PHARM 7519EX - Treatment of Addiction: Critical Issues

External - Trimester 3 - 2020

This course/module is designed to enable students to gain advanced understanding of the critical issues involved in the identification, recruitment, assessment, diagnosis and classification of individuals who misuse substances. Local, national and international barriers to treatment (stigma, culture, religion, politics, legal issues, civil commitment, cost, attitudes and beliefs) will be considered. Students will explore and critically examine treatment options in special settings (for instance, prisons, criminal justice and employment) and in special populations (for instance, addicted healthcare professional, co-morbid patients, pregnancy).

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Course Details

Course Code	PHARM 7519EX
Course	Treatment of Addiction: Critical Issues
Coordinating Unit	Medical Sciences
Term	Trimester 3
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	External
Units	4
Contact	Online
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Available for non-Award study after consultation with Program Director (students need to enrol at VCU and meet GradCert in International Addiction Studies entry criteria).
Assessment	Assignments, discussion board participation and exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Linda Gowing

This course is being taught by IoP staff from King's College London.

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

This course is a component of the International Program of Addiction Studies provided by the 成人大片 in collaboration with Kings College London (UK) and Virginia Commonwealth University (USA). Courses are offered on a modified semester schedule. This course is scheduled to commence in the first week of September, and run over 14 weeks with 4 one-week study breaks and concluding with an exam.

Course Learning Outcomes

General Objectives
To gain advanced understanding of critical issues in working with substance misuse clients
concerning, diagnosis, classification and identification of biological markers of addiction.
To understand the developmental effects of drugs of abuse including foetal alcohol syndrome.
To examine special populations (the young and the older adult).
To explore special and emerging issues (gambling, e-cigarettes and novel psychoactive
substances, responding to opioid overdose).
To examine dual diagnosis.
To understand barriers to treatment (marginalisation and attitudes).
Knowledge
At the end of this unit you should be able to demonstrate an understanding of:
1. Critical issues involved in working with substance misuse clients concerning diagnosis and
identification of substance misuse.
2. Developmental effects of alcohol and of drugs of abuse.
3. Critical issues involved identification of addiction in younger and older populations.
4. Emerging issues in the addictions field.
5. Special issues related to dual diagnosis.

Skills and Attitudes
You will be expected to develop and/or enhance your:
6. Knowledge of the issues germane to substance misuse across the age range.
7. Understanding of the terminology and nomenclature used to describe those who use
substances.
8. Ability to write in a critical manner.
9. Role as an active participant in the online discussion board.
10. Ability to evaluate and critically discuss the issues raised in the module

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-7
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	8,10
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	9,10
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	8-10
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1,3,5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	9,10

Learning Resources

Required Resources

All required resources will be available online, usually through the libraries of the three universities involved in the program.

Recommended Resources

Information on recommended resources will be provided online, usually as links to online material.

Online Learning

This course is provided totally online. The International Program in Addiction Studies is currently hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University. Course materials are provided on the VCU equivalent of MyUni (MyVCU).
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes

The online delivery offers flexibility, but students are encouraged to go through the work at the same pace so as to make best use of the online discussion.

The course is provided as a series of topics. Each study topic comprises:
• a topic outline describing the components and learning objectives;
• a concept lecture (or lectures);
• essential and additional readings;
• a quiz to test your understanding (not graded); and
• a discussion forum.

The discussion forum is used to clarify any issues, practise writing and professional discussions (e.g. using references) and to share experiences. It is not a chat room, but more resembles an open panel discussion. In some courses, depending on interest of the students, wikis or other interactive tools may be used to increase collaboration further.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The expected work load for the course is 20 hours a week. This will be spent on reviewing the video and reading material, doing the revision quizzes, engaging in discussion and preparing for the assessments.

Learning Activities Summary
The following topics will be taught:
- Terminology and nomenclature (including DSM)
- Dual diagnoses
- Biological markers of substance misuse
- Drug testing in workplace
- Drug dependence in pregnant women and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
- Developmental effects of drugs of abuse
- Substance misuse in young people
- Alcohol use disorders in older adults
- Preventing drug-related deaths with take-home naloxone (elective)
- Benzodiazepines revisited (elective)
Specific Course Requirements

Not applicable

Small Group Discovery Experience

Not applicable

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due (approx)	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Online Tests	Formative	Weeks 1-10
Discussion Board participation	Summative	Week 11	20%
Written Essay Assignment 1	Summative	Week 5	25%
Written Essay Assignment 2	Summative	Week 10	25%
Short Answer Exam	Summative	Week 12	30%

The Host University’s policies and procedures relating to assessment and examinations will apply as governed by an agreement with Kings' College London and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Assessment Related Requirements

Not applicable

Assessment Detail

FORMATIVE

Formative assessment in this course includes short tasks that are designed to help increase understanding of the module material but do not contribute to the final grade.

SUMMATIVE

Discussion Board
Students are required to participate in seven discussion forums during the course, at varying levels.

Essay Assignments
The two essay assignments (length 1500 words) should demonstrate scholarly knowledge of the literature, but also personal and creative engagement with the ideas raised. The essay topics and instructions will be provided on the VCU equivalent of MyUni (MyVCU) from Week 1 for the first essay and from Week 6 for the second essay.

Short Answer Examination
The exam will test understanding of key concepts from the whole course. The exam will be made available on MyVCU for a limited period of time at the end of the course.

Submission

Specific instructions on the preparation and submission of written assignments will be provided on the VCU equivalent of MyUni (known as MyVCU).

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
As this course is part of a joint degree, the IPAS program handbook holds the most important information. Normal University regulations may not apply as another university will be your host university.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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