Overview
This unit forms the capstone project of the Master of Clinical Psychology course. In this unit, you will conduct a clinical psychology project in which you will engage a community-based partner to conduct a project. The project may involve research or an intervention to be evaluated. You will design and conduct the project, evaluate the project by collecting relevant data, and produce a written report of your project and evaluation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Students must be enrolled in CG17 Master of Clinical Psychology or CM49 Master of Clinical Psychology (Advanced Entry).
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 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 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 Unit Coordinator
Students appreciated the regular meeting times to discuss the progress of their projects.
Continue to offer regular meeting times for students to check in with the Unit Coordinator about the progress of their project.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator
Students enjoyed the opportunity to apply their research skills to a practical, community-based project.
Continue to have community-based projects as the focus of this unit.
- Apply advanced knowledge and skills professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner, to design and complete a community-based project that is applicable to clinical psychology.
- Apply assessment and evaluation skills to clinical problems including the acquisition and interpretation of data to inform practice in clinical psychology.
- Communicate project evaluation findings professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner fit for a range of audiences.
These learning outcomes are intended to link with the 2019 Australian Psychology Accreditation Council accreditation guidelines for Clinical Psychology and further to align with the Clinical Psychology guidelines of CG17 (Master of Clinical Psychology) course Learning Outcome 5: "Demonstrate the capacity to formulate, research and successfully complete a discipline-based research project."
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal - 30% | |||
| 2 - Report - 70% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||
| 2 - Communication | |||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
| 4 - Research | |||
| 5 - Self-management | |||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
| 7 - Leadership | |||
| 8 - 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.
a.gerace@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Overview and Project Planning
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial: Week 1 Friday (18 July 2025) 11:00 am-1:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Initial Brainstorming and Partner Engagement
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Proposal Development: Literature Review and Project Design
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Optional Drop-in Session: Week 3 Friday (1 August, 2025) 11:00 am-1:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Proposal Development: Project Design
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Finalise Project Design and Approvals
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Optional Drop-in Session: Week 3 Friday (15 August, 2025) 11:00 am-1:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Project Implementation
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Project Implementation
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Optional Drop-in Session: Week 6 Friday (29 August, 2025) 11:00 am-1:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Project Implementation
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Project Implementation
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Optional Drop-in Session: Week 8 Friday (12 September, 2025) 11:00 am -1:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Project Implementation
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Data Analysis and Report Writing
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Optional Drop-in Session: Week 10 Friday (26 September, 2025) 11:00 am-1:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Data Analysis and Report Writing
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Finalise Report
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Research Proposal
For this assessment, you are required to complete a proposal for a community-based clinical psychology engagement and evaluation project.
The proposal is a plan for the design, implementation, and evaluation of your project. Your proposal will include:
- An overview of the topic/area of focus, including justification for why the identified practice issue or need would be important to address/implement
- Discussion of relevant theory and prior research in the area of interest
- Research question(s)
- Proposed Methods
- Consideration of ethical, cultural, and resourcing considerations
- A Gantt chart for charting project tasks and timelines.
Maximum word count: 2000 words (+/- 10%). This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes any reference section, tables, or appendices.
Further task details for the project proposal will be available on the unit Moodle site.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Please refer to the unit Moodle site for further details on permissible uses of Generative-AI tools for this assessment task.
Week 4 Friday (8 Aug 2025) 5:00 pm AEST
Vacation Week Friday (22 Aug 2025)
Feedback and grade for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
The proposal is worth 30% of the grade for the unit. The minimum requirement to pass is 50% of the available marks. If a grade lower than 50% is received, you will be given one (1) opportunity to resubmit this assessment piece to receive a passing grade.
You will be assessed on:
- The rationale and theoretical/research background demonstrating the need for the project
- Discussion of proposed project partners, including details of services or other organisations that are involved in the proposed project and details of how permissions from project partners will be sought and documented
- Formulation of proposed methods, including the setting, participants, proposed action or intervention, and a plan for how the project will be prepared and implemented.
- Formulation of evaluation plan, including details of measures that will be used to evaluate the project/intervention and how this data will be analysed
- Discussion of ethical considerations, including consideration of the APS Code of Ethics
- Discussion of cultural considerations
- Formulation of a timeline for project tasks (Gantt chart)
- Quality of written communication, including correct APA referencing and adherence to word count.
Your use of appropriate, peer-reviewed and reputable sources will be assessed across all marking criteria.
Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found on Moodle.
- Apply advanced knowledge and skills professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner, to design and complete a community-based project that is applicable to clinical psychology.
- Apply assessment and evaluation skills to clinical problems including the acquisition and interpretation of data to inform practice in clinical psychology.
2 Report
For this assessment, you are required to complete a written report for your community-based clinical psychology engagement and evaluation project.
This is a report of the undertaking and outcomes of your project. Your report will include:
- Discussion of the topic/area of focus, including the practice issue or need that was the aim of the project.
- Discussion of the underlying theory and prior research used to address the specific aims of the project
- Description of the Methods used, including participants, activity/intervention, procedures, and evaluation measures
- Presentation and analysis of data gathered to evaluate the project
- Discussion of how main findings can be interpreted based on previous research and considerations for future research and practice
- Consideration of Reflective Practice, including what went well and what could be done differently in future, as well as what you learned through undertaking the project
- Copies of the activity/intervention and evaluation measures.
Maximum word count 4000 (+/- 10%) words. This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes any reference section, tables, or appendices.
Further task details for the project report will be available on the unit Moodle site.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Please refer to the unit Moodle site for further details on permissible uses of Generative-AI tools for this assessment task.
Week 12 Friday (10 Oct 2025) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (24 Oct 2025)
Feedback and grade for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
The proposal is worth 70% of the grade for the unit. The minimum requirement to pass is 50% of the available marks.
You will be assessed on:
- The rationale and theoretical/research background for the project
- Discussion of the Methods, including the setting, participants, formulation of action/intervention, implementation of the intervention, and involvement of the project partner (including approvals)
- Consideration of ethical considerations, including consideration of the APA Code of Ethics
- Discussion of cultural considerations
- Evaluation of the project, including presentation and evaluation of the collected data
- Interpretation of how main findings can be interpreted based on previous research and considerations for future research and practice
- Consideration of Reflective Practice, including what went well, what could be done differently next time to improve the project, and a reflection on what was learned through the process of planning and undertaking the project
- Quality of written communication, including correct APA referencing and adherence to word count.
Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found on Moodle.
- Apply advanced knowledge and skills professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner, to design and complete a community-based project that is applicable to clinical psychology.
- Apply assessment and evaluation skills to clinical problems including the acquisition and interpretation of data to inform practice in clinical psychology.
- Communicate project evaluation findings professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner fit for a range of audiences.
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?
