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LULU AL SOMARIA COLLEGE, SCIENCE FACULTY

Year 12, Biology, Assessments Task Guideline

Task Title Infectious Disease of Everyday Life (Research Poster)

Content Topic Unit 4, Module 7: Infectious Disease

Nature of Task Take home individual research task. The students are to choose an infectious
disease, use the content of unit 4 biology, research secondary resources such as
an online studies/ reports and journal articles, Students are to establish scientific
research poster to be presented in the classroom.
Date Issued Draft Copy Due Due Date Total Weighing Total Mark
4. June. 2018 Date: week 5, 2. July. 2018 20% 50
term 2
Week 2, Term 2 Week 6, Term 2
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Submission instructions: An electronic copy of task (single power point slide) should be sent to miss
Rimah Ahmad by Monday 2.07.2018 during the school Hours from (9.00 am – 3 pm), email address:
aries86@live.com.au
Important: students who wish to hand in a draft copy of their work for the teacher to check and advise
any change. They will need to email their copy to the teacher by Thursday 28.06.2018.

Absence: if you are absent on the submission day, the assessment is to be completed and submitted with
all supporting documents such as medical certificate/ other supporting documents.
Your documents should be submitted within 2 days of due date any failure to provide adequate
documentation will result in 0 marks begin granted.
Assessment Confirmation

Student Name: …………... …………………. Subject ………………….

Assessment Task ……………………Due Date …………. …. Date submitted …………….

Student Signature ………………...... Teacher Signature ………………………………

Students Declaration

I hereby declare that in this assessment I have carried out my own work base on my
personal research and study and I have acknowledged all the resources that have been
used. I also understand that this assessment may undergo for plagiarism check and can be
use for future references/ comparison with other assessment work.

Student signature: ………………………

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THE OUCOMES BEING ASSESSED

BIO12-14 Analyses infectious disease in terms of cause, transmission, management and the organism’s
response, including the human immune system
BIO11/12-4 Selects and processes appropriate qualitative and quantitative data and information using a range
of appropriate media
BIO11/12-5 analyses and evaluates primary and secondary data and information
BIO11/12-7 communicates scientific understanding using suitable language and terminology for a specific
audience or purpose

TASK INFORMATION
Research Poster, Purpose and Gaol
Every year many cases of communicable diseases are reported by Australian health authority. Many of which
are diseases related to antimicrobial resistant bacteria, vaccine-preventable disease, foodborne diseases, vector-
borne diseases and sexually transmitted diseases. These diseases have continued to be the main cause of
infectious diseases that lead to the epidemic (diseases outbreak) across the world, therefore they remain a
significant focus of public health in Australia. This year we have seen many changes and renovation applied to
different facilities in our school. In this, the science faculty have announced that students in year 11 and 12
will take a part in presenting our new science facility. Exciting our class will join the designer group
responsible for visual images and informational poster which will be placed throughout science faculty.

The purpose of this research poster is to educate and provide the necessary health information to our school
community about those communicable diseases hoping that it will help in minimising those infectious
diseases. Further, the research poster will provide an excellent opportunity for the students in year 12 to
extend their knowledge in relation to infectious studied in module 7.
In this task, you are required to choose one of the common infectious diseases listed in the next page and
conduct a research study seeking the educational information about the chosen disease which comprises of an
overview of the disease, the causative agent, transmission, preventions and control management. Your
research outcomes need to be presented in your own designed poster. You will deliver the poster information
in form of class presentation presented to your Teacher/class colleagues and the presenter team from the
science faculty. A1 paper size of your poster will be printed by your teacher before the presentation
commences. Students are highly encouraged to be created and use their imagination to show high potential
and understanding of significant infectious diseases.
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Detailed Task Description

You are to choose one infectious disease from the following list:
Influenzas (cold influenzas virus) Brucellosis
Hepatitis A, B, C, D (only choose one) HIV infection
Whooping cough Australian Bat lyssavirus
Shingles (chicken pox) Malaria
Contagiousness Measles
Botulism (foodborne) Rubella

You are to conduct a research about the chosen infectious disease and obtain the necessary information to create
a poster. In you research poster you should include the following:
 Title /Introduction: your poster should clearly state the disease name, include any other name this
disease is been known by. Use some background knowledge to introduce your chose infectious disease.
For this, you may include some research finding that shows the significance of the disease, identify the
human understanding of causative pathogen/ structure features and the climate in which the disease
mostly associates with.

 Transmission mode: for this part, describe the way in which the disease is transmitted. This include,
the direct contact, indirect contact and by vector transmission. An example can involve the disease
been transmitted through salivary gland vector passed to human blood by bites, the pathogen then
targets an organ in the human body and multiply and cause damage to the body. For this section
student encouraged to use diagram/ another visual context to explain the transmission of the disease and
in which environment the diseases are most likely to be transmitted.

 Host response: you are to explain some mechanism in which the host body uses in response to disease
infections. describe the possible immune event that body immune system undertake to overcome the
effect of the disease. This includes the role of cell-mediated response such as Macrophages, Helper T
cells stimulated to produce interleukin 1 and 2 and the role of humoral response comprised of the
binding site of B cells to antigen molecules of a pathogen or affected cells, antibodies produced by B
cells etc…

 Symptoms of the disease: You are to describe the symptoms resulted from the damage the disease
causes to the host system such high fever, fatigue, nausea, weakness of the immune system. You may
show this part by using visual contexts such as images or cartoons.
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 Prevention/ Control management: you are to analyse some of the strategies and procedures that used or
can be employed to prevent and control the chosen infectious disease. You may involve, the public
health campaigns, quarantine the major role of vaccination to prevent diseases, use of pesticides, the
responsibilities such as prerenal hygiene and health practices, in managing and reducing the outbreak
(epidemic) of the disease. You are also to provide an evaluation of the Australian health association
approaches to treat your chosen disease and or point the effeteness of pharmaceutical drugs such as the
use of antivirals and antibiotic in treating your chosen infectious disease.

 Referencing: using appropriate referencing is an important aspect of your work reliability also to
acknowledge the resources used in the completion of the task. Therefore, in a separate slide all the
resources used in the task should be correctly listed (no citation required for this task) using APA
(American Psychological Association) referencing style to be submitted with your poster. Use the
following website as a guideline for your referencing element https://student.unsw.edu.au/apa. The
website will take you through referencing steps by step and by showing an example of each step.
 You are required to use and list a minimum of 4 referenced resources.

Additional information
 If you wish to research and present any other infectious disease you are welcome, however, in advance
to commence you need to confirm with your biology teacher.
 your work should be developed in grammatically correct sentences and presented a single power point
slide and within 800-900 words limited count.
 your presentation period should be between 2-4 minutes.
 During normal biology classes, your teacher will verify some time to check students task progress also
to provide an extra assistance for those in need.
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MARKING CRITERIA (How am I going to be assessed?)
Outcomes/ Limited Limited -Satisfactory Substantial Excellent achievement
Criteria achievement achievement achievement
(Marks 0-5) (Marks 6-10) (Marks 11-15) (Marks 16-20)

BIO12-14 Students Student demonstrate Student demonstrate

Analyses demonstrate some basic knowledge about Student demonstrate throughout knowledge of
infectious relevant point the chosen disease sound knowledge and assessment outcomes via
understanding relevant
disease in information about through identifying presenting accurate
to the chosen disease
terms of the chosen disease the main point related information about the chosen
cause, by displaying a few to via discussing all the infectious disease and
transmission, or limited 1. Causative agent of relevant information through critical observation,
to:
management information the disease. Student display all relevant
1. Identify the nature
and the relating to: 2.Transmission of the information in detailed
organism’s 1. Causative agent disease. of the disease and manner to:
response, of the disease. 3. Host immune Causative agent
2. describe some 1. Identify the Significant of
including the 2.Transmission of response.
relevant information of the disease been studied in
human the disease. 4. Prevention and the poster.
immune 3. Host immune control management Transmission mode by
which the disease is 2. Describe in depth the
system response.
spread, the vector (if necessary information about
4. Prevention and
any) responsible for the pathogen responsible for
control
management transmitting the causing the disease. Explain
disease. the vector role (if any) during
(weight 10 %)
3. Explain The cell- transmission and the
mediated and humoral implication caused disease
response in which the outback.
immune system
3. provide insight into the
response to the disease.
defence mechanism of
4. evaluating some
immune system by discussing
prevention
the role and function of cell-
methodology used to
mediated and humoral
control and manage
response in challenging the
the outbreak of the
disease.
disease by
distinguishing the 5. Analyse some of
vaccinations used prevention strategies and
nationally such as to methods applied nationally
prevent and manage and globally to control
the infectious disease. disease such as vaccination
/health and safety education
and practise used to minimise
the spread of the disease.
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BIO11/12-4 Student Student develop Student produce an In grammatically correct

Selects and demonstrate poor satisfactory adequate detail that sentences the research poster
processes understand of understanding of some demonstrates sound demonstrates student
appropriate appropriate suitable but not highly understanding of advanced understanding of:
qualitative resource such as e- reliable resources to appropriate use of
1. appropriate use of
and journals, obtain the essential resources while
resources such as e-journals,
quantitative newspaper and data significant to the developing the newspaper and reliable online
data and reliable online chosen disease. The assessment.
websites to clearly and
information websites can be poster demonstrates a
The information logically present the
using a range used to show the natural and succinct
displayed on the significant characteristic of
of appropriate key aspect of the use of material and research poster are the chosen infectious disease.
media disease. Student skills to show some
based on a collection of
fail to use effective factors about the 2. Student uses a variety of
BIO11/12-5 reliable qualitative qualitative and quantitative
analyses and strategies to show disease including its data to truthfully
accurate cause, transmission, data and effective strategies
evaluates shows the main points
information about the effect of the (charts, visual images) to
primary and related to disease
the disease-causing infection on host body. accurately show the
secondary cause, transmission, information about the disease,
data and agent, host response and
The research shows an causing agent, transmission,
information transmission, and appearance of disease describe the current
host response and host response during
control and control/ management
(weight 5 %) during infection. infection.
management whereby strategies.
The research the student identify 3. Student display
Student applies
poster displays how management is professional understanding of
acceptable grammar reliable date to extensively
poor significant to control
and sentence language discuss the implication of the
understanding of its outbreak of showing adequate
interconnect infectious disease. chosen disease and what are
differentiation when
between the current
presenting material strategies/regulation and
prevention practise
information of the practises used nationally and
and infectious research outcomes.
disease control, internationally to limit
disease outbreak (epidemic).
Student has not
included any
approaches/regulat
ion used nationally
and internationally
to overcome the
disease outbreak.

.
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Poor presentation Satisfactory Sound presentation Students communicate the

BIO11/12-7 of chosen disease, presentation of the whereby the information using scientific
the student does infectious disease, the information presented terminologies and a wide
Criteria:
not exhibit any student presents the by using different range of communicating tools
Communicate
communication information using communication tools. such as visual context and
the
skills to produce acceptable communication language
assessment Student uses adequate
outcomes the information of communication communication skills providing illustration of the
the research language. research outcomes.
using to engage the audience
poster.
effective The Student uses with the content of the The content is demonstrated
communicati The students do natural communication poster. Logically with cohesive
on skills and not use any active skills to engage the response allowing the
using tool to do engage audience with the audience to effectively engage
different the audience to content of the poster. and obtain knowledge.
visual, demonstrate the
written, and information.
or oral
communicati
ng skills.
(weight 3 %)

Biography The reference list The reference list The reference list The reference list is correctly
IDs not included in obtained following the obtained following the listed following the context of
(weight 2 %)
the assessment APA referencing APA referencing APA referencing standard.
submission or it standard. The list is standard. The list is
does not follow the generally okay generally correct,
APA referencing however, there are however, there are
standard. some mistakes some manner mistakes
throughout the list. such as formatting,
This include the Italics,
formatting, Italics, capitalisation, and full
capitalisation, and full stop has not been
stop has not been appropriately applied.
appropriately applied
or not been apply at
all.

Student mark ……………………………….

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Teacher feedback/ comment: In this comment section. Your teacher will compare your work against the
marking criteria and will also provide you with further advice on how to improve your future work.
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Student Feedback: After the completion of your assessment task, you are highly encouraged to evaluate
this assessment and provide some reflection on the task. This may include reflecting on how you went with
this assessment, what have you learned? what was the positive/negative aspect of this assessment? What
challenges you encountered and why? What aspect need improvement?
What I have learned after completing what was the What challenges you have
this task? negative/positive aspect of encountered and How my learning
the task? can further be improved?
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END OF THE ASSESSMENT TASK

Secondary Curriculum 2A part B

While the summative assessment and external examination holds a valid place in
education measurement in assessing students understanding of the content, the role of of
school-based assessment (assessment for learning AFL) has continued to be one of the
main concern of education stakeholder. Weurlander et al., (2012) argued, in education
school-based assessment is closely linked to teaching context in which it allows the
judgement on both, the quality of learning environment and the students’ ability to
engage and perform in the school. This principle influenced the Australian education
toward the use school-based assessment AFL in the process of improving the teaching and
learning quality. The term assessment refers to frequent, interactive tasks of student’s
achievement, knowledge and learning abilities to distinguish the learning needs and
adjust the teaching practices accordingly (Weurlander et al., 2012). Furthermore,
Assessment Reform Group (2002), defined assessment as ‘the process of seeking and
interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where learners are
in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there’ (Assessment Reform
Group, 2002). Through valuable and authentic assessment, developed teaching practice
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and collaboration and self- motivation to learning, the outcomes of Australian education
and Australian students would be beyond the achievement of international competencies.

