Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit introduces allied health students to the theories, principles and processes of Community–Centred Practice in a global context. This knowledge is integral to improving the health and well-being of communities, and enabling the inclusion and participation of individuals within their communities, in both the local and international context. As such, it is of relevance and importance for future allied health professionals. The unit facilitates exploration of the fundamental components of Community–Centred Practice required for supporting communities to assess and identify assets and needs and to design strategies that will enhance community wellbeing, social capital and participation. Students will undertake learning in Rome, using case examples and international experiences to explore theories, principles and processes in practice and to highlight the challenges and facilitators to working effectively with communities as part of an inter-professional team. This unit contains one learning outcome from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF, 2014), specifically addressing the HCF cultural capability Reflect and Advocate. The overall aim of this unit is for allied health students to understand and implement theories, principles and processes of Community–Centred Practice.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.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.
Analyse what contributes to a community, the role ...
Learning Outcome 01
Engage in participatory approaches to working with...
Learning Outcome 02
LO3 IPLO: 2.2 Integrate knowledge of interprofessi...
Learning Outcome 03
Draw upon theory, experience and reflection to pro...
Learning Outcome 04
HCF: 13.3 Generate strategies for incorporating an...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Definition of community
- Social determinants of health (history, geography, culture, politics and religion)
- Role of social determinants in the development and maintenance of communities, diversity and intersectionality.
- Colonisation and migration – impact on development and maintenance of communities
- Social capital – definition, differences in community groups
- Race – definitions, descriptions, experiences and access to health and human services/supports, inequity in access to social capital, vulnerability in social capital bridging, addressing/responding to racist behaviour with affirmative action
- Culture and culturally responsive practice
- Ways of working with communities (e.g., health promotion, community development, capacity building, community education, recognising asset)
- Participatory approaches to working with communities
- Project design with communities (e.g., outcome measurement, goal setting)
- Interprofessional Practice – scope of practice when working with communities; negotiating boundaries, working effectively in teams
- Sustainable development goals
- Human flourishing and ethics
Assessment strategy and rationale
This unit provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their learning across authentic assessment items, utilising different modalities. The assessment strategy allows students to progressively develop their knowledge and skills in working with communities.
Assessment 1 enables students to work in an interprofessional group to develop understanding of a community scenario, using primary and secondary data. Through presentation of data and facilitation of simulated participatory activities, students will identify assets, resources and opportunities to support the community’s health and wellbeing.
Assessment 2 requires students to work in an interprofessional group to build on findings from Assessment 1 to justify and plan a project to support hypothesised health and wellbeing needs of a community scenario.
Assessment 3 requires students to individually reflect on their beliefs, values and attitudes towards working with communities and other professionals. Students will also consider how their experiences in the unit, theoretical frameworks, and literature, have supported their understanding of community-centred practice. Assessment 3 is a graded hurdle because it is the only individual graded assessment task.
Overview of assessments
In order to pass this unit students must:
- Demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome, and
- Obtain a minimum mark of 50% for the unit, and
- Achieve a mark of 50% or greater in Assessment 3 which is a graded hurdle
- Meet attendance/community engagement requirements.
*Students who do not achieve at least 50% for Assessment 3 will have one further attempt at this assessment. If students fail the re-attempt of Assessment 3, they will fail the unit. Students who achieve 50% or greater on a second attempt of Assessment 3 will receive the initial cumulative unit grade.
Students who fail the ungraded hurdle will be offered one further attempt.
Assessment Task 1. Understanding Community Oral...
Assessment Task 1. Understanding Community
Oral presentation and simulated participatory activity
Requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of community and the principles of community-centred practice by presenting background data and facilitating a simulated participatory activity in response to a complex community-centred practice scenario.
35%
Assessment Task 2. Project proposal (writt...
Assessment Task 2.
Project proposal (written)
Requires students to justify and plan a project based on the scenario identified in Assessment 1 to support community health and wellbeing and demonstrate understanding of community practice principles.
35%
*Assessment Task 3. Reflection (written) Enable...
*Assessment Task 3.
Reflection (written)
Enables students to reflect on their learning and future goals for working with communities and other professionals, demonstrating how engagement with community and theory have informed their understanding.
Graded Hurdle
30%
Hurdle: Community engaged learning Enables stu...
Hurdle: Community engaged learning
Enables students to undertake community engaged learning experiences.
Ungraded Hurdle
(Pass/Fail)
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit draws on the strengths of online and face-to-face delivery to maximise student engagement with the learning materials and participation in the learning activities. The unit will combine lectures, in which key information will be presented to students, and interactive tutorials, in which students will discuss and apply that information while participating in small group, collaborative learning. The unit will support students in the exploration of new knowledge relating to their role in advocacy and community development, as well as the extension of knowledge relating to interprofessional and culturally-sensitive practice. As a unit offered in an international setting, students will engage in activities in the international setting to immerse themselves in the community they visit; and debrief/reflection sessions upon their return to explore and share their learnings. This unit involves 150 hours of learning inclusive of a combination of face-to-face and online delivery, interactive and independent learning, assessment tasks, and a community engagement experience. This approach allows for fundamental knowledge and skill development with support from academic and community members.