Overview
In this unit, students develop a broad professional knowledge base and understanding of personal and communal prayer and liturgical celebrations as expressions of Christian beliefs and faith practices that are integral to Catholic school communities. Students examine the form and purpose of types of prayer and analyse approaches to teaching and experiencing prayer in classroom settings and the wider Catholic school community. They explore the origins, historical development, ritual structure and theological principles underpinning the Christian sacraments and reflect on the roles and responsibilities of teachers in the Catholic school system for participating in, and supporting students, families and the wider school community, in the liturgical practices and celebrations of the contemporary Catholic faith community.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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
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 SUTE
Excellent examples relevant to teaching in a Catholic school
Maintain high quality learning opportunities and materials
- Explain the development of prayers as sources of Christian beliefs and teachings
- Examine the origins, historical development and ritual structure of the Christian sacraments
- Evaluate the impact of theological principles on the practices underpinning celebration of the sacraments
- Critically reflect on the role of teachers in Catholic schools in the formation of understanding and participation of contemporary Catholic families in faith traditions and rituals
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||
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 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - 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 | 9 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||||||
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: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.aprile@cqu.edu.au
g.t.davis@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Personal and communal prayer
- What is prayer? Why do we pray?
- Prayer in the Catholic Christian tradition
- Prayer and the Liturgical Year
- Classroom connection
Chapter
Unit resources for each weekly topic are provided on the moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Perceptions of God
- Images of God
- Created in the image of God
- Attributes of God
- Classroom connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Forms of prayer in the Catholic Christian tradition
- Blessing and Adoration
- Prayer of Petition, Prayer of Intercession, Prayer of Thanksgiving;
- Prayer of Praise
- Classroom connection.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Expressions of Prayer in the Catholic Christian tradition
- Vocal, Meditative, Contemplative
- Classroom connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Schools of Spirituality
- Ignatian, Marian, Josephite
- Classroom connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Sacramentality and Sacraments
- Jesus as Sacrament
- The Church as Sacrament
- Classroom connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2026Module/Topic
The Mass and Sacraments
- Overview of the Mass
- Overview of the 7 Sacraments
- Classroom connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 04 May 2026Module/Topic
Sacraments of Initiation
- Baptism - Origins, Ritual Elements and Theology
- Classroom Connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 11 May 2026Module/Topic
Sacraments of Initiation
- Confirmation: Origins, Ritual Elements and Theology
- Classroom Connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 18 May 2026Module/Topic
Sacraments of Initiation
- Eucharist; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist
- Origins, Ritual Elements and Theology
- Classroom Connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 25 May 2026Module/Topic
Sacraments of Healing
- Penance and Anointing of the Sick
- Origins, Ritual Elements and Theology
- Classroom Connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 01 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Sacraments of Commitment
- Marriage and Holy Orders
- Origin, Ritual Elements and Theology
- Classroom Connection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Using course materials and some independent research critically reflect on:
- the role of teachers in Catholic schools to shape and model prayer practices in a contemporary primary classroom.
- how images of God influence prayer rituals and practices in a contemporary primary classroom.
Length: 2000 words
Context:
The assessment consists of a critical reflection of the issues and challenges facing teachers in Catholic schools teaching prayer in a contemporary classroom. Once these challenges and issues have been identified (several 3-4) the critical reflection will also include how images of God can impact these challenges and issues.
All challenges and issues facing teachers including the images of God are critically reflected on through the lens of the forms and expressions of prayer, the cycle of the liturgical year and the spiritual tradition chosen. The critical reflection will be supported with the analysis of the challenges and issues facing teachers in Catholic schools in teaching and expressing Christian prayer.
Scaffolding:
1. Choose one of the following Christian spiritual traditions to support the critical reflection:
- Ignatian, St Ignatius of Loyola
- Marian, St Mary - Mother of God
- Josephite, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
2. Use descriptions and explanations to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of how to use the chosen spiritual tradition (eg. Ignatian, Marian, etc) in
- personal and communal prayer
- the forms of prayer
- the expressions of prayer
- the cycle of the liturgical year
3. Identify and analyse several (3-4) challenges and issues facing teachers in Catholic schools teaching and expressing Christian prayer.
4. Critically reflect on the images of God (in light of all of the above) that influence prayer rituals and practices in a contemporary primary classroom that is influenced by your chosen spiritual tradition above.
5. Critically reflect on teachers’ roles in shaping and modelling prayer practices in primary classrooms using # 1, 2, 3 and 4 above.
6. The critical reflection will also identify possible strategies to address the challenges and issues using the knowledge and understanding and tradition of spirituality (Selected in Step 1).
7. Evidence of engagement with weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of course materials must be apparent in the sources used.
Example:
How do all of these factors impact the challenges and issues facing teachers?
- How can the aspects of (Ignatian, Marian, or Josephite) spirituality help a teacher with the identified challenges and issues of teaching prayer in the contemporary primary classroom?
- Does the (Ignatian, Marian, or Josephite) spirituality help teachers with the identified challenges and issues through forms and expressions of prayer. If so, how? If not, why not?
- Does the (Ignatian, Marian, or Josephite) spirituality help teachers with the identified challenges and issues through the liturgical year? If so, how? If not, why not?
- How does the (Ignatian, Marian, Josephite) spiritual tradition envisage the image of God and can this assist teachers with the identified challenges and issues as well as their role to shape, model, teach and build learners’ understanding of personal and communal prayer in a contemporary primary classroom? If so, how? If not, why?
Definition of cognitive verbs that apply to completion of this task can be found in the description for Assessment Task 1 on the Moodle site.
Use of Gen AI
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows:
AI Assessment Scale: Level 2
You may use AI for independent research when preparing this assessment task but your final submission must show your engagement with the unit learning materials provided and how you have developed and refined any ideas sourced using AI. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Week 7 Monday (27 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this assessment task will be returned following moderation and in sufficient time to inform students in preparation for Assessment Task 2.
Knowledge and understanding of prayer and traditions of spirituality as expressions of Christian beliefs.
Analysis of the challenges and issues in teaching and expressing Christian prayer in a contemporary primary classroom.
Critical reflection on images of God that influence prayer rituals and practices.
Critical reflection on teachers' roles in shaping and modelling prayer practices in contemporary primary classrooms.
- Explain the development of prayers as sources of Christian beliefs and teachings
- Critically reflect on the role of teachers in Catholic schools in the formation of understanding and participation of contemporary Catholic families in faith traditions and rituals
- Knowledge
- Research
- Self-management
- Leadership
2 Written Assessment
Using course materials (references supplied throughout) and some independent research (recommended sites given):
- Create and design a PowerPoint (PPT) resource (including notes) suitable for a professional development session that will inform and teach Catholic school primary teachers about one of the Catholic Christian sacraments of initiation
- Critically reflect on:
- the resource by justifying your decision/s about the design and its effectiveness for the target audience (must be explicitly described e.g. 100 primary school teachers predominantly of Catholic faith background with 10-15 of other faith traditions or no faith tradition)
- the contemporary pastoral and practical issues associated with explaining and teaching the sacrament to the target audience.
Context:
The resource will demonstrate knowledge of one of the sacraments of initiation and explicitly explain and communicate the theological links between the three Catholic sacraments of initiation and how the sacraments of initiation support the Church’s mission in the broader school community.
The resource will show an understanding of a diverse target audience (Catholic primary school teachers), and consideration of their needs.
The reflection will justify your decision/s about the resource design and its effectiveness for the target audience and demonstrate an understanding of the contemporary pastoral and practical issues associated with explaining and teaching the sacrament to the target audience.
Length:
Resource (PowerPoint) - word limit does not apply
Critical reflection 1000 words
Scaffolding:
- Throughout the resource there must be evidence of engagement with weeks 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the course materials.
- Explicitly explain and communicate the theological links between the three Catholic sacraments of initiation.
- The resource needs to be considered in its entirety rather than done in specific segments. (That is, the origin, theology and mission of the Church should be referred to and documented throughout the presentation.)
- Engagement with the Rite of the Sacrament is a must, e.g.
- Rite of Baptism
- Order of Confirmation
- The Order of the Mass
Structuring your response:
- Suggested length of resource: 30 – 50 slides with accompanying notes pages below the slide to support the information on the slide.
- Notes are very important and will support the slide and indicate your in-depth knowledge of the origin, theology, ritual elements and mission
- Please see information on Moodle site pertaining to creating an effective and informative PPT presentation.
- Use the comprehensive list of references supplied for your Reference List and include the in-text reference in the notes -not on the slide
- Use the images in the lecture PPTs as they have been acknowledged in the correct format.
- The reflection is to be written in essay format with a distinct introduction, body and conclusion.
- Justification and reasoning must be evident.
- Check Assessment Task 2 PPT on the Moodle site for more information
Use of Gen AI
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows:
AI Assessment Scale: Level 2
You should use the resources provided and recommended sources to research for this assessment task. Gen AI may only be used to refine your ideas or structure your response. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Exam Week Monday (8 June 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this task will be returned to students following moderation and in accordance with university policy on certification of grades.
In-depth knowledge of the origin, ritual elements, structure and theology of a Sacrament of initiation
Consideration of background knowledge and understanding of diverse target audiences
Evidence of reflection and understanding of the contemporary pastoral and practical issues underpinning celebration and teaching of the ritual elements of the chosen Sacrament
Evidence of design that engages and educates the target audience to support the Church's mission in the broader school community
- Examine the origins, historical development and ritual structure of the Christian sacraments
- Evaluate the impact of theological principles on the practices underpinning celebration of the sacraments
- Critically reflect on the role of teachers in Catholic schools in the formation of understanding and participation of contemporary Catholic families in faith traditions and rituals
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
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.
What can you do to act with integrity?
