Unit rationale, description and aim
Australian Catholic University endeavours to prepare graduates for meaningful careers while promoting critical engagement with societal issues and community collaboration. This unit is designed to support students in their career journey by building confidence in the job-seeking process—teaching them how to search for roles, craft applications, and perform successfully in interviews. Students will also gain practical experience through completion of a community engagement experience in applied settings such as social services, health, education, or research. Through critical reflection, students will cultivate greater empathy for others’ lived experiences, and develop a deepened sense of responsibility.
The aim of this unit is to equip graduates with the skills for finding their future careers and enabling them to critically engage with societal issues and work alongside communities in ways that respect human dignity and promote 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.
Apply skills required for obtaining roles suitable...
Learning Outcome 01
Reflect upon the impact of the community engagemen...
Learning Outcome 02
Contribute collaboratively in a team environment a...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrate professional behaviour and attitudes.
Learning Outcome 04
Display an awareness of ethical conduct and social...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
This unit has two major focuses: job application preparation and community engagement.
Job application preparation:
- curriculum vitae (CV) and a resume development
- searching for relevant jobs for a psychology graduate
- addressing employment key selection criteria and complete cover letters for job applications
- best practices and strategies for job interviews
- successful pathways for psychological sciences graduates.
Community engagement:
- principles of community engagement
- constructive self-reflection methods
- presentation of reflections in both written and oral formats
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to best enable students to demonstrate unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. A range of assessments are used. Students will demonstrate their skills in preparing/completing job applications and seeking appropriate employment via a simulation of a job application process. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their professionalism and how they ethically and effectively work within a group while participating in the group interview simulation and when completing 25 hours of community engagement. The reflection portfolio provides students with an opportunity to self-reflect on their experiences and present these reflections in different formats, highlighting how their studies have informed and supported their community engagement.
In order to successfully complete this unit, students must demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome as such students must pass all hurdle task.
Assessment Task 1 (Ungraded Hurdle) - students must demonstrate that they have completed 25 hours of community engagement.
Assessment Tasks 2, 3, and 4 are ungraded hurdle tasks with a maximum of three attempts permitted. If the third and final submission does not meet the pass standard, students will fail the assessment task and cannot pass the unit.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Community Engagement Experienc...
Assessment Task 1: Community Engagement Experience
Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate professional behaviour and attitudes as well as awareness of ethical and social responsibility in applied settings when completing 25 hours of community engagement.
Ungraded Hurdle
Assessment Task 2: Job Application Simulation St...
Assessment Task 2: Job Application Simulation
Students will demonstrate their professional behaviour and implement skills required for findings and applying for employment opportunities suitable for psychology graduates.
Ungraded Hurdle
Assessment Task 3: Group Interviews Simulation E...
Assessment Task 3: Group Interviews Simulation
Enables students to demonstrate professional behaviour and attitudes and awareness of ethical conduct and social responsibility while participating in a mock group interview for a job suitable for graduates of psychology.
Ungraded Hurdle
Assessment Task 4: Community Engagement Reflectio...
Assessment Task 4: Community Engagement Reflection Portfolio
Students will demonstrate their ability to reflect upon the impact of the community engagement experience on their values, assumptions, behaviours and attitudes.
Ungraded Hurdle
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The methods used to support this learning and teaching strategy will include practical experience in a community setting (e.g., direct service-based), active learning, case-based learning, individual and group activities, cooperative learning, web-based learning, and reflective/critical thinking activities. These approaches will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within class activities.