Unit Outline

This professional experience placement unit brings together core fundamental speech pathology practice knowledge and skills and requires you to apply them in supervised practice with children and adults. The focus is on professional experiential learning, including application of core theoretical knowledge and threshold concepts related to person and family-centredness, biopsychosocial models of practice, clinical reasoning, self-reflection, critical thinking, cultural safety and awareness, and evidence-based practice to direct client care. A range of standardised and criterion referenced assessments will be introduced to assess both communication and swallowing development and change across the lifespan. You will demonstrate transfer of speech pathology knowledge, skills and attributes to both workplace learning and simulated environments.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Use appropriate tools and procedures to assess, describe and evaluate communication and swallowing adhering to legal, professional, ethical standards, codes and guidelines in speech pathology.
2.	Apply foundation clinical skills, including observation, information gathering, interaction and reporting, across the lifespan.
3.	Observe and reflect on professional communication and behaviour and the role of other professionals in speech pathology practice contexts.
4.	Demonstrate self-awareness and use of critical reflection to evaluate own performance and learning and inform ongoing professional development and practice.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Co-requisite	CXA724 Foundations of Speech Pathology

Alterations as a result of student feedback

A Speech Pathology Skills assessment has been removed in 2024 and these skills will now be practised within learning activities in the Residential Schools and assessed as activities on placement.
The MyPractice Standards portfolio assessment has been modified to include submission of this portfolio for assessment.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	My Practice Standards Portfolio and Reflection Assignment	Refer to Assessment Description	0 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Assessment of Speech Pathology Practice	Refer to Assessment Description	0 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Placement Workbook	Refer to Assessment Description	0 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: My Practice Standards Portfolio and Reflection Assignment

Task Description:

You will complete a portfolio of evidence and critical reflection, evaluating your development with respect to the Professional Standards. You will then identify goals based on your reflection, and strategies for achieving these goals, in a learning plan.
Submission of the critical reflection is a compulsory hurdle task that must be completed at a pass standard to achieve an overall pass result in this unit. You will have an opportunity to resubmit if you do not meet the required level of competency.

Task Length:

Critical reflection: 1000 words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Evaluate development of speech pathology knowledge, skills and attributes against the Professional Standards.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Critically reflect on own practice to evaluate strengths and weaknesses and formulate goals and strategies for continued lifelong learning.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Assessment of Speech Pathology Practice

Task Description:

You will complete 9 days of practice education across early childhood, primary school and aged care contexts. You will be assessed at mid-way and end-placement using COMPASS®. In this practice education placement you will receive high levels of support from your practice educators, in a context where you will be engaged in activities where you have high levels of familiarity while working with typically developing children and adults (i.e. low levels of complexity).
To be awarded an ungraded pass for this placement you are expected to be between COMPASS® ‘novice’ and ‘intermediate’ levels of competency across the Professional Competencies and the CBOS competencies. You will need to have an overall rating between Novice and Intermediate and no concerns expressed by the Practice Educator.
This assessment task is Pass/Fail. You must pass this assessment task to be eligible for a pass in the unit.

Task Length:

9 days

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Meet PEP requirements as outlined in the Practice Education Handbook.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Perform between ‘novice’ and ‘intermediate’ levels of competency across the Professional Competencies and the CBOS competencies.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Placement Workbook

Task Description:

During your Professional Experience Placements (PEP) in this unit, you are required to complete a Placement Workbook. The workbook comprises a series of activities that involve information gathering, observation, interaction, reporting, and reflection tasks regarding typical development and change of communication and swallowing across the lifespan.
Submission of the Placement Workbook and critical reflection is a compulsory hurdle task that must be completed at a pass standard to achieve an overall pass result in this unit. You will have an opportunity to resubmit if you do not meet the required level of competency.

Task Length:

No word limit

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Describe and interpret the communication and swallowing profiles of people of different ages and the context of observation in comparison with typical development and change.	LO1, LO2
2	Observe and reflect on professional interactions and interprofessional roles in different contexts and with different communication partners on placement.	LO3
3	Demonstrate ability to assess aspects of communication and/or swallowing.	LO3
4	Complete documentation of assessment and analyses of communication and/or swallowing skills.	LO1, LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, and pass all assessment tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.