Unit Synopsis
This unit is designed to help you, as a university student studying psychology, to build a set of evidence-based strategies to prepare you for your academic and professional life. You will receive practical instruction on how to effectively study at university; develop your written and oral communication skills; work effectively in groups; navigate the scientific literature; and apply American Psychological Association (APA) referencing conventions. Your communication, teamwork and research skills will be utilised in the design and preparation of a group presentation. You will also be introduced to career pathways in psychology-related disciplines, and given insight into the personal skills, capabilities and knowledge relevant to a career in psychology. The creation of a career portfolio will help you identify and market the transferable knowledge and skills that you will acquire throughout your degree.
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 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. Annotated bibliography | 30% |
| 2. Group Work | 50% |
| 3. Portfolio | 20% |
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 feedback during lectures; staff observation.
Ongoing student uncertainty around how to use generative AI appropriately and ethically in assessments.
Continue to reinforce the message that AI should serve as a support tool, not a replacement for student thinking, and clarify this distinction early in the term. Ensure appropriate AI use is discussed in relation to academic integrity expectations, and include more practical, task-specific examples linked to assessments.
The use of generative AI in study and research continued to be integrated across the unit and was addressed in relation to assessment and academic integrity. Supporting resources were also reviewed and updated to reflect the rapid development of AI technologies and their changing use within university study.
Source: Student feedback via emails and SUTE comments; staff observation of group assignment issues.
Some student groups experience difficulty with collaboration, including unequal contributions and disengaged group members.
Continue current proactive strategies: forming slightly larger groups to account for potential dropouts, early-term and consistent group check-ins by teaching staff, monitoring engagement, notifying groups when members drop out, and contacting non-engaged students. Maintain the groupwork-focused lectures and recommended use of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support time management, shared expectations, and conflict resolution.
Groups were initially formed with five to six students to help account for expected withdrawals and non-engagement, although some groups still lost two or three members over the term. Effective groupwork strategies continued to be addressed in class, and groups were monitored and followed up at several points throughout the term. This allowed participation issues to be identified early and support or intervention to be provided where needed.
Source: Staff reflection.
Other portfolio formats are required after Portfolium was discontinued as a university supported platform.
Consider adopting a LinkedIn profile as an alternative or complementary option to the Word-based portfolio, to enhance authenticity and provide students with a real-world professional presence.
The Word-based portfolio was retained and continued to work well. Its primary purpose is to support reflection and the early development of professional materials, rather than the creation of a polished public profile. LinkedIn profile development is addressed later in the course through PSYC13026, where it is more appropriately aligned with students’ stage of study and career readiness.
Source: End of year student evaluation (SUTE)
Too much emphasis on GenAI, particularly in assessment items.
The balance and integration of GenAI-related content within the unit and its assessment will be reviewed in future offerings to ensure it supports learning outcomes and student engagement.
In Progress
Source: End of year student evaluation (SUTE)
Some of the content does not seem relevant, including the emphasis on writing skills.
The unit aims to develop foundational skills that underpin success in psychology and university study. The teaching team will continue to review how the relevance and value of these skills are communicated and integrated throughout the unit.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Locate, evaluate and use scholarly sources of information in adherence with the American Psychological Association (APA) style.
- Communicate ideas effectively in written and oral form.
- Work collaboratively as part of a team.
- Create a professional ePortfolio that synthesises knowledge of self, careers and psychology disciplines to map academic, career and learning paths.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Annotated bibliography | • | • | ||
| 2 - Group Work | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Portfolio | • | • | ||
| 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 | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |