The lecture and practical activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable. Attendance is expected at scheduled activities. Students need to attend and engage fully in labs in order to complete/do well in the laboratory-related assessment tasks.

Technology permitting, lecture recordings will be available. Other learning activities, including labs, will not be available as recordings.

The course will not include live online events (e.g. live group discussions/tutorials).

Assessments: Attendance in-person and on-campus is required for all tests and the final exam. For planning purposes:

• Test 1 is always held on the evening of Monday of Week 7: i.e. Monday 14th September 2026.
• Test 2 is always held on the evening of Friday of Week 12: i.e. Friday 23th October 2026.

The Final Exam is timetabled centrally, with time and date TBA by mid-September each year. Students are expected to be available throughout the official exam period - see https://www.calendar.auckland.ac.nz/en/keydates/dates/otherdates.html 

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including 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.

Self-directed learning is an important aspect of this course. Students are expected to prepare for classes by reading specified sections from the recommended textbook or other sources, and self-manage time so that activities are completed in a timely fashion.

The prescribed text is Tortora & Derrickson “Principles of Anatomy and Physiology”, Asia-Pacific 3rd or 4th edition. 

Lecturers assume that every student has access to a copy of the text, but you don’t have to buy your own copy if you don’t want to. We recommend that you borrow a copy from the University’s many libraries and see first-hand if you find it useful before making your decision: https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/hours 

This is an excellent textbook. It will be valuable in later years if you intend to continue with biomedical courses. Older editions may be bought second-hand and will be quite satisfactory, but page references given during lectures will refer to the current edition. 

For lecture topics that are well-covered in the text, only brief notes and diagrams will be provided in this Course Guide. The lecturer will probably use images of textbook diagrams and will refer to specific passages in the book which all are examinable. Information in the text and course guide will not be duplicated on Canvas (the University’s Learning Management System).

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing policy

All students and staff are required to comply with the university’s Health, Safety & Wellbeing policy: http://www.auckland.ac.nz/hsw. The course commits to undertaking thorough risk assessment and implementing appropriate risk management as to ensure the learning and working environments are safe for all students and staff. It is a condition of enrolment for students that they cooperate with the University with respect to health, safety and wellbeing.

The university requires all students to comply with such directions as may reasonably be given by an Authorised Person to maintain safety, good order and discipline. A breach of a direction will be treated as a breach of a Rule and will be dealt with in accordance with the Statute for Student Discipline: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/policy-hub/education-student-experience/academic-conduct/statute-for-student-discipline.html

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.

Please note that students can enrol in the course a maximum of two (2) times. Students who believe they have grounds for requesting to repeat the course for a third time must undergo an interview process and obtain written support from both the course and the relevant Faculty.

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.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

• Honesty - in all aspects of research work
• Accountability - in the conduct of research
• Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
• Good stewardship – on behalf of others
• Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
• Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations 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.

You are warned that you are not allowed to collaborate with anyone during the assessment period. The work you submit must be your own and reflect your own understanding and knowledge. You cannot submit work with help from other people during the assessment period. If we are aware of any alleged misconduct, we will investigate thoroughly. Be warned this will cause delays in getting your results back, and the whole process is generally unpleasant for everyone.
All instances where there is evidence of academic misconduct in coursework, tests or an examination will be dealt with under the provisions of the Student Academic Conduct Statute [https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/policy-hub/education-student-experience/academic-conduct/student-academic-conduct-statute-2020.html].
Confirmed breaches of academic integrity and academic misconduct incidents are recorded on the University’s Register of Academic Misconduct. Furthermore, the course will also directly report the outcomes of the investigation to the Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and the FMHS Clinical Admissions Subcommittee.

The requirement to pass the laboratory component separately

It is a requirement to pass the laboratory component (i.e. 10/20), in addition to achieving an overall pass mark for the course (i.e. 50%), in order to pass the course as a whole.

The requirement to pass the theory component separately

It is a requirement to pass the theory component (i.e. 40/80), in addition to achieving an overall pass mark for the course (i.e. 50%), in order to pass the course as a whole.

Late submission of quizzes/online activities

Approval for an extension will be given only in exceptional circumstances. To apply for an extension for quizzes/online activities, students need to contact the course coordinators (medsci142@auckland.ac.nz) and supply appropriate documentation (e.g. doctor’s certificate/collaborating note from a counsellor) before the due date. Please note that your application is a request only, and it should not be assumed that an extension will be granted. Except where the course coordinators have authorised an extension of time for submitting student work, late quiz participation will not be possible.

Please retain a timestamped screenshot of your quiz results as evidence of timely submission.

Adjustments to assessment weightings and processes for online learning

In the event that assessments are moved online by the university, the course reserves the right to make adjustments to the assessment weightings and related processes. Please refer to the Course Guide and Canvas for details.

Clash with General Education course not permitted

Your General Education course should not conflict with your lecture or lab classes in MEDSCI 142. In the event that your clashing General Education course holds an assessment at the same time as a compulsory element in MEDSCI 142, restreaming requests will not be accommodated. Therefore, you should choose your General Education course carefully to ensure there is no clash.

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester 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. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

We are delighted by how interesting, informative and intellectually challenging some students found the course to be. Being passionate about our topics and about teaching, the lecturers are gratified to know that the way we presented the material to students made it engaging and inspired students to learn. We are also pleased that students felt well-supported by the wide range of available and accessible resources, the overall organization of the course, and that students felt well-informed on how their learning would be assessed.

Your feedback has highlighted the value of in-person labs and the areas of the course where students need more support in accessing and mastering the content. We accept that MEDSCI 142 is a demanding course, however all the knowledge covered is requisite for your future studies. To help students unpack/focus on the key points, lecturers have provided post-class concept check activities that explicitly align with the learning outcomes for each class. We will explicitly instruct future cohorts to consider using these under closed-book conditions, as to help identify knowledge gaps in a timely manner. Lecturers will continue to actively provide students with guidance and feedback on the student-led discussion board 'Ed Discussion'. We will also discuss your suggestions in our future teaching planning meetings.

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.

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

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.

If there is any health condition that may affect your learning or ability to participate fully in all aspects of the course, please notify our course leadership team (Sally, Zoe or Fiona at medsci142@auckland.ac.nz) and/or Student Disability Services as early as possible so that we can ensure that the best possible support is in place to help your learning.

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

If your ability to complete assessed work 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. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

We will use your relative performance in other comparable pieces of assessment, conducted under similar conditions, to evaluate your likely attainment in the affected assessment. Please note that ‘performance’ does not simply mean the mark achieved. The evaluation will involve correlational and other analyses, taking into account the relative difficulties of the assessments, nature of tasks/skills assessed, etc.

Please note that in order for examiners to recommend aegrotat or compassionate consideration adjustments, you must establish a record for other comparable assessments, conducted under similar conditions, that are well above the minimum pass standard (normally C+ or above). 

In line with the spirit of the Calendar regulation 12 h (i) [https://www.calendar.auckland.ac.nz/en/genregs/examination.html], no more than one major in-course assessment may be awarded an aegrotat or compassionate assessment (see the course guide for further information).

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.

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.