Unit Synopsis
In this unit you will learn how to apply the models and principles of Multi-Modal Communication for people who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood across the lifespan. You will also learn about Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems including oral, manual and assistive technologies. You will be required to analyse and evaluate assessment approaches to create therapy techniques and management strategies for children and adults. Theoretical frameworks including the Participation Model, principles of evidence-based practice and interprofessional practice will be integrated throughout the unit.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisites: SPCH13003 Neurogenic Communication Disorders 1 SPCH13012 Voice Across the Lifespan Co-requisites: SPCH13008 Neurogenic Communication Disorders 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 | 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. Case Study | 30% |
| 2. Presentation | 30% |
| 3. Oral Examination | 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 22.22% 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 comment and verbal feedback
Students liked the structure and variety of assessment types.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator retain the assessment types and structure currently used within the unit.
The assessment types and structure were retained.
Source: SUTE and Verbal Student Feedback
Students appreciated the structure used to teach feature matching but requested that more time is spent on this topic.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator review the unit structure to allow more time to be allocated towards theory and practice in feature matching.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Evaluate information to develop and justify holistic assessment plans for people who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood.
- Analyse and interpret assessment information to inform the prescription of augmentative and alternative communication systems.
- Create and justify holistic, person-centred management plans that are based on the analysis of assessment data, evidence-based practice and principles of multi-modal communication.
- Demonstrate understanding of the diverse role of speech pathologists through implementation of advocacy, principles of training, and community centred practice.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Case Study | • | |||
| 2 - Presentation | • | • | ||
| 3 - Oral Examination | • | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • • | ||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |