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MICROCREDENTIAL

Practical Foundations of Biology

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$2,000.00

START DATE

 Enquire now

MODE

 Online

DURATION

 8 wks

COMMITMENT

 Avg 5 hrs/wk

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Build the foundations for upskilled work and required expertise in this growing and highly regulated industry environment. Gain in-depth knowledge of basic concepts of biology and pharmacology needed in everyday work, for any role within the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, food, dairy, meat and allied industry sectors. Explore all stages in the product lifecycle – from preclinical and clinical through to commercial manufacturing.

About this microcredential

This microcredential is designed to cover the essential and practical aspects of biology and pharmacology needed by an industry employee, allowing them to keep abreast of the growing needs and demands of the industry nationally and globally.

Participants will be able to apply acquired knowledge to their real industry-based setting, aligning with business needs and global industry trends. Futhermore, they will be in a position to integrate the knowledge into existing industry roles and responsibilities, ensuring that they are upskilled and reskilled for proficiency.

In this course, you will embark on a journey through cellular biology, understanding its key concepts and how drugs interact with the body, particularly at the cellular level. Furthermore, you will have an opportunity to understand factors involved in the manufacture of medications, learning to mitigate contaminants effectively.

Key benefits of this microcredential

This microcredential offers a comprehensive pathway to advancing careers in biology and pharmacology, providing participants with essential skills and knowledge for industry success. It has been designed to equip you with:

  • Acquired knowledge in industry settings, aligning with business imperatives and global trends
  • Integrated expertise into current roles, fostering continuous upskilling
  • Updated knowledge of industry trends at national and global levels
  • Understanding of how manufacturing impacts cellular processes and mitigate contaminants
  • Skills to analyse challenges in biological systems, contributing to healthcare advancements
  • Developed critical thinking skills through hands-on learning and real-world case studies
  • Established foundation in biology for further education or career opportunities in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research.

This microcredential aligns with the 2-credit point subject, Practical Foundations of Biology (96621). This microcredential may qualify for recognition of prior learning at this and other institutions.

Digital badge and certificate digital badge example for UTS Open short courses

A digital badge and certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of the relevant assessment requirements and attainment of learning outcomes of the microcredential.  

Learn more about UTS Open digital badges.

Who should do this microcredential?

This microcredential is suitable for a general and varied audience, including, but not limited to:

  • Employees of manufacturing and allied industries who want to upgrade their career profile and employability
  • Any individual, from any related field, who wants to upskill their credentials in the field
  • University students who want to obtain strong theoretical background with the aim of entering the manufacturing and allied industry in the area of manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance, regulatory, and other relevant industry-based positions.

Price

Full price: $2,000 (GST-free)*

*Price subject to change. Please check price at time of purchase.

Enrolment conditions

Course purchase is subject to UTS Open Terms and Conditions. 

COVID-19 response 

UTS complies with latest Government health advice. Delivery of all courses complies with the UTS response to COVID-19.

Additional course information

Course outline

This course is delivered in a scheduled format over 8 weeks (40 hours of learning in total). Each week, participants will attend an online session where they will have the chance to apply what has been learned, ask questions and hear from other participants who are taking the course.

The scheduled Zoom workshops are led by the course facilitator and will be conducted weekly on Thursday evening from 5.30pm throughout the course.

All learning materials including interactive, preparative content will be made available in self-paced online modules.

The following topics will be covered during the course:

  • Biology basics and cell structure organisation
  • Eukaryotic cell and DNA replication
  • Expression of the genetic code
  • OMICS: Studying the totality of genes, transcripts and proteins as a whole
  • Introduction to the manufacturing of solid dose medications
  • Principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
  • Manufacturing of biotech products
  • Mitigating common sources of contamination.

Course delivery 

  • The webinar sessions for this course will be delivered on Zoom – the meeting link will be provided to enrolled participants via Canvas and email.

Course learning objectives

Biology is the study of living things and associated vital processes including the underpinning cellular and molecular mechanisms. Upon successful completion of the microcredential, participants should be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of cellular nucleus biology, including DNA replication, transcription and translation
  • Describe and apply key concepts related to proteomics
  • Apply knowledge of human biology to describe how solid dose medications are absorbed and exert their therapeutic effect
  • Explain how production processes used in manufacturing could impact cells, with a particular focus on eliminating or mitigating the impact of contaminants.

Assessment

In order to pass this course, participants need to achieve at least a 50 per cent grade overall, across the two assessment tasks. The final grade will be the weighted average of the two assessments, as indicated below:

  • AT1: Knowledge and progress quiz (weighting - 40%). This assessment, composed of multiple choice and short answer questions is designed to assess understanding of the content and provide feedback, enabling a review of course content and a reflection of progress.
  • AT2: Case studies (weighting - 60%). This assessment comprises two case studies. The first case study is descriptive, and the second is applicative.

Requirements

Mandatory

To complete this online course, you will need a personal computer with adequate internet access and sufficient software and bandwidth to support web conferencing. You will also require an operating system with a web browser compatible with Canvas and Zoom.

Accessibility requirements

Accessibility 

  • If you have any specific accessibility requirements, please contact elops@uts.edu.au

Contact us

For any questions on enrolment or payment, please email support@open.uts.edu.au

If you have a specific question on course content or requirements, please email elops@uts.edu.au

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Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

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