CRIM13004 - Criminology Work Placement Capstone

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This work placement capstone unit enables you to apply the theories, content knowledge and skills you have learned to a workplace environment. Your work will involve finding solutions to a problem in a regulatory agency, criminal justice agency, government or other organisation involved in the prevention or regulation of criminal activity. This practical experience will involve 50 hours of workplace experience which may be accrued intensively or distributed throughout the term. The university will assist in finding suitable workplace arrangements. You will be required to log this time and have this certified by your workplace mentor. You will be required to keep a digital portfolio of your workplace experiences and reflect on what this means for professional practice while setting a professional development agenda. During your practical experience you will complete a workplace project, under the supervision of your workplace mentor and our unit coordinator, supported by online resources and advice. The deliverables from this project will be submitted for assessment and will form part of your professional portfolio.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Enrolment in CL55 or CL75 and 72 cp of completed units.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 30%
2. Workplace Project 70%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 45.45% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Email, workshops
Feedback
Provide alternative options if placement providers withdraw during the term.
Recommendation
We will develop a simulated workplace as an alternative option for students who cannot reach a placement or who lose it during the term.
Action Taken
Online placement options were identified for those students who could not attend on-site. These were completed successfully and appeared to provide a meaningful experience based on student feedback.
Source: Consultations
Feedback
Students appreciated personalised help with developing their professional portfolios
Recommendation
This will be retained as a part of this unit.
Action Taken
Assistance with the career portfolio task was provided by the UC. Additionally, the CQU careers team presented to the group at the beginning and end of the semester, offering assistance with key tasks such as developing a resume and cover letter. This signficantly enhanced grade outcomes on the portfolio.
Source: External agency feedback Self-reflection
Feedback
Increased length of placement (>50 hours)
Recommendation
The length of the placement experience should be increased to provide the opportunity for more meaningful engagement with agency induction and a greater breadth of experience across the agency. This should be negotiated with both the agency and the student to ensure it is appropriate.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection
Feedback
Reduce impact of external assessors on final grade outcomes
Recommendation
The final assessment provided by external agency supervisors should shift to a hurdle requirement, marked on a pass/fail basis, therefore not contributing as significantly to the final grade outcome. This means the final grade will be derived from grading that has been undertaken by the UC only, based on placement related assessment items, to ensure a more even grade distribution.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Apply skills and knowledge developed in the course to criminology practice in a regulatory agency, criminal justice agency, government or other organisation involved in the prevention or regulation of criminal activity
  2. Evaluate and report work placement experience and assess personal and professional growth, strengths and weaknesses in intellectual development, social development and professional development
  3. Reflect upon and describe the careers, roles, relationships, responsibilities and activities of people engaged in the practice of criminology in the workplace
  4. Reflect upon, evaluate and report enhanced knowledge of criminology gained as a result of participation in work placement and the nature of the environment that supported such learning.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Portfolio • • •
2 - Workplace Project • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication •
2 - Problem Solving •
3 - Critical Thinking •
4 - Information Literacy •
5 - Team Work •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 - Workplace Project • • • •
1 - Portfolio • • • • • •