Overview
This unit supports you in identifying and developing 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, organizational, and planning skills; and learn about your strengths and weaknesses. These disciplines and skills will develop your understanding of how these are connected to your future career choices. You will explore your chosen profession and career opportunities, planning your course and study path to develop the knowledge and skills needed to achieve your career goals. Throughout this unit, your academic and critical thinking skills will be enhanced creating opportunities to effectively engage in future studies. You will commence building an e-portfolio in this unit to showcase your academic and professional work, projects, and competencies to prospective employers. The e-portfolio will record discipline-based contextual practice that will prepare you well for study, work, and engagement as a global citizen contributing 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 - 2025
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
Clearer assessment details, broader career examples, and more flexible options for professional profile tasks.
Continue to ensure all assignment information is set out clearly on Moodle. Keep including examples from a wide range of careers in workshops. Maintain flexibility by offering alternative options for the professional profile task, rather than relying on a single platform.
Feedback from SUTE
Students valued professional skills development, workshops, drop-in sessions, and feedback, with the relevance of the unit becoming clearer over time.
Continue highlighting how professional skills connect to different careers. Keep providing strong support through workshops, drop-in sessions, and feedback, with the teaching team maintaining this focus into future terms.
Feedback from SUTE
Unit structure and delivery are well organised, engaging, and supportive of learning.
Continue the current approach of providing a well-structured and engaging learning experience. Further enhance the unit by exploring additional interactive activities, real-world examples, and opportunities for students to apply concepts across a broader range of careers.
- 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 - Report - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 60% | ||||
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.
m.akbari@cqu.edu.au
k.lin@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Welcome to CQ University
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This is a non-teaching week, designed to introduce you to your learning journey at CQUniversity.
During this week, you’ll learn where to find your learning materials, assessment information, and sources of help and support.
The content is provided through a recorded lecture, and all supporting resources are available on Moodle.
Module/Topic
The characteristics of an effective professional
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week you will learn about the key characteristics that good professionals should have.
We begin your critical thinking journey as you evaluate the characteristics of the professional.
ALC conducts a session on Academic Writing: Note-making, paraphrasing, and APA referencing.
Module/Topic
Meet the Professionals
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/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?
We will evaluate the profession and professionalism with a critical mind.
Module/Topic
Finding the Gap
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week, the concept of capability and the capability gap matrix is introduced, followed by mapping out capability gaps using capability gap analysis. This will serve as a roadmap for a successful learning journey at CQ University.
What knowledge and skills are needed, and where can they be obtained?
ALC conducts a session on Academic Writing: Essays.
Module/Topic
Building the Ethical You as a Professional
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Ethics is a significant part of being a successful professional. This week, the meaning of ethics in relation to a professional and student career is considered.
There is also a focus on academic integrity this week, which then translates into professional integrity.
Module/Topic
Be Positive
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week, the focus is on "Be Positive", discussing health and wellbeing.
Presentation by a guest speaker from the CQ University Mindwaves Program.
Personal Gap Analysis Due: Week 6 Friday (19 Dec 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Professional Communication I
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Emails and other forms of short messages are an everyday necessity for professionals. Crafting an effective short message requires skill.
Work begins on developing short-form communication skills.
Module/Topic
Professional Communication II
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week focuses on long-form communications, especially report writing, highly useful for the second assessment.
Module/Topic
Presentations, Visuals, and Public Speaking
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
How is a message shared with a room full of professionals? Oral presentations require time and practice to master.
The elements of successful presentations will be considered, along with the important roles of both the audience and the presenter.
A compelling story for the presentation will be mapped out.
ALC conducts a session on setting up the E-Profile.
Module/Topic
Welcome to your E-Profile I
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
This week introduces the e-profile. Work on Assessment 2 continues.
ALC conducts a session on Assessment 2 Help and Guidance.
Module/Topic
Welcome to your E-Profile II and Revision
Chapter
Learning materials are provided for you within the topic block in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue developing the e-profile and revising. Further work on the final assessment is required.
E-Portfolio Due: Week 11 Friday (6 Feb 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This is a non-teaching week.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Report
This assignment aims to help you better understand the skills and attributes needed to succeed in your chosen profession and what you need to do to better fulfill the demands of the profession.
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 CQ University.
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.
This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS) Level 1. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. AIAS level 1 states: The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Week 6 Friday (19 Dec 2025) 11:45 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 (16 Jan 2026)
The grades will be released via Moodle.
1. The Task
This assignment aims to write an essay that will help you better understand the skills and attributes needed to succeed in your chosen profession and what you need to do to better fulfill the demands of the profession. To complete the task, you must address the following:
- Identify and discuss the characteristics and requirements of your chosen profession.
- Complete the capability gap template (available on Moodle) based on your current capabilities.
- Identify, compare, and critically reflect on the differences between your current capabilities and the characteristics and requirements of your chosen profession.
- Reflect on your learning journey and identify opportunities to fill the gaps during your study at CQ University.
2. Essay Structure
- Title page with your name, the name and code of the unit, the title of the assessment, and the word count.
- Introduction.
- The completed capability gap matrix (using the template on Moodle).
- Your critical reflection i.e. the answers to numbers 1-4 above the task section.
- Conclusion.
- A reference list of all sources used in the critical reflection.
3. Requirements
- Headings can be used.
- The template provided by the Academic Learning Centre can be used.
- 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.
- Use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font with 1.5 line spacing.
- Include page numbers on the top right side of each page in a header.
- Use formal academic language.
- Use first person; for example, ‘I’, my’.
- 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.
- In-text citations and the reference list must use the seventh edition American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. The CQ University 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
2 Portfolio
The aim of this assessment is to support you in building a professional digital portfolio (e-Portfolio) that highlights your academic achievements, skills, goals, and career aspirations. Your e-portfolio will serve as a foundation for your professional identity and can be shared with prospective employers, mentors, or industry contacts.
To complete this task, you must:
- Create an e-Portfolio (digital portfolio or resume)
- Personal capability matrix from Assessment 2
- Critical reflection
- Video Presentation of this critical reflection
Learning Outcomes Assessed
- 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.
This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS) Level 1. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. AIAS level 1 states: The assessment is completed entirely without AI assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Week 11 Friday (6 Feb 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Students are to submit their work via the Moodle site. Please note that late submission incurs a penalty of 5% per day.
Friday (20 Feb 2026)
The results will be released after grade certification.
1. Digital Portfolio or Resume
Using your chosen platform, create a professional online portfolio or resume that includes:
- A professional picture of you
- Introduction to you and/or a bio
- Other details – Education, employment history, work experiences, accomplishments, and skills
2. Personal Capability Matrix
- Updated capability gap matrix from the assessment 1 feedback received.
3. Written critical reflection
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?
Paragraph 2: What did the gap analysis reveal about key professional characteristics you currently have?
Paragraph 3: What did the gap analysis reveal about key professional characteristics you need/why?
Paragraph 4: How will you bridge that gap- key strategies?
Paragraph 5: What key professional characteristics will you have by the time you graduate?
Paragraph 6: Concluding sentence about the usefulness of studies/the gap analysis in achieving your career aspirations.
4. Video
- This video is based on your critical reflection.
- Maximum 2 minutes.
- The video can be recorded in PowerPoint, Zoom, or any other medium and uploaded as an MP4 file (with a file size of less than 100MB).
Marking Criteria and Marks Allocation
E-Profile (Digital portfolio or resume) 20%
A personal Gap Analysis & Reflection 40%
Professional Video Presentation 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
- 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.
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?