As the focus of learning environment and teaching practice shifted toward the student
being the main participant in producing the learning information there was an urgent need
to use an assessment that contains higher order goals as an important element in which it
demonstrates student knowledge and abilities. Besides, the emphasis on improving learning
environment and teaching practice, the methods of the assessment need to be addressed to
encourage students' participation and toward demonstration of their knowledge, abilities
and understanding. In this, DiCerbo, (2014) states, providing constructive assessment as an
approach and feedback design will help in evaluating quality learning. Furthermore, using
constructive approach encourages to research therefore, the students exhibit learning from
their own discovery instead of just having the student as a recipient of traditional learning
methods (DiCerbo, 2014). Grady (2014), discuses that to demonstrate students learning the
students of today’s society are in great need for tasks that enhances their ability to cognitive
thinking, cooperate skills, creativity, and content knowledge. This is due to the exposure
to various available resources. Further, If the students are unable to efficiently use of these
resources and achieve these components they are more likely to disengage not only from
the assessment context but also with learning. Hence, in long run, it will have a negative
influence on their learning ability and confidence. This might result in a change in their
attitude in future work responsibilities. Moreover, active AFL will help the student to
analyse the learning experience and recognise the important content for their final
examinations (Grady., 2014).

The new stage 6 biology syllabus developed by Board of Studies Teaching & Educational
Standards, highlights the importance of producing outcomes that allows the educators to
construct an active assessment in which it gives the student’s the opportunity to meet the
learning requirement. also, the new syllabus has emphases the need for using constructive
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approach when developing the assessments. Moreover, the assessment design should be
establish based on the syllabus outcomes and education standard whereby students should
have a clear vision of task, purpose, and requirements (NSW Education Standards
Authority (NESA), 2018). This facilitates the objectives for learning any content promoting
objective based learning. The task design should also be clearly organised informing the
student of details such as the duration, how the assessment needs to be presented and its
weightage for final results. Whilst of task designing is essential so that the task component
has an adaptable meaning which targets all students for various learning skills. ("School-
based assessment requirements | NSW Education Standards", 2018). Examine the context
of Infectious Disease of Everyday Life (Research Poster), the task has been designed to
include all the necessary information student need to achieve its goal. This consists of
providing the relevant information related to nature of the task connecting the outcome
learned through studying module 7 biology course, explains the purpose of the task which
emphasises not just on informing the student of how a task is authentic and significant for
learning outcome but also important to people lives around the world. Moreover,
informing the student about their description what to look for, the research element to
where find the information and how to reference and organise the information. What kind
of knowledge they will be assessed on and lastly, how to present their learning outcomes.

Typically, Assessment designing for science subject is a challenging task as it requires

complex scientific terminologies and content (Alonso-Tapia & Pardo, 2006). However,
designing effective assessment assesses the teachers to evaluate (i.e., Verify and Validate)
the conclusions, distinguish students' knowledge and also help to measure the students'
progress at different level. Masters (2014, p.7), suggested that “at any given time, every
student is at some point in his or her learning and is capable of further progress if they can
be engaged, motivated and provided with relevant learning opportunities”. Accordingly,
the context of the assessment should involve scaffolding or a variation in content
complexity which would allow students to take up smaller tasks and gradually improve
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their skills by taking up bigger tasks. In line with this, Newton (2007), states, the use of
scaffolding when constructing an assessment is an instrument to underline the teaching
improvement and indicator to a success of learning pedagogy. Depending on the
understanding and measuring the influence of the teaching practice on the students
learning achievement, teaching can be modified. In addition, providing scaffolding assess
the student to recognise the importance of each part corresponding the syllabus outcomes
by using a different key verb to propose the task inquiry. This may involve, starting the
task with student which is needed to identify, explain, describe to analyse and evaluate
(Newton, 2007). This can be observed throughout the description part of Research Poster
task; the description presents the task details by listing the main content clearly and to help
the student track the task requirement step by step. Also, the task considered the use of a
different words such as define, identify, analyse etc to emphasise the significance of each
section. Additionally, the task suggests for the to the students to use different thinking tool
to present their information and also to provide a variation of option student can use to
demonstrate their work which in turn assess the student with low learning ability to have
an idea how to organises the poster outcomes. Last, the task description provides the
student with the task foundation which according to Graham, Tancredi, Willis and Mcgraw
(2018), designing effective assessment requires from the teachers to provide the foundation
and accessible element allowing the student to successfully take their own learning
experience (Graham., 2018). Besides, the students are to present the research poster task in
form of presentation. During this, students are exposed to a different point of view which
in turn improves their critical thinking skills and proves them with environmental
influence to practice their communication skills.

