Unit Synopsis
The final theory unit in the Bachelor of Social Work course equips you with an advanced understanding of social work theory and its application to real-world practice. Building on the foundational knowledge acquired in Field Education 1 (SOWK13009) and Integrating Theory and Practice 1 (SOWK13010), this unit emphasises the importance of applying research knowledge and skills in addressing the needs and aspirations of individuals, groups, and communities to achieve equitable outcomes. You will demonstrate your capacity to employ research knowledge and skills in your practice, as well as utilising research to inform your professional development. This unit is a co-requisite to SOWK14009 and can only be undertaken concurrently with field education.
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 |
Prerequisites: SOWK13009, SOWK13010, SOWK14005, SOWK14006 Corequisite: SOWK14009 Fieldwork Education 2 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 |
Compulsory Residential School View Unit Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 2 - 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. Presentation | 30% |
| 2. Report | 40% |
| 3. Poster Sessions | 30% |
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 - 2021 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 80.77% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 61.9% 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: Verbal feedback from students, formal evaluation responses
Lack of residential component due to Covid-19 impacted on student's academic journey as it is seen as a valuable way of reinforcing and consolidating learning
Reintroduction of residential school when permitted by government restrictions. Continue offering Zoom sessions throughout the semester to connect as a group.
Residential school reinstated (mixed mode). Group zoom sessions offered regularly to compensate for the challenges associated with many placement disruptions due to COVID-19.
Source: Verbal feedback from students, formal evaluation responses
Having this unit at same time as placement was seen as stressful and overwhelming - 'difficult to make the most of both learning opportunities', students reported other universities do not have requirement to have simultaneous unit with placement so felt overworked in comparison
Explanation to students why CQUniversity has this requirement in course structure.
The co-requisite theory unit is a requirement of the course. Other courses do have the same requirement however it is divided into intensive seminars and assessments throughout the term. As students are studying by distance, attending weekly face to face learning is not achievable. It is important to note that this unit was taught with an attendance option (face to face or online due to COVID-19).
Source: Formal evaluation response
"More information in unit profile"
Add information to schedule section of unit profile, including required readings and weekly tasks.
The unit profile has all required content and relevant information displayed.
Source: Verbal feedback, formal evaluation response
Moodle site to be more easily accessible and clear (new tile format)
Ensure clarity of layout of unit Moodle site, ensure there is a clear navigation structure.
Moodle site is much improved, easy to navigate and find information.
Source: Verbal feedback, formal evaluation responses
Students appreciated the flexible learning and the freedom to choose research subject according to personal and professional interest
Continue to support a wide range of interests.
Assessments were aligned to placement organisation, leading to diverse responses.
Source: Verbal feedback, email feedback to UC
Support from staff via one on one Zoom consultations was well received and perceived as useful
Continue student support via Zoom where required.
One on one zoom sessions again offered and good rate of take up.
Source: Have your Say
Information on 'what to do' when the practice issue has limited or no evidence base
Expand on practice-based evidence as part of the unit to improve critique.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Facilitate and engage in peer supervision, demonstrating advanced understanding of social work principles, reflective practice, and constructive feedback.
- Critically analyse and integrate reflective practice frameworks to understand the role of theories, knowledge bases, and knowledge sources in social work practice.
- Select and apply appropriate interventions to address clients' and service users' needs and circumstances, while upholding social work values and ethics.
- Communicate effectively, presenting knowledge and ideas in various contexts, and adapt skills to diverse situations.
The learning outcomes in this unit are aligned with the AASW social work graduate attributes outlined in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) 2021.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Presentation | • | • | ||
| 2 - Report | • | • | ||
| 3 - Poster Sessions | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | ||
| 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 | |