Students Class

Name
Teachers Mark /30
Name

Term 3 2018

Assessment Notification

Notification (Today’s) Date: …..……/………/………

BIOLOGY, STAGE 6, TASK 3 – Infectious Diseases

Assessment Weighting: 30%

Type of assessment: Report Writing Task

Bromwell High School Date: Due by ..……/………/………, 3.30pm

Topic: MODULE 7: Infectious Disease

Task: This task is to be completed both (within school hours)

and at home (outside school hours).

Stage 6 Preliminary Biology Outcomes Assessed

 BIO12-14 analysis infectious disease in terms of cause, transmission, management and

organism’s response, including the human immune system
 BIO11/12-5 analyses and evaluates primary and secondary data and information – Primary
data (raw data) and how it is linked to the other scientific information.
 BIO11/12-7 communicates scientific understanding using suitable language and terminology
for a specific audience or purpose

Task Description – This task is an investigation report into the chosen disease. The student needs to
investigate and report the cause, transmission, management and response to disease outbreak by
utilizing primary and secondary scientific data. This information needs to be presented within a
persuasive report, with the use of suitable language and terminology.

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this report has been produced by me and where other people’s work has
been used, I have referenced these sources in accordance with the guidelines set out in this
assignment

Student’s signature: ………………………………………………………………….…..

Task 3 – Infectious Diseases

Assessment Format Details:

Pick ONE of the following scenarios to research and present a depth study report.

Scenario One:
The human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV1) – You are an outback nurse working with remote aboriginal
communities in Lajamanu, Northern Territory, Australia. Recently you have seen an increase in the
number of indigenous people presenting with symptoms you believe is from human T-lymphotropic
virus (HTLV1) and you are concerned about the impact it is having on these remote communities.

Year Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr

2018 2018 2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018
Cases of 8 9 10 80 111 245 815 1049
HTLV1
reported
Table 1: Number of reported cases of HTLV-1 within the Lajamanu community, Sept 2017 – Apr
2018.

You need to write a report for the Federal Health Minister, the Honorable Greg Hunt MP to
persuade him to invest resources into managing the outbreak. You are to analysis what the socio-
economic and environmental controls/impact on the disease and what harm reduction measures
are available and whether they are appropriate for your situation? In this report you are to outline
what is the disease, how is it transmitted, what are the socio-economic and environmental
controls/impact on the disease? You are to describe the precautions you are taking as an aid worker
to reduce your risk to contracting the disease and what resources are required to manage the
outbreak.

Suggested website – Northern Territory Government - Human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I)

https://www.nt.gov.au/wellbeing/health-conditions-treatments/viral/htlv

Please note that Wikipedia can be a website to start your search but is not considered a reliable
resource for this assignment.
 OR
Scenario Two:
Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) – You are an aid worker currently working in an aid station in Koidu,
Sierra Leone, when you observe the outbreak of a Hemorrhagic Fever in the surrounding
communities. From the table below, it is causing the death of many people.

Date
Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015

Number
of Deaths 0 154 910 1940 3706 6190 9004 10340 11301 11841

Table 2: Number of reported cases of EHF within the Koidu community, June 2014 – Mar 2015.

You are to conduct an investigation into why you think the cause is Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever and
how is it transmitted from person to person? You are to analysis what the socio-economic and
environmental controls/impact on the disease and what harm reduction measures are available and
whether they are appropriate for your situation? As an aid worker, you are to present the
precautions you have taken to protect yourself from the disease and what resources are required to
manage the outbreak throughout the community. You are to use the data in the table provided to
evaluate the significant of the outbreak and the timely nature of this report. You are to present
your findings in a report to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to persuade him that action
needs to be taken to control the outbreak.

