Overview
Volunteering in cross-cultural communities is an experience many adults seek out to broaden their personal and professional perspectives. In this unit you will develop the skills and knowledge required to undertake a volunteer experience in a cross-cultural context. These experiences include being able to initiate and maintain cross-cultural relationships and to reflect deeply on your own actions, assumptions and worldviews that influence these relationships. You will explore the benefits and challenges of volunteering in cross-cultural communities and organisations and develop skills in the co-generation of knowledge through working closely with others. This unit requires you to undertake a minimum of 25 hours volunteering with a community organisation that will provide you with an opportunity to work with people from a cultural context different to your own.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite: PBHL20007 Cultural Immersion and Lived Experience
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 2 - 2020
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate 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
Assessment Overview
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.
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.
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 feedback.
Placement: 1) If there were assistance with placement from the university, it would enhance student learning. 2) In this unit as most of the students are international, it would be beneficial if the university could find placements for students.
The possibility that this issue will be ongoing is high because of limitations in finding volunteer placements. Therefore, some viable alternatives to assess students to achieve the same kind of skills must be developed. It is recommended that the option for the volunteer placement remain but a work place scenario assignment be provided for students to develop their skills in designing health promotion projects. This recommendation is to be implemented in Term 1, 2021.
Feedback from Student feedback.
Assessment due date: 1) I wish you improve the timing of assessment because some of the assessments are due on the same date as the other units.
Assessment due dates will be mapped out in consultation with the other Unit Coordinators in the MPH Course to ensure assignments are not due on the same day.
- Initiate and maintain effective cross-cultural relationships within the community
- Evaluate the benefits and challenges of volunteering in cross-cultural communities
- Evaluate the benefits and challenges of co-generation of knowledge within a cross-cultural context
- Critically reflect on own experiences of volunteering in cross-cultural communities.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Group Work - 40% | ||||
2 - Case Study - 30% | ||||
3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 30% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Knowledge | ||||
2 - Communication | ||||
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
4 - Research | ||||
5 - Self-management | ||||
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
7 - Leadership | ||||
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
1 - Group Work - 40% | ||||||||
2 - Case Study - 30% | ||||||||
3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 30% |
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
w.mude@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Getting ready for Volunteer Placement
Chapter
Grace, S., McLeod, G., Streckfuss, J., Ingram, L., & Morgan, A. (2016). Preparing health students for interprofessional placements. Nurse education in practice, 17, 15-21.
Bates, A., Bates, M., & Bates, L. J. (2007). Preparing students for the professional workplace: who has responsibility for what?. Asia Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 8(2), 121-129.
O'Connor, L., Cecil, B., & Boudioni, M. (2009). Preparing for practice: An evaluation of an undergraduate social work ‘preparation for practice’module. Social Work Education, 28(4), 436-454.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Rights and Responsibilities during Volunteer Placement
Chapter
Clouder, L. (2009). ‘Being responsible’: students’ perspectives on trust, risk and work-based learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 14(3), 289-301.
Villanueva, A. M., Hovinga, M. E., & Cass, J. L. (2011). Master of public health community-based practicum: students' and preceptors' experiences. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 17(4), 337-343.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Being a Reflective Practitioner
Chapter
Plack, M. M., & Greenberg, L. (2005). The reflective practitioner: reaching for excellence in practice. Pediatrics, 116(6), 1546-1552.
Kothari, A., Hamel, N., MacDonald, J. A., Meyer, M., Cohen, B., & Bonnenfant, D. (2014). Exploring community collaborations: social network analysis as a reflective tool for public health. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 27(2), 123-137.
Furtado, K. S., Budd, E. L., Armstrong, R., Pettman, T., Reis, R., Sung-Chan, P., ... & Brownson, R. C. (2019). A cross-country study of mis-implementation in public health practice. BMC public health, 19(1), 270.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Group Presentations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group Presentations (Assessment 1) will be held in tutorials this week.
Group Presentation Due: Week 4 Monday (3 Aug 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Working in a Multicultural Society
Chapter
Macnamara,
J and Camit, M (2017) “Effective CALD Community Health Communication through
Research and Collaboration: An Exemplar Study,” Communication Research and Practice, 3 (1): 92-112.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Intercultural Communication
Chapter
Fleckman,
JM et al (2015) “Intercultural Competency in Public Health: A Call for Action
to Incorporate Training in Public Health Education,” Frontiers in Public Health, 2, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00210
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Communication in a Health Setting
Chapter
Schlafer,
RJ et al (2016) “Better Communication for Better Public Health: Perspectives
from an Interdisciplinary Training Program,” Health Promotion Practice, 17 (2): 165-168.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Cultural Competence
Chapter
Truong,
M et al (2017) “Cultural Competence in the Community Health Context: We Don’t Have
to Reinvent the Wheel,” Australian
Journal of Primary Health, 23 (4): 342-347
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case Study (Assessment 2) due on Friday, 8 May 2020, by 11:45 pm
Case Study of an Australian Community Due: Week 8 Friday (11 Sept 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Understanding the Social Context
Chapter
Ballie,
CPT, et al., (2016) “For the Community, By the Community: Working with Youth to
Understand the Physical Activity-Environment Relationship in First Nations
Communities,” Youth Engagement in Health
Promotion, 1 (2): 1-33.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Working with the Community
Chapter
Horghagen,
S et al (2018) “Involving Citizens’ Occupation-Based Knowledge in Public health
Planning: Why and How,” Journal of
Occupational Science, 25 (1): 112-123.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Working with Vulnerable Groups
Chapter
Mahoney,
D and Siyambalapitiya, S (2017) “Community-based Interventions for Building
Social Inclusion of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Australia: A Systematic
Review,” Journal of Social Inclusion,
8 (2).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Being Part of a Team in Public Health
Chapter
Vanderbilt,
AA, Dail, MD and Jaberi, P (2015) “Reducing Health Disparities in Underserved
Communities via Interprofessional Collaborations across Health Care
Professions,” Journal of
Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 8: 205-208.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Reflective Assignment (Assessment 3) due on Friday, 05 June 2020, by 11:45 pm
Reflective Essay Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Group Work
The first assessment task is a GROUP assignment that will involve a presentation. Based on the experiences of its members in getting ready for the volunteering experience, each group will present a practical guide to some aspect of preparing for this placement. The presentation should center on both practical and academic/technical aspects of preparation. Each group will be assigned one of the following topics: 1) finding a suitable volunteer position; 2) making contact with placement organizations; 3) improving one’s knowledge-base in preparation for placement; 4) understanding the organizational context; becoming a public health professional; 5) personal and professional responsibility in working in public health; or 6) the role of reflective practice in working in public health. The aim of the presentation is to offer practical guidance based on both literature and experience that might help other public health students in preparing for their volunteer experience and should reflect an integration of theory and practice that demonstrates familiarity with the requirements of professional placement as well as the group’s experience.
Student must achieve 45% in this assessment to pass the unit.
Week 4 Monday (3 Aug 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Presentations will be evaluated in class
Week 6 Friday (28 Aug 2020)
Feedback will be provided individually to students based on the assessment criteria for the task
The presentation will be assessed on the following criteria:
The topic and its significance in the volunteer process is described and discussed in terms of significance: 15%
Practical guidance as well as reference to relevant literature is made: 15%
Integration of theory and practice is shown and discussed: 20%
The individual component of the presentation shows understanding, reference to literature, and practical use: 20%
Language of the presentation (oral and written) is clear and easily understood: 10%
All work is original, all information from sources is properly referenced and any direct quotations are properly identified: 20%
- Evaluate the benefits and challenges of volunteering in cross-cultural communities
- Evaluate the benefits and challenges of co-generation of knowledge within a cross-cultural context
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Case Study
The second assessment
task for this unit is a case study. This is an INDIVIDUAL assignment (2000
words). Each student will choose one of the groups listed below and develop a
case study that describes and analyzes the distinct communicative and cultural
needs that would be relevant in developing a public health initiative or
program to address a health need recognized in the community. The case study
must include the following sections: overview of the status of the chosen
community in Australia; review of the health status of the community with a
focus on inequities that need to be addressed; description and analysis of
communication and cultural factors relevant to the community; and discussion of
how these communicative and cultural needs could be addressed in the context of
a public health program. The case study must make reference to appropriate
scholarly literature.
Students must choose one of the following groups:
1.
The Australian Indigenous community living in
rural and remote areas;
2.
The Afghan refugee community living in urban
areas;
3.
The Chinese-speaking community living in urban
areas;
4.
Older
adults of Greek or Italian origin (students must choose either the Greek or
Italian community);
5.
Arabic-speaking women;
6.
School-aged children from low SES households in
Australia;
7.
The LGBTI community in urban and rural
Australia;
8.
Adult men in urban and rural Australia.
Appropriate writing style is essential for this assignment. The case study must be written in formal academic language with complete referencing and must demonstrate culturally sensitive phrasing and word use that reflects the professional environment and conventions of the field.
Students must achieve 45% in this assessment to pass the unit.
Week 8 Friday (11 Sept 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Students must submit the assignment through Moodle.
Week 10 Friday (25 Sept 2020)
Feedback files will be uploaded to Moodle.
The case study will be assessed on the following criteria:
Use of a range of appropriate literature not older than five years: 20%
The nature of the community, its health status relative to the population as a whole, and any inequities experienced by its members are described and discussed in detail: 20%
A discussion and analysis of the communicative and cultural needs of the community is provided: 20%
The ways in which initiatives to address the identified health inequities could be informed by an understanding of the group's communicative and cultural needs and discussed in detail: 20%
All work is the student's own, all information is properly referenced, and any direct quotations are identified as such according to academic convention: 20%
- Initiate and maintain effective cross-cultural relationships within the community
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Reflective Practice Assignment
The
third assessment task
for this unit is a reflective essay. This is an INDIVIDUAL assignment
(1000 words). Each student will write a reflective essay based on his or her
volunteer/work experience. The essay should focus on the learning achieved as part
of the placement and make reference to the literature on the role of such
placements in professional training in public health. The essay must contain
the following elements: a description of the volunteer context and setting; a
description of the student’s role in the placement; an assessment of learning
that took place with emphasis on things learned and new awareness of gaps in
the student’s knowledge and understanding; and the way in which this experience
will affect the student’s preparation and planning for subsequent placements.
This is a reflective assignment, so a more informal writing style is acceptable. However, the reflection must not be wholly descriptive. It must contain an assessment of the way in which the student’s views or thinking has changed and what he or she has learned about himself as a practitioner.
Students must achieve 45% in this assessment to pass the unit.
Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Students must submit the assignment through Moodle.
Exam Week Friday (23 Oct 2020)
Feedback files will be uploaded to Moodle.
The reflective essay will be marked on the following criteria:
The essay shows evidence of understanding of relevant literature and the purpose of the placement as part of becoming a practitioner in public health: 20%
The placement context is described and discussed, including the student's tasks and activities: 20%
Personal learning and change is recorded and discussed: 20%
The impact of the experience on the student's future plans and activities is documented and shows evidence of reflection: 20%
All work is the student's own, all information is properly referenced, and any direct quotations are identified as such according to academic convention: 20%
- Critically reflect on own experiences of volunteering in cross-cultural communities.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
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.