CQUniversity Unit Profile

EDED14354 - The Ethical Professional

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All details in this unit profile for EDED14354 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.

General Information

Overview

In this capstone unit, you will critically reflect on the nature of teaching as a complex profession. You will draft a philosophical framework in relation to teaching and learning and test it by analysing the extent to which it supports you to discharge your professional responsibilities in educational contexts. You are encouraged to prepare for the final placement in schools by using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers; Codes of Ethics and Conduct that apply to the profession; and an understanding of the influence of the broader macro socio-political and policy environment affecting educational contexts to develop a framework of critical questions. These questions are used to guide reflection in, on and for action throughout the placement for Professional Practice 4. At the conclusion of your placement, you will select one or more written reflections and apply an ethical decision-making framework to the central incident/s to develop and articulate a personal professional philosophy of teaching illustrating how it shapes your professional practice.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate

Unit Level: Level 4

Credit Points: 6

Student Contribution Band: 7

Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite: Students have completed EDFE13032 Professional Practice 3 (Primary/ECE) or EDFE12044 Professional Practice 3 - The Catholic School Placement or EDFE13033 Professional Practice 3 (Secondary). Co-requisite: Students need to be enrolled in EDFE14021: Professional Practice 4.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2026

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Website

This unit has a website, within the Moodle system, which is available two weeks before the start of term. It is important that you visit your Moodle site throughout the term. Please visit Moodle for more information.

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Regional Campuses

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville

Metropolitan Campuses

Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment

Weighting: 40%

2. Written Assessment

Weighting: 60%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

CQUniversity Policies

All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.

You may wish to view these policies:

Grades and Results Policy
Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
Review of Grade Procedure
Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure

This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Student phone calls and emails.

Feedback

Clarify Assessment Task 2.

Recommendation

Provide more details about the expectations and formatting of Assessment Task 2.

Unit Learning Outcomes

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

Use professional standards and codes of ethics that apply to the teaching profession to set professional learning goals and generate a framework for appraising professional practice.
Analyse teaching practice to make professional reasoning explicit and ethically defensible.
Outline and reflect on specific strategies that will assist in engaging with ethical dilemmas.
Formulate a personal professional philosophy of teaching illustrating how it shapes professional and ethical practice in highly accountable educational contexts.

Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) focus areas of:

6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes

N/A Level

Introductory Level

Intermediate Level

Graduate Level

Professional Level

Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3	4
1 - Written Assessment - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 60%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3	4
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - First Nations Knowledges
11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:

CQUniversity Student Email
Internet
Unit Website (Moodle)

Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts

Lyn Hughes Unit Coordinator
l.hughes@cqu.edu.au

Schedule

Week 1 The Profession: Situating Teaching as Ethical and Intellectual Work

Begin Date: 09 Mar 2026

Module/Topic

The Profession: Situating Teaching as Ethical and Intellectual Work

Chapter

Readings in the eReading list and embedded in the Moodle topic.

Key Readings for all topics listed below:

Ayers, W. (1993). To Teach. The Journey of a Teacher. London: Teachers College Press.

Biesta, G. 2015. “What is Education For? On Good Education, Teacher Judgement, and Educational
Professionalism.” European Journal of Education 50 (1): 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12109

Bentley, D. F. (2015). “Your job is to take care of us”: Teaching our way through the Boston Marathon bombings. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 16(3)

Churchill, R., Godinho, S., Johnson, N. F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., Lowe, K., . . . Vick, M. (2015). Teaching: Making a Difference (3rd ed.). Milton, Qld: Wiley.

Codes of Ethics and Conduct from your State Authority

Dargusch, J., & Charteris, J. (2018). 'Nobody is Watching but Everything I do is Measured': Teacher Accountability, Learner Agency and the Crisis of Control.. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43(10). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43.n10.2

Diamond, F., & Bulfin, S. (2023). Care of the profession: teacher professionalism and learning beyond performance and compliance. Pedagogy, Culture & Society.

Mausethagen, S. (2013). A research review of the impact of accountability policies on teachers’ workplace relations. Educational Research Review, 9, 16-33.

Mockler, N. (2005). Trans/forming teachers: new professional learning and transformative teacher professionalism. Journal of In-service Education, 31(4), 733-746.

Mockler, N. (2013). Teacher Professional Learning in a Neoliberal Age: Audit, Professionalism and Identity. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(10). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n10.8

Noddings, N. 2012. “The Caring Relation in Teaching.” Oxford Review of Education 38 (6): 771–781.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.745047

Newmann, L. (2016) Ethics and the law. Every Child, 20(3), 20-21.

Newman, Linda. & Pollnitz, Lois. & Australian Early Childhood Association. (2002). Ethics in action : introducing the ethical response cycle. Watson, ACT: Australian Early Childhood.

Professional boundaries: A guide for Queensland teachers, 2017 Australian Professional Standards

Shulman, L. S. (1998). Theory, practice, and the education of professionals. The elementary school journal, 98(5), 511-526.

Silin, J. (2017). Risking hope in a worried world. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 18(1), 91-98.

Swadener, B. (2000). "At Risk” or "At Promise”? From deficit constructions of the "Other Childhood” to possibilities for authentic alliances with children and families. In L. Diaz-Soto (Ed.), The Politics of Early Childhood Education. NY: Peter Lang.

Taylor, A., & Thompson, P. (2020). Professional learning for teachers in a period of crisis. Leading and Managing, 26(2), [51]-59. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.797807948523140

Thomas, L. (2012). New possibilities in thinking, speaking and doing: Early childhood teachers' professional identity constructions and ethics. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(3), 87.

Turney, C. et al. (1986). The teacher's world of work. Sydney, Australia: Sydmac Academic Press.

UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child, 1989.

Woodrow, C (1999). Revisiting images of childhood in early childhood: Reflections and reconsiderations- Australian Journal of Early Childhood 24 (4) 7-14.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4: Teacher Accountability and revisiting tools to engage with ethical dilemmas

Begin Date: 30 Mar 2026

Module/Topic

The discourse pertaining to accountability

Assessmemt Task 1 Due: Week 6 Friday 17April 2026) 11:45 pm AEST

Vacation/Exam Week

Begin Date: 15 Jun 2026

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Ethical Response and Personal Professional Philosophy

Task Description

This task is an Ethical Response to a Professional Dilemma supported by your professional teaching philosophy.

Select at least one incident or experience that prompted critical reflection or collegial discussion during your Professional Practice placement around one of the key questions you developed as part of Assessment Task 1.

Please include this question at the beginning of your response.

Apply an ethical response framework to examine this issue in further detail and explore or defend the ethical and professional reasoning underpinning your actions or those you
observed in this situation.

You can use the ethical response cycle (Newman & Pollnitz, 2002) or a framework suggested by the education or accrediting body in your state.

This section should be between 1000 - 1250 words.

Use what you have learnt from this process to write a personal professional philosophy. The features of your professional philosophy or the beliefs that drive what
you do and how you will be with children/students and other stakeholders will emerge as you engage in considering the dilemma you encountered.

Your philosophy should state your beliefs about your role and responsibilities as an educator and describe how these beliefs shape what you will DO to respond to the complexity of teaching in diverse settings. As part of your philosophy, you need to outline the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. Consideration of the importance of ongoing continued professional learning must be addressed in your response.

This section should be between 750 - 1000 words.

Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT or other Gen AI agents is as follows:

You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

Assessment Due Date

Week 6 Friday (17 Apr 2026) 12:00 am AEST

Please submit your assessment task before the due date

Return Date to Students

Week 8 Friday (8 May 2026)

Following moderation, your assignment will be returned.

Weighting

40%

Assessment Criteria

Application of an ethical framework to examine an ethical dilemma
Explication of professional reasoning underpinning your actions showing how it is ethically defensible
Development of a personal professional philosophy informed by understandings derived from interrogating an
ethical issue
Articulation of how your beliefs about your role and responsibilities as an educator/teacher shape what you will
‘do’ to respond to the complexity of teaching in diverse settings.
Professional levels of personal literacy

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Use professional standards and codes of ethics that apply to the teaching profession to set professional learning goals and generate a framework for appraising professional practice.

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Plan for professional learning and reflection

Task Description

Task Description:

This task is an Ethical Response to a Professional Dilemma supported by your professional teaching philosophy.

Select at least one incident or experience that prompted critical reflection or collegial discussion during your Professional Practice placement around one of the key questions you developed as part of Assessment Task 1. Please include this question at the beginning of your response.

You can use the ethical response cycle (Newman & Pollnitz, 2002) or a framework suggested by your state's education or accrediting body. This section will be a minimum of 500 words

Use what you have learnt from this process to write a personal professional philosophy. The features of your professional philosophy or the beliefs that drive what you do and how you will be with children/students and other stakeholders will emerge as you engage in considering the dilemma you encountered.

In this philosophy, you need to provide an outline of the importance of ongoing professional learning as a mechanism for improving teaching practice. Given the importance of relationships with families, you also need to address the importance of partnerships with families and how these relationships will be accomplished. You must outline how you will engage families to support the learning of their child/chiildren.

Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT, or other Gen AI agents is as follows:

You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

72-HOUR GRACE PERIOD EXEMPTION REVIEW

All assessments have a 72-hour grace period after the stated deadline during which no late penalty will be applied.

Assessment Due Date

Week 11 Friday (29 May 2026) 12:00 am AEST

Return Date to Students

Vacation/Exam Week Friday (19 June 2026)

Following moderation, your assignment will be returned. The assignment will be returned within 2-3 weeks of submission.

Weighting

60%

Assessment Criteria

Analysis of current professional capabilities and achievements in relation to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (graduate)
Development of professional learning goals to guide professional practice
Critical reflection on the way in which contemporary issues and policy texts (including Codes of Ethics and Codes of Conduct) shape the complex work of teachers
Development of thoughtful questions to guide reflective practice and professional learning
Professional levels of personal literacy

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Analyse teaching practice to make professional reasoning explicit and ethically defensible.
Outline and reflect on specific strategies that will assist in engaging with ethical dilemmas.
Formulate a personal professional philosophy of teaching illustrating how it shapes professional and ethical practice in highly accountable educational contexts.

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.