YEAR 12 BIOLOGY 2018

ASSESSMENT TASK NOTIFICATION

Date of Issue Monday Week 4 – Term 2

Course HSC Biology Stage: 6 Year 12

Title of Task Secondary Research Investigation & Presentation

Nature of Task Take home Research & In Class Presentation

Number of Task 3 Of: 4

Weighting Total: 20% Knowledge & Understanding: Skills: 8%

12%
Date for Submission Section 1 & 2: To be submitted on Monday Week 7 – Term 2
Section 2 Presentations: Monday & Tuesday Week 7 – Term 2
Module Covered Module 7: Infectious Diseases

Syllabus Outcomes

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

the organism’s response, including the human immune system

BIO11/12-2 Designs and evaluates investigations in order to obtain primary and

secondary data and information

BIO11/12-4 Selects and processes appropriate qualitative and quantitative data and
information using a range of appropriate media

BIO11/12-7 Communicates scientific understanding using suitable language and

terminology for a specific audience or purpose
Task Description

This task will be marked out of 25 and has TWO sections.

- Section 1 (10 marks): Take home research task

- Section 2 (15 marks): 3-5 minute (+/- 10 seconds) in class multimodal
presentation of research findings gathered and processed in section 1
 YEAR 12 BIOLOGY 2018
ASSESSMENT TASK COVERSHEET

Student Assessment Task Coversheet

This must be attached to your assessment task upon submission

Student Name: ____________________ Class: Year 12 Biology Teacher: S. Hadid

Course: HSC Biology Module: Infectious Diseases Task No. 3

Task Title: Secondary Research Investigation & Presentation Weighting: 20%

Due Date: Monday Week 7 – Term 2

NOTE TO STUDENTS:
Students must read and sign the following declaration and stapled to the front of your
submitted task. Failure to do so will result in a mark of zero (0).

Declaration of own work:

I hereby declare that this assignment is entirely my own work, except where I have
acknowledged and referenced all sources and materials used to gather evidence in this
assignment.

I also declare that this assignment has not previously been submitted in an informal or
formal course of study, and I have not plagiarised in part or whole, the work of other
students/persons. I certify that all formatting and writing has been done by me.

Signed: ________________________________

Dated: ________________________________
Section 1 (10 marks)
Section 1 is a research task that is to be completed at home. You have Three weeks to
complete this section. The research done in this section will assist and prepare you for
section 2. The following worksheet is to be submitted as your section 1.

1. Define and list FIVE examples of infectious diseases

__________________________________________________________________________

2. What is a pathogen? Explain its role in transmission of infectious diseases.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________
 3. Choose a specific infectious disease, and gather data and information to complete
the following table:

Name of CHOSEN
infectious Disease
Cause

Transmission Define transmission:

Transmission type of chosen infectious disease:

Identify and describe Define Symptom:

FIVE symptoms

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
 Identify and explain
current treatments

Prevention and control Define Prevention:

strategies

May include:
- Hygiene practices
- Quarantine
- Vaccination
- Public health Define Control:
campaigns
- Use of pesticides
- Genetic
engineering
Prevention and control strategies:

1.

2.

3.

4.
 4. Through the use of research, evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotics and antivirals
in the treatment of infectious diseases in the past, present and future (You may
relate this to your chosen disease or a case study).

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

5. How did you assess the validity of your findings, in your research?

__________________________________________________________________________
Criteria Limited: Basic: Sound: High: Outstanding:
1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

BIO12-14 Analyses
§ Student identifies one or two § Student defines and lists § Student defines and lists § Student defines and § Student extensively
infectious disease in two or three infectious four types of infectious lists five types of defines and lists five
terms of cause, infectious diseases
transmission, § Students identify pathogens diseases diseases infectious diseases types of infectious
management and and describes transmission § Student demonstrates a § Student demonstrates a § Student demonstrates diseases
the organism’s
generally developing understanding sound understanding of a coherent § Student demonstrates an
response, including of pathogens, through pathogens, through understanding of extensive understanding
the human immune § Student chooses more than
system one main infectious disease describing one or two defining and describing pathogens, through of pathogens, through
modes of transmission two modes of defining and explaining defining and discussing
§ Student identifies one or two
BIO11/12-2
symptoms § Student chooses one main transmission and lists all three modes of all three modes of
Designs and infectious disease their roles. transmission and transmission and explains
evaluates § Students identify little to no
investigations in § Student outlines the cause § Student chooses one identifies their roles. their roles.
prevention and control
order to obtain of the named disease and main infectious disease, § Student chooses one § Student chooses one
strategies used in stopping
primary and how its transmitted and describes the cause main infectious disease, main infectious disease,
secondary data and the spread of their named
§ Student defines the of the named disease and interprets research and analyses research to
information infectious disease.
symptoms and treatments § Students define and to evaluate the cause evaluate the cause of the
BIO11/12-4 Selects that are associated with describe the symptoms of the named disease named disease and how
and processes their named infectious and treatments that are and how its transmitted its transmitted
appropriate disease associated with their § Students define and § Students define and
qualitative and named disease. coherently evaluate the symptoms
§ Student outlines little to no
quantitative data
and information prevention and control § Students outline demonstrate the and treatments that are
strategies used in stopping prevention and control treatments that are associated and available
using a range of
appropriate media the spread of their named strategies used in associated and for their named disease.
infectious disease. stopping the spread of available for their § Students analyse
their named infectious named disease. prevention and control
disease. § Students discuss strategies used in
§ Students describe the prevention and control stopping the spread of
effectiveness of current strategies used in their named infectious
antibiotics and antivirals stopping the spread of disease.
in treatment of named their named infectious § Students critically
disease disease. evaluates the
§ Students soundly assess § Students evaluate the effectiveness of
the validity of their effectiveness of antibiotics and antivirals
 research, with some
references provided in
the Harvard style, with
errors.
§ Students assess the
antibiotics and
antivirals and its
historical development
in treatment
validity of their § Students assess the
research, with all
references provided in
the Harvard style, with
minor errors.
and the historical
development of the
treatment of infectious
diseases in the past,
present and future.
validity of their research,
with all references
provided in the correct
Harvard style, with no
errors.

Section 1 Mark: / 10
Section 1 Teacher Feedback:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Section 2 (15 marks)
Section 2 is an in-class presentation using your findings from section 1. Two in class lessons
are allocated for you to present a 3 to 5-minute multimodal presentation on the
information you gathered in section 1. You are to base your presentation around the
following scenario:

There has been a mysterious outbreak which has hundreds of Australians in hospitals
around the nation. YOU have been chosen, along with a group of scientists, to gather and
process relevant information on a specific infectious disease, in order to service the
Australian Government in recognising which infectious disease has caused this outbreak.
We believe that the lives of infected Australian’s can be at an ultimate risk.

We have provided you with a list of the main enigmatic symptoms that those infected are
experiencing, in order to aid in the conclusion of your study:
§ Headaches
§ Fatigue
§ Muscle soreness
§ High fever
§ Vomiting blood
§ Bruising
§ Brain damage
§ Bleeding from eyes
§ Seizures

The future of Australia’s health, has faith in your service.

We rely on your expertise.

You are to submit your final multimodal presentation through the year 12 Biology portal by
Monday Week 7 (Term 2).

Note: A reference list must be included at the end of the PowerPoint. All references must
be submitted in the Harvard referencing style. Students may use the following link to assist
them in their referencing.

https://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_Harvard.pdf
Criteria Limited: Basic: Sound: High: Outstanding:
1 2 3 4 5

BIO12-14 Analyses
§ Students demonstrate § Students § Students § Students § Students
infectious disease in
terms of cause, a difficulty in the ability demonstrate a demonstrate a demonstrate the demonstrate the
transmission,
management and to research and gather developing ability sound ability to ability to research ability to research
the organism’s
secondary data. to research and research, gather considerably, extensively in
response, including
the human immune § Students answer some gather secondary and process gather, process order to gather,
system
questions incoherently, data. secondary data. and analyse process and
BIO11/12-2 with errors. § Students answer § Students answer secondary data. analyse
Designs and
evaluates all questions all questions § Students answer secondary data.
investigations in
incoherently with correctly and all questions § Students answer
order to obtain
primary and errors. coherently, with correctly and all questions
secondary data and
information minor errors. coherently. correctly and
§ Students show a coherently.
clear § Students show a
understanding of clear and detailed
their research. understanding of
their research.

Section 2 Part A Mark: /5

Section 2 Part A Teacher Feedback:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Criteria Limited: Basic: Sound: High: Outstanding:
1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

BIO11/12-7 § Presentation has no structure § Presentation has shown § Presentation shows a § Presentation is clearly § Presentation structure is
Communicates and is incoherent some effort of sound structure that structured and is easily clear and has exceeded
scientific presentation structure, assisting in audience followed the demands of the task
§ Student showed little to no eye
understanding still proving difficult to understanding § Student makes regular § Student shows sustained
contact throughout the
using suitable follow § Student shows a sound eye contact with eye contact with the
presentation
language and § Student shows occasional amount of eye contact audience throughout audience throughout the
terminology for a § The use of voice and tone
throughout the presentation eye contact throughout with the audience the presentation presentation
specific audience
was quiet, quick and/or the presentation throughout the § The use of voice and § The use of voice, tone
or purpose
monotonous § The use of voice and tone presentation tone is well done, and speed are utilised
§ Student used poor posture and throughout the § The use of voice and tone throughout the naturally and engage the
inappropriate or little amount presentation was is demonstrated well presentation with good audience throughout the
of gestures, undermining the delinquent at certain with some weaknesses in volume, speed and with presentation
formality of speech times of the presentation speed or tone varied tone § Student demonstrates
§ Student presentation is § Student shows decent § Student shows good § Student shows regular good posture and
under/over time requirements posture, however little to posture and hand use of posture, hand sustained use of natural
no hand gestures gestures throughout the gestures and positive facial and hand gestures,
§ Student presentation is presentation body language aiding their overall
under/over time § Student presents a 3-4 § Student presents a 4 communication
requirements minute presentation minute presentation § Student presents a 4-5
minute presentation

Section 2 Part B Mark: / 10

Section 2 Part B Teacher Feedback:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 2 Combined Mark: /15

Module 7 Assignment Final Mark: /25
 Student Self- Evaluation
Use the following table for evaluation based on self-assessment and teacher feedback, at the completion of your assessment

What I did well in What I did not so well in Where to next?

Critical Reflection

Assessment is an essential component within the cycle of teaching and learning. The
essence of assessments holds a great importance in the academic lives of teachers and
students (Masters, 2013). The purpose of assessment is to understand, support and enrich
a student’s learning journey with the main aim of increasing quality (Masters, 2013).
Bernstein (1973), emphasises that assessment is one of three message systems within a
school, alongside curriculum and pedagogy, that allows for an increase in academic quality.
The importance of assessment relates back to the benefits of feedback, which facilitates
student development both formally and informally (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006). NSW
schools have taken an advanced array of responsibility in amending approaches in order to
improve overall student learning (Smith, 2005, p.42). Assessment design alongside the
incorporation of differentiation, plays a vast role in facilitating overall student
enhancement, taking into consideration the amendments made by NSW schools (Smith,
2005, p.42).

In accordance with developing literature, assessment has shown to have a wide range of
importance in the academic progression of students (Gipps, 2008). Assessment provides
educators with the ability to collect and evaluate evidence of the progression that students
show in their learning and overall understanding (Gipps, 2008). The NSW Education
Standards Authority (NESA), have made many current modifications to the Biology HSC
assessment program. NESA (2017) have incorporated limitations on the amount of
assessment tasks that can be conducted within year 12, and limitations on the weightings
that can be applied to each assessment task. The Biology HSC assessment program has also
been revised in order to assure students that only one out of the four assessment tasks can
be a formal written exam, confirming that a variety of assessment activities will take place
across the year (NESA, 2017). These limitations allow educators to apply a formative
assessment approach in preparation for summative assessments. In accordance to Marsh
(2007), formative assessment is the continuous development of students, through
collection and evaluation of evidence in an informal manner, within everyday classroom
discussions and activities. In accordance to Gonski et al. (2018), research shows compelling
evidence that differentiated teaching, in result of the incorporation of formative
assessment, ultimately boots student academic achievement significantly. However,
research shows that formative assessment has the ability to progress (Gonski et al, 2018).
In order to allow educators to individualise student growth within formative assessments,
research indicates that these limitations can be overcome through creating and
implementing an ‘online formative assessment tool’, which will allow educators to identify
and keep track of student learning (Gonski et al, 2018). The tool will allow teachers to
identify which syllabus outcomes are reached by individual students and how interventions
can be implemented to take place in order to stipulate progression tasks and further
development (Gonski et al, 2018). The importance of formative assessment, highlights its
connection to summative assessment. A summative assessment is a standards-based
assessment, commonly at the conclusion of a unit, that assesses student understanding of
syllabus outcomes (NESA, 2017). Summative assessments are an essential component to
the cycle of learning, however they cannot fairly take place, without proper teaching
strategies and feedback (Boud & Falchikov, 2005).
Gipps (2008), identifies that assessment tasks do not take into account the context,
cultural, social and economic inequities that are evident in individual student lives.
Assessments that fall under the categogry of high stakes testing, have a high degree of
accountability for student results, which can result in accountable consequences,
specifically in stage 6 (NESA, 2017). Academic literature in accordance with NESA, has
highlighted the essential need for change in relation to traditional assessment approaches
(Goubeaud, 2010). Nonetheless, with its current amendments, alongside its undergoing
development, the essence of assessment holds great importance in the progression of
students’ academic maturity (Boud & Falchilov, 2005). Without assessments, educators
would have no means of gathering, evaluating and assessing syllabus outcomes, allowing
teachers the ability to understand student strengths and weaknesses (Gobby & Walker,
2017). The importance of assessment also lies in the life of a student, being a motivation
mechanism to strive for an overall outcome and purpose (Gobby & Walker, 2017). The
essential need for change in traditional approaches to assessment, have shown
development through the incorporation of differentiation (Goubeaud, 2010).
Differentiation is crucial within an assessment task, providing students from a range of
academic abilities and learning styles, the opportunity to comprehend, evaluate and
demonstrate understanding (Nicol, 2007). A range of assessment activities and tasks,
provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of syllabus
outcomes in varying ways, in accordance to their strengths (Gipps, 2008). Differentiation
can be achieved within an assessment task, through providing levelled questions, which
gradually increases in complexity (Gipps, 2008). The gradual increase in complexity within
assessment tasks, applies differentiation, providing a wide range of students with a range
in academic abilities, the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding through
different mechanisms (Nicol, 2007). Science as a subject, allows for differentiated learning
through the validity in incorporating self-regulated assessment tasks, within science, giving
students the accountability to be responsible for their own learning (Nicol & Macfarlane-
Dick, 2006). The relevance of self-regulated learning in science, allows for assessment tasks
to be used in a mixed ability science classroom, successfully across a variety of students.
However, the arrangement of differentiation within a task, should consider the scope and
breadth of the overall task, in order to ensure that the authenticity and importance of the
task is not sacrificed (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006). The uniqueness of assessment
methodology allows for educators to give students a purpose within the task (Ogan-
Bekiroglu, 2009). Assessment tasks should incorporate a ‘purpose’, in order to give
students an audience and overall determination for the task (Ogan-Bekiroglu, 2009). This
allows for an increase in quality and supports the enhancement of student learning
(Masters, 2013).

Through the collection and evaluation of student assessments, educators are given the
opportunity to provide students with feedback based on their work. Feedback promotes
student learning and enhances academic development (Orsmond et al., 2013). An effective
assessment task, will allow for effective feedback to be communicated to students
(Orsmond et al., 2013). Academic literature accentuates that feedback is the main
mechanism that contributes to the progression of students (Orsmond et al., 2013). The
attitudes towards the importance of feedback has significantly changed within the last
decade, previously being disregarded and deemed irrelevant to student development
(Orsmond et al., 2013). However, research into the pedagogical influence of feedback, has
changed the views of educators, now appreciating its significance (Orsmond et al., 2013).
According to Hattie & Timperley (2007) the “simplest prescription for improving education”
is consistent and task specific feedback, resulting in significant enhancement of student
learning (Gobby & Walker, 2017). The prominence of feedback is due to its ability to
provide individualised feedback to all students on task specific areas of improvement,
whereas other forms of communication based on learning are commonly generalised
(Gobby & Walker, 2017). Feedback is effective when students are given clear indicators of
their strengths as well as ways to progress, based on syllabus outcomes and skills being
assessed (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). The misconceptions of feedback, have limited the
principle and quality of feedback on a whole (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Quality feedback
focuses on the task disassociating the feedback from the learner, resulting in constructive,
succinct and individualised criticism (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

In order for an effective assessment to take place, the assessment design is crucial
(Goubeaud, 2010). As previously mentioned, traditional assessment approaches have
shown to be ineffective in contributing to student overall development and understanding
(Goubeaud, 2010). In order for an assessment task to show productiveness, it needs the
opportunity to be expressed, through unambiguous questions, clear explanation of the
content knowledge that is being assessed and explicit marking criteria of student
expectations (Ogan-Bekiroglu, 2009). According to NESA, this can be approached through
the implementation of standard referenced assessments (NESA, 2017). A standard
referenced assessment is designed to assess and associate the quality of student work to
expected performance benchmarks, rather than comparing the work of students (NESA,
2017). A standard referenced assessment focuses on the knowledge and skills that are
expected and if each individual student can demonstrate these skills or not (NESA, 2017).
Through the implementation of a standard referenced assessments, educators will be able
to determine what knowledge and skills each student has developed, and those that need
assistance in developing. NESA continues to promote the standard referenced assessment
approach, identifying that it applies individualised feedback and activities, that will assist in
individual development, through the use of differentiation (Nicol, 2007).

The importance of assessment overall, significantly outweighs the limitations in the current
methodologies associated within assessment. Through the use of assessment, both
formative and summative, educators and the education system is able to assess the
development of student learning, through gathering and evaluating data, which can then
be developed through feedback (Gobby & Walker, 2017). The effectiveness of an
assessment task, depends on the “nature and quality of feedback” given to students (NESA,
2017). Effective assessment design along with effective feedback, allows for differentiation,
giving a variety of students, the opportunity to demonstrate their development (Nicol,
2007).
References

Bernstein, D. A. (1973). Situational factors in behavioral fear assessment: A progress

report. Behavior Therapy, 4(1), 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-
7894(73)80073-5

Boud, D., & Falchikov, N. (2005). Redesigning assessment for learning beyond higher
education. HERDSA 2005 conference, 34-41.
http://conference.herdsa.org.au/2005/pdf/refereed/paper_398.pdf

Gipps, C. (2008). Socio-cultural aspects of assessment. In H. Wynne (Ed.) Student

assessment and testing: Vol. 1 (Chapter 8, pp. 252-291). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.

Gobby, B. & Walker, R. (2017). Powers of Curriculum: Sociological Perspectives on

Education, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Gonski, D., Arcus, T., Boston, K., Gould , V., Johnson, W. , O’Brien, L., Perry, L.A., &
Roberts, M. (2018). Through Growth to Achievement Report of the Review to
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Goubeaud, K. (2010). How is Science Learning Assessed at the Postsecondary Level?

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NSW Education Standards Authority. (2017). Assessment and Reporting in Biology Stage 6.
http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/special-education/
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2017.pdf.

Nicol, D. (2007, May). Principles of good assessment and feedback: Theory and
practice. From the REAP International Online Conference on Assessment
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learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice.
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10.1080/03075070600572090.

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