Unit Synopsis
In Introduction to Strategic Communication, you will explore how communication shapes our world, influences behaviour, and gives meaning to our lives. As a foundation unit serving students from various disciplines, you will engage with key communication theories and learn the art of strategic storytelling within our increasingly networked and digital society. You will examine how professional communicators create narratives to build brands, influence change, and connect with audiences across diverse contexts. Through real-world case studies and practical applications, you will develop essential skills in visual and written communication, providing a solid foundation whether you're pursuing a career in public relations or seeking valuable communication knowledge for your chosen field.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the 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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Group Discussion | 20% |
| 2. Case Study | 35% |
| 3. Portfolio | 45% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 80.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 19.23% response rate.
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.
Source: Student Evaluation Survey
Students found teaching staff to be approachable and willing to help
Teaching staff will continue to focus on providing students with an excellent level of support.
Teaching staff continued to provide students with an excellent level of academic support.
Source: Student Evaluation Survey
One student considered the final assessment, while practical and scaffolded, unnecessarily large and detailed
Review the final assessment item with a view to reducing the overall scope and requirements.
The final assessment item was significantly reviewed and scope reduced.
Source: Student Evaluation Survey
Some students found it initially challenging to fully engage in the blended online / on-campus class format
Provide an enhanced orientation at the start of the unit to help students understand expectations and strategies for effective participation in the blended learning environment.
In Progress
Source: Student Evaluation Survey
A student reported challenges balancing regular engagement expectations with other academic and personal commitments
Provide enhanced support to students to help them develop effective time management strategies for maintaining consistent engagement throughout the term, including promoting connections with the Academic Learning Centre and their time management resources and workshops.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Define and situate public relations in contemporary society
- Demonstrate understanding of strategic communication theories and their practical application
- Apply ethical reasoning, standards and codes of practice through case study analysis
- Create compelling narratives and messages for diverse stakeholder groups
- Assess communication strategies and their impacts across various organisational contexts.
Not applicable
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion | • | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Case Study | • | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Portfolio | • | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | ||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • | • | |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | • | |
| 9 - Social Innovation | • | ||||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |