Overview
This unit supports you to identify and develop core professional practices and skills required by all graduates to succeed in the future world of work. You will learn about core foundation disciplines; develop study, organisational and planning skills; and learn about your strengths and weaknesses. You will develop your understanding of how these are connected to future career choices. You will learn about your chosen profession and career options and plan your course and overall study path to build the knowledge and skills to reach your desired career outcomes. Throughout this unit, your academic, critical and creative thinking skills will be enhanced so that you can effectively engage in future studies. You will commence an e-portfolio in this unit, that you will build upon throughout your course. The e-portfolio will record discipline-based contextual practice that will prepare you well for study, work, and engagement as a globally-aware citizen who makes a contribution to communities and industry.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2024
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).
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.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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.
Feedback from SUTE
Online live lecture considered not useful.
Can have recorded mini video for each week. These mini videos, will introduce the concepts/ ideas and during workshop sessions these concepts/ ideas be further explored through exercises and joint discussions.
Feedback from SUTE
Assessment criteria hard to follow and understand
Assessment criteria, instructions, and information material have been re-developed with ALC advisors for T1 2024. The marking rubric was completely changed to align with assessment information.
- Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan
- Apply multi-modal communication skills for effect.
- Collect and interpret evidence from a range of quality sources to inform responses to routine problems
- Construct a professional e-Portfolio that showcases your skills, capabilities, attributes and achievements.
Not applicable
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 25% | ||||
| 2 - Report - 50% | ||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 25% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
u.ekanayake@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
This week content introduces you to the learning journey at CQUniversity. You will find out where your learning materials are presented, where to find out about assessments and, importantly, where to find help.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week we "tour the tools", where you find out the resources and help that is available to you during your learning journey.
Module/Topic
This week you will learn about the key characteristics that good professionals should have. A discussion on key characteristics and capabilities that the professionals should have.
Guess what? They are the same characteristics that effective students have too.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In this week's workshop
1. ALC conduct a session on Academic Writing: Note-making, paraphrasing and APA referencing.
2 Begin your critical thinking journey as you evaluate the characteristics of the professional.
3. Start finding fellow students who are interested in the same career as you and get yourself into a group for the first assessment.
Module/Topic
This week provides a deeper understanding of what is a profession and professionalism. The discussion will also expand into why people join these professions. What skills and knowledge do they need?
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week we continue to evaluate the profession and professionalism with a critical mind. The discussion will focus on what is a critical mind and why students need a critical mind to evaluate a profession.
ALC will also conduct a session on Academic Writing: Essays.
Module/Topic
This week you begin to understand the concept of capability and capability gap matrix followed by mapping out your capability gaps, using capability gap analysis.
This will be your roadmap for a successful learning journey at CQUni.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week you begin to do a formal gap analysis. Workshop discussions will also introduce you to techniques using the capability gap matrix.
Although this is your personal gap analysis, start talking to your team about how each of you will fill in the gaps while you are at CQUniversity. What knowledge and skills will you need and where do you get them?
Module/Topic
How do you share your message with a room full of professionals? Oral presentations take time and practice to master, starting now.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Finalizing the Assessment 1 PowerPoint slides and Practice time for your group presentation.
Assessment 1- Group Presentation Due: Week 5 Friday (6 Dec 2024) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Emails and other forms of short messages are an everyday necessity for the professionals. It takes some skill to be able to craft an effective short message.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Start working on your short-form communication skills.
Group Presentations will be held during online workshops.
Module/Topic
This week we look at long form communications, especially report writing.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Start working on your long-form communication skills—very useful for your second assessment!
Group Presentations will continue during online workshops.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Ethics is a large part of being a successful professional. This week we consider what that means for your professional and student career.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week there is a focus on academic integrity. When you submit assessment, you must declare that this is your own work. We take this seriously at CQUniversity.
Academic integrity then translates into professional integrity.
ALC will also conduct a session on Assessment 2 Help and Guidance.
Module/Topic
This week the focus is on "Be Positive", discussing health and wellbeing.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Presentation by a guest speaker from CQU Mindwaves Program.
Finalizing Assessment 2.
Assessment 2- Personal Gap Analysis Due: Week 9 Friday (17 Jan 2025) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
This week introduces you to your e-profile
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
ALC session on Assessment 3 and instructions for setting up E-Profile.
Start setting up your personal e-Profile. This is where you submit your final assessment.
Module/Topic
This week continues your exploration of your e-profile.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue to develop your personal e-Profile. Do more work on your final assessment.
Module/Topic
Review week.
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Finalize your assessment in your e-profile.
Assessment 3- E-Portfolio Due: Week 12 Friday (7 Feb 2025) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Presentation
This assessment item is a group presentation exercise. You will be placed into a group (3-4 members), to develop and deliver a live PowerPoint presentation on the characteristics and requirements of a chosen profession.
Groups will be formed during the first four weeks of the term. Each group will present using a standard PowerPoint template that will be supplied on Moodle. Presentations will be during scheduled workshops in Weeks 6 and 7. The conditions of the presentation are:
1. No more than 10 slides in total
2. No more than six minutes of presentation, with four minutes allowed for questions and feedback
3. The presentation may be recorded if presented online
4. Your group will submit a single deck of PowerPoint slides via Moodle for the assessment (the same deck used in the presentation) by Friday week 5
5. Individual marks will be awarded per student following the presentation, but only group members who participate in the presentation will receive marks.
Learning Outcomes Assessed
1. Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan.
2. Apply multi-modal communication skills for effect.
3. Collect and interpret evidence from a range of quality sources to inform responses to routine problems.
Week 5 Friday (6 Dec 2024) 11:55 pm AEST
Students are to submit their work via the Moodle site. Please note that late submission incurs a penalty of 5% per day.
Week 8 Friday (10 Jan 2025)
The grades will be released via Moodle.
1. Task
I. Students are allowed to select their group members.
II. As a group choose a profession that you want to enter after you graduate. This can be the profession that all the group members want to go into. However, if different group members have different aspirations, you must agree on one profession.
III. As a group create a PowerPoint Presentation. This presentation should address the following:
Identify and explain the characteristics needed to succeed in the profession chosen by your group. Then identify and explain how your course can help you become a successful member of that profession.
You may find the following prompts helpful:
a. What skills and attributes are employers looking for?
b. How will your course help you develop these skills and attributes?
c. How can you maximize your time at university to develop these skills and attributes?
d. What does the scholarly literature say about what employers are looking for in your chosen profession?
2. The PowerPoint Slides
I. Maximum 10 slides for the whole presentation.
II. Use headings and visuals (such as images, colour, and/or dot points) in the PowerPoint to communicate the main idea.
III. Abbreviated sentences, which convey the key idea may be used, but the language should be formal and academic, for example, no contractions.
IV. Use a minimum of 3 scholarly references in the PowerPoint slides to support your ideas. Scholarly references include journal articles and textbooks. You may also include additional information from reputable websites, providing the information is also recent and reliable.
V. Use the seventh edition American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. Click HERE for The CQUniversity APA Referencing Style Guide.
3. Presentation
I. The presentation should take 6 minutes. There will then be a 4-minute question and answer session from the class.
II. All students in the group must present.
III. During your presentation, share your PowerPoint and apply public speaking skills (such as the use of clear audible voice, phrasing and pausing, and facial expressions and hand gestures) to communicate clearly and engagingly.
IV. Prepare to present your critical reflection in a 6-minute (maximum) multimodal presentation and participate in a 4-minute question and answer session from the class.
V. For campus students: The presentations will take place in class in weeks 6 and 7. Please liaise with your tutor to coordinate your presentation.
For students attending online: Your presentations will take place live in class via Zoom. You will present live to your teacher via Zoom (please see the Zoom links for your allocated classes).
Marking Criteria and Marks Allocation
- PowerPoint Presentation. Subject matter, design, organization, and length 20%
- Critical Reflection 40%
- Body Language & Engagement. Presentation and preparation 20%
- PowerPoint Presentation-Grammar, Spelling, Tense, Tone, Academic Language, and Number of Slides. 10%
- Referencing 10%
- Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan
- Apply multi-modal communication skills for effect.
- Collect and interpret evidence from a range of quality sources to inform responses to routine problems
2 Report
Use the gap analysis template that is provided on Moodle, you will reflect on the characteristics and requirements of your chosen profession and match them to your current capabilities. The difference between your current and required capabilities represents a capability gap. You will examine your personal capability gap and explain how you can "fill in" your gaps during your study with CQUniversity.
In addition to the capability gap matrix, you will provide a critical reflection on your proposed learning journey, identifying opportunities to fill in their gaps.
Your submission will be a single Microsoft Word document, which will contain:
- The completed capability gap matrix.
- Your critical reflection.
- A reference list of all sources used in the critical reflection.
Learning Outcomes Assessed
1. Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan.
2. Apply multi-modal communication skills for effect.
3. Collect and interpret evidence from a range of quality sources to inform responses to routine problems.
Week 9 Friday (17 Jan 2025) 11:55 pm AEST
Students are to submit their work via the Moodle site. Please note that late submission incurs a penalty of 5% per day.
Week 11 Friday (31 Jan 2025)
The grades will be released via Moodle.
1. The Task
The aim of this assignment is to write an essay which will help you better understand the skills and attributes needed to succeed in your chosen profession and what you need to do to better fulfil the demands of the profession.
To complete the task, you must address the following:
I. Identify and discuss the characteristics and requirements of your chosen profession.
II. Complete the capability gap template (available on Moodle) based on your current capabilities.
III. Identify, compare, and critically reflect on the differences between your current capabilities and the characteristics and requirements of your chosen profession.
IV. Reflect on your learning journey and identify opportunities to fill the gaps during your study at CQU.
2. Essay Structure
I. Title page with your name, the name and code of the unit, the title of the assessment and the word count.
II. Introduction (Approximately 150 words).
III. The completed capability gap matrix (using the template on Moodle- Approximately 250- 300 words)
IV. Your critical reflection i.e. the answers to numbers 1-4 above (no more than 1,000 words).
V. Conclusion (Approximately 150 words).
VI. A reference list of all sources used in the critical reflection.
3. Requirements
I. Headings can be used.
II. The template provided by the Academic Learning Centre can be used.
III. Word count is measured from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion and includes in-text referencing. Not included in the word count are the title page and the reference list.
IV. Use a minimum of 5 scholarly references in the essay to support your ideas. Scholarly references include journal articles and textbooks. You may also include additional information from reputable websites, providing the information is also recent and reliable.
V. In-text citations and the reference list must use the seventh edition American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. The CQUniversity Academic Learning Centre has an online APA Referencing Style Guide.
4. Submission
Submit your assessment via the unit Moodle site in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
Marking Criteria and Marks Allocation
- Introduction & Thesis Statement 6%
- Conclusion 6%
- Body Paragraphs 8%
- Discussion 60%
- Grammar, Spelling, Tense, Tone, Academic Language, and Word Count. 10%
- Referencing 10%
- Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan
- Apply multi-modal communication skills for effect.
- Collect and interpret evidence from a range of quality sources to inform responses to routine problems
3 Portfolio
For this assessment, you will be introduced to Portfolium, your personal e-Portfolio. This e-Portfolio can be used throughout your learning journey to highlight your achievements to show potential employers.
You are required to develop a clear and logical portfolio in Portfolium. You must post your personal capability matrix on Portfolium, as well as an abbreviated version of your critical reflection on what you will do during your learning journey. You are also expected to include either a PowerPoint presentation or a short video (2 minutes) that presents the reader with an understanding of you, your background, and your career aspirations.
Learning Outcomes Assessed
1. Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan.
2. Construct a professional e-Portfolio that showcases your skills, capabilities, attributes, and achievements.
Week 12 Friday (7 Feb 2025) 11:55 pm AEST
Submission instructions are provided during classes.
Exam Week Friday (14 Feb 2025)
The results will be released after grade certification.
Task
The aim of this assignment is for you to begin to build an electronic Portfolio in the platform Portfolium. The portfolio will showcase your academic and professional work, projects, and competencies to prospective employers.
To access Portfolium, you must click on the ‘Portfolium Project’ activity in the Moodle Assessment Tile and follow the prompts to complete the requirements of the task.
Portfolium will be a new platform for many of you, so you must attend online classes, including the Academic Learning Centre presentation for advice, examples, support, and feedback opportunities.
To complete this task, you must:
I. Create a profile in Portfolium- As a minimum, the profile should include a professional picture of you and an introduction to you and the portfolio. It is highly encouraged to create a more detailed profile; for example, by including your employment history, work experiences, resume, accomplishments and skills.
II. Upload your personal capability matrix from Assessment 2 into Portfolium.
- Word or PDF document
- Include at least one citation using APA7th.
III. Upload a written critical reflection with an accompanying PowerPoint into Portfolium.
OR
Upload a written critical reflection and a video of this critical reflection into Portfolium.
Written critical reflection: 600 words +/ - 10%
I. This critical reflection is based on your Assessment 2 essay and should address the following:
- Paragraph 1: What are you studying/ what profession do you want to go into? Why? (50 words)
- Paragraph 2: What did the gap analysis reveal about key professional characteristics you currently have? (125 words)
- Paragraph 3: What did the gap analysis reveal about key professional characteristics you need/why? (125 words)
- Paragraph 4: How will you bridge that gap- key strategies? (125 words)
- Paragraph 5: What key professional characteristics will you have by the time you graduate? (125 words)
- Paragraph 6: Concluding sentence about the usefulness of studies/the gap analysis in achieving your career aspirations (50 words)
II. Formatting requirements
- Use 12- point Times New Roman or Arial font with 1.5 line spacing.
- Minimum of 2 scholarly references must be cited. In-text citations and the reference list must use the seventh edition American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. The CQUniversity Academic Learning Centre has an online APA Referencing Style Guide.
- File can be uploaded as a Word or PDF document.
PowerPoint Presentation
I. This PowerPoint is based on your 600-word critical reflection.
II. No limitation on number of slides. It is recommended to have approximately 10-15 slides in total.
III. Minimum of 2 scholarly references must be cited using CQU APA7th edition.
Video
I. This video is based on your 600-word critical reflection.
II. Maximum 2 minutes.
III. The video can be recorded in PowerPoint, Zoom or any other medium and uploaded as an MP4 file.
Marking Criteria and Marks Allocation
- Portfolium Profile 20%
- A personal Gap Analysis & Reflection is presented. 40%
- Professional Presentation OR Video 30%
- Referencing 10%
- Identify and report on the personal and professional capabilities and attributes necessary for career success, and how you can attain them with your chosen study plan
- Construct a professional e-Portfolio that showcases your skills, capabilities, attributes and achievements.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
