CQUniversity Unit Profile.

For this assessment task, you will be required to prepare and deliver a recorded oral presentation that explains the global perspective of speech pathology in relation to a specific area of practice (e.g., literacy, stuttering). Your presentation must address the following questions:

1. What is similar and/or different in the scope of practice and how students are trained in this area of practice in your assigned country compared to Australia?
2. What is the public perception (e.g., attitudes/ beliefs, awareness) of this area of practice or speech pathology in general in your assigned country?
3. How are services for this area of practice delivered in your assigned country? Consider how differences in geography, culture/ language, public perception, and/or funding have impacted service delivery. Discuss whether service delivery in your assigned country reflects community-centred practice or focuses on services at the individual level.
4. What overlap in service delivery exists between speech pathology and other professions in your assigned country? Does this overlap help or hinder service delivery?
5. What is one characteristic about this area of practice in your assigned country that you would like to see in Australia and why?

Your presentation slides must also include a reference list at the end.

During the intensive on Friday 10th July 2026 (week before term starts), you will receive the list of country/ area of practice topics and will have an opportunity to indicate your preferences. There is no guarantee that any student will receive their preferred topic. The assigned country/ area of practice topic will be confirmed by the end of the intensive. A maximum of two students will be assigned to any given topic. Any students who do not indicate a preference will be assigned an available topic. Each country/ area of practice topic will have two articles provided (one for Australia and one for the other country) to help you initiate your research and planning for this assessment. 

Your presentation must be no more than 8 minutes in length. Presentations will only be marked until the 8-minute mark; content after this point will not be viewed or marked. You will upload your PowerPoint recording to the assessment folder in Moodle but also to the designated Moodle Discussion Forum for all students to watch. Each student will be assigned to post a question about one other presentation, and the lecturer will also post a question about each presentation. Questions should prompt the presenter to provide additional information to support effective learning and application of the content. 

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 3: 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. 

As this assessment involves a presentation and addressing questions from peers, the 72-hour grace period does not apply.

The full Task Description, including marking rubric, will be provided in Moodle.

There are 3 marking criteria that will be used to assess Assessment 1 for SPCH13006:

1. The first criterion focuses on how clearly and comprehensively your presentation addresses the five required components described above. This criterion is worth 70% of this assessment grade.
2. The second criterion focuses on your presentation and referencing skills. This criterion is worth 20% of this assessment grade. Note that violation of academic integrity requirements for referencing will additionally impact marks for criterion #1.
3. The third criterion focuses on how clearly and specifically you respond to the questions from your peer and lecturer. This criterion is worth 10% of this assessment grade.

Detailed marking rubrics for each criterion will be included in the Task Description in Moodle.

This assessment is comprised of four individual reflection tasks. You may choose any reflective writing template for this assessment, including the one you developed in SPCH13001, but you must use the same one for all four tasks. You may not choose a learning experience that you already reflected on in tutorial. Each reflection is associated with academic content covered in the recorded lectures, online activities, and/or during in-person tutorials throughout the term. Each reflection requires applying your academic knowledge to your current and/or prior placement experiences. You must select specific experiences that resulted in new learning. You must demonstrate deep reflection rather than superficial description. Speech Pathology Australia’s Professional Standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5 are reflected in this assessment. The maximum word count across the four reflections is 2,400 words and you may distribute the word count across the four tasks as you wish.

Reflection Task 1

Choose ONE of the two topic options below, which you specifically experienced on your SPCH13006 work-integrated learning experiences:

Option A: Ethnographic Interviewing
•    Ethnographic interviewing reflects clinical principles often seen in First Nations cultures as well as other non-Western cultures. It can improve therapeutic alliance and provide detailed information to support effective assessment and intervention planning. However, it is a time-consuming process.

Option B: Outcome Measurement
•    Outcome measurement is important for guiding our clinical decision-making, supporting clients in understanding the value in continuing services, and advocating for governments to fund services. However, choosing meaningful outcome measures is difficult, as is determining whether intervention was effective.

For your chosen topic, write a reflection that describes:
a)    The specific event/occurrence (not a generic overview) that took place during your SPCH13006 placement relating to your chosen topic, along with the ethical questions raised by the event/occurrence. Ensure you apply one or more elements from the Ethical Values and/or Ethical Principles described in the SPA Code of Ethics to the event/occurrence and your chosen topic.
b)    An analysis of growth you have demonstrated in your chosen topic over the past three placements, as well as further changes you commit to making in your upcoming SPCH14009 placement. Ensure you support your analysis and recommended changes with reference to academic content and additional high-quality literature.

Reflection Task 2: Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to engage clients in the process of change. It is designed to support the development of authentic and productive clinical relationships, especially with clients or families who seem resistant to change or appear disengaged from the therapy process. 

Write a reflection that describes:
a)    The specific event/occurrence (not a generic overview) that took place during your SPCH13006 placement relating to a client who appeared resistant to change and/or disengaged in the therapy process.
b)    An analysis of the factors that may have contributed to resistance to change or lack of engagement in therapy. Ensure you consider a range of client diversity characteristics (e.g., health, financial, cultural, linguistic, geographic, roles and relationships with family).
c)    What went well and didn’t go well in how you approached engaging the client. Ensure you reference how you used knowledge transfer and/or evidence-based practice to guide your approach.
d)    Which MI principles and/or techniques could have been applied. Ensure you specifically explain how and when you could have integrated MI principles or techniques if you had an opportunity to re-do your interactions with this client. 

Reflection Task 3: Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

A key component to effective client-, family-, and community-centred practice is ensuring your clinical approaches reflect your clients’ personal and cultural experiences and preferences. This is especially true when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, where colonialism has had an additional impact beyond race, religion, and culture. 

Write a reflection that describes:
a)    The specific event/occurrence (not a generic overview) that took place during one of your placements when you needed to apply cultural sensitivity and cultural humility when working with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. If you have not worked with an Aboriginal person on placement yet, select an event/occurrence from another experience in your life.
b)    What went well and didn’t go well during the interaction. Consider how your approach mapped to the person’s cultural and systemic experiences. 
c)    What you commit to doing differently during your next interactions with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Apply your learning from the Clinical Yarning modules and transfer knowledge from the academic content on Global Perspectives.

Reflection Task 4: Interprofessional Practice

Regardless of your practice setting, there is a high likelihood that you will be collaborating with health and education professionals from a range of disciplines. It is known that interprofessional collaboration is important to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of the individuals we serve and to prevent adverse outcomes. 

Write a reflection that describes:
a)    What you and/or other team members changed in your approach to the team collaborations this term and what the result was. Reference applicable domains in the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative Competency Framework and additional high-quality literature. 
c)    What specific actions you commit to in your future interprofessional interactions and why you think these actions will result in improved client outcomes. Ensure you support your analysis and recommendations with reference to academic content and additional high-quality literature.

You must attach the Team Agenda and Assessment Plan and the Team Agenda and Intervention Plan you completed with your IPE team as an Appendix to this assessment (NOTE: appendix content is not included in the word limit). All sections in both plans must be completed in sufficient detail to allow accurate interpretation by another team member who did not attend the meetings. Ensure all acronyms are explained.

Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 3: 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.

The full Task Description, including marking rubric, will be provided in Moodle. 

There are 4 marking criteria that will be used to assess Assessment 2 for SPCH13006:
1.    The first criterion focuses on the specificity of the reflections and the logical flow of analyses and recommendations. This criterion is worth 40% of this assessment grade.
2.    The second criterion focuses on the depth of analysis and the application of academic content, knowledge transfer, and/or quality literature to support your analysis and recommendations. This criterion is worth 35% of this assessment grade.
3.    The third criterion focuses on the accuracy and quality of your referencing, writing, and formatting. This criterion is worth 15% of this assessment grade. Note that violation of academic integrity requirements for referencing will additionally impact marks for criterion #1.
4.    The fourth criterion focuses on the clarity of the Team Agenda and Assessment Plan and the Team Agenda and Intervention Plan. This criterion is worth 10% of this assessment grade.

For this placement, you will be required to attend one full day per week at your assigned placement site for 12 weeks (or equivalent). Your Practice Educator(s) (PE(s)) will assess your competence across the seven CBOS units and each of the four generic professional competencies at both the mid and final points of the placement using the COMPASS Online assessment tool. In addition, you will be required to complete a self-assessment at each of these placement points via COMPASS Online.

At the commencement of your placement, you will also need to complete a learning contract, which is to be reviewed by you and your PE(s) as part of the mid-placement and final-placement assessments.

By the end of your placement, you are expected to demonstrate:

• Intermediate level competence across each of the CBOS Units 1-7, and
• Intermediate level competence in each generic professional competency unit. 

You do not need to submit any documentation to Moodle for your COMPASS-assessed placement. Further information regarding the expectations when participating in clinical placements such as dress code, attendance requirements, and mandatory checks (pre-clinical requirements) can be found in the CB87 Practice Education Handbook, which can be found in the Practice Education/ Work-Integrated Learning tile in the CB87 Speech Pathology Course Moodle site. Note that all pre-clinical requirements mentioned in the Speech Pathology Practice Education Handbook (and also stipulated on the online SONIA database) must be completed prior to commencing a placement and must remain current for the duration of the placement. Any student who fails to comply will not be permitted to commence their placement, which will affect their ability to complete this assessment task. Further information and instructions regarding all mandatory checks (pre-clinical requirements) can be found on the SONIA database or obtained by contacting the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) team via email: wil-hmas@cqu.edu.au.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

You will be assessed on the following four generic professional competencies through the use of COMPASS Online:

• Professional Competency Unit 1: Reasoning
• Professional Competency Unit 2: Communication
• Professional Competency Unit 3: Learning
• Professional Competency Unit 4: Professionalism

You will also be assessed on the following seven CBOS Units:

• CBOS Unit 1: Assessment
• CBOS Unit 2: Analysis and Interpretation
• CBOS Unit 3: Planning Evidence-Based Speech Pathology Practice
• CBOS Unit 4: Implementation of Speech Pathology Practice
• CBOS Unit 5: Planning, Providing and Managing Speech Pathology Services
• CBOS Unit 6: Professional and Supervisory Practice
• CBOS Unit 7: Lifelong Learning and Reflective Practice

Further information regarding each of these units can be found in the COMPASS Assessment Resource Manual, available through COMPASS online: https://compass.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/compass/portal/portal.jsp

To complete all requirements and pass this assessment task, you must:

• Complete a learning agreement in the first three weeks of the placement and have this reviewed by you and your PE(s) as part of the mid-placement and final-placement assessments.
• Complete a self-assessment through COMPASS online a minimum of two days prior to meeting with your PE(s) at both the mid-placement and final-placement assessment points.
• Be assessed by your PE(s) across all seven CBOS units and each of the four generic professional competency (GPC) units at the mid-placement and final-placement points.
• By the end of your placement, demonstrate intermediate level competence across each of the CBOS units 1-7, according to COMPASS Online results that are determined by your PE(s).
• By the end of your placement, demonstrate intermediate level competence across each of the four generic professional competency (GPC) units, according to COMPASS Online results that are determined by your PE(s).

Both the pass and failure criteria that apply to clinical placements are described in detail in the Speech Pathology Practice Education Handbook. Both PE(s) and students should familiarise themselves with these criteria. As stated in the Practice Education Handbook, the Practice Education Coordinator will make the final decision regarding a student's results based on all available evidence relating to the student's performance whilst completing the placement.

You must complete a Work-Integrated Learning Log documenting the clinical experiences/ hours you accumulated during your placement. At the completion of the placement, this form must be signed by both you and your Practice Educators (PE(s)) and uploaded to Moodle no later than 9:00am on the Tuesday of Week 14. 

If you and your PE(s) have electronically signed the SPCH13006 tab in the spreadsheet, you are only required to submit the spreadsheet via Moodle. If you and your PE(s) have signed a printed copy, you will need to submit a scanned or photographed copy of the printed form as well as the spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet and instructions for completion are available in the Practice Education / Work-Integrated Learning tile in the CB87 Speech Pathology Course Moodle.

It should be noted that Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) does not specify the number of clinical hours that students must complete during the course of any Australian university’s Speech Pathology program. SPA instead places the focus on the minimum level of competence, skills, and knowledge required for entry into the workforce as a qualified and competent speech pathologist. CQUniversity’s approach is consistent with SPA’s philosophy and therefore does not have a specific requirement regarding the minimum number of clinical hours each student must complete by the end of the Speech Pathology course. Submission of the record form for this unit is therefore a pass/fail assessment requirement. You should be aware that you are also expected to track this data and keep copies for your own records, as evidence of clinical hours may be required if you are requested to provide evidence of clinical experience when applying for work as a speech pathologist overseas.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

As this is a pass/fail assessment, there is no grace period, and a late submission will result in a Fail grade for this assessment.

To pass this assessment task, you must complete and submit the Work-Integrated Learning Log spreadsheet by the due date/ time. If you and your PE(s) have electronically signed the SPCH13006 tab in the spreadsheet, you are only required to submit the spreadsheet. If you and your PE(s) have signed a printed copy, you will need to submit a scanned or photographed copy of the printed form as well as the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet and instructions for completion are available in the Practice Education / Work-Integrated Learning tile in the CB87 Speech Pathology Course Moodle.