Suggested website - World Health Organization (WHO) - Ebola virus disease

http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease

Please note that Wikipedia can be a website to start your search but is not considered a reliable
resource for this assignment.
Task Description

You are to construct and submit a persuasive report based on your chosen disease (Scenario 1 or
Scenario 2). Your report should include the following information -

Title Page:
 An appropriate title that outlines which scenario you have chosen
 Who your report is addressed too.
 Your name, class and your teachers name

Background Information:
 Provide a brief description of the people who live in your outbreak area. Include information
about the local community and what makes them susceptible to disease.
 Include a map of the area where you as an aid worker/nurse are working. The scale should
be large enough to still include the town or settlement listed in the description
 Word Limit – 750 words
The Disease:
 Utilizes appropriate resources to describe the disease in terms of –
 cause,
 transmission,
 how health workers need to manage it,
 local community’s response, including both the community and the
individual’s immune system
 Provide a graph of the outbreak data provided and explain the significant of the data.
 Word Limit – 500 words

Control Strategies:
 investigate and analyse the wide range of interrelated factors involved in limiting local,
regional and global spread of a named infectious disease
 What control measures would you employ to prevent the spread of disease, including but
not limited to:
– hygiene practices

– quarantine

– vaccination, including passive and active immunity (ACSBL100, ACSBL123)

– public health campaigns

 What are the environmental and/or quarantine methods available to control the epidemic.
 Word Limit – 500 words
Annotated bibliography – Positive, Minus, Integrated (PMI)

Your report should include an Annotated Bibliography using the following PMI table. You need to
describe the resource, write what is positive about the information, what was missing from the
resource and how it relates to your report.

Topic Positive Negative Integrated

Table 3 - PMI Table

Discussion – 1 page:
 In this discussion you are to outline what are the socio-economic and environmental
controls/impact on the disease?
 You are to describe the precautions you are taking as an aid worker to reduce your risk to
contracting the disease and what resources are required to manage the outbreak.
 Discuss the significant of the disease in the local community.
 Talk about what resources are required by you as a local aid and when used, what the
intended outcome will be.
 Word Limit – 500 words

Recommendations:
Provide a short paragraph as an overview of the report including your main evidence-based
recommendations. Word Limit – 100 words

References:
Please include a list of references you have sourced for the completion of this assignment.
Referencing assist other is exploring your work by reading further into how you came to acquire your
knowledge and help reduce the coping of other people’s work, known as plagiarism. These
references should be sighted within the assignment where you have used them – Please use your
copy of ‘Guide to Referencing’ previously received or consult your teacher for a copy.

Basic – one or no references

Outstanding – five or more references

Setting out your References

In accordance to your reference guide, please use the Harvard Reference System to reference your
work.

Books:

Author/s, (year of publication) Title(underlined), Edition, Publishing Company, Location

Example - Berger, S., 2018. Ebola. 2018th ed., GIDEON Informatics Inc, 2018. Los Angeles, CA.
Website:

Author of site or organization (if you can find), full address of actual page, date accessed

Example – Northern Territory Government, Human T lymphotropic virus: HTLV-I,

https://www.nt.gov.au/wellbeing/health-conditions-treatments/viral/htlv Last accessed: 26 March
2018

Your report must be you own work. It should be word processed, use appropriate terminology and
be presented as an investigation report using the scaffold outlined.

Key terms

Analyse - Identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate
implications
 Science skill
Overall Grade/Numeric
Marks
BIO12-14 analysis
infectious disease in terms
of cause, transmission,
management and
organism’s response,
including the human
immune system
Limited (Fail) Basic (Pass) Sound Thorough Outstanding
1-4 5 6-8 9 10
Demonstrates a Recalls basic knowledge Demonstrates sound Demonstrates a Comprehensive
limited and understanding of the analysis of the chosen thorough analysis of the analysis of the
understanding of chosen infectious disease, infectious disease, chosen infectious chosen infectious
the chosen including some useful including some useful disease, including a disease, including
infectious disease, information about the information about the good presentation of an in-depth
including some cause, transmission, cause, transmission, cause, transmission, presentation of
basic overview management of the management of the management of the cause,
information the disease. disease. Student has disease. Student has transmission,
disease. constructed a sound constructed an effective management of
understanding of how understanding of how the disease.
the disease interacts the disease interacts Student has
with the community and with the community and constructed a
the individual (immune the individual (immune deep
system) system) understanding of
how the disease
interacts with the
community and
the individual
(immune system)
 Science skill Limited (Fail) Basic (Pass) Sound Thorough Outstanding
Overall Grade/Numeric 1-4 5 6-8 9 10
Marks

BIO11/12-5 analyses and Provides simple Provides qualitative Sound analyses and Coherent analyses and Comprehensive
evaluates primary and analyses of some analyses of primary and evaluates primary and evaluates primary and analyses and
secondary data and primary and secondary data and secondary data and secondary data and evaluates primary
information, including an secondary data and information. Some information. Good information. Good and secondary
annotated bibliography information. List of integration of primary data integration of primary integration of primary data and
resources. supplied and linking it to data supplied and linking data supplied and linking information. In
secondary data about the it to secondary data it to secondary data depth integration
disease, including proper about the disease, about the disease, of primary data
Harvard style bibliography. including proper Harvard including proper Harvard supplied and
style bibliography and style bibliography and linking it to
reasonable PMI. good PMI secondary data
about the disease,
including proper
Harvard style
bibliography with
extensive PMI,
and correctly
sourced
references.
 Science skill Limited (Fail) Basic (Pass) Sound Thorough Outstanding
Overall Grade/Numeric 1-4 5 6-8 9 10
Marks

BIO11/12-7 communicates Recalls what Basic comments on what Identifies the correct Makes effective Provides an
scientific understanding happened in the happened and can say components that draw a conclusions consistent extensive
using suitable language investigation. whether what happened sound conclusion which with the data and persuasive report
and terminology for a was expected. summarise and explain explains patterns in the with in-depth
specific audience or Identifies difficulties patterns in the data data. recommendations.
purpose experienced in doing the relevant to the aim and Thorough use of Extensive use of
investigation. referring to the terminology and the terminology and
hypothesis. Sound use language of infectious the language of
of terminology and the disease, including the infectious disease,
language of infectious use of keywords and including the use
disease, use of phrases. Report within of keywords and
keywords and phrases. +/- 25% of word limit. phrases. Report
Makes general within +/- 10% of
Gives a general
suggestions for word limit.
statement about the
improving the significance of their Report links
investigation. investigation on society. information
obtained through
investigation
linking it to data
provided with
relevant action
required in the
investigation itself
and how this
relates to the aim
and hypothesis.
Feedback

Student:……………………………………………………………. Date:………../…………../…………….

Teacher:……………………………………………………………. Date:………../…………../…………….
Critical Reflection

Introduction

Assessment forms an important tool for learning and should be seen as one of many tools available to the teacher and students to promote
learning. Panizzon, Arthur, & Pegg stated that “Assessment is conceptualised as being linked intrinsically to what happens on a daily basis in the
classroom so as to provide feedback to both student and teacher and for reporting purposes” (2006). Ultimately, when assessment is used
effectively, it results in 'constructive alignment', supporting the learning of scientific concepts and creating effective teaching strategies which
support one another to the benefit of the students learning (Biggs, 1996).

The NSW Biology Stage 6 Curriculum has transferred from one that was centred on ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ to one that centres
on the ‘Scientific Skills’. This change requires students to not only recall the information they have been taught, but in a way that requires them
to demonstrate scientific understanding of the content. This has coincided with a change towards an inclusive view of assessment where we are
now focusing on ‘Assessment of Learning’ rather than the traditional ‘Assessment for Learning’ (NESA1, 2018). The aim of these changes of to
produce a stronger approach to the importance of assessment, maintain rigorous standards, and provide opportunities to assess students’ depth
of knowledge and their conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills (NESA2, 2018).

Approaches to Assessment Design

Teachers need to be conscience that poorly constructed assessments that are not aligned to the curriculum can disadvantage the student
and their learning. Poorly constructed assessments restrict the in-depth understanding of scientific concepts and prevent students from
expressing their full scientific knowledge (Van Rooy, & Chan, 2017). But when we integrated assessment through a constructivist learning
approach we are encouraging student centred learning within the classroom which enables students to obtain a higher-level or deep learning
(Bernauer, & Fuller, 2017). This is further complemented when both Constructionism Theory and Instructional Design & Learning Theory create
assessment that is aligning the learning outcomes from the syllabus which actually assess the students’ performance (Biggs, 2006).

In the assessment Task 3 – Infectious Diseases, I have designed it to allow students the opportunity to explain their scientific
understandings, at a level that allows the majority of the cohort to achieve a ‘Sound’ results at the conclusion of the course material. The task is
dynamic and structured to accommodate students who extend their learning and allows them to express this through the level of detail in their
response and their ability to apply scientific data from both primary and secondary sources to justify their argument within a set critical, i.e. word
limit. Students are utilising scaffolding in the assessment notification and apply their existing knowledge as a starting point to commence the task,
and the application of this knowledge demonstrates their understanding of the scientific concepts (Weng, Lin, & She, 2017). Those students that
fall below the ‘Sound’ critical still have the opportunity to perform and present basic and limited skills. By integrating literacy skills through the
persuading report, and numeracy through the graphs, we look to have the student link their scientific knowledge to other numeracy and literacy
skills.

Validation of Assessment for Learning and Individual Development (VALID)

Since 1997, New South Wales schools have introduced the School Measurement and Reporting Toolkit (SMART) of assessment. SMART
administers academic data from the Higher School Certificate (HSC), the National Assessment Plan—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
standardised testing (ACARA, 2011). As noted by Smith (2005), the NAPLAN data and the Safe Schools website have placed a new public focus
on the performance of students, teachers and schools as a whole. There are new demands on teachers and students to perform throughout their
time at school and not just in Year 12. SMART aims to balance internal and external demands, through instruction and accountability (Smith,
2005). In the Faculty of Science, SMART was extended to include the Validation of Assessment for Learning and Individual Development (VALID)
program. This is science specific end-of-stage assessments for Year 8 and Year 10 students. Unlike NAPLAN, VALID is designed for students
to demonstrate their understandings of the science syllabus (Biggs & Collis, 1991) by utilises the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome
(SOLO) model to provide an insight about the level of scientific understanding demonstrated by the student (Panizzon, Arthur, & Pegg, 2006).
VALID is designed to provide teachers, through the SMART framework, a diagnostic tool to identify student learning needs. The data that is
produced is wide ranging and can be assessed internal within the context of the classroom or school, or more broadly across the state. It
should be noted that there are many within the teaching profession that believe that this data is restrictive, mainly due to the time lag between
the time of the assessment and the data becoming available. This delay could result in the data having little significants to the needs of the
individual student.

The SOLO model assesses the range of responses from the students, the level of scientific knowledge within the answer and their
understanding of the content. The Infectious Disease assessment is designed for Stage 6 students who are transitioning between the Concrete
Symbolic and Formal modes of learning – see figure 1.1. Within these modes the assessment of learning is providing through a hierarchical
structure of Unistructural (U), Multistructural (M) and Relational (R) (Stålne, Kjellström, & Utriainen, 2016).
 Figure 1.1 – Modes and learning cycles of the SOLO Model (Biggs and Collis, 1991).

Unistructural (U) is the basic level of scientific knowledge and understanding where a student is only able to present simple forms of the
scientific concepts (Stålne, Kjellström, & Utriainen, 2016). The Infectious Disease assessment provides the framework so that students with this
simple level of understanding are still able to research primary investigations through the links provided and present their limited knowledge in
the assessment. Students have the opportunity to present their working scientifically skills within their assessment, thou these would be at a basic
level.

Multistructural (M) shows that students have an extended ability to utilise two or more pieces of information to form an understanding of
scientific concepts (Stålne, Kjellström, & Utriainen, 2016).. Students are able to create a link in their understanding but are unable to form the
complex knowledge which links scientific concepts and demonstrated these relationships. Student at this level of understanding are able to
present their knowledge and understanding. In the case of the infectious Diseases assessment, student that constructed a sound understanding
of how the disease interacts with the community and the individual would be considered to be showing multistructural mode of learning

Relational (R) sees student able to digest and interpreted all the information that is available and apply this knowledge to a degree that
shows a deep and meaningful understanding of the scientific concepts (Panizzon, Arthur, & Pegg, 2006). We see this in our assessment through
the student’s ability conduct a self-disciplined investigation into infectious diseases and then express this learning through the persuasive written
text, and underpinned by scientific literacy (MCEETYA, 2003).

