In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
Communication in Educational Environments introduces students to the importance of interpersonal communication and social skills in contemporary education and care settings characterised by diversity. Students develop an understanding of the links between effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills, cultural sensitivity and teacher efficacy; and explain the importance of using these strategies to engage with culturally diverse groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners and their families. Both analytical and practical knowledge of interpersonal skills and constructive communication strategies that establish collaborative relationships with learners, parents and carers and colleagues to support learning and engagement and maximise educational opportunities for all students are emphasised in this unit.
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 2 - 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 student
Text by Hofstede et al., (2010) no longer available from the library.
Audit unit readings and update those no longer available in the library.
Feedback from DDLT
Add Gen AI statement to unit profile and assessment pages.
Gen AI statement will be added to unit profile and assessment pages.
Feedback from unit coordinator
AT2 recommends using readings from weeks 7-11.
Remove restriction and recommend students reference relevant readings from throughout the unit.
Feedback from unit coordinator
Large increase of suspected AI generated assessment and reference lists.
Students to only use scholarly sources from the unit.
Feedback from DDLT
Reduce self-plagiarism
Explain to students that they cannot re-use previous material without unit coordinator permission.
- Interpret research and theory on teacher efficacy to explain how educators can use ICTs and interpersonal skills to collaborate and communicate with students and / or parents and carers from diverse backgrounds
- Propose communication strategies that educators could use to advocate for the learning, interests and engagement needs of children and/or school-aged students
- Illustrate communication skills and strategies that address the communicative and identity needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, including ATSI students and their families
- Analyse and evaluate personal and professional strengths and weaknesses in the use of communication skills for building productive relationships with students, families and communities
- Apply a range of pedagogical strategies to extend and develop children’s capabilities as effective and confident communicators
- Select and justify communication strategies for responding to challenging situations that arise when working with students, parents and colleagues in an inclusive education context.
Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to engage with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) focus areas of:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process
4.1 Support student participation
4.2 Manage classroom activities
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
7.3 Engage with the parents/carers
In addition, competency elements from the Diploma of Children’s Services (Early Childhood Education and Care) are taught and assessed in this unit.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 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 - Practical and Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||