OPTOM 353A/B : Ocular Pathology
Medical and Health Sciences
2024 Semester One (1243) / Semester Two (1245) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Course Requirements
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand and describe the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the more common posterior and anterior segment eye diseases and conditions. (Capability 3 and 4)
- Understand and describe the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the more common diseases and conditions of the ocular adnexae. (Capability 3 and 4)
- Describe the clinical characteristics of the more common eye diseases, including signs, symptoms, prevalence, prognoses and sequelae. (Capability 3, 4 and 8)
- Understand and appreciate the differences between the clinical appearance of diseased and normal ocular structures and tissues. (Capability 3 and 4)
- Describe and explain the mode of action of the most common therapies associated with selected eye diseases. (Capability 3, 4 and 6)
- Demonstrate the process of differential diagnosis in the identification of eye disease, based on the understanding and knowledge of the more common eye diseases. (Capability 3, 4, 5 and 8)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Tests | 30% | Individual Test |
| Case Studies & Quizzes | 35% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 35% | Individual Examination |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| Tests | ||||||||||
| Case Studies & Quizzes | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
Students must pass the coursework component as well as the exam, to pass the course.
Workload Expectations
This course is a 15 point course spread over 2 semesters. Students are expected to spend ~6 hours per week in work related to this course over the two semesters.
For this course, you can expect 33 hours of lectures, 8 hours of tutorials, 8 hours of labs, 40 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 60 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled labs to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
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.
To aid with managing course content, we will introduce some short (5-10min) online activities for students to complete prior to lectures. These will mainly be revision of content covered in previous papers (e.g. normal anatomy and physiology in OPTOM 272).
We will add separate learning objectives for each topic in the lab manual. We will also update both the lab manual and lecture slides to have mentions of all the diseases/conditions across the two, but explicitly state where they are covered (lecture only, lab manual only, or both).
Regarding assessments, we will incorporate individual marks components for the PBL group presentations. Where appropriate, we will also alter the format of written tests to have a wider pool of questions (e.g. answer 3 out of 5 questions).
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework 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. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.
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.
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 course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.
The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.
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 students may be asked to submit 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. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.