Through the U, M, and R levels, we identify where a student is current positioned in their cycle of learning (Figure 1.1) and are able to
implement a targeted learning strategy to develop the student’s knowledge to meet the needs of the next level of scientific understanding (Pegg,
2003). When this data is collected on a boarder scale, teachers can identify scientific concepts that require additional support through the
development of the faculties programs or on the syllabus from a State based approach.

Approaches to feedback design

Panizzon, Arthur, & Pegg, (2006) stated that assessment has become a standardised activity in provides students with clear indications about
what they know and can do while identifying the concepts requiring further development. Assessment is a key tool to diagnose teaching/learning
deficiencies and develop strategies to address these, by both the student and the teacher. When we apply the SOLO model to assessment,
feedback forms an important bridge for the cyclic nature of the model, communicating where the student currently is in their learning and how we
are going to progress them. Feedback from all forms of assessment, not only informs the student of the how and where they need to address
further learning but informs teachers of the effectiveness to their teaching practices and how administrators need to update the curriculum to
meet the needs of students as they leave the school. When students receive meaningful feedback they felt encouraged, valued, found it facilitated
active discussions about their learning (Hosler & Arend, 2012) while providing a learning environment that was positive to conceptual
understanding of complex of science understanding (Martinez, Solanto, and Jiminez, 2001).

Conclusion

In today’s classroom, assessment needs to motivation and engage students as much as any other activity within the curriculum. Students
need the freedom to express their learning through practical and applied means, and not just recite previous knowledge. The design of
assessment needs to be structured and aligned with the curriculum in order to properly assess learning, otherwise the data obtained from the
assessment will not inform the learning. Feedback from the assessment is but provides feedback to the student and furthers their learning by
providing explanations to why students are incorrect in their answers, offer direction and encouraging for further learning.
References

ACARA. (2011). NAPLAN. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA):
http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/naplan.html

Bernauer, J. A., & Fuller, R. G. (2017). Beyond Measurement-Driven Instruction: Achieving Deep Learning Based on Constructivist Learning
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Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347-364.

Biggs, J., & Collis, K. (1991) Multimodal learning and the quality of intelligent behaviour. In H. Rowe (ed.). Intelligence, Reconceptualization and
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Hosler, K. A., & Arend, B. D. (2012). The importance of course design, feedback, and facilitation: student perceptions of the relationship between
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Martinez, N., Solanto, I. and Jimenez, E. (2001). Characteristics of the methodology used to describe students’ conceptions. International Journal
of Science Education, 23, 663–690.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) (2003). National Year 6 Science Assessment Report.
Available - https://research.acer.edu.au/ar_misc/12/ Viewed - accessed 10 April, 2018

NSW Educational Standards Authority1 (2018). Assessment for, as and of Learning. https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/support-
materials/assessment-for-as-and-of-learning/ Viewed - 26 April, 2018
NSW Educational Standards Authority2 (2018). Principles of Assessment for Stage 6. https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/support-
materials/assessment-for-as-and-of-learning/ Viewed - 26 April, 2018

Nicholson, S., Cook, V., Naish, J., & Boursicot, K. (2008). Feedback: its importance in developing medical students’ clinical practice. Clinical
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Panizzon, D., Arthur, D., & Pegg, J. (2006). ESSA: Developing and scoping a test to explore scientific literacy and achievement in NSW. Teaching
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Panizzon, D. (2003). Using a cognitive structural model to provide new insights into students' understandings of diffusion. International Journal
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Pegg,J. (2003). Assessment in mathematics: A developmental approach. In M. Royer (Ed.), Mathematical cognition (pp. 227-259).

Stålne, K., Kjellström, S., & Utriainen, J. (2016). Assessing complexity in learning outcomes – a comparison between the SOLO taxonomy and
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Weng, W., Lin, Y., & She, H. (2017). Scaffolding for argumentation in hypothetical and theoretical biology concepts. International Journal of
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