Unit Synopsis
This unit will focus on phonetics and phonetic transcription of speech. You will apply this theoretical knowledge to practice across culturally and linguistically diverse settings. You will form an understanding of the relationship between the vocal tract and speech sounds produced, as well as the interface between phonetics, phonology and suprasegmentals. You will be required to listen to and transcribe speech samples using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and Australian-English vowel symbols. This unit will provide you with a fundamental skill required in speech pathology.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| 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 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. Online Quiz(zes) | 60% |
| 2. Practical Assessment | 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 .
Term 2 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 36% 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: SUTE comments and instructor feedback
Quiz questions didn't always support learning consolidation.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator review quiz questions to ensure they reflect knowledge and practice transcription scenarios common in speech pathology, and also allow meaningful feedback.
Quiz questions were changed to reflect knowledge and practice of transcription scenarios. Transcription tasks were completed during tutorials, and the unit coordinator provided feedback to those who attended about their transcriptions. Those who did not attend could watch the video of the tutorial after it occurred.
Source: SUTE comments and instructor feedback
The requirement for narrow transcription in assessment 2 does not align with common practice in speech pathology.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator change the final assessment to require broad rather than narrow transcription in order to mirror typical practice scenarios.
The final assessment was changed to require broad transcription.
Source: SUTE comments
Textbook readings were complex and recorded lectures and tutorials drew mostly from the readings.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator review the selection of readings to determine if alternative sources may support improved learning and practical application.
The unit coordinator reviewed the readings and offered a number of alternative sources for students to use to increase practical application.
Source: SUTE comments and instructor feedback
Intermittent transcription errors were made in lecture slides, which related to the change in Australian vowel transcription protocols from the previous year.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator review the lecture slides to ensure vowels are consistent across the unit.
In Progress
Source: SUTE comments
Students suggested to assign transcription practice as homework to allow tutorials to focus more on phoneme production and articulation.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator adjust lecture and tutorial content to strengthen focus on phoneme production and assign transcription exercises as homework instead of using tutorials for this purpose.
In Progress
Source: SUTE comments and instructor feedback
Students commented that opportunities for feedback and practice in tutorial reinforced the theory in the weekly lecture content.
It is recommended that feedback and opportunities to practice applying knowledge continue to be provided throughout the unit.
In Progress
Source: UC reflection
The nature of assessments in this unit places them at risk for use of artificial intelligence, yet transcription remains an important skill for which students need to develop independent competence.
It is recommended that the Unit Coordinator review the quizzes and the final assessment to minimise potential for artificial intelligence use while ensuring authenticity.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Apply anatomical knowledge of the shape and formation of the vocal tract to describe speech production
- Describe variations in Australian English and other varieties of English, including differences in word and prosodic structure
- Identify phonemes and their allophonic variations within Australian English
- Phonetically transcribe connected speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols and Australian English vowel symbols
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | ||
| 2 - Practical Assessment | • | • | ||
| 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 | • | • | ||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |