Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will learn about the development of feeding and the progression of swallowing across the lifespan. You will advance your competency in the assessment, analysis, planning and treatment of swallowing and feeding difficulties across the lifespan. You will consider the aetiology, diagnosis and management of swallowing and feeding in the context of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. Evidence based practice will provide the foundation for your learning in all stages of diagnosis and management.
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-RequisitesSPCH13011 Applied Evidence Based Practice for Speech Pathology SPCH12003 Functional Anatomy of the Head, Neck, and Thorax SPCH12007 Speech Pathology Work Integrated Learning 1 SPCH13004 Language, Literacy, and Hearing in School-Aged Children 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) | 20% |
| 2. Case Study | 40% |
| 3. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) | 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 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 25.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 36.36% 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: Student evaluations and unit coordinator reflection
Recorded lectures and online activities should be posted at least 1 week prior to tutorial.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator ensure all recorded lectures and online activities are available at least 1 week prior to tutorial.
All learning materials and online activities were made available on Moodle at least one week prior to each tutorial.
Source: Student evaluations
Unit requirements were not clear.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator review the task descriptions and rubrics for all assessments, as well as individual quiz questions, and identify any areas where clarity could be further improved.
Assessment task descriptions were reviewed, and no issues regarding clarity were identified. To further support student understanding and preparation, expectations for each assessment task were discussed during tutorials prior to the respective due dates.
Source: Unit coordinator reflection
Adding a third assessment was effective in engaging multiple learning styles and reducing the high stakes nature of two larger assessments.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator retain 3 assessments (quiz, case study, OSCE).
The three assessment tasks were retained for the 2025 SPCH13010 cohort, as they continue to align well with the unit’s learning outcomes and provide a balanced evaluation of student knowledge and skills.
Source: Student Unit Evaluation
Student comments indicated that some video content contained significant gaps, freezing, or delays that affected playback quality.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator perform a quality assurance check to identify any recorded lecture issues such as gaps, freezing, or playback delays.
In Progress
Source: Student Unit Evaluation and Unit Coordinator Reflection
Student feedback and instructor reflection suggested that hands-on learning experiences during tutorials enhance student engagement and support deeper understanding of course content.
It is recommended that tutorials continue to be designed to apply knowledge from lectures in a practical, hands-on manner.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Describe the mechanism of a safe swallow and its variation across the lifespan
- Analyse swallowing and feeding behaviour using both formal and informal assessment techniques, and make appropriate recommendations for the management and rehabilitation of swallowing and feeding difficulties
- Adapt communication to provide information and counselling to clients and others about swallowing and feeding difficulties and implications for safety, nutrition, and hydration
- Demonstrate ethical practice while making independent holistic decisions
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | |||
| 2 - Case Study | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • |
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | ||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | ||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |