Unit Outline

Communication Skills for the Workplace is a language proficiency support course designed to develop students’ communication skills in preparation for the Australian and global workplace. Examples of these language skills include vocabulary development, sentence structure, pronunciation and fluency. The unit also aims to develop soft skills that are highly valued in the workplace, such as active listening, teamwork and day-to-day communication skills. This unit also places emphasis on developing an awareness of Australian and global workplace cultures and etiquette. The unit is highly practical in nature; students will be required to actively participate in all sessions, and assessment tasks require students to engage with each other and their teachers.

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	ILO 1 - Communicate in spoken form in small and large group situations that reflect workplace interactions.
2	ILO 2 - Communicate in written form for workplace purposes.
3	ILO 3 - Speak using a range of pronunciation skills, particularly with regards to intonation, syllable stress, word endings and consonant clusters.
4	ILO 4 - Comprehend and respond to information and ideas in workplace interactions.
5	ILO 5 - Participate in workplace interactions reflecting an understanding of Australian and global workplace cultures and etiquette.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Teaching arrangements

ATTENDANCE MODE	TEACHING TYPE	LEARNING ACTIVITY	CONTACT HOURS	FREQUENCY
Online	Workshop (Online)	Interactive workplace communication skills activities. Twice weekly, 90-minute sessions each.	1.50	2 times per week

Attendance / engagement expectations

To pass this unit, you will be expected to achieve a minimum attendance rate of 80% to classes. If your unit is offered on campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.

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:	Individual Presentation	Week 3	0 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Mock workplace meetings	Week 5	20 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Paired situational dialogues	Week 7	20 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 4:	Workplace emails	Week 9	20 %	LO2, LO5
Assessment Task 5:	Mock job interview	Week 12	30 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 6:	Small group self-reflection and feedback session	Week 13	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Individual Presentation

Task Description:

Students are required to give a 2-3 minute oral presentation in front of the group. The topic will be provided in Week 2.

Task Length:

2-3 minutes

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Speak using a range of pronunciation features to achieve clarity and fluency	LO3
2	Speak using body language and eye contact	LO5
3	Organise ideas and information using functional language	LO1
4	Respond to audience and teacher questions	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Mock workplace meetings

Task Description:

Students are required to actively take part in two mock workplace meetings. The first meeting will involve negotiations and the second will focus on problem solving.

Task Length:

15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Speak using a range of pronunciation features to achieve clarity	LO3
2	Put forward and develop ideas and suggestions	LO1
3	Respond to the ideas and suggestions of others	LO4
4	Work as part of a team	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Paired situational dialogues

Task Description:

Students will be required to create and perform two paired workplace situational dialogues. The dialogues will focus on challenging workplace scenarios.

Task Length:

12 minutes total (6 minutes per dialogue)

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Speak using a range of pronunciation features to achieve clarity and fluency	LO3
2	Use vocabulary, expressions and formality to participate in spoken workplace interactions	LO1
3	Respond to information and ideas from others	LO4
4	Create situational dialogues which reflect Australian and /or global workplace culture and etiquette	LO5

Assessment Task 4: Workplace emails

Task Description:

Students are required to write two in-class workplace emails. The first email will be from the sender and the second email will be from the receiver.

Task Length:

400 words total (two emails)

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Write emails with effective use of language structures to ensure clarity and accuracy	LO2
2	Logically organise information and ideas ensuring coherence and cohesion	LO2
3	Write emails using appropriate email conventions	LO2
4	Write emails which show an awareness of Australian and / or global workplace etiquette, including appropriate formality	LO5

Assessment Task 5: Mock job interview

Task Description:

Students are required to take part in a one-to-one mock job interview with their teacher. The teacher will take the role of the interviewer.

Task Length:

15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Speak using a range of pronunciation features to achieve clarity and fluency	LO3
2	Respond to interview questions	LO4
3	Develop information and ideas	LO1
4	Participate in a job interview demonstrating a cultural understanding of job interview conventions	LO5

Assessment Task 6: Small group self-reflection and feedback session

Task Description:

Students are required to write a short reflective text and actively participate in a small group discussion reflecting on their progress throughout the unit. They will also receive teacher feedback.

Task Length:

250-word reflective text; 20-minute group discussion

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Speak using a range of pronunciation features to achieve clarity and fluency	LO3
2	Organise information and ideas ensuring coherence and cohesion	LO2
3	Use vocabulary and expressions to analyse and evaluate individual progress	LO1
4	Analyse and evaluate individual progress demonstrating awareness of employee expectations	LO5

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 60% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks, and to achieve a minimum attendance rate of 80% to classes.

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.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Required Readings will be provided by the Unit Coordinator

Recommended reading materials

Other required resources

Students will need to bring their laptop or tablet to all sessions.