Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
BMSC208 Research Design and Ethics
Unit rationale, description and aim
Employers, particularly those in the rapidly-developing fields of science, health and medicine (both within and outside of Australia), look for attributes well beyond mere technical ability. Problem-solving and communication skills are considered particularly important for a successful career in biomedical science. Students develop many of the desired transferable and technical skills during their degree, but it can be difficult to effectively communicate these competencies to prospective employers.
In this unit students have the opportunity to identify skills important for their future careers, and reflect on their own work readiness via a thorough skills analysis. Students will develop their ability to effectively communicate their skills for both potential Australian and international employers and better navigate the career opportunities available to them. The learning activities and assessments are designed to support students as they gain evidence of their skills and of their ability to contribute to a workplace environment. This unit aims to prepare students for commencing work by identifying and consolidating requisite workplace skills, including the development of a professional resumé, a job application, and interview skills.
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 | Examine the range of career pathways and employment opportunities available, and recognise the skills, practices and attitudes that contribute to employability in a biomedical setting in and outside of Australia | GC2, GC7 |
| LO2 | Objectively assess their employability skills by (i) identifying and addressing skills gaps and (ii) explaining how their individual skills and attributes would contribute to the purposes, structure, and functions of an organisation with emphasis on both existing and yet to be developed skills that would make them a competitive applicant for biomedical jobs available in either Australia or overseas. | GC2, GC3, GC7, GC11 |
| LO3 | Demonstrate insight to one's self and to potential employers when preparing and applying for employment | GC2, GC3, GC11 |
Content
Topics will include:
Understanding the Australian and International job market
- Career opportunities
- Effective job searching
Understanding myself
- Professional identity
- Work-readiness knowledge and skills
- Resumé preparation
Entering the job market
- Resumé preparation
- Preparing a job application
- Interview skills
Reflective practice
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
An enhanced understanding of the job market and skills desired by employers impacts positively on the job application process and sets students up for a smoother transition to employment. In this unit, students explore trends in biomedical science jobs and career paths available to science graduates. They reflect on skills and knowledge gained from their degree and other life experiences. With this understanding, students learn to tailor a general resumé into a professional portfolio targeting future employment in their chosen profession.
The immersion of students in mock work-seeking scenarios provides an authentic experience, enabling them to develop key skills to assist in their transition from university to the workplace. Students develop a professional resumé and job application, using online tools and in-class activities to access best practice in resumé writing and interview preparation. Students reflect on employability skills in the biomedical science sector, with reflection feeding back into refinement of the professional resumé and application.
On campus - in Rome
An enhanced understanding of the job market and skills desired by employers impacts positively on the job application process and sets students up for a smoother transition to a global workplace. In this unit, students explore trends in biomedical science jobs and career paths available to science graduates in a setting that emphasises skills that are important when seeking employment outside of Australia, articulates the most common challenges associated with overseas employment, and helps students explore and experience the benefits of being able to integrate into the international biomedical workforce. They reflect on skills and knowledge gained from their degree and other life experiences. With this understanding, students learn to tailor a general resumé into a professional portfolio targeting future employment in their chosen profession.
The immersion of students in mock work-seeking scenarios outside of their place of study provides an authentic experience, enabling them to develop key skills to assist in their transition from university to the global workplace. Students develop a professional resumé and job application, using online tools and in-class activities to access best practice in resumé writing and interview preparation. Students reflect on employability skills in the international biomedical science sector, with reflection feeding back into refinement of the professional resumé and application.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessments focus on real world tasks in the process of finding, experiencing and reflecting on work, ensuring that students produce outputs that are useful to the employment process. This enables students to curate evidence of the skills and attributes desired by potential employers. The assessments allow students to focus on transferable skills developed through their degree as well as reflecting on how the content learned relates to potential workplace experience and its applicability in the wider workspace.
On campus - in Rome
Assessments focus on real world tasks in the process of finding, experiencing and reflecting on work, with emphasis on the benefits and challenges associated with employment opportunities outside of Australia, ensuring that students produce outputs that are useful to the employment process. This enables students to curate evidence of the skills and attributes desired by potential employers. The assessments allow students to focus on transferable skills developed through their degree as well as reflecting on how the content learned relates to potential workplace experience and its applicability in the wider workspace.
Overview of assessments
On-campus
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment 1: Understanding the job market (Summative) Students choose jobs/roles relevant to biomedical sciences, identify the skill requirements of the roles, and research the sectors and organisations. The task mimics the type of research undertaken by a job-seeker. Students write a report of their findings, including some reflection on the similarities and differences found between job opportunities offered in Australia and available overseas.
| 15% | LO1, LO2 |
Assessment 2: Understanding myself (Summative) This task requires students to reflect on their skills set in the context of future employment. Students submit a skills audit, and a generic resumé, together with a reflection on these. | 35% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Assessment 3: Entering the job market (Summative) Requires students to integrate knowledge and skills from Assessments 1 and 2 to follow a process that mimics applying for a job, including a reflection on the process. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
On-campus in Rome
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Students choose International and Australian jobs/roles relevant to biomedical sciences, identify the skill requirements of the roles, and research the sectors and organisations. The task mimics the type of research undertaken by a job-seeker. Students write a report of their findings and reflect on the similarities and differences found between job opportunities offered in Australia and available overseas. | 15% | LO1, LO2 |
This task requires students to reflect on their skills set in the context of future employment. Students submit a skills audit, and a generic resumé, together with a reflection on these. Students are requested to articulate the advantages and difficulties associated with overseas employment and discuss how their current skills would permit them to take on a biomedicine-related position offered in a European country. | 35% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
This task requires students to integrate knowledge and skills from Assessments 1 and 2 to follow a process that mimics applying for a job, including a reflection on the process, with emphasis on the challenges and potential benefits associated with an employment opportunity outside of Australia. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Representative texts and references
Anderson, G., Boud, D. and Sampson, J. (2014). Learning contracts: a practical guide. Routledge.
Bolles, R.N (2019) What Colour is Your Parachute: 2020: A practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers. Ten Speed Press.
Bright, J. (2001) Job hunting for dummies. Hungry Minds.
Nierenberg, A.H. (2005). Winning the interview game: everything you need to know to land the job. American Management Association.
Parker, Y and Brown, B (2012). The Damn Good Resume Guide: A crash course in resume writing (5th ed.). Ten Speed Press.
Universities Australia, ACCI, AiGroup, Business Council of Australia, ACEN (2015). National Strategy on Work Integrated Learning in university education.
Villiers, A.D. (2011). How to write and talk to selection criteria: improving your chances of winning a job. Mental Nutrition.
Williams, K., Woolliams, M. and Spiro, J. (2012). Reflective Writing. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Yorke, M. and P. Knight (2006). Embedding employability into the curriculum. Place”. Higher Education Academy.