AVBS4004: Semester 2, 2020

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Units AVBS4004 Semester 2 2020 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

AVBS4004: Food Safety Assessment and Management

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camden, Sydney

Overview

This Unit of Study focuses on the issues and practices in the animal industry relevant to food safety and zoonotic disease. This unit will cover general food safety issues, including risk assessment and hazard analysis of microbes and chemicals. Food-borne diseases of animal origin and their impact on public heath will be explored through the examination of zoonotic diseases in scenario-based learning activities. In these processes diagnostic and strategic methods of investigating, controlling and preventing food-borne disease outbreaks will be explored. Students will be introduced to national and international animal and human health policy pertaining to food safety regulations and surveillance initiatives and strategies that underpin these policies. Students in this unit will be introduced to the issues regarding emerging food-borne pathogens and current industry driven topics. By the end of the unit, students should have global and local perspective on the major food-borne diseases, surveillance and control programs. This unit is located at the Camden Campus.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	AVBS3001 and (AVBS4001 or AVBS3005)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Gary Muscatello, gary.muscatello@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Evelyn Hall, evelyn.hall@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Gary Muscatello, gary.muscatello@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Open book)	Final exam Open book online examination	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	MCQ exam Open-book quiz	4%	Week 08	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual report Written assessment	20%	Week 10	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group report Written assessment	20%	Week 11	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	MCQ exam Open-book quiz	6%	Week 12	45 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = Type C final exam ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Result Name	Mark range	Description
High Distinction	85-100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75-84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65-74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50-64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0-49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to food safety	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to food safety	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Food safety regulations	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Global diseases of production animals	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Global diseases of production animals	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	HACCP	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	Dairy Videos - HACCP	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Zoonoses	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	HACCP	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Epidemiological principles and food safety	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Epidemiological principles and food safety	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Chemical hazards	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Abattoir on-line	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Summary of weeks 1 to 7	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Antimicrobial resistance and ONE health	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Microbiological Laboratory Exercise	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 10	Microbial hazards and diagnostics in food safety	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Microbiological laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 11	Microbial hazards and diagnostics in food safety	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Microbiological laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 12	‘Gate to plate’ disease control programs	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Summary of weeks 1 to 12	Tutorial (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Apply the principles of veterinary epidemiology, pathogenesis, and zoonoses to investigate food-borne diseases
LO2. Describe the hazards in food of animal origin, and the means by which they affect humans
LO3. Describe and evaluate the key elements of food safety risk assessment, hazard analysis, and critical control point (HACCP) interventions as part of a total quality management food safety system
LO4. Recognise control and prevention measures that enhance food safety, and reduce the risk of acquiring zoonotic diseases through exposure to animal products
LO5. Recognise and evaluate the various surveillance systems and diagnostic tools used in food safety systems to monitor and detect chemical and biological hazards
LO6. Describe the global trends in food-borne disease distribution, recognise emerging food-borne pathogens of animal origin, and evaluate their risk to public health
LO7. Recognise the roles and initiatives (in food safety) of the various government and industry organisations that form the global, national, and regional regulatory system for the production of safety food of animal origin
LO8. Advise on the safe production of animal products for human consumption.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Hopefully that live zoom sessions will increase interaction and one-one teaching

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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