Unit rationale, description and aim
Connecting academic learning with professional and civic life enables students to understand the relevance of their studies beyond the university and to develop experience that will support their future careers and contribution to society. This unit provides students with the opportunity to connect the rigorous study of the Western intellectual tradition, including its texts, institutions and ideas, with practical and professional experience gained through working with industry and community partners.
In this unit, students will undertake a supervised internship in an endorsed professional, government, cultural, educational, not-for-profit, heritage, ecclesiastical, research, publishing or related workplace. They will engage with and contribute to the goals and activities of the chosen workplace, drawing on the habits of critical inquiry, analytical and research skills and persuasive communication they have developed in their studies. Structured preparation, supervision and critical reflection will support students in working successfully with their workplace teams, responding to practical challenges and evaluating their developing professional capabilities.
The aim of this unit of work-integrated learning is to combine the study of the humanities with an authentic workplace experience so that students can contribute thoughtfully to an organisation and plan for future professional, civic and community engagement.
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 the purposes, practices and context of an ...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply specialised knowledge and critical thinking,...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically reflect on personal learning and future...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- Placement expectations and agreed internship goals and timelines
- Professional identity and initiative
- Workplace communication and collaboration
- Work health and safety, risk management
- Project scoping, goal setting in community contexts
- Research and evidence-informed problem-solving for community contexts
- Applying knowledge, methods and skills acquired in the Western Civilisation course to contemporary organisational and community questions
- Critical reflection on ideas, institutions, power, human dignity, the common good and professional practice
- Career development, transferable capabilities and communicating professional experience
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment tasks are staged across preparation, workplace application and critical reflection on practice. The Organisational Analysis task establishes students’ readiness and understanding of the host context. The Workplace Portfolio provides authentic evidence that students can apply research, communication, problem-solving and digital capabilities to an agreed organisational need. The final Critical Reflection task requires students to integrate workplace experience with their past studies and identify future professional development.
The unit includes two hurdle assessments each with its own purpose. The first hurdle task, the Internship Agreement, clarifies the role to be performed by the student and the expectations of both parties. This assessment also prompts students to provide any necessary documentation such as a police check or working with children check and requires that each student submits a signed statement acknowledging the expectations arising from ACU’s student code of conduct and the social media policy.
The second hurdle task requires students to complete a minimum of 70 hours of internship placement. Students will undertake and report on a workplace-based project, gain insight into workplace issues, and develop employability skills in communication, planning and organisation, self-management and problem-solving.
To pass this unit, students will demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, pass hurdle tasks and obtain a minimum of 50% overall.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle Task 1: Internship Agreement Negotiate an...
Hurdle Task 1: Internship Agreement
Negotiate an internship experience with the host organisation contact. Complete and submit a signed Internship Agreement, and completion of any required checks.
Pass/Fail
Assessment Task 1: Organisational Analysis Stude...
Assessment Task 1: Organisational Analysis
Students analyse a host organisation’s mission, strategic goals, workplace context and key activities, and explain why this workplace has been selected.
20%
Assessment Task 2: Workplace Project or Professio...
Assessment Task 2: Workplace Project or Professional Portfolio
Apply knowledge and skills to apply research, communication, problem-solving and digital capabilities to create a workplace portfolio of work that responds to an agreed organisational need, accompanied by a concise written rationale. The form of the portfolio may vary according to the host’s authentic needs.
40%
Assessment Task 3: Critical Reflection with Oral ...
Assessment Task 3: Critical Reflection with Oral Presentation
· Critical Reflection (20%)
· Professional Presentation (20%)
A 1,500-word critical reflection presentation about the internship experiences and learning outcomes in relation to the topics studied in the unit. Evaluate humanities knowledge, skills and methods gained through the internship, and how the workplace experience will inform future work and civic participation.
40%
Hurdle Task 2: Internship Placement Complete a m...
Hurdle Task 2: Internship Placement
Complete a minimum of 70 hours of internship placement and submit a report from the relevant host organisation confirming satisfactory completion of the 70 hours and negotiated tasks on the placement, as per the terms of the Internship Agreement.
Pass/Fail
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit combines guided preparation, an approved supervised placement, academic consultation and structured critical reflection. Learning will be supported by a range of in class and online experiences and resources. Preparatory learning introduces professional expectations, ethical practice, workplace safety, project planning, communication and reflective methods. Students then complete a proposed minimum of 70 internship placement hours, either as an intensive block or on a regular part-time basis, undertaking agreed activities under a host supervisor. Each student and the participating organisation will need to complete a project agreement form that clarifies the role to be performed by the student and the expectations of both parties.
The placement provides authentic experiential learning in which students apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge to real organisational needs, receive feedback and develop professional judgement. Academic supervision and peer seminars (as required) connect workplace experiences to the unit’s study of ideas, texts and institutions. Reflective activities require students to evaluate evidence, consider human dignity and the common good, and articulate how the experience informs future work and civic participation.
This unit is designed to support diverse learners by embedding inclusive teaching strategies that promote equitable participation and access to learning. The unit incorporates explicit instruction on ethical academic practice, enabling students to critically evaluate GenAI outputs and uphold principles of academic integrity.