Unit Outline

Participation in the creative arts has been shown to afford a wide range of benefits to mental health and wellbeing for young and old. This unit explores ways in which the creative arts and play can be used therapeutically to support and enhance mental wellbeing for children, adolescents and younger people. It explores particular challenges associated with life events, neurodiversity, or for those who are from minority or marginalised groups. A framework derived from principles of trauma-informed practice is used to inform critical evaluation of complex issues, and to consider appropriate and effective design of creative arts and play-based activities in a variety of scenarios. You will have opportunities to explore your own creativity and gain practical insight into different roles in the therapeutic arts, and to explore your own interests by conducting individual research that will deepen your understanding of the potential of creative arts and play for supporting aspects of the mental wellbeing of a specific cohort.

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.	Analyse and reflect critically on forms of creative work and play and effects on mental wellbeing and self-management of emotions
2.	Synthesise interdisciplinary knowledge, research skills and cultural awareness, and principles of trauma-informed care to evaluate arts programmes intended to enhance mental wellbeing
3.	Analyse complex societal scenarios and identify problems, proposing creative arts-based solutions supporting mental wellbeing
4.	Communicate effectively to general and specialist audiences demonstrating creativity and interdisciplinary understandings of the effects of participatory creative arts and play on mental health and wellbeing.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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:	Online Quiz 1	Week 6	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Puppet as Research Response	Week 8	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Peer Learning and Discussion	Week 13	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Essay	Week 14	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 5:	Online quiz 2	Exam Period	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Online Quiz 1

Task Description:

For this assessment task you will individually complete an online quiz. This is formative assessment.

Each quiz will consist of 20 multiple choice questions that will provide you with feedback on your knowledge and understanding of key concepts from the learning materials during the semester

Task Length:

20 multiple choice questions

Due Date:

Week 6

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate understanding of effects of creative arts on mental health and wellbeing	LO1, LO3
2	Apply cultural sensitivity and awareness of principles of trauma-informed practice in real-life scenarios	LO2, LO3
3	Critically analyse problems and apply interdisciplinary knowledge	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 2: Puppet as Research Response

Task Description:

For this task, you will choose a specific event that has affected the mental wellbeing for a clearly defined group of people, and of which you do not have direct personal experience. This will broaden your understanding of the impacts of life experiences on mental health. You will research this event, and publicly available accounts from those affected, and make a puppet that enables you to respond to this. This creative activity will give you first-hand insights into an expressive making process often used in arts
and play therapies.

Your submission will consist of two components: a written paper (600 words) and photographic documentation of your puppet.

1. Your paper will provide research background for your chosen focus, drawing on news accounts, medical/scientific academic literature and publicly accessible accounts from those who have experienced this or similar events/conditions (e.g. books, websites, museum/gallery exhibitions/blogs). Your paper will outline the specific impacts and effects on mental health and wellbeing of the cohort you have chosen and critically analyse this information and the accounts of experience. You will then discuss the intentions of your puppet, process of experimentation and construction and evaluate how insights from your research into an experience impacting mental wellbeing are creatively interpreted.

2. Your puppet can use any materials/methods you wish. You will submit three photographs that document the making process, and the completed puppet. Making time should not exceed 5 hours.

N.B. Please note that it is not permitted to conduct an interview, or make personal contact to elicit material for this assessment task, as that would require a formal ethics approval process.

Task Length:

600 word context paper, 5hr puppet-making

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	You have analysed impacts of a specific event on mental wellbeing for a defined cohort, demonstrating awareness of principles of trauma informed care.	LO2, LO3
2	You have reflected critically on the contextualised experience of others, and your own creative response	LO1, LO2, LO3
3	Your writing is clear and concise and informed by research from a range of scholarly and other sources	LO2, LO4
4	Your puppet shows creativity, synthesising aspects of lived experience through non-verbal communication	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Peer Learning and Discussion

Task Description:

Contribute constructively to the formal weekly online discussions under the guidance of your moderator, in peer-to-peer learning. The purpose of the discussions is for students to explore and share ideas linked to the material being studied that week, and develop skills for other assessment tasks. You may need to do some research or a practical creative activity to inform your contributions to discussions. At the end of the semester, you will submit a document containing one (1) initiating thread and one (1) reply that you made to the post of another student, which you believe best represent your critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills and contribute to the learning of your peers. This submission will be assessed along with the regularity and quality of your participation in online discussions (posts and replies to other students).

Task Length:

Weekly discussion participation, 1 hour per week. Weekly posts 150-200 words.

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Contribute posts and replies regularly to the Online Discussion Forums	LO4
2	Your contributions to discussions are relevant, applying knowledge and critical analysis, and demonstrating understanding of principles of trauma-informed care	LO2, LO3
3	Your contributions to oral and written discussions support the learning of your peers, are empathetic and clearly expressed, demonstrating creative problem solving	LO1, LO3
4	Your submitted post and reply demonstrate critical thinking and creativity in problem solving and contribute to peer learning	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 4: Essay

Task Description:

This assessment task allows you to choose a specific cohort of younger people experiencing challenges to mental health and wellbeing and explore the potential benefits of creative arts participation and/or play-based activities. You will research the background and characteristics of your cohort and informed by scholarly research, you will critically evaluate examples of recent arts-based practices/programmes targeted towards this group that are intended to promote better mental health and wellbeing. You will demonstrate understanding of the therapeutic design and explain how and why this type of practice/programme affects mind and body. Consider appropriateness to cultural context and principles of trauma-informed practice, the potential risks and benefits, and based on your research, argue for changes or amendments to those examples to enhance outcomes specifically for your chosen cohort.

Task Length:

2500 words

Due Date:

Week 14

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	You will synthesise interdisciplinary knowledge to analyse and reflect critically on practices and programmes intended to enhance mental wellbeing for younger people	LO1, LO2, LO4
2	You will demonstrate a rich contextual understanding of your chosen cohort and associated challenges to mental wellbeing	LO2, LO3
3	You will analyse multifaceted scenarios, identifying problems, risks and proposing practical improvements	LO2, LO3
4	Demonstrate scholarly research and writing skills, using current research to substantiate claims and support arguments	LO1, LO4

Assessment Task 5: Online quiz 2

Task Description:

For this assessment task you will individually complete an online quiz. This is summative assessment.

The quiz will consist of 20 multiple choice questions that will provide you with feedback on your knowledge and understanding of key concepts from the learning materials during the second part of the semester.

Task Length:

20 multiple choice questions

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse effects of creative arts and play on mental health and wellbeing	LO1, LO3
2	Demonstrate understanding of appropriate application of principles of trauma-informed practice in through the arts in complex societal scenarios	LO2, LO3
3	Critically analyse problems proposing solutions that sythesise interdisciplinary knowledge and contextual awareness	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, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle 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.

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.