CQUniversity Unit Profile.

You will be required to attend and participate in a block Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experience. The placement will focus on adult clinical practice or a mix of adult and paediatric practice, depending on the site. It will provide an opportunity to further develop your competence as a Speech Pathologist under the supervision of one or more Practice Educators (PEs) in a clinical setting (e.g., community health, hospital, or private practice).

This experience typically involves four or five days per week over six weeks; however, this may vary depending on the placement site. Start and finish dates will also vary across students. Information regarding these dates, as well as the duration and nature of the placement, will be provided by your Practice Education Coordinator (PEC) either prior to or during the term.

To complete this placement, you may be required to travel outside the Central Queensland region or even outside Queensland. You are responsible for supporting yourself financially during the placement, including arranging and funding your own travel, accommodation, and any associated costs.

During your placement, your PE (a qualified Speech Pathologist) will assess your competence across the seven Competency-Based Occupational Standards (CBOS) units and the four generic professional competencies (GPCs) at the mid-point and end of the placement using the COMPASS® online assessment tool.

Assessment requirements are as follows:

Mid-placement assessment: You and your PE(s) must complete a mid-placement assessment using COMPASS® Online. You must also complete a self-assessment prior to this meeting. This assessment is formative and provides an opportunity to discuss strengths and areas for improvement. It also allows the PE(s) to raise any concerns with the CQU PEC.

Final assessment: You and your PE(s) must complete a final assessment at the end of the placement. You must complete a self-assessment prior to the meeting. This assessment is summative and determines your final result. You are required to achieve Entry-Level across all CBOS units and all four GPCs.

Behavioural descriptors for entry-level students are available in the COMPASS® Assessment Resource Manual on COMPASS® Online and Moodle.

This assessment item is graded on a pass/fail basis and must be passed to achieve a pass grade for the unit.

GenAI usage: Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the COMPASS® assessment. You must demonstrate your own core skills and knowledge. GenAI cannot be used in completing Assessment 1: COMPASS®.

As this assessment involves a Work Integrated Learning experience, the 72 hour grace period does not apply.

To commence placement, you must meet all pre-clinical requirements (e.g., mandatory checks), and these must remain current throughout the placement. Information can be obtained from the Work Integrated Learning Office (wil-hmas@cqu.edu.au).

Some workplaces may have additional requirements specific to their setting (e.g., telepractice training, infection control, or vaccinations such as influenza, particularly when working with vulnerable populations). It is your responsibility to ensure all requirements are met; otherwise, you may not be able to attend placement or complete this assessment.

You will be assessed on the four GPC and the seven CBOS units through the use of COMPASS® Online.

The GPC units are:

·         Professional Competency Unit 1: Reasoning

·         Professional Competency Unit 2: Communication

·         Professional Competency Unit 3: Learning

·         Professional Competency Unit 4: Professionalism

The CBOS units are:

·         CBOS Unit 1: Assessment

·         CBOS Unit 2: Analysis and Interpretation

·         CBOS Unit 3: Planning Evidence-based Speech Pathology Practices

·         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. This manual will also be available on the SPCH14007 Moodle website.

Prior to meeting with your PE(s) to complete your mid-placement and final-placement assessments, you must first complete the self-assessment component through COMPASS® Online.

You must also bring the learning contract that was developed at the commencement of the placement, for you and your PE(s) to review, as this will aid the discussion you have about the progress you have made and any objectives you may have achieved. At the final-placement assessment, your COMPASS® results must indicate that you have demonstrated entry-level competence across each of the eleven competency units.

For this assessment task, you will be required to complete a viva (an oral assessment in the form of a dynamic interview) based on an adult clinical scenario, this viva will be conducted via Zoom. At the start of your viva, you will be provided with written case information about an adult individual who is presenting with communication difficulties.

After the review time has passed, you will sit down with your assessor/s (this may involve a panel of up to three people) in an interview-type scenario that will require you to respond to a range of questions related to assessment and intervention for the client described in the case. 

Each section of your viva is timed but not all sections are assessed. A brief outline is provided below, with additional details provided on Moodle.

Section 1A (Not assessed): Review background information 
Section 1B (Assessed): Report on assessment planning. 
Section 2A (Not assessed): Review assessment results. 
Section 2B (Assessed): Report on interpretation, diagnosis, and outcomes of assessments.
Section 3A (Not assessed): Plan speech pathology intervention or service response.
Section 3B (Assessed): Report on plan and goals for speech pathology intervention or service response. 
Section 4A (Not assessed): Transferability of Knowledge and Professional Conduct. 
Section 4B (Assessed): Report on transferability of Knowledge and Professional Conduct.
 

During the viva, you must independently demonstrate your skills, knowledge, and competence in adult clinical practice across CBOS and the Speech Pathology Australia Professional Standards. Overall, this viva requires you to independently integrate information, to problem-solve in real-time, and to make decisions regarding assessment and intervention and the overall management of a client, with reference to the ICF and within the ethical guidelines of the speech pathology profession. You must also demonstrate your use of effective thinking, reasoning and reflective skills and provide clear and appropriate rationales for decisions that carefully consider evidence-based practice.

Your oral viva will be video recorded for assessment purposes.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 3: You may use GenAI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content that you use.

As this assessment involves a Viva the 72 hour grace period does not apply.

You will be assessed using criteria outlined in CBOS Units 1 to 3 and the Speech Pathology Australia Professional Standards.

