THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
FACULTY OF MEDICINE, DENTISTRY AND HEALTH SCIENCES

UNIT DESCRIPTION
Lectures: 0ne or two hours per week; tutorials: four to nine per semester

GOALS
At the end of this course the student will be able to describe the general processes of drug administration, disposition and effects in the body. The student will also be able to describe, interpret and apply key pharmacological aspects of a range of specific drug groups that are relevant to dental practice. The student will also be able to describe, interpret and apply information relating to topics such as drug interactions, adverse effects of drugs and the principles of drug prescribing for patients. It is assumed that the basic knowledge gained from this course will assist the dental graduate to understand and interpret the actions and uses of new drug molecules as they are introduced into therapeutics throughout their working life.

Flying Fish Unit material
Various teaching and learning material pertinent to this unit (eg lectures, lab handouts) will be available online via the Flying Fish website (http://www.meddent2.uwa.edu.au:8200/login.html). In order to access this material, students must have their own Tartarus email account. Information on how to access web-based course material will be provided in the Introductory lecture in the first week of semester.

Recommended textbook
Pharmacology (5th ed). Rang, HP, Dale, MM, Ritter, JM and Moore, PK, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2003.

Assessment
Semester 1: Web-based or intranet-based SDL tutorials (x 3) – examined by MCQ/SAQ on web (3 x 3% = 9%). These SDL’s are examined on-line with the assessment module open from mid-night on the day it appears in the time table and closing at mid-night 2 weeks later. MCQ assessment as indicated in time table will be held in Pharamacology Lab (5%). End of semester SAQ examination 36%.

Semester 2: Web-based SDL tutorial (x 2) – examined by MCQ/SAQ on web (2 x 3% = 6%). These SDL’s are examined on-line with the assessment module open from mid-night on the day it appears in the time table and closing at mid-night 2 weeks later. MCQ assessment as indicated in time table will be held in Pharamacology Lab (5%). End of semester SAQ examination 39%. Note, the second semester examination will examine only second semester material.

To clearly pass this unit, the student is required to pass both the first and second semester examinations.

Supplementary examinations
If a student is granted a supplementary examination by the Board of Examiners, this will usually be held in December.

Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct
Ethical scholarship is the pursuit of scholarly enquiry marked by honesty and integrity.
Academic Literacy is the capacity to undertake study and research, and to communicate findings and knowledge, in a manner appropriate to the particular disciplinary conventions and scholarly standards expected at university level.
Academic misconduct is any activity or practice engaged in by a student that breaches explicit guidelines relating to the production of work for assessment, in a manner that compromises or defeats the purpose of that assessment. Students must not engage in academic misconduct. Any such activity undermines an ethos of ethical scholarship. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to cheating, or attempting to cheat, through:
• Collusion
• Inappropriate collaboration
• Plagiarism
• Misrepresenting or fabricating data or results or other assessable work
• Inappropriate electronic data sourcing/collection
• Breaching rules specified for the conduct of examinations in a way that may compromise or defeat the purposes of assessment.

Penalties for academic misconduct vary according to seriousness of the case, and may include the requirement to do further work or repeat work; deduction of marks; the award of zero marks for the assessment; failure of one or more units; suspension from a course of study; exclusion from the University, non-conferral of a degree, diploma or other award to which the student would otherwise have been entitled.
Refer to the Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct and individual Faculty policies.

Appeals against academic assessment
If students feel they have been unfairly assessed, they have the right to appeal their mark by submitting an Appeal Against Academic Assessment form to the Head of School and Faculty Office. The form must be submitted within twelve working days of the formal despatch of your unit assessment. It is recommended that students contact the Guild Education Officers to aid them in the appeals process. They can be contacted on +61 8 6488 2295 or education@guild.uwa.edu.au. Full regulations governing appeals procedures are available in the University Handbook, available online at http://www.publishing.uwa.edu.au/handbooks/interfaculty/PFAAAA.html.