Course coordinator
Dr Kate Dutton-Regester
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Veterinary Science School
One Health represents the intersection between human medicine, veterinary/animal science, and ecosystems health. It refers to the complex interplay of infectious or toxic agent, various host species, and the environment in mediating the emergence and dissemination of disease. Although not a new idea, the One Health concept has been recently re-invigorated because of its value in understanding and controlling Emerging Infectious Diseases (i.e. Hendra virus or SARS). The majority of these diseases are zoonotic or involve animal interaction, so biological scientists and veterinarians play a key role in this process. However, a true One Health approach requires multi-disciplinary expertise, including sociological, agricultural, ecological and non-technical knowledge and skills. This course provides an introduction to One Health concepts and approaches.
More than 60% of infectious diseases of humans have an animal origin, some of which can have devastating consequences to health and wellbeing of human and animal populations. These diseases are termed zoonoses and globally governments employ aﾠ One Health approach ﾠto dealing with theﾠ complex health problems that arise at the human-animal interface. This course is unique in that it offers a chance for undergraduate students to commence One Health training early into their studies. This is in contrast to most One Health programs which are delivered as postgraduateﾠ extensionsﾠto re-contextualise already acquired knowledge in discipline areas such as infectious diseases, food security, toxicology, biostatistics and epidemiology. Instead, this course aims to arm students with an understanding of One Health disease transmission and control concepts and approaches that they can apply to their training and practice as they continue their studies. This course offers a unique blend of training in human ﾠand animal disease control and epidemiology,ﾠ public healthﾠ sciences and ﾠcommunication applied to disease surveillance andﾠresponse, environmental health ﾠand multidisciplinaryﾠ research skills. All sessions in this course are broadcast between the Gatton and St Lucia Campuses.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Kate Dutton-Regester
Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes
Dr Tatiana Proboste Ibertti
Tutor
Mrs Holly Crompton
Dr Josefina Abedin
Ms Kaitlyn Pilkington
Dr Mohammad Mahmudul Hassan
Teacher
Dr Kate Dutton-Regester
Tutorial coordinator
Mrs Holly Crompton
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course will be video linked between Gatton and St Lucia in designated rooms. Please be aware that due to unforeseen circumstances it may be necessary to make changes to the timetable throughout the semester and so it is important to check VETS1030 Blackboard site regularly. Students will be notified of changes to the timetable via Blackboard Announcements.ﾠ
Aims and outcomes
VETS1030 aims to equip students with the ability to understand and apply a One Health approach to the control and prevention zoonotic infectious diseasesﾠand public healthﾠpractice. It will allow students to develop skills to independently research and understand key biological facts about zoonoses of One Health importance. Students will learn to work in teams to build and assimilate various One Health themes (e.g. drivers for disease emergence, methods of disease surveillance, control and pandemic preparedness). It will also enhance students' understanding of the value of multi-disciplinary approaches to complex problem solving, and broaden students' ability to apply their knowledge and skills to broad cultural and disciplinary contexts.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Develop and describe key concepts in One Health, including how medical, veterinary, ecological disciplinary fields intersect.
LO2.
Using topical examples outline the causes of health issues at the human-animal interface, their impacts and approaches to control and prevention.
LO3.
Work independently to access, assimilate and critically evaluate information pertaining to One Health scenarios.
LO4.
Use effective teamwork to investigate, problem-solve and evaluate One Health scenarios.
LO5.
Apply One Health concepts and skills to different contexts (e.g. societal, geographic), recognising the global importance and approaches to control for One Health problems.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | One Health Assignment | 30% |
29/07/2024 - 4/10/2024 |
| Tutorial/ Problem Set | Tutor assessment of case study achievement | 30% | |
| Examination |
End of semester exam
|
40% |
End of Semester Exam Period 2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024 |
Assessment details
One Health Assignment
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
29/07/2024 - 4/10/2024
Task description
This exercise develops student's critical evaluation skills. It requires to investigate on a One Health topic and address it causes and control strategies based on their understanding of One Health concepts and ability to research scientific information. One Health topics for the One Health Assignment are available at The One Healther magazine on Flipboard . Please consult tutors and course coordinator for adequancy of topic before the end of Week 2 of teaching.
Essay steps/structure:
1. Find a disease topic of interest and relevance to One Health – The Onehealther magazine on Flipboard is the preferred source of topic options but students can also choose a topic not in The Onehealther.
2. Please confirm topic choice with the course coordinator and/or tutor team before 4th August (before the end of Week 2). Topic needs to be chosen by Tutorial 2 so that students can navigate the tutorials from Week 3 onwards.
3. The assignment is composed of two main parts:
a. Part 1: Why is my disease a One Health problem?
b. Part 2: What are the best approaches to control and prevent my One Health disease topic?
4. Students will be marked based on how they perform at addressing each component for each part of the assignment (please the One Health Assignment template and Marking rubric below)
5. There will be a dedicated tutorial for each component (please see course timetable) and students are encouraged to attend the tutorial to learn how to tackle the content for the component.
The assignment should be between 1,500-2,000 words in length and include at least 10 references to scientifically valid information sources. The APA 7th referencing style should be used.
Submission guidelines
To be uploaded and submitted as a Word document via a Turnitin link placed in the Assessment folder on the Blackboard website for the course.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Tutor assessment of case study achievement
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Tutorial/ Problem Set
- Weight
- 30%
Task description
Students will be assessed at the individual level during 2 tutorial case-study sessions. This will be done through individual submission of tutorial answers on Blackboard.
Individual level achievement within tutorials will be assessed as follows:
- There will be 2 tutorial case-studies to be assessed per student; each assessable tutorial is worth 15% of the overall mark.
- Marking templates and assessment criteria for the Tutorials are provided available in the assessment folder on Blackboard.
Submission guidelines
All tutorial case-study answers will need to be submitted via a submission link placed in the Assessment folder on the Blackboard website for the course.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
End of semester exam
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
Task description
Examination of students' understanding of factual and conceptual material developed in lectures and tutorials. The exam will be delivered as an on campus, invigilated, paper based exam.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series or UQ approved , labelled calculator only |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 0-29% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 30-44% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: 45-49% |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 50-64% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 65-74% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 75-84% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 85-100% |
Additional course grading information
Final marks will be rounded to the nearest whole integer (as a percentage) and this rounded total will be used to calculate grades based on the cutoffs above. Marks for the final assessment item (examination) will not be released ahead of the final grade release date.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.
Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.
If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.
Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.
To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.
Additional assessment information
The Grade Centre in Blackboard will post marks for assessment items as the semester progresses.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Series Tutorials will be conducted every week of the semester. These are intended to be practical sessions to consolidate technical content but also to assist students with different sections of the assignment. Refer to the course schedule on Blackboard for details. |
Lecture |
Lecture Series |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course: