Unit Synopsis
Communications technologies have changed the way we live in profound ways and have determined the shape of contemporary culture around the world. At the same time, people play a role in cultural change by determining how such technologies are utilised. This unit examines the evolution of human communication, from non-verbal and visual forms to computer mediated interactions and AI collaborations. It will take you on an historical journey, exploring the innovative and creative discoveries and inventions of early civilisations and latter-day pioneers who shared a common desire to enhance and advance human interaction. The technological developments of the past are still very much connected to the way we live today, and how we will live in the future. Through this unit, you will develop a critical awareness of how new communication technologies are influenced by the same inherent needs of our ancestors; to communicate more effectively, more efficiently and on a global scale.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisite: Minimum of 36 credit points 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. Reflective Practice Assignment | 20% |
| 2. Portfolio | 45% |
| 3. Essay | 35% |
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 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 25% 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: Teaching Staff Review
The content in this unit needs significant revision to continue to meet the needs of a diverse and growing cohort
Undertake a major and significant unit revision. This will include modification of the unit learning outcomes, assessment and content.
A major review and upgrade was undertaken, which included changing course learning outcomes, the unit structure, curriculum materials and marking rubrics. Further development on activities and content updates each year will ensure the unit remains current and relevant.
Source: Student Evaluation Survey
Students appreciated support provided by teaching staff, which encouraged them to strive for excellence in alignment with their own learning goals
Continue to offer high levels of student support which encourages learners.
Students were supported with recorded presentations of online tutorials, online activities and were offered 1:1 consults
Source: Self-reflection
Assessment exemplars and assessment explainers provide additional support to students
Provide exemplar assessments and an assessment explainer for each task.
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection Student Satisfaction Survey
Engage learners online through participatory activities
Build an online learning community by developing a continuous assessment that requires online participation from peers
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain how technological innovations shape communication practices and cultural exchange across diverse contexts
- Evaluate ethical, cultural, and social implications of communication technologies for human relationships and global connectivity
- Construct and present informed, evidence-based perspectives on the impact of technological change on communication
- Analyse how economic, social, environmental, or political conditions influence the development and adoption of communication technologies
- Apply theoretical concepts of communication and technology to interpret real-world examples and trends in global communication.
N/A
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Reflective Practice Assignment | • | • | |||
| 2 - Portfolio | • | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Essay | • | • | • | • | • |
| 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 | • | • | |||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |