Foundations of Infection Prevention and
Control Course
Aged Care Clinical Leads
Student Guide
2020/21
Foundations for Infection Prevention and Control Course - Student Handbook Version 2, Revised 2020
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Course aims and learning objectives 4
Learning strategy 5
Assessment 5
Deadlines & extensions 6
Review, resubmit remark or appeal of grade 7
Academic integrity 8
Communication social media etiquette 8
Withdrawal deferral and cancellation policy 9
Credentialling 10
References and resources 10

Introduction
Welcome to the Foundations of Infection Prevention and Control Course (the Course). We are delighted to have you with us. The Course will prepare students for entry into contemporary routine infection prevention and control practice through exploration of microbiology and communicable diseases, as well as epidemiology and strategies for control of communicable disease. As a student in this Course, you will gain an understanding of the role of the infection prevention and control professional, the application of clinical governance and performance indicators in the workplace, including infection prevention and control frameworks and management plans. The course will provide students with knowledge and skills in the management and coordination of infection prevention and control programs.
The Course is self-paced, and delivered online using interactive modules via a learning platform known as Moodle TM, which is an easy to use online learning management system. Modules use video presentations and selected readings to guide you through the foundation module concepts. At the completion of each module there is an assessment task. This will take the form of either a short quiz and/or the discussion of a key question in an online forum. This forum is only open to students in the Course and students will also be required to respond to one other student’s post. (See further detail about this in the Assessments section).
Online learning can be daunting, especially for those who have not been in formal education for some time. The online learning platform is easy to navigate and students will have plenty of guidance from the Course Coordinator who is are available for support .
Learning support
The role of the Course Coordinator is to guide and support student progress for the duration of the Course. Students are encouraged to use the Q and A forum on the Course home page to seek clarification about any aspect of the Course content.
Administration issues should be directed to the Admin office on admin@acipc.org.au or by phone to (03) 6281 9239.
Contact with the Course Coordinator/Tutor is made initially via the education email education@acipc.org.au. The Coordinator will usually respond to enquiries within 48 hours, although emails received on Thursdays or Fridays may not be answered until the following Monday. If students wish to speak to the Course Coordinator by phone, initial contact is made by email and then a mutually agreeable time for a call is arranged. From time to time the Course Coordinator will also contact students by phone or email to check in.
For urgent discussions, students can contact the ACIPC Office, who may contact the Course Coordinator by phone if required.
Course aims and learning objectives
Course Aim
The Course aims to prepare you to work within infection prevention and control programs through gaining the fundamental skills and knowledge, and the development of additional skills to facilitate effective communication and teamwork, critical thinking, and stakeholder engagement.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing this Course, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of, and effectively apply specialised IPC knowledge in their setting.
2. Demonstrate sound judgement in the application of clinical indicators to their setting, using appraisal, critical evaluation, implementation, evaluation and communication.
3. Using a Clinical Governance framework, effectively design and implement a site-specific IPC program.
4. Justify the application of standard and transmission-based precautions to the setting appraising risk, using critical thinking, and identify and generate solutions to complex problems.
5. Evaluate review and develop site specific tools to ensure compliance with evidence-based policy, standards, guidelines, practices, and procedures.
6. Critique and apply site appropriate strategies to support clinician driven change in organisational behaviour.
7. Demonstrate high level communication skills to effectively transfer complex IPC knowledge to audiences in a broad range of settings.
Student requirements
As this Course is offered in online mode only, students will require:
• A reliable computer (tablets and phones can be difficult for some of the resources and activities so always use a computer)
• Reliable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth and speed to run the Course
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download) or similar to play audio/video files
• Speakers for audio – recorded lectures, webinars.
Note that students are also expected to have sufficient English reading, writing and numeracy skills to: independently read a broad range of texts; interpret and analyse complex text; undertake numerical calculations and complete assignments to a University standard.
Learning Strategy
The Course consists of an initial orientation period followed by 11 Modules delivered over up to 24 weeks Modules consist of self-paced learning that is supported through a structured online program. Each module and its activities will take approximately 6-9 hours to complete, however additional hours may be required per module for those students requiring English language, numeracy or other learning support.
As well as completing module learning materials, there are a variety of assessments including the quizzes, key questions and discussion board participation to enable you to apply learning from the modules. This Course will provide you with excellent infection prevention and control knowledge and the ability to contextualise learning. The variety of assessments will ensure that you have the tools necessary to apply this knowledge.
Several webinars are offered during the course to respond to students’ queries and to guide study and writing skills. These are routinely recorded and available in the Course.
Accelerated learning
The program may be attempted in an accelerated mode. Over a few weeks (full time study). The final assessment may be submitted at any time, up to the normal Course deadline. Turnitin will be configured to accept early submissions for students on the accelerated program.
Criteria for Successful Completion of the Course
To successfully complete the course, you are required to:
• satisfactorily complete all three assessment items (key questions, quizzes and assessment 3);
• achieve at least 50% for Assessments 2 and 3
• achieve an overall grade of 50%
• complete full payment for the Course.
Assessment
Each of the three (3) assessment items that students will complete over the Course. have differing requirements and complexity.
Assessment 1: Key Questions
Word limit: 100-200 words
There are six key questions to complete. Each question is linked to the learning in a module. The key questions are interactive and enable students to respond to their peer’s questions, generate a range of opinions and debate. You must post a response to all the 6 key questions AND reply to at least one other student’s post. This will be monitored to ensure consistency with the topic of the key question. Completion of all of the key questions will contribute 20 marks to your overall grade for the course. Failure to complete all of the key questions will contribute 0 marks towards your overall grade for the course.
Assessment 2: Online Quizzes
Ten of the modules include quizzes of several questions each. Each consist of true/false or multiple-choice questions. Students are required to achieve a pass in each quiz. The online quizzes will contribute 30% to the overall grade awarded to the final mark. Quizzes are not times, and three attempts are permitted.
Assessment 3: Written essay
Word limit: 3000 words +/- 10%
The written assessment will be in essay format and requires students to discuss the development, review or evaluation of an infection prevention and control resource appropriate to their practice. This could include a policy, procedure or education session. A mark (out of 100) will be provided for this assessment and students need to pass this assessment at 50/100 to complete the Course. This assessment will contribute 50% to the overall grade awarded to the final mark.
The details of what this assessment task requires and supporting materials including a guide to marking criteria are provided are provided to students during the Course.
Specific guidance for Assessment 3
This written essay assessment is due at the completion of the Course. This date is published on the Course front page and in the Course Overview section, under ‘Schedule of Learning’ . A late penalty of 10% will be deducted from the total grade for each day late without an approved extension at the assessment due date. Students who have exceptional or extenuating circumstances can apply for an extension. An evening webinar may be offered to discuss the requirements of this final assignment (assessment 3), and this is recorded and available in the Assessment section of the Course for students who cannot participate in the live webinar.
Word limit: 3000 words +/- 10%
Description:
A critical evaluation of an infection prevention and control practice, procedure, or policy
Critically examine an infection control practice, procedure or policy in your work area.
Synthesising your infection control knowledge, safety and cost effectiveness & where appropriate, the need to respect cultural values - make recommendations to improve practice.
Describe how you will implement and evaluate these changes and take appropriate action
Please note if you are currently not employed, answer this question in relation to your usual place of work/interest or your specialisation. The purpose of this is to develop your ability from novice to advanced in the application and management of infection prevention and control specific to your professional practice.
Deadlines, Extensions
Students are able to complete any of the individual module assessments (key questions and quizzes) at any time before the deadline for the final written assignment (Assessment 3). The recommended approach is to work through a module each two weeks and post your response to the discussion questions in sync with other students to promote discussion and debate. However the Course can be taken at an accelerated pace, estimated to be up to 80 hours, and it is advised to inform the Course Coordinator that this is your preference so adequate support can be in place. In addition to posting your response to the key question, you will need to respond to at least one other student’s answer, or a comment from the tutor, if attempting the accelerated Course.
In extenuating circumstances only, an extension to the final essay deadline may be considered. Request for Extension form should be emailed to education@acipc.org.au to request an extension. If for more than five days, students will need to attach documentary evidence. The form is available within the Assessment section of the course.
Students may apply for an extension prior to the due date by completing an Application for Extension Form.
Students are requested to download the application form from Moodle TM, complete the form and email it to the Course Coordinator. The Extension Request form requires students to provide a reason for requesting an extension. Should students request an extension for greater than 5 days, documentary evidence must be provided. The Course Coordinator will liaise with the student to develop a new deadline for the final assessment. Extensions are not automatically guaranteed and are granted based on:
• exceptional or extenuating circumstances and,
• take into consideration the completion of other work, online activity and length of time requested.
Exceptional or extenuating circumstances are defined as events or situations which are unexpected or outside of the control of the student.
Review, Resubmit, Remark or Appeal of Grade
Students achieving a mark of between 25% and 49% for the final essay may be offered a resubmission following feedback. This resubmission will be capped at 50, and be noted as a pass (50%) or fail 0%.
Should any student be dissatisfied with their grade they can make a request for their assessment to be reviewed. Reviews must be requested within 14 days of feedback being provided and marks released in Moodle TM. During the review the Course Coordinator or marker will discuss the grade awarded with the student and confirm outcomes of discussion by email.
Following the review, should the student feel that the grade is unfair or incorrect based on the rubric and the information provided, the student can nominate to resubmit or request a remark. This request must be made in writing (email) within 7 days of the assessment review.
Resubmission will be agreed and confirmed by email between the Course Coordinator and the student.
Resubmission criteria are:
• review the feedback and utilise the Marking Guide to construct a revised essay so that you satisfactorily address each of the assessment criteria and the learning outcomes for the Course.
• as this will be a resubmission, the grading options will be pass or fail. This means, a mark of 0 out of 100 will be allocated for a fail, and a mark of 50 out of 100 will be allocated for a pass.
• the student will be given 2 weeks to resubmit the essay
• if the resubmission is re-assessed as having addressed the marking criteria, and the student is awarded a pass, the student will receive a Certificate of Completion for the Course.
If a remark is requested, the Course Coordinator will arrange for an independent assessor to remark the original assessment who has not been previously involved in marking this student’s submitted essay. The assessor will be provided with a clean and de-identified assignment without any mention of final grade. After the assignment has been remarked, the Course Coordinator, original marker and the assessor will discuss the final grade. The student will then be notified of the outcome.
Following the resubmission or remark, should the student still believe the grade is unjustified or incorrect, the student can appeal to the ACIPC Education Committee. Appeals must be made in writing (email) within 7 days of being notified of the outcome. The ACIPC Education Committee will discuss the appeal and determine a strategy to resolve the issue. Students will be notified in writing of the final decision.
Student conduct
ACIPC policies are published on the ACIPC website. Students are expected to comply with all relevant ACIPC policies, and are encouraged to access these regularly via the College website.
Academic Integrity
The International Centre for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as a commitment to “six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage” (2014). The purpose of academic integrity is to ensure that students and education providers uphold these fundamental values in relation to academic work.
Breaches of academic integrity can include cheating and plagiarism.
Cheating refers to submitting assessment that has been completed by someone else. This could include asking someone to complete a quiz or paying or asking others to write an assessment. Plagiarism occurs when students use other authors/organisation intellectual property without their permission or without appropriate acknowledgement.
