Overview
This unit provides 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
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 - 2026
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 Self-reflection
Flexible project options
Continue to provide flexible project options that students can choose from and that help support their future career goals.
- Plan, design, and execute a strategic communication project or placement aligned with professional standards
- Critically analyse relevant communication theory and research to inform evidence-based strategy development
- Collaborate effectively with academic, workplace, and industry stakeholders, demonstrating reflective and ethical professional practice
- Develop and produce professional communication deliverables, tailored to target audiences and platforms
- Evaluate project outcomes using appropriate metrics and reflect on personal learning and professional competencies within a digital media environment.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 15% | |||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 50% | |||||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 35% | |||||
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
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.
f.heaselgrave@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Select work placement or project and discuss ideas with the coordinator or academic supervisor.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Draft proposal about the work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Vacation Week
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Independent work on work placement or project, as discussed with your supervisor
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Finalise work placement or project and submit assessment 2
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Finalise and submit final assessment
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Events and Submissions/Topic
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Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Presentation
There are two elements to this assessment. The first (Part A) is to submit a short document that provides an overview of your placement/project. The second (Part B) is a compulsory online Zoom session in Week 4 to present your project ideas to your Unit Coordinator and other students enrolled in the Unit. More details of each component are below:
PART A
Students are required to do 120 hours (10 hours per week) of work/study to develop communication outputs and solutions for a client. The written proposal provides a broad outline of the nature and scope of the work you will conduct over the term. The proposal enables your academic supervisor to determine whether the project is suitable or needs refinement before developing the project.
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.
Proposal 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 the organisation receive as an outcome of your placement/project?)*
- Outline of your proposed learning objectives (What skills do you want to acquire and what outcomes do you want to produce 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 communication outputs/tactics/artefacts you will create for the client that will 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.
PART B
The zoom session will be conducted in week 4 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 and to share insights from others within the learning community about the kinds of projects and skills they want to focus on.
The presentation will contain a maximum of 3 Powerpoint slides and should summarise the proposal outline. Presentations should be limited to 3 minutes. The Unit Coordinator will arrange a mutually convenient time for the presentations to take place online via Zoom.
Submission
Both parts should be submitted to Moodle by 11pm on Monday, week 4 prior to the presentations later in week 4.
Use of AI in this assessment:
Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Week 4 Monday (30 Mar 2026) 11:00 pm AEST
The proposal and PPT slides should be submitted at this time. The Zoom session may take place on another day this week. Please check emails and the Moodle site for details.
Week 6 Monday (13 Apr 2026)
Feedback and comments returned via Moodle portal
Marking criteria
The following criteria will be used to grade students' 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 (20%)
Proposed Portfolio: Proposes 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 slides and verbal presentation of the proposal (15%)
- Plan, design, and execute a strategic communication project or placement aligned with professional standards
- Critically analyse relevant communication theory and research to inform evidence-based strategy development
- Collaborate effectively with academic, workplace, and industry stakeholders, demonstrating reflective and ethical professional practice
- Develop and produce professional communication deliverables, tailored to target audiences and platforms
2 Portfolio
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.
Task description
For this assessment, you will create a portfolio that you can potentially share with prospective employers to demonstrate your diverse skills. Portfolios are a personal branding tool that also support professional endeavours.
The portfolio will include a collection of artefacts and can be wide-ranging. Depending on the client's needs, examples might include:
- Digital design templates
- social media tiles or posts
- communication strategies
- feature articles
- speeches
- newsletters or media releases
- an annual report
- a website review
- a communication audit
- promotion of a music/film/stage production or book launch.
The specific details of your individual project will be finalised in consultation with the Unit Coordinator or your allocated supervisor. However, whether you elect to work with a client in the workplace (on Placement) or as a consultant on a project, you will create a portfolio that showcases the range of skills and outputs you acquired during this Unit.
Submission
All portfolio items should be packaged into one document where possible, labelled correctly and uploaded to Moodle. The document should contain a contents page with hyperlinks to each item for easy navigation. Where portfolio items cannot be included in a single document, such as an Excel spreadsheet and Word file or where graphics or images are too small to display, each file should be properly labelled with an appendix number (e.g. Appendix 1. Instagram analytics dashboard) or letter (Appendix A. Instagram analytics dashboard) which is referenced in the main document (i.e. 'see Appendix 1/A)
Use of AI in this assessment:
Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Week 11 Monday (25 May 2026) 11:00 pm AEST
Submission via Moodle Portal
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026)
Feedback and comments returned via Moodle portal
Marking criteria
The following marking criteria will be used to grade student work:
Portfolio of materials (55%): Quality and range of portfolio materials provided as evidence of outcomes from the placement/project
Presentation and organisation (30%): Logical structure and presentation of the portfolio that meets professional standards and expectations
Referencing and written expression (15%): Appropriate use of grammar, spelling and referencing conventions
- Plan, design, and execute a strategic communication project or placement aligned with professional standards
- Collaborate effectively with academic, workplace, and industry stakeholders, demonstrating reflective and ethical professional practice
- Develop and produce professional communication deliverables, tailored to target audiences and platforms
- Evaluate project outcomes using appropriate metrics and reflect on personal learning and professional competencies within a digital media environment.
3 Reflective Practice Assignment
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. There are two parts to this assessment.
Part A
You will keep a logbook using the template on the Moodle site to capture your thoughts about the progress made on the placement or project, including any challenges or successes with design and development processes, workplace communication practices and managing professional relationships, as they happen in real-time. 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. You should document at least 4 entries over the course of the placement/project and label the relevant week accurately on the logbook template.
Part B
You will write a 2,500-word written reflection, drawing on your observations from the logbook to reflect more deeply on your experience. The written reflection allows 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 as well as challenging/difficult as identified in the Logbook. Some things to consider reflecting on 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 of your professional experiences so it should be written in the first person. Make use of appropriate headings and visual content from your placement/project, in dialogue with your supervisor, to structure and format your work.
At least 5 academic and industry references must be used to show how your practical knowledge has been informed and supported by strategic communication concepts.
Submission
Both parts A & B must be submitted as separate files to Moodle.
Use of AI in this assessment:
Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Week 12 Monday (1 June 2026) 11:00 pm AEST
Submission via Moodle portal
Exam Week Monday (8 June 2026)
Feedback and comments returned via Moodle portal
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 (at least 5 references) related to strategic communication (10%)
Referencing: Accurate use of in-text and end-text referencing with correct APA 7 formatting (5%)
- Critically analyse relevant communication theory and research to inform evidence-based strategy development
- Evaluate project outcomes using appropriate metrics and reflect on personal learning and professional competencies within a digital media environment.
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?
