CQUniversity Unit Profile

COMM13111 - Strategic Communication Project

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All details in this unit profile for COMM13111 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.

General Information

Overview

This unit gives you an opportunity to undertake a project of your choice in the Strategic Communication discipline in which you have already done a substantial amount of study. The project is flexible and is designed by students in consultation with academic and workplace supervisors. It may involve academic research into Strategic Communication practice or a professional work placement with an approved organisation (minimum 120 hours). Academic and workplace supervisors will work with students to devise assessment tasks that will meet negotiated and specific project learning outcomes.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate

Unit Level: Level 3

Credit Points: 6

Student Contribution Band: 10

Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite: Students must have completed 48 credit points prior to taking 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 1 - 2025

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).

Website

This unit has a website, within the Moodle system, which is available two weeks before the start of term. It is important that you visit your Moodle site throughout the term. Please visit Moodle for more information.

Class and 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.

Class Timetable

Regional Campuses

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville

Metropolitan Campuses

Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment

Weighting: 10%

2. Practical and Written Assessment

Weighting: 50%

3. Written Assessment

Weighting: 40%

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.

CQUniversity Policies

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.

Previous Student Feedback

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 Teaching Staff Review

Feedback

It is valuable for students to perceive a link between their study in this unit, and their future work or career goals

Recommendation

Continue to offer flexibility and choice to students in order to maintain links between their study, and their future career.

Unit Learning Outcomes

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

Develop objectives and criteria for a Strategic Communication project proposal
Demonstrate knowledge and relevant skill of Strategic Communication practice at a graduate level
Produce an e-portfolio to a professional standard
Apply knowledge of Strategic Communication theory and practice at a graduate level
Critically reflect on Strategic Communication practice.

N/A

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes

N/A Level

Introductory Level

Intermediate Level

Graduate Level

Professional Level

Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3	4	5
1 - Written Assessment - 10%
2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 50%
3 - Written Assessment - 40%

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 - First Nations Knowledges
11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:

CQUniversity Student Email
Internet
Unit Website (Moodle)

Referencing Style

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.

Teaching Contacts

Fae Heaselgrave Unit Coordinator
f.heaselgrave@cqu.edu.au

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Review/Exam Week

Begin Date: 09 Jun 2025

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Portfolio Due: Review/Exam Week Friday (13 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Critical Reflection Due: Review/Exam Week Friday (13 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST

Exam Week

Begin Date: 16 Jun 2025

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Proposal

Task Description

In this assessment, you will choose a real client to work with and will undertake either a placement or a professional project that will culminate in the production of a professional portfolio (see Assessment 2). You will:

1) Submit a short proposal that provides an overview of your placement/project (by the end of Week 3) (500 words maximum); PLUS
2) Participate in a compulsory online Zoom session in Week 4 to discuss your project with staff and peers, using a single Powerpoint slide which summarises your proposal.

1) The written proposal provides a broad outline of the nature and scope of work you will conduct over the term. The proposal enables your academic supervisor to determine whether the project is suitable or needs amendment. Students are required to do 120 hours (10 hours per week) of work/study to develop communication outputs and solutions for a client.

Depending on the nature of your chosen project, this may include time spent at a workplace, conducting independent research about a client and its communication needs, developing designs, prototypes or social media content for a media artefact, pitching, proposing or presenting strategic communication solutions.

The proposal will help you establish the focus and strategic purpose of your project and will enable supervisors to set guidelines against which to support and assess your work.

2) The zoom session will be conducted at a time negotiated with the Unit Lead. The session aims to provide an opportunity for feedback from academic staff and peers regarding the scope and focus of your project. If you have a legitimate reason for non-attendance, you will need to negotiate an alternative appointment with the Unit Lead.

Structure

The proposal should contain a 500-word summary and include the following elements:

Name of workplace organisation/client
Name and contact details of workplace supervisor/key contact for the client
Brief overview of the organisation/client and its communication context
Summary of how your placement/project outcomes will enhance the public relations/communication efforts of your organisation/client (what communication benefit will your intervention provide?)*
Outline of your proposed learning objectives (What do you want to achieve/be able to do by the end of the placement/project?)
Proposed timeline, including outline of anticipated work to be undertaken as part of the placement/media project
Suggested artefacts/evidence to be included in the portfolio

*Draw on readings and materials from other PR/communication units to help you identify ways in which your work contributes to communication practice.

Format
You should use appropriate headings to format your proposal and present your work using 1.5 line spacing and 12-point Times New Roman.

Use of GenAI tools in this assessment

Within this assessment item, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows:

Gen AI tools can used to format and structure the written proposal and Powerpoint slide.

Use of Gen AI for assessment purposes must be disclosed and correctly referenced, stating how and where it was used. Refer to the Academic Learning Centre reference guide

Assessment Due Date

Week 3 Friday (28 Mar 2025) 11:59 pm AEST

To be submitted prior to Zoom presentation in Week 4

Return Date to Students

Week 5 Friday (11 Apr 2025)

Results will be available following presentation

Weighting

10%

Assessment Criteria

Marking criteria
The following criteria will be used to grade student work:

Context: Provides succinct overview of the organisation/client and its communication needs (15%)

Project feasibility: Realistic criteria and timeline for undertaking placement/project work (10%)

Disciplinary knowledge: Knowledge of the benefits and impact of the proposed communication intervention for an organisation/client and to communication practice more broadly (25%)

Portfolio: Relevant communication outputs/artefacts as evidence of placement/project work in the portfolio (25%)

Writing, structure and format: Appropriate structure and format, including the use of headings, font, typeface, and has clear written expression (15%)

Oral Presentation: Coherency and presentation of the single slide and verbal presentation of the proposal (10%)

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Submission Instructions

Written document submitted as a Word document or PDF.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Develop objectives and criteria for a Strategic Communication project proposal

2 Practical and Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Portfolio

Task Description

Employability in the creative industries can be a competitive process and so evidence of candidates’ specialist knowledge in conceptual design, creative practice and deliverable outcomes is held in high regard. This assessment provides students an opportunity to build and curate a professional, industry standard digital portfolio of the work produced during the Strategic Communication Project Unit that can be used to strengthen future job applications. The portfolio is evidence of the work you have undertaken throughout your placement or project.

Whether you have worked with (on placement) or for a client (on a project), you will create a portfolio that showcases the range of skills and outputs acquired during this Unit.

Portfolio items might include things like digital design templates, social media tiles or posts, communication strategies, feature articles, speeches, newsletters or media releases. You may have produced an annual report, conducted a website review, undertaken a communication audit or promoted a music/film/stage production or book launch. Whatever the outcome, the portfolio is your chance to shine and to show others what you are capable of.

For this assessment, you will create and curate your own digital portfolio that you can share with prospective employers to demonstrate your diverse skills. Digital portfolios are a personal branding tool that also support professional endeavours.

The specific details of your individual project will be finalised in consultation with the Unit Coordinator or your allocated supervisor.

Instructions for creating a digital portfolio

I recommend you set up a portfolio as soon as possible so that you can add content to it as you finalise it with your supervisor and you can use the site as a source to share your work in progress with them (you can set privacy settings to only those you want to give access to).

Below are some resources that you should review to help guide your development of a digital portfolio.

WordPress

The Getting Started With WordPress.com online guide is your starting point for setting up your portfolio. You'll have to create an account if you don't already have one and select the package you want to use. There is a free account with limited features but the $120 for the year will give you more design options.

Hostinger

Hostinger is an easy-to-use web-hosting platform with design templates and domain names for USD 2.99 per month

See this example of a former student of mine who produced her final assessment portfolio using Hostinger. Have a look around and see what features you like about the site and which ones don't work as well. This review will help you make some creative decisions for your own site: Glaucia Chaves - Communication Specialist.

Wix

Another fabulous website builder that has easy functionality and a free account option. Watch this tutorial video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBp-Nlm4FEQ) for a step-by-step guide to creating a portfolio using Wix.

Tip: do a search of digital communication portfolios to see a range of creative design options that might be of use to your work. Remember, the purpose of a portfolio is to communicate the most interesting and important information about you and your experience so think carefully about how you want to present your professional self.

Use of GenAI tools in this assessment

The nature of this assessment requires students to create original materials for a client that are added to a digital portfolio website. The use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) are not appropriate for this assessment.

Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Friday (13 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST

Early submission is permitted.

Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (20 June 2025)

Assessment will be graded within two weeks.

Weighting

50%

Assessment Criteria

Marking criteria
The following criteria will be used to grade student work:

Portfolio organisation: Logical presentation and structure of digital portfolio (40%)
Portfolio of materials: Quality and range of evidence provided (50%)
Written expression: Appropriate use of grammar, spelling and attention to detail (10%)

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Submission Instructions

A URL link to the digital portfolio should be added to the Notes field of the submission point or in a Word document that is uploaded before the submission due date.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Demonstrate knowledge and relevant skill of Strategic Communication practice at a graduate level
Produce an e-portfolio to a professional standard

3 Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Critical Reflection

Task Description

Evaluating the outcomes and effectiveness of communication activities and projects is an essential part of a communicator's role. In this assessment, you will critically reflect on your academic and personal journey during this Term and the professional challenges and opportunities you experienced during your strategic communication placement or project.

You will write a 2,500-word account of your experiences, combining a Logbook (see template on the Assessment 3 block of the Unit site) that documents your weekly activities and a written-reflective piece that summarises your learning outcomes.

The logbook will help you capture your thoughts about the placement or project, including any challenges or successes with design and development processes, workplace communication practices and managing professional relationships, as they happen. The logbook will provide a record of your achievements, any professional or personal challenges you may have faced during the placement or project and the solutions you found to overcome these issues. The use of brief bullet points (approx. 800-1000 words) is acceptable for the Logbook.

The written reflection is an extension of this logbook in long-form, allowing you to elaborate more specifically on what you have learned, drawing on academic sources to support elements of that learning. The reflection should highlight certain aspects of the placement/project that you felt were exciting/interesting and challenging/difficult and that were identified in the Logbook. Some things to consider include:

Managing client/supervisor relationships
Setting and meeting project timelines
Communication errors/missteps (e.g. email tone, delayed responses from supervisors/clients, lack of clarity/comprehension about tasks)
Navigating new workplace practices (e.g. IT systems, websites, shared office, remote working)
Design or production delays/issues

Your reflection should demonstrate how your professional communication practice has been strengthened by knowledge and application of strategic communication theory.

Format

This assessment is a personal reflection so it should be written in the first person. Make use of appropriate headings and visual content, in dialogue with your supervisor, to structure your work.

Academic and industry references must be used to show how your practical knowledge has been informed by strategic communication concepts.

Use of GenAI tools in this assessment

Within this assessment item, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows:

Gen AI is not allowed for the Logbook task
Gen AI can be used to format and structure the written reflection only. Please note, this assessment task should be written in your voice using a first-person pronoun.

Use of Gen AI for assessment purposes must be disclosed and correctly referenced, stating how and where it was used. Refer to the Academic Learning Centre reference guide for more information.

Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Friday (13 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST

Submitted as a word document

Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (20 June 2025)

Marked within two weeks

Weighting

40%

Assessment Criteria

Marking criteria

Students work will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Logbook: Quality and content of logbook and ability to annotate and summarise weekly tasks, responsibilities and experiences related to the placement/project (20%)

Relevance of reflection: Ability to reflect on professional and personal challenges related to project milestones, workplace practices and relationships, and the resolution strategies used to remedy issues (25%)

Critical reflection: Use of insight and application of strategic communication concepts to reflect on the placement/project experience and future communication practice (25%)

Written expression: Appropriate use of grammar, paragraph spacing and formatting; use of first-person to reflect on experiences (15%)
Research: Appropriate use of industry and academic research related to strategic communication (10%)

Referencing: Accurate use of in-text and end-text referencing with correct APA 7 formatting (5%)

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Submission Instructions

Submitted as a word document

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Apply knowledge of Strategic Communication theory and practice at a graduate level
Critically reflect on Strategic Communication practice.

Academic Integrity Statement

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.