Students must appropriately acknowledge all sources used in their work, and reference material appropriately. There are a range of resources within the Course that will assist students to understand academic integrity and how to reference correctly. We recommend using either APA (7) or the Vancouver referencing style. Students will note throughout the Course the APA referencing style is used.
The ACIPC uses plagiarism detection software Turnitin. Students may view their similarity score and make amendments to their essay before the deadline for submission of the final assignment.
Please read the Academic Integrity Policy available on this link https://www.acipc.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2019/11/ACIPC-Academic-Integrity-Policy.pdf
Communication and social media etiquette
Throughout the Course, the Course Coordinator will keep students informed about relevant matters, such as upcoming events or deadlines, and new resources, either by email or using the online “announcements” board found in Moodle™. Moodle™ also enables you to ask questions of each other and the Course Coordinator. You can also email the Course Coordinator at education@acipc.org.au. From time to time online question and answer sessions will be set up by the Course Coordinator. This may be in the form of a webinar, phone call, skype or real time chat online.
As the Foundations of Infection Prevention and Control Course is completely online it is important that everyone uses appropriate etiquette for communicating online. This means that when writing or posting via the Moodle™ via email, a question/answer or key question discussion forum that all students adhere to the following principles
• Your privacy, the privacy of others, and the confidentiality of your workplace. So please don’t disclose personal or workplace details. This is for your safety, the safety of others (including patients and consumers) and that of your workplace. Keep information broad, for example: I work in a large teaching hospital, I am the link nurse in a small country hospital I work in a rural aged care setting, I work for a large company, or I work in a small dental practice.
• Think about how your words are interpreted. Often students know what you are trying to say but others may misinterpret this. Think about how it might sound to others before you hit submit. It is often a good idea to read your post out loud to yourself before posting.
• Respect the opinion of others. Not everyone may share your point of view.
• Be patient – when we send an email we often think we should get an immediate response. Refer to Learning Support section of the guide for contact details with the Education Coordinator.
• Sometimes when the response to the question a student may raise may be significant to all students, the response could be to that student directly and/or as a group email to all students or an announcement on the Moodle TM.
Students are expected to comply with all relevant ACIPC policies published on the ACIPC website, and should refer to these for more details of expectations during the Course. Of relevance to communication etiquette and social media are the Refer to the ACIPC Code of Conduct and to the Social Media Policy.
Withdrawal, Deferral and Cancellation Policy
Students who have extenuating circumstances and need to defer their participation in the Course can notify the Course Coordinator of their intention and receive advice on the opportunities for deferring from the current Course in which they are enrolled to another Foundations Course within the next 12 months. If the student defers to another Course within the next 12 months, the ACIPC National Office will ensure their course fees paid will also transfer with them and their enrolment will be moved to the new Course. Approved deferred students are considered students starting the Course from the beginning. Students who defer can only defer from a course once. When a student is accepted into another Course, they will not be given the opportunity to defer again.
Please access the Registration and refund policy for details on what happens if you cannot continue with the
Course https://www.acipc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Registration-and-Refund-Policy-2019.pdf
You should communicate with the Education Officer in the first instance education@acipc.org.au
If it is more than 12 months since the original Course was started/undertaken, the student will need to re-enrol as a new student and complete all Course requirements.
Credentialling
Credentialling provides a career pathway for infection control professionals. ACIPC offers three levels of credentialling: primary, advanced and expert. The Foundations of Infection Prevention and Control Course offers a pathway for students to become a Primary Credentialled Infection Control Professional (CICP-P). Further information on credentialling and the credentialling process will be provided to students during the Course and following completion of the Course. If students require any additional information or an application for credentialling, there is information on the credentialling process go to the following website for more information http://www.acipc.org.au/credentialling/
References and Resources
Australasian College of Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) (2020), last accessed 5/11/2020, http://www.acipc.org.au
International Centre for Academic Integrity (2014), Fundamental values project, last accessed 16/10/2019, https://www.academicintegrity.org/educational-resources/