Aims and Fit of Module

This module aims to 1) Introduce the principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, the principles of toxicity of drugs and their metabolites; 2) Equip students with the knowledge of the quantitative aspects of drug action and the factors that contribute to drug efficacy; and 3) Provide the knowledge of the molecular biology of drug targets, and the knowledge of pharmacology and the applications.

Learning outcomes

A State key pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic concepts such as absorption, distribution, half-life and steady state, clearance, and to solve problems involving these parameters 
B Describe quantitative aspects of drug action and the factors that contribute to drug efficacy 
C Demonstrate the role of drug concentrations in determining response to treatment
D Describe early biochemical events after drug administration that are of biochemical significance and toxicity, using specific drugs as examples.
E Describe the principles of selective toxicity and their application to both self and non-self targets, using specific drugs as examples.
F Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the principles of pharmacology, and how this knowledge has been applied to solve problems
G Demonstrate the development of the skills of data management and analysis, independent learning, critical thinking and self-evaluation.

Method of teaching and learning

The teaching sessions divide into Lectures, Tutorials and Private Study.

Lectures will be used to introduce students to the concepts, theories and the applications covered by the module, supported by materials on LMO and other web-based resources. Handouts will be made available to students in classrooms and on LMO. Animations and/or videos will be shown for some of the topics. 

Tutorials will help students to deepen their understanding on the subjects of the module, which will run in ways mixed with group discussion, problem-solving, reviewing and reflection, Q&A, formative quiz, and feedback to coursework. The size of the group will vary with the learning objectives. The review sessions will be arranged towards end of the semester and the students will have opportunities to self-assess their understanding of the course.

Private Study is the unsupervised time students spend: 1) to digest and reflect the materials supplied by the instructor(s); 2) to do background reading and 3) to finish the coursework assignments.

Assessment facilitates evaluation of student learning and development, while the feedback helps deepen students’ understanding. Timely, relevant and specific, constructive and actionable feedback will be provided to students in class, on paper and/or in person for each assignment. 

The assessment has 3 components: coursework, report and final exam, covering different LOs. The coursework contains short answer questions, essay-type questions and calculations and is due in 2 weeks. The minimum length for the report is 2500 words and due in 3 weeks, while the final exam will contain short answer questions, essay-type questions and calculations, which will be a 2-hour close-book exam.