Overview
This unit introduces you to professional communication concepts that are relevant to a career in information and communication technologies (ICT). Topics include negotiation, teamwork, conflict management, academic referencing, library skills, and oral and written communication. The unit introduces awareness of cultural diversity and its management in a multicultural workforce.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
COMM11003 Communication in Professional Contexts is an anti-requisite for COIT11239.
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 Students, Unit Coordinator Observation and Teaching Staff
Online students often face difficulties attending all sessions, often due to work commitments, which inhibits students from actioning in-class assessment tasks.
Upon an official request from students, provide flexibility by allowing them to follow unit contents through recorded online Zoom sessions and other resources uploaded to Moodle. The presentation tasks can be recorded and submitted for grading without attending the sessions.
- Explain communication concepts and strategies
- Show confidence and skills in oral communications and presentations
- Work effectively as part of a team
- Communicate effectively in a professional context
- Define and demonstrate conflict management and resolution strategies.
- Core skill, Business Skills: Communication skills and teamwork
- Relationship management (RLMT)
- Information Management (IRMG)
- Research (RSCH)
- Innovation (INOV)
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||
| 2 - Group Work - 30% | |||||
| 3 - Presentation - 50% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 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 | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Group Work - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Presentation - 50% | ||||||||||
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: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
e.gide1@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to Communication Skills in ICT
Chapter
Ch. 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Interpersonal Communication, Teams and Meetings
Chapter
Ch. 2 — Professionalism: Teams, Meetings, Listening, Non-verbal, Etiquette
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Intercultural Communication for ICT
Chapter
Ch. 3 — Intercultural Communication
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Planning Messages (Purpose, Audience, Structure)
Chapter
Ch. 4 — Planning Business Messages
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organising and Writing Clear Messages
Chapter
Ch. 5 — Organising and Writing Business Messages
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Editing for Clarity and Coherence
Chapter
Ch. 6 — Revising Business Messages
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teaching free week
Chapter
Enjoy the time and catch up missed learning modules
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Teaching free week
Chapter
Enjoy the time and catch up missed learning modules
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Professional Electronic Messages
Chapter
Ch. 7 — Electronic Messages and Digital Media
Ch. 8 — Positive and Neutral Messages
Ch. 9 — Negative Messages
Ch. 10 — Persuasive and Sales Messages
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Report Writing Basics
Chapter
Ch. 11 — Report Writing Basics
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Informal and Formal Business Reports
Chapter
Ch. 12 — Informal Business Reports
Ch. 13 — Proposals, Business Plans, and Formal Business Reports
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Presenting to Stakeholders
Chapter
Ch. 14 — Business Presentations
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters
Chapter
Ch. 15 — The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters in the Digital Age
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Interviewing and Following Up
Chapter
Ch. 16 — Interviewing and Following Up
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Unit Coordinator: Professor Ergun Gide
Office: Level 2, Room 2.09, 400 Kent Street, Sydney Campus, Sydney, NSW 2000
Email: e.gide1@cqu.edu.au
1 Written Assessment
Assessment 1 is an individual task worth 20%. You will need to read one approved ICT-relevant research article or industry/government report and produce a concise report (approximately 900-1000 words) that explains the article’s purpose, approach or evidence base, key findings, implications for professional communication in ICT, and limitations.
The detailed assessment specification will be made available on the Moodle unit website.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 5 Friday (12 Dec 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 7 Friday (9 Jan 2026)
Within 2 teaching weeks after submission.
You will be assessed on accuracy and coverage of the source, clarity and structure of writing for a professional audience, and correct referencing and academic integrity. The marking criteria will be based on your research and writing quality.
Refer to the unit’s Moodle website for specific marking criteria.
If academic misconduct such as plagiarism and contract cheating is detected, your assignment might be assigned a zero grade or reported for further action.
Incomplete submissions, such as those in which staff are unable to access linked material, for example, due to insufficient permissions, might not be marked, or a late penalty might be applied.
- Explain communication concepts and strategies
- Communicate effectively in a professional context
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Social Innovation
2 Group Work
This assessment is a group task worth 30% undertaken in teams of three to four students. Prepare a short informational report (approximately 1,800–2,000 words) for a provided case study or research brief that analyses the communication context, compares options, and presents clear, actionable recommendations supported by credible (academic and business) evidence and Harvard-style references.
The detailed assessment specification will be made available on the Moodle unit website.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI COLLABORATION
You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use.
Week 8 Friday (16 Jan 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (30 Jan 2026)
Within 2 teaching weeks after submission.
You will be assessed on report structure and coherence, quality of analysis and practicality of recommendations, effective use and integration of evidence with accurate referencing, and overall report presentation quality.
Refer to the unit’s Moodle website for specific marking criteria.
If academic misconduct such as plagiarism and contract cheating is detected, your assignment might be assigned a zero grade or reported for further action.
Incomplete submissions, such as those in which teachers are unable to access linked material, for example, due to insufficient permissions, might not be marked, or a late penalty might be applied.
- Show confidence and skills in oral communications and presentations
- Work effectively as part of a team
- Define and demonstrate conflict management and resolution strategies.
- Communication
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
3 Presentation
This is a group based structured oral presentation with individual position statements. It is a group assessment worth 50% undertaken in teams of three to four students.
You will be required to present on a contemporary Information and Communication Technology (ICT) topic to showcase your communication and presentation skills. For your presentation, you will need to perform activities such as researching the ICT topic, developing presentation slides, and presenting it.
Students select an approved topic (e.g., The Use of AI in Education) and locate four academic sources: two that supports the practice and two that cautions against it.
Two students members from the group should present the supporting case (6 minutes) and the remaining two should present (6 minutes) the cautionary case in a 12 minutes professional presentation that:
1. Succinctly summarises both positions
2. Compares the strength and relevance of the evidence
3. Offers a balanced team recommendation. Immediately after the team briefing, each student delivers a 60 second individual position statement/defense of their view. Slides (max 12 content slides plus a reference slide) must use Harvard style citations.
Students attending online will require a webcam, microphone and speaker or headset.
The detailed assessment specification will be made available on the Moodle unit website.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 12 Friday (13 Feb 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12 Friday (13 Feb 2026)
Released on Certification of Grades Day
Students will be assessed on the accuracy and balance of the summaries, evidence use and referencing, clarity and structure of the briefing, professional delivery and slide design, and, individually, on the clarity, justification, and insight in the personal statement.
How marks are awarded:
Team (40%): accuracy and balance of summaries, sensible comparison of evidence, clear structure and time management, professional slides and delivery, correct Harvard style referencing.
Individual (10%): clear stance, sound justification, confident and professional delivery within time.
Refer to the unit’s Moodle website for specific marking criteria.
If academic misconduct such as plagiarism and contract cheating is detected, your assignment might be assigned a zero grade or reported for further action.
Incomplete submissions, such as those in which staff are unable to access linked material, for example, due to insufficient permissions, might not be marked, or a late penalty might be applied.
- Explain communication concepts and strategies
- Show confidence and skills in oral communications and presentations
- Work effectively as part of a team
- Communicate effectively in a professional context
- Define and demonstrate conflict management and resolution strategies.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
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?
