Unit Outline
HMC101
Introduction to Chinese 1A
Semester 1, 2025
Isabel Wang
School of Humanities
College of Arts, Law and Education
CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

Unit Coordinator
Isabel Wang
Email: YanJun.Wang@utas.edu.au
 

What is the Unit About?
Unit Description
This is an introductory unit for students with little or no prior knowledge of Chinese. This introductory unit is for anyone who is interested in the Chinese language and/or has the need to learn Chinese for business or academic purposes. This unit provides an introduction to all four basic language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing. It provides students with opportunities to establish essential communicative skills with a focus on practical, everyday use of the Chinese language and incorporating some socio-cultural knowledge. Selected topics and situations, such as exchanging personal information, asking about directions and telling your hobbies etc., all come from real life scenarios. This introductory level unit also provides students with the necessary skills to proceed to HMC102 Introduction to Chinese 1B. There is no prerequisite required for this introductory unit.
 
 
 
 
 
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
Produce and recognise basic Mandarin Chinese sounds and tones using the phonetic system (pinyin).
2
Communicate in Mandarin Chinese in a range of simple everyday situations.
3
Write and type basic Chinese characters using the pinyin input method and understand their stroke order, radicals, and structures.
4
Acquire vocabulary and grammar structures appropriate to the beginner level of Mandarin Chinese.
5
Read and understand short dialogues or texts in pinyin and/or characters appropriate to the beginner level of Mandarin Chinese.
6
Understand the socio-cultural aspects of the language learnt.
Requisites
REQUISITE TYPE
REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)
XBR119
Alterations as a result of student feedback
 
 
 

Teaching arrangements
ATTENDANCE MODE
TEACHING TYPE
LEARNING ACTIVITY
CONTACT HOURS
FREQUENCY
On Campus
Workshop
on-campus workshop
2
Weekly
Workshop
on-campus workshop
2
Weekly
Online
Workshop (Online)
online workshop
2
Weekly
Workshop (Online)
online workshop
2
Weekly
Attendance / engagement expectations
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:
Assessment Task 1: Online Quiz 1
Week 4
20 %
LO1, LO5, LO6
Assessment Task 2:
Assessment Task 2: Online Quiz 2
Week 8
30 %
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
Assessment Task 3:
Assessment Task 3: Speaking Task
Week 12
20 %
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
Assessment Task 4:
Assessment Task 4: Online Quiz 3
Week 14
30 %
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
 
Assessment details
Assessment Task 1: Assessment Task 1: Online Quiz 1
Task Description:
Assessment Task 1: Online Quiz 1
Task Length:
 
Due Date:
Week 4
Weight:
20 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Recognition of initials and finals in Pinyin
LO1, LO5, LO6
2
Recognition of combined sounds in Pinyin
LO1, LO5, LO6
3
Recognition of strokes (basic and combined) and radicals
LO1, LO5, LO6
4
Accurate pronunciation and tones
LO1, LO5, LO6
 
Assessment Task 2: Assessment Task 2: Online Quiz 2
Task Description:
Assessment Task 2: Online Quiz 2
Task Length:
 
Due Date:
Week 8
Weight:
30 %
 

 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Recall basic elements of the Chinese language
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
2
Construct sentence-length units of meaning in written and spoken Chinese
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
3
Interpret the meaning of basic written and spoken Chinese
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
4
Use key cultural and linguistic points of difference between Chinese and English
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
 
Assessment Task 3: Assessment Task 3: Speaking Task
Task Description:
Assessment Task 3: Speaking Task
Task Length:
 
Due Date:
Week 12
Weight:
20 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Understand the task and address clearly and appropriately
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
2
Converse in basic Chinese using correct pronunciation, elementary words and grammatical patterns
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
3
Interpret meaning of basic written and spoken Chinese
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
4
Appreciate the difference between Chinese and English norms of communication in social and economic environments
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
5
Use of communication strategies
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
 
Assessment Task 4: Assessment Task 4: Online Quiz 3
Task Description:
Assessment Task 4: Online Quiz 3
Task Length:
 
Due Date:
Week 14
Weight:
30 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Recall basic elements of the Chinese language
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
2
Construct sentence-length units of meaning in written and spoken Chinese
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
3
Interpret the meaning of basic written and spoken Chinese
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
4
Use key cultural and linguistic points of difference between Chinese and English
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
 
 
 

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.
Academic progress review
The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.
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.
 
 
 

Required Resources
Required reading materials
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recommended reading materials
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other required resources