MEDSCI 203 : Mechanisms of Disease
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Course Contacts
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of (in exams and assignments) the prevalence of specific diseases of importance to New Zealanders, and health inequities in disease presentation and progression (examples include Diabetes and Rheumatic Fever). (Capability 1)
- Apply knowledge learned in this course to living wisely: theory should relate to lifestyle applications in terms of diet, exercise, stress, cultural and other inputs that ultimately impact on health (such as mediating effects of chronic inflammation, metabolic disease, antibiotic resistance and cardiovascular function). (Capability 2)
- Understand and explain the origins (aetiologies) and developmental mechanisms (pathogenesis) of diseases, including chronic inflammation (fatty liver disease), abnormalities of immunity (allergies, autoimmunity), bacterial infections, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and tumours. (Capability 3)
- Develop the ability to contrast competing theories, and to evaluate their relative merits in accounting for disease development, as exemplified by ongoing controversies over the origins of arterial disease (atheroma and atherosclerosis), and (in cancer) multiple ways by which tumours gain a blood supply and colonise sites remote from the primary tumour. (Capability 4)
- Apply integrative thinking to develop models and hypotheses as to how complex, multifactorial disease conditions may evolve, and how they may be diagnosed (as with genomic and transcriptomic analyses of genetic disease) and treated (as with therapies developed to target proteins specifically altered in cancers). (Capability 5)
- Develop connections in taught material by revising content (from digital lessons, textbooks and reading references) during laboratories and tutorials, by pair and small group work to practise multiple forms of verbal, written and visual presentation. (Capability 6)
- Establish productive and enduring relationships with peers during tutorial group-work and display effective collaboration through active participation and completion of assignments. (Capability 7)
- Evaluate scientific literature to identify key points and link them together critically using flow diagrams or mind maps. This will be achieved in part by assignments requiring analysis of articles on fatty liver disease, inflammation, heart disease and cancer. (Capability 8)
- Demonstrate the ability to engage in self-directed learning throughout the course, and particularly when novel concepts require further explanation or elucidation. (Capability 8)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments and Tutorials | 19% | Individual Coursework |
| Laboratories - reports | 16% | Individual Coursework |
| Test #1 | 15% | Individual Test |
| Test #2 | 15% | Individual Test |
| Final Exam | 35% | Individual Examination |
| 5 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Assignments and Tutorials | ||||||||||
| Laboratories - reports | ||||||||||
| Test #1 | ||||||||||
| Test #2 | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 31 hours of digital lessons, 71 hours of reading, thinking about the content and test/exam preparation, and 45 hours of laboratory work, tutorials and assignments. Two in-term tests are held in additional morning and afternoon time slots.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at scheduled practical labs and tutorials to complete coursework components of the course.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Overall course satisfaction in 2024 was high with respondents stating that they enjoyed the flexibility of being able to watch the lessons online and revise in their own time. Some students however struggled to allocate time to watch the lesson content even though the modules were designed to be watched in a defined timetable. This course relies on students taking personal responsibility for their own learning and timetables, supporting independence and important skills that are commonly requested by employers.
We received valuable feedback from our 2024 cohort and have modified some of the digital lesson formats to make them easier to follow, higher quality and able to watch off-line or on a larger screen.
After feedback in multiple prior years about the lack of opportunities to meet and work with peers, changes were made in 2024 to include active learning during compulsory in-person group tutorials. Although our 2024 students were nervous about the format of these sessions, the vast majority of the class selected these as their favourite part of the course and were surprised to find they were fun, relaxed and allowed the application of the taught lesson content to real world scenarios - many people also made new friends in these sessions.
Other Information
In response to student feedback and the Curriculum Framework Transformation programme, MEDSCI 203 was refreshed in 2024 and will continue in the same 'flipped' format in 2025. The course remains a popular choice; to support flexibility and independence in learning, traditional lectures (3x 1hr per week) have been converted into self-directed online lessons. The delivery of this course may therefore feel unfamiliar compared to others that students have taken prior. There is an expectation that students take personal responsibility for their own timetabling of digital online lessons to prepare for the scheduled labs and tutorials. To support collaboration and development of enduring relationships with peers, fortnightly activity-based tutorials have been included. These are aimed to allow revision of the lesson content and development of various written, verbal and visual communication skills.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Completing assignments and texts/exams is an essential part of this course to support learning. No more than one major in-course assessment may be awarded with an aegrotat or compassionate assessment. If you apply for more than one aegrotat for major assessments, aegrotat can only be applied to one of these. Once exam marking has been completed, we will perform an analysis and apply the most favourable outcome possible to one of those assessments.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.