This is a must pass assessment task. To pass this task, you need to demonstrate "ready to practice" competency in adult clinical practice for 14 of the 16 criteria against which you are assessed. Additionally, you must score a minimum 3 out of 4 for each of the four sections, resulting in a total minimum score of 14 out of 16. Each criterion will be assessed as "ready to practice" or not "ready to practice". Demonstrating "ready to practice" level competency requires that you independently complete each part of the task, without prior knowledge of the case information and without the need for specific prompts (either prior to, or during the viva) to complete the task. A brief description of each of the assessed sections of the rubric is provided below:

Section 1: After reviewing case information, you will develop and justify an assessment plan based on the client’s needs, circumstances, and evidence-based practice. In this section, you will be assessed against four criteria related to your planning and clinical reasoning.

Section 2: You will analyse and interpret assessment data, provide an appropriate diagnosis, suggest relevant referrals, and discuss potential barriers and facilitators for the client. In this section, you will be assessed against four related criteria.

Section 3: You will review a summary of the adult’s diagnosis and service delivery setting and develop appropriate goals and related intervention plan. You will need to clearly describe and justify your plan to the assessor. In this section, you will be assessed against four criteria related to your use of assessment results and client needs in planning, the selection and description of appropriate evidence-based goals and intervention, and your clinical reasoning.

Section 4: You will be asked how you transferred your existing knowledge to the case and to identify the sources from which you drew that information. This section also includes criteria related to overall communication shown throughout the viva. In this section, you will be assessed against 4 criteria related to reflective practice, as it applies to transfer of knowledge, and professional communication.

NOTE: Since this is a pass/fail assessment task, it does not qualify for a supplementary assessment. If you do not meet the pass criteria for the adult viva task, you will be provided with one opportunity to re-sit the assessment. The re-sit will be of an equivalent format and use the same assessment criteria as the original assessment task. If you do not meet the pass criteria for the re-sit, you will receive a fail grade on the assessment task.

Late arrivals: You should aim to log in at least 10 minutes prior to the assessment commencement time. If you are late, you will be permitted late entry to your assessment of up to 10 minutes after the assessment commencement time. The period of lateness will be deducted from your overall assessment time. If you are denied access to the assessment due to lateness (i.e., logging in beyond the permitted late entry period), you should make an online application for a deferred assessment (which may or may not be granted in line with CQUniversity policy). If your application for deferred assessment is denied, you will receive a "fail" for your assessment item and you may be eligible for a supplementary assessment in line with CQUniversity policy.

This portfolio task is focused on reflective practice and lifelong learning within the context of adult clinical practice.

To complete this portfolio, you will need to:

• Complete two learning tasks from the Residential Schools (Part A).
• Submit two critical reflections that follow a reflective practice model of your choice (Part B)

Part A requires you to complete two tasks (Task 1 and Task 2) from the SPCH14006 and SPCH14007 Residential Schools (as outlined on the SPCH14007 Assessment 3 rubric on Moodle). These tasks must be completed in the scheduled Residential Schools. The Assessment 3 rubric on Moodle will outline the dates required for each task.

Part A Task 1: This task requires you to create a SMART personal goal (up to 200 words) focused on improving your job application skills, along with a strategy to achieve it. It builds on learning from the Residential School and CQU Careers about effective job applications and aligning roles with your values and clinical interests. Identifying suitable roles supports job satisfaction and helps prevent burnout in healthcare professionals. Clarifying these factors increases your likelihood of securing a fulfilling position.

Part A Task 2: This task requires you to write a brief reflection (up to 500 words) on a professional or clinical challenge experienced during your SPCH14007 placement. You must describe the challenge, explain how you responded (including supports or strategies used), and identify one or two ways this experience will inform your future practice. The aim is to support peer learning by sharing insights and approaches, with opportunities for discussion on the Moodle forum.

Part B requires you to submit two critical reflections, using a reflective practice framework, based on your Work Integrated Learning experience.

The word limit for this assessment task is 1500 words. That is, the assessor will not read or mark past 1500 words. This includes in-text referencing but does not include your reference list or evidence provided in appendices.

Reflection 1: Reflect on a learning experience involving First Nations or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)clients during your adult placement. Describe the situation, evaluate your interactions (including the role of cultural knowledge, values, and confidence), and assess their effectiveness. Consider how this experience will shape your future practice and identify ways to strengthen culturally responsive skills.

Reflection 2: Reflect on your experience in adult clinical practice and describe opportunities for future personal and professional growth. 

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 3: You may use GenAI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content that you use.

This portfolio task is focused on reflective practice and lifelong learning in the context of adult clinical practice. To complete this portfolio, you will need to complete all outlined tasks described on Moodle.

Part A: Completed in the Residential Schools, will assess your ability to present relevant information to your colleagues to inform their adult clinical practice and future professional development opportunities.
 

Part B: Both reflections will assess your ability to critically reflect on your identified area of learning using a reflective practice framework.

Your Part B written reflections need to demonstrate deep and critical thinking, that is, you need to show that your experience has changed you and/or your view/clinical practice. To do this, you need to move beyond the incident or experience you are focusing on and consider multiple perspectives. You need to show insight into how the learning that occurred may impact on other contexts/situations.

For Part B reflections, you will need to include tangible evidence to support your reflections where appropriate (e.g., copies of prior reflections, feedback from your PE, de-identified session plans, templates for resources, etc.). This evidence can be provided in an appendix and should be organised and labelled such that it can be easily linked to your reflection.

In addition, you will be assessed on your inclusion of high-quality evidence where expected, your organisation and presentation of the portfolio, your writing style, and use of APA-7 referencing. A detailed rubric is provided on Moodle.

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 Educator(s) and uploaded to Moodle no later than the two weeks after the final day of your placement. 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. 

If you and your PE(s) have electronically signed the SPCH14007 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 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. 

Your record of WIL experiences is due within two weeks of completion of your placement. As block placements may commence and finish at different times throughout the term, this due date will be determined on an individual basis and confirmed by the Unit Coordinator. The 72 hours grace period does not apply, 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 SPCH14007 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.