As discussed, the foundation of assessment is an essential element to evaluate the role of

teaching practice in planning designing the task that is compatible with the requirement
of the syllabus outcomes. It is also importing in assessing student achieving these outcomes
and engage them in learning through creating learning environment they feel belong too
and part of. One way to measure the success of learning and assessment is to use the
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powerful influence of feedback. Hattie and Timperley (2007), Giving and receiving
feedback as learning approach has shown to have a major impact on students learning
accomplishment. This due to feedback in education generally and in assessment specifically
can be used as a monitor of teaching practice via reflecting the students learning
performance and outcome. Additionally, the key mode that defines feedback is the three-
main question that teachers designing the task and the student targeted by the task need to
ask them self. These are, what target I’m seeking, how I am going to achieved and last what
is next or what changes I need to make to improve the learning experience and outcome
(Hattie & Timperley., 2007). These three question serves the purpose of the feedback
implemented in research poster task (teacher/student feedback) in which is designed to
improve students future learning by teacher providing student feedback the level at which
they performed. Similarly, the use of students’ feedback in the task is to reflect on the
teaching practice while delivering the content of module 7. Further, the teacher via
feedback is to reassess how the goal of the task was relevant. Bourke and Mentis (2010,
p.854) stated “when self-assessment is used as a process, in school and in everyday life,
where the person is central to his or her own learning and intentional about how he or she
determines that learning, then inclusion and participating in learning belong to the student,
or potentially should.”.

In conclusion, developing an effective assessment that can assess students learning abilities
and long-term life skills requires for the education stakeholders to establish strong and
standard and outcome which in turn help the teacher in design task that student can benefit
and learn from beyond school context.
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References

Alonso-Tapia, J., & Pardo, A. (2006). Assessment of learning environment motivational

quality from the point of view of secondary and high school learners. Learning and
Instruction, 16(4), 295-309.Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/science/article/pii/S095947520600051X?via%3Dihub

Assessment Reform Group. (2002). Assessment for Learning: 10 principles research-based

principles to guide classroom practice. Assessment Reform Group. London, United
Kingdom.

Bartlett, J. (2016). Outstanding differentiation for learning in the classroom: Assessment for
learning and differentiation.

Board of Studies Teaching & Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES). (n.d.). Stronger HSC
Standards. Retrieved from
http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/d210fd41-8c61-4754-
aa45-7476b9305b1d/stronger-hsc-standards-bostes-
blueprint.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID

DiCerbo, K. (2014). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Assessment In

Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 21(4), 502-505. doi:
10.1080/0969594x.2014.931836. retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563217304740

Grady, J. B. (2014). Authentic assessment and tasks: Helping students demonstrate their
abilities. NASSP Bulletin, 78(566), 92. Retrieved from
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/019263659407856612

Graham, L., Tancredi, J., Willis, H., & McGraw, J. (2018). Designing out barriers to student
access and participation in secondary school assessment. The Australian Educational
Researcher, 45(1), 103-124. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-018-0266-y

Hill, M., Ell, F., Grudnoff, L., Haigh, M., Cochran-Smith, M., Chang, W., & Ludlow, L.
(2016). Assessment for equity: learning how to use evidence to scaffold learning and
improve teaching. Assessment In Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 24(2),
185-204. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0969594X.2016.1253541?journalCo
de=caie20

Masters, G. N. (2014). Towards a growth mindset in assessment. Practically Primary, 19(2),

4.
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Newton, P. E. (2007). Clarifying the purposes of educational assessment. Assessment in
education, 14(2), 149-170. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09695940701478321?scroll=top&needAcce
ss=true

School-based assessment requirements | NSW Education Standards. (2018). Retrieved from

http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/Understanding-the-
curriculum/assessment/assessment-changes/school-based-assessment-requirements

Weurlander, M., Söderberg, M., Scheja, M., Hult, H., & Wernerson, A. (2012). Exploring
formative assessment as a tool for learning: students’ experiences of different
methods of formative assessment. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher
Education, 37(6), 747-760. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2011.572153

Newton, P. (2007). Clarifying the purposes of educational assessment. Assessment In

Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 14(2), 149-170. doi: 10.1080/09695940701478321.
Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09695940701478321
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