Unit Synopsis
This unit is designed to build on and strengthen your direct social work practice skills, knowledge and techniques to effectively facilitate assessments and interventions. This unit focuses on the appropriate use of interpersonal communication skills and theoretical approaches for working in different contexts including culturally responsive practice. Through the practical application of relevant therapeutic approaches, you will demonstrate ability to provide accountable service in person and demonstrate knowledge of strengths and limitations of IT assisted communication such as telehealth as a mode of service delivery.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 4 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisite conditions - SOWK13011 Community Practice and SOWK13009 Field education 1 and SOWK13010 Integrating Theory and Practice 1. 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. Online Quiz(zes) | 30% |
| 2. Practical Assessment | 50% |
| 3. Online discussion forum | 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.
Term 1 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 90.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 32.26% 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
More teaching on how to use telehealth. More opportunity to practice skills in the fourth year would be helpful.
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students identified a need for more teaching and practice opportunities in telehealth. In response, additional lectures, resources, and practice-based activities were incorporated into the unit, including expanded skills development opportunities within the residential school.
In Progress
Source: Student evaluation
Really appreciate Shirley Ledger's teaching style and her presentation of content, levels of support and the structure of the assessments. Fantastic unit.
Student feedback highlights strong satisfaction with the teaching approach, structure of the unit, and level of support provided. The presentation of content and clarity of assessment design were identified as key strengths contributing to student learning. In response, these approaches will be maintained and further embedded within the unit. This includes continuing to deliver structured, clearly scaffolded assessments, high levels of academic support, and engaging teaching strategies that support student confidence and skill development. Ongoing reflection will ensure these strengths are sustained while also identifying opportunities to enhance consistency across the teaching team.
In Progress
Source: Student evaluation
Video recording of feedback is beyond valuable and something that I'm going to keep for the duration of my degree and most likely as I enter into the social work field full time.
It is recommended that the use of audio-visual feedback be continued and further embedded within the unit as a core assessment practice. This approach provides personalised, detailed, and practice-relevant feedback that supports student learning, skill development, and readiness for professional practice. It also enables students to revisit feedback over time, enhancing its ongoing value beyond the unit. Consideration should be given to expanding this approach across other units where appropriate, to support consistency in feedback quality and student experience across the course.
In Progress
Source: Student evaluation
Some of the video resources were old.
It is recommended that the University prioritise investment in contemporary, discipline-specific multimedia resources to support teaching and learning within the unit. Current video resources available through the Library are limited, dated, and predominantly based on international (particularly United States) practice contexts, which reduces their relevance to Australian social work practice and contemporary service delivery environments. There is a need to source or develop high-quality, current resources that reflect local practice frameworks, diverse client contexts, and emerging modes of practice such as telehealth. This may include targeted acquisition of updated materials, collaboration with professional bodies, or development of internally produced resources. Addressing this gap will enhance the authenticity and applicability of learning materials, better preparing students for professional practice and aligning teaching resources with current sector expectations.
In Progress
Source: Student feedback via email
Students enjoyed the opportunity to engage in the residential school via Zoom or face to face in response to COVID-19 issues.
The attendance adjustments were AASW (Australian Association of Social Workers) approved and only for the duration of the COVID-19 health and travel restrictions.
Residential school delivery was adapted to a mixed-mode format (online and face-to-face) in response to COVID-19, in line with AASW-approved adjustments. This ensured continuity of skills development and student progression. Standard face-to-face residential school requirements are planned to resume from 2023.
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an evidence-based effective helping relationship with a diverse range of clients and consumers applying appropriate techniques and skills for practice
- Critically evaluate and reflect on the skills and techniques demonstrated in the practical application of social work practice
- Communicate the strengths and limitations of IT-assisted communication as a mode of service delivery
- Demonstrate culturally safe, sensitive and competent social work practice.
This unit complies with the AASW ASWEAS (2020) in particular:
6.3.3 The learning outcomes from the professional practice skills training in accordance with the Graduate Attributes should include core professional competencies but are not limited to:
- advanced oral communication skills and professional documentation
- assessment, engagement and decision-making with individuals and groups
- developing the personal and professional insight and emotional intelligence required for effective use of self as a professional
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | ||
| 2 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Online discussion forum | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 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 | |