Unit Synopsis
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) examines the theory and application of procedures for the resolution of disputes as an alternative to a judicial process. In this unit you will examine ADR methods such as negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration and theoretical developments such as Collaborative Law. You will develop basic skills in listening, negotiation and mediation. You will also explore how to design ADR approaches suitable to help resolve client disputes, quickly, at minimal cost and consistent with the principles of access to justice.
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 |
Co-requisite: LAWS11057 Introduction to Law. 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
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. Practical Assessment | 40% |
| 2. Reflective Practice Assignment | 60% |
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 2 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 78.57% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 20.59% 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 Evaluations and Unit Coordinator Self-Reflection
Review scheduling of unit content
Consider positive and negative impacts of the unit's intensive scheduling. Check alignment of learning and assessment schedules with other units.
The 2026 offering will be a 12-week course, so the intensive scheduling issue and its impact will no longer be of concern.
Source: Unit Coordinator Self-Reflection
Maintain currency of unit content
2024 is a transitional year for Resolving Civil Disputes, due to a new textbook being published mid-year and ongoing changes in practice. Unit content will require especially close attention to maintain currency.
The increase in the 'Useful Learning Materials' score to 92.86 confirms that the action taken to integrate the new textbook was successful.
Source: Peer Review
Consider adjacent aspects of professional practice
As the unit transitions into the LLB core in 2026, there is an opportunity to consider the intersection between resolving civil disputes and other core skills and knowledge for lawyers and law students.
The 2026 development of the unit is underway. It will provide a greater focus on a broader range of ADR skills, such as drafting a negotiation strategy, mediation heads of agreement, and Deed of Release.
Source: Workshop comments
Most students found the family law practitioner Q&A informative and interesting.
The 2026 unit offering should continue to have professional Q&A sessions.
In Progress
Source: Workshop comments
Most students enjoyed the 'open mic' part of each workshop because it allowed them to discuss their past personal experiences with ADR.
The 2026 unit offering should continue to have an 'open mic' ADR discussion in workshops.
In Progress
Source: Student surveys
Some students found the final exam novel and interesting, while others found it challenging due to time constraints.
The 2026 unit offering will replace the time-based final exam with two practical assessments.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Discuss the range and operation of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods and their relationship with litigation
- Demonstrate skills in listening, negotiation, and mediation together with the ability to design ADR processes and drafting appropriate documents to support an ethical dispute resolution design
- Outline the basic theoretical principles of dispute resolution systems and research, critique, and evaluate the ADR literature on managing conflict.
- Discuss the ADR processes of International Commercial Arbitration or Australian First Nations People.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Reflective Practice Assignment | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | ||
| 5 - Team Work | • | |||
| 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 | |