Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
BIPX202 Community Engagement: Building Strengths and Capabilities
Teaching organisation
Online
Unit rationale, description and aim
The world of business is highly complex and functions are undertaken within a rapidly changing global, disruptive and technological environment. To be a skilled business professional, students will need to think critically and reflectively about the discipline specific theory acquired and how the discipline knowledge is applied to ensure achieving organisational goals and objectives. In this unit, students will obtain "real world" experience in their chosen field of study that will enhance their stewardship role in prospect organisations. Working directly with a variety of corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations, the unit creates opportunities in fields such as accounting, marketing, management, human resources, event management, information technology, finance and OH&S that advance students’ knowledge and skills in their disciplinary fields as well as developing their generic employability skills. Students will develop professional skills in project management, communication, research, and teamwork, completing up to 105 hours of approved placement within the semester. An approved placement includes work placement (internship) within a work setting, a substantial project sourced from a community or industry partner, the establishment or development of a social or commercial enterprise, overseas mobility (placement or project) may be undertaken via a work placement (internship) in an organisation of any size, including a start-up, and within any industry or sector i.e. not-for-profit, commercial or government.
The aim of this capstone unit is to enhance the student’s employability skills, graduate qualities and to assure their understanding of organisational and business culture and processes, as well as the impact of organisational practices on society, the environment and individual well-being. Students will gain the confidence, knowledge and skills necessary to effectively prepare them for the future in their chosen discipline or profession, applying and contextualising their knowledge in a range of scenarios, and working collaboratively towards achieving the common good.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Demonstrate professional written and oral communication and organisational skills to enhance their role as stewards of prospect organisations. | GC4, GC11, GC12 |
| LO2 | Develop reflective practice skills encompassing multiple work-ready skills to become a professional in the chosen discipline in the workplace. | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8 |
| LO3 | Appraise professional placement, the impact of student work on the organisation, society, the environment and recognise their responsibility towards the common good. | GC4, GC6 |
| LO4 | Evaluate information in order to enhance organisational performance by locating, organising, and synthesising multiple sources of information. | GC7, GC9 |
| LO5 | Demonstrate autonomous and teamwork skills in organisational setting to advance organisational goals. | GC3, GC4 |
Content
Topics will include:
- introduction to the unit and assessment requirements
- Career Advantage Program – Workplace Professionalism
- Systems view of organisations: Vertical and horizontal integration
- future challenges in the world of work, professions, organisations
- Organisational stewardship and the common good
- e-portfolio and resume writing for effect
- identifying individual strengths, personality traits
- reflective practices, annotated reflective journal; reflection in and of action
- professionalism, ethical conduct and confidentiality
- identifying the work (project) brief and what is to be delivered
- stakeholder consultation, networking
- project and time management
- teamwork
- working autonomously and collaboratively
- presentation and communication skills.
- Innovation, initiative and resilience as essential employability skills
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Online mode
This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the development of knowledge associated with acquiring professional skills and work integrated learning. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning work integrated learning, professional development and project management in a series of online interactive modules. Students have the opportunity to take part in facilitated synchronous online classes designed to support them to actively participate in the construction of this knowledge. By undertaking the individual activities and participating in these online classes, students will systematically develop the analytical, critical and reflective practices necessary to become effective reflective professionals. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the skills required to effectively manage a professional placement or work integrated project by sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach provides flexibility and facilitates the participation of students who are unable to attend classes while building in expert support for skills development.
ACU Online
This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure their level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the Unit. The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to sequentially develop their knowledge and skills in managing their profession within the current context of a real project or organisation.
The reflective assessment will help develop self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses and enhance the student’s employability skills. Students will demonstrate their understanding of issues in their specific placement via a strategic analysis and propose a solution to a problem, challenge, facing the organisation within which they undertake the internship (individual) or project (team).
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Annotated Reflective Journal This assessment task consists of 1500-word reflective journal in which students reflect upon new knowledge, experiences, insights, new meanings and understandings garnered from their placement and of themselves. It requires students to demonstrate a set of career competencies through work integrated learning and reflection on their role as stewards of prospect organisations. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Reflective Journal Artefact: Written reflection journal | 50% | LO1, LO2 |
Assessment Task 2: Project or Placement Report / Video media presentation This assessment task consists of a 1500-word report plus a short video (2 mins). This task requires students to, work autonomously or collaboratively, in applying critical thinking skills, to analyse, synthesise and evaluate information to address a problem/business challenge and present solutions within the context of an organisation in an executive Project or Placement Report, taking into account their impact on the organisation, environment, society and the common good. It also requires students to develop an oral (video) presentation of the proposed solution, demonstrating their professional communication skills. Students will also demonstrate their teamworking skills through self and peer assessment tasks. Submission Type: Individual / Group Assessment Method: Report / Video presentation Artefact: Written Report / Video recording | 50% | LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5 |
Representative texts and references
Ajjawi, R, Tai,J, Huu Nghia,TL, Boud, D, Johnson, L, and Patrick CH 2020 “Aligning assessment with the needs of work-integrated learning: The challenges of authentic assessment in a complex context”
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 45 (2), 304-316
Billett, Stephen. 2015 Integrating Practice-based Experiences into Higher Education. 1st Ed. 2015. ed. Professional and Practice-based Learning ; Volume 13. Dordrecht, Netherlands ; Heidelberg, [Germany]: Springer Science Business Media.
Burdett, Jane, and Barker, Sandy. 2017 "University Students in the Workplace Strategies for Successful Industry Placement Experiences." Development and Learning in Organizations 31, no. 1 (2017): 15-18.
Cooper, Lesley, Janice Orrell, and Margaret Bowden. 2010 Work Integrated Learning : A Guide to Effective Practice. First ed. New York: Routledge.
Jackson, D. 2017 “Developing pre-professional identity in undergraduates through work-integrated learning”. High Educ 74, 833–853 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-016-0080-2
King, Mary A. & H. Frederick Sweitzer 2014 The Successful Internship: personal, professional, and civic development in experiential learning, University of Hartford, Fitchburg State University Fourth edition. Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Belmont, Calif.
Smith, Calvin, and Worsfold, Kate.2015 "Unpacking the Learning-work Nexus: 'priming' as Lever for High-quality Learning Outcomes in Work-integrated Learning Curricula." Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames) 40, no. 1 (2015): 22-42.
Stanley, Trevor, and Xu, Jia. 2019 "Work-Integrated Learning in Accountancy at Australian Universities - Forms, Future Role and Challenges." Accounting Education (London, England) 28, no. 1 (2019): 1-24.
International Journal of Work Integrated Learning