Unit Synopsis
This unit builds on the writing techniques and experience acquired in Beginning Creative Writing. In this unit you will undertake a writing project which may take the form of a short story, play, suite of poems or any approved mixture of these, using experimental writing techniques. The unit is suitable for intending teachers and students interested in advancing their knowledge in creative writing practice, however, is beneficial for students of all disciplines who are interested in furthering their writing skills and experimenting with writing as a form of communication.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
WRIT11023 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. Written Assessment | 20% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 35% |
| 3. Written Assessment | 45% |
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 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 12.5% 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/staff feedback
Numerous broken links embedded in study guides
As links are embedded in the weekly study guides, the study guides will need to be completely re-written in order to fix all the obsolete links.
All study guides were rewritten and e-reading lists updated.
Source: Student/staff feedback
Content out-of-date
Redesign unit to reflect new and emerging trends and developments in experimental writing, including a focus on groundbreaking contemporary Australian writing.
Unit content revised with new study guides and contemporary readings.
Source: Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation
Students appreciate the revised marking guides, noting that it improves their understanding of the assessment expectations.
Continue to implement marking guides in future offerings.
Marking rubrics provided.
Source: Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation, and UC personal reflection
Assessment weighting structure and delayed feedback caused in part by two heavily weight assessments due at the end of term causes anxiety and uncertainty around progress and ability to self-assess grade position.
Revise assessments for 2025, including assessment design, weighting, and due dates.
Assessments redesigned with new structure and earlier feedback points.
Source: Verbal student feedback and UC personal reflection.
Regular weekly tutorials and attendance by students offers opportunities for real-time feedback, strong peer-to-peer and student-to-teacher engagement, and overall higher student performance.
Continue running weekly online tutorials.
Weekly tutorials conducted and recorded via Teams.
Source: UC Reflection / Student Performance Data / SUTE Feedback
Assessment Scaffolding and Clarity of Expectations
Continue refining the scaffolding of assessments and ensure expectations are clearly communicated to students, the Unit Coordinator, and any external markers. This will support consistency in marking and help maintain strong student outcomes.
In Progress
Source: UC Reflection / Tutorial Engagement Data
Platform Consolidation for Tutorial Access
Return to Moodle-only delivery for tutorials and content to reduce platform confusion and improve access. This change is expected to support higher engagement and ensure students can easily locate and interact with learning materials.
In Progress
Source: SUTE Feedback / UC Reflection
Interdisciplinary Relevance and Reading Expansion
Continue expanding reading materials and examples to support student understanding and engagement with creative writing techniques. Consider incorporating content that bridges creative writing with psychological science, such as modules on character psychology, to better support students from non-Arts disciplines.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Design and justify an experimental writing concept and publication strategy that demonstrates awareness of audience, genre, and ethical considerations
- Apply experimental literary techniques to produce creative works that challenge conventional narrative forms and aesthetics
- Integrate relevant research (craft scholarship, genre studies, publication contexts) to inform creative decisions and ethical practice
- Critically reflect on creative practice with reference to theory and evidence, articulating how experimentation, research and feedback shape revision toward publication readiness
- Plan and manage a staged creative project (milestones, time management, feedback processes), demonstrating a coherent pathway from concept to draft.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | ||
| 3 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 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 | |