; or
2. a student for whom the provider has arranged clinical training has an impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking the clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm.

Practitioners are required to make a mandatory notification in relation to a student if the practitioner reasonably believes that a student has an impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm.

All concerns raised within the Discipline of Optometry or by clinical preceptors will be reviewed by the Head of Discipline and the Unit Convener before any reporting action is taken.

These professional obligations are taken seriously by staff and the University. Students should be aware of their obligations under student registration.

For further information, please refer to: https://www.optometryboard.gov.au/policies-codes-guidelines/guidelines-for-mandatory-notifications.aspx

• Semester 1, 2024, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (221804)