- MSL924002A - Use laboratory application software
Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners
MSL924002A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Use laboratory application software
Version 1.0
Issue Date: June 2024
Qualification | - |
Unit of Competency | MSL924002A - Use laboratory application software |
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Description | This unit of competency covers the ability to use and apply computer application software in the laboratory, field and production plants for analysis and reporting. | ||
Employability Skills | This unit contains employability skills. | ||
Learning Outcomes and Application | This unit of competency is applicable to technical officers and laboratory technicians in all industry sectors. It describes the application and use of software packages in the context of laboratory or field work. Typically this software would be for the storage, retrieval, analysis and display of information. There is no expectation that candidates would be able to customise the software to meet specific needs. Industry representatives have provided case studies to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting. These can be found at the end of this unit of competency under the section 'This competency in practice'. | ||
Duration and Setting | X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting. |
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Prerequisites/co-requisites | |||
Competency Field |
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners | Student Learning Resources | Handouts Activities |
Slides PPT |
Assessment 1 | Assessment 2 | Assessment 3 | Assessment 4 | |
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Elements of Competency | Performance Criteria | |||||||
Element: Access application software |
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Element: Use software for specified purposes |
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Element: Produce reports of retrieved data and/or processed data |
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Element: Perform simple record housekeeping |
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Evidence Required
List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Assessors should ensure that candidates can: select the most appropriate software package for the task from the suite of software applications available use routine instruction sets of the software package to complete the task use software to analyse data such as quality control and instrument performance characteristics back up electronic storage use scanning software to protect in-house software and data. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment. This unit of competency may be assessed with: MSL925001A Analyse data and report results relevant MSL974000 series units of competency relevant MSL975000 series units of competency. Resources may include: access to a computer network or a personal computer software packages that include a database package, spreadsheet, statistical analysis and simple graphics output input and output data. |
Method of assessment | The following assessment methods are suggested: review of analysis tasks linking test results to the generation of meaningful reports by the candidate review of simple statistical and/or graphical analysis of quality control data completed by the candidate oral and written exercises in preparation for keyboard activities. In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly. Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability. Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required. The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment. |
This competency in practice | Industry representatives have provided the case studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting. Manufacturing A laboratory technician performs tests on starting materials, such as appearance, identity, melting point, moisture content, trace elements, sulfated ash and assay. The results are entered in a computer database that allows trend analysis to be carried out on the test results for materials from each supplier. As a result, the technician may recognise when a supplier is experiencing potential problems with their production process. The technician would then notify the supervisor and/or supplier that there is a high probability that future supplies may be out of specification and that constant monitoring of starting materials will be required. Biomedical An important task of the technical officer in a pathology laboratory is to perform statistical analysis for quality control purposes. The software package provides for the input of data, analysis of mean value and variance as well as graphical reporting. The technical officer uses a dedicated software package or a package within the customised pathology data management system in order to assess the validity of the results produced from the analytical instrument. Food processing A technical officer is required to perform a nutrient analysis of a food product, the results of which will be displayed on the food container. The output from the nutrient analysis is fed into a software program that calculates the levels of these components 'per portion' and 'per 100g' and displays the information in the correct tabular format. The software package is designed so that the technical officer can input new data or access existing data and manipulate that data to provide a full and accurate nutrient display or report. |
Submission Requirements
List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here
Assessment task 1: [title] Due date:
(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)
Assessment Tasks
Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.
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Required skills |
Required skills include: using software application features and instructions to input, save, analyse, sort, retrieve and display the records or data using software for the analysis, reporting and management of laboratory and field data and information using in-house software manuals to augment skills and solve operational problems selecting the most appropriate software package for the task backing up electronic storage using scanning software to protect in-house software and data |
Required knowledge |
Required knowledge includes: applications of the software package terminology associated with the software packages basic knowledge of the types of spreadsheet, database, data analysispackages that are available application ofspecific software package features torelevantlaboratory tasks relationship between the protocol for data input and file storage of the data general file and record maintenance relevant health, safety and environment requirements |
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Codes of practice | Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used |
Information sources | Information sources may include: manuals of enterprise standard instructions hardware manuals software manuals training materials to orient software to enterprise needs on-screen instructions embedded in the software |
Software packages | Software packages may include: word processing spreadsheets databases graphical and statistical analysis laboratory information systems |
Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements | OHS and environmental management requirements: all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health |
Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.
Observation Checklist
Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice | Yes | No | Comments/feedback |
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Identify software required for the task | |||
Open software from a personal computer or network terminal | |||
Input a range of scientific data into a computing system | |||
Conduct searches for the retrieval of required data | |||
Use application features for efficient computation | |||
Construct data sets and databases for numerical and graphical analyses | |||
Analyse data using features of the software package | |||
Select options for constructing data reports | |||
Print the results of data analyses using features of the software package | |||
Integrate data from diverse application software units in a report | |||
Report the outcomes and rationale for computerised database searches where appropriate | |||
Reference computerised data sources according to the style requirements of the enterprise | |||
Backup worked data according to enterprise standard procedures | |||
Maintain archive data according to enterprise standard procedures | |||
Maintain hard copy data according to standard enterprise operating procedures | |||
Apply approved antivirus software and general standard quarantine procedures |
Forms
Assessment Cover Sheet
MSL924002A - Use laboratory application software
Assessment task 1: [title]
Student name:
Student ID:
I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.
Student signature:
Result: Competent Not yet competent
Feedback to student
Assessor name:
Signature:
Date:
Assessment Record Sheet
MSL924002A - Use laboratory application software
Student name:
Student ID:
Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent
(add lines for each task)
Feedback to student:
Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent
Assessor name:
Signature:
Date:
Student signature:
Date: