Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will have the opportunity to identify historical and current inequalities in the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, families, and groups. You will learn about culturally safe care to gain a better understanding of how to partner and collaborate to meet health needs and improve health outcomes. This unit will focus on the inequalities that continue in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ health status compared to their non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counterparts. You will develop the knowledge and skills needed to work with people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples cultures. In this unit, you will propose ways of collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, groups or communities to facilitate equal access to equitable and appropriate health services.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| 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 2 - 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. Online Quiz(zes) | 40% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 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.
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 SUTE feedback, email and phone call.
The provision of evening sessions for distance and working students was reported to be valuable by the limited number of students who attended.
Retain the evening sessions. As this is a first-year unit, providing multiple opportunities to engage is a sound investment of time by the teaching staff and benefitting the students.
Retained evening sessions. Attendance increased because they were delivered at a later time slot.
Source: Student SUTE feedback and conversations.
ALC presentations specifically tailored to the assessment were considered valuable; however, the content component was reported as being better delivered by the academics in the preceding week, and then the ALC was re-visited and well summarised in the subsequent weeks.
Maintain the scheduling of the ALC components in the weeks after the content information has been presented to the students by an academic.
The retained ALC sessions remained widely appreciated by students. Recordings of these sessions were made available.
Source: Attendance records.
Student engagement remains low.
Across all platforms, student engagement and attendance are lower than anticipated. In the early weeks of the unit, the academics should emphasise the need for engagement and suggest study strategies to keep up to date with the unit. As this is a first-year unit, many students are challenged by the need for self-directed learning and study. Reminding students and imparting helpful study strategies should continue.
Additional collaboration activities were retained, as they continued to benefit students who attend.
Source: Student SUTE feedback, emails and conversations.
Using a "practice" or parallel case study was a valuable platform to discuss the application of the theory to an authentic situation.
Students appreciated using a similar scenario to unpack the requirements for applying theory to a real-world situation. The use of this teaching strategy should continue.
Students reported that the teaching scenario was one of the most useful tools for applying the theory covered in the unit and provided a starting point for discussions in the collaborative sessions. The teaching scenario was retained, and greater emphasis was placed on attending the additional collaboration sessions.
Source: Audit of student submissions.
Maintaining academic integrity and reducing the number of case reports emerging.
Providing examples to students regarding the extent to which artificial intelligence can be utilised and how to concisely link theory to a case study requires greater focus. These elements of academic skills should be emphasised from the early weeks of the unit.
The ethical use of generative AI was demonstrated to students during the drop-in/ consultation sessions and in the ALC sessions. Students who attended these sessions reported that they were exceptionally useful, guided their use of AI, and supported their demonstration of understanding of key terms and concepts from NURS11171 in the final written assessment task. Unfortunately, the sessions remained underutilised. It appeared that many students relied heavily on AI-generated material because they left the assessment to the last minute and showed low engagement throughout the term. Additional sessions on time management, continued engagement throughout the term, and further guidance on the ethical use of AI were provided.
Source: Student in class and online workshop comments.
Student engagement with the Challenge Questions, intended to support critical thinking and collaborative learning, was mixed: participation in the discussion forums was reduced, while discussion in the workshops increased.
Students who contributed reported that the individualised feedback they received was valuable. Many students engaged with the Challenge Questions during workshops and indicated that these discussions assisted them in preparing the written assignment. Given their demonstrated value for learning and assessment preparation, the Challenge Questions should be retained.
In Progress
Source: Student in class, workshop, email and phone calls.
Students noted that the teaching scenario used in the online discussions was highly effective in helping them connect theoretical concepts with practical, real-world applications. This approach was viewed as supportive of learning and confidence-building.
Students consistently reported that the teaching scenario enhanced their understanding by demonstrating how theoretical principles translate into real practice. Live discussions built around this scenario were particularly valued, as they fostered active engagement, clarified key concepts, and increased students’ confidence in preparing for the final written assessment. The use of a teaching scenario as a scaffolding and application strategy has clear pedagogical benefits and should be retained as a core element of the unit design.
In Progress
Source: Forum post, phone communication.
Students also requested "answers" to the reflective activities and worksheets.
The reflective activities and worksheets are designed to promote critical thinking rather than produce a single correct answer. Students were encouraged to share their reflections in the forum to stimulate dialogue and expose the cohort to diverse perspectives. Feedback from students indicated discomfort with having personal reflections recorded, particularly when the content was sensitive. To support deeper engagement, it is recommended that opportunities for discussion be incorporated into non-recorded sessions, allowing students to explore their ideas.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explore factors that influence the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Discuss the impact colonisation has had on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Review current demographic, health indicators and statistical trends for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Assess the contemporary role of healthcare clinicians in recognising and delivering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culturally safe healthcare for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities.
NOT UPDATED
Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional nursing requirements
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and National Boards - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice
Maintains the capability for practice
Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Nursing Code of Conduct
Legal compliance
Person-centred practice
Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Professional behaviour
Research in health
Health and wellbeing
International Council of Nursing Code of Ethics for Nursing
Nurses and People
Nurses and Practice
Nurses and the Profession
Nurses and co-workers
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Partnering with consumers
Comprehensive care
Communicating for safety
Patient Safety Competency Framework
Person-centred care
Therapeutic communication
Cultural competence
Teamwork and collaborative practice
Evidence-based practice
Preventing, minimising and responding to adverse events
Aged Care Quality Standards
Consumer dignity and choice
Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Personal care and clinical care
Services and supports for daily living
Organisation’s service environment
Feedback and complaints
Human resources
Organisation governance
Intraprofessional and Interprofessional prep
Working with other health professionals including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • |
| 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 | • | • | ||
| 9 - Social Innovation | • | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |