Unit Synopsis
In this unit you will be introduced to developmental and acquired communication and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan. You will study how we use person-centred, family-centred, and community-centred approaches to assist people in optimising their communication and swallowing in a variety of contexts. You will learn about the principles of evidenced-based practice and strategies to support communication access across the lifespan.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| 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
Term 1 - 2027 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) | 60% |
| 2. Presentation | 40% |
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: SUTE feedback
Students commented that the wording of quizzes was unclear at times.
It is recommended that wording of the quizzes is reviewed, and clearer instructions and questions are provided.
Wording of quizzes was reviewed by a moderator.
Source: SUTE feedback
Students commented that some links and activities were missing from moodle.
It is recommended that moodle links and activities are reviewed before they become available to students.
Moodle links and activities were reviewed to ensure that all links were working before becoming available to students.
Source: SUTE feedback
Students commented that the Zoom lectures were difficult to hear at times.
It is recommended that the technology in the room is reviewed to improve audio quality for distance students.
Audio quality for distance students is dependent on the technology available within CQUniversity teaching spaces and, while outside the Unit Coordinator's control, any issues will continue to be reported to the relevant University support teams.
Source: SUTE
Students commented that helpful feedback was provided about quiz answers throughout the unit.
It is recommended that helpful feedback continue to be provided throughout the unit.
Students were encouraged to seek feedback throughout the unit, with support and clarification provided on request; quiz answers were intentionally not released to promote engagement with lecture materials, and students were invited to contact the Unit Coordinator if they required further explanation or feedback.
Source: SUTE feedback.
Students appreciated clear explanations and clear unit requirements.
It is recommended that clear explanations and unit requirements will continue to be communicated during tutorials.
In Progress
Source: SUTE feedback.
Feedback from students indicated that additional opportunities for interaction during tutorials and more real-world learning activities would be beneficial.
It is recommended that course material will be reviewed to ensure authentic, real-world examples are provided and discussed, and that student interaction is encouraged throughout tutorials.
In Progress
Source: SUTE feedback.
Student feedback indicated that the clarity of quizzes could be improved.
It is recommended that the use and design of quizzes be reviewed as part of broader assessment revisions in response to upcoming CQUniversity assessment guidelines.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain anatomical basis for the development of communication and swallowing
- Describe the different types of communication and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan
- Describe strategies to support communication and swallowing goals and needs across the lifespan
- Discuss the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework and the principles of evidence-based practice
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | ||
| 2 - Presentation | • | • | ||
| 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 | |