As this unit is designed to be highly practical in nature, you will be required to complete your allocated clinical placement/s and also attend the scheduled classes, contribute to class discussions and participate in other interactive exercises that occur as part of these classes. This will include hands-on activities with fellow classmates that allow you to practise administering different assessments, applying therapy techniques and demonstrating counselling skills. This interactive approach will assist you to practise and further develop your skills as a Speech Pathologist in the classroom environment whilst also applying them in a clinical setting. It will also allow you to gather evidence of skill development that can be added to your clinical portfolio, a document that will be reviewed as part of this assessment task.

You will be required to attend a minimum of 80% of your classes. The Unit Coordinator must be informed as early as possible of any expected absences and a medical certificate may be requested by the Unit Coordinator. This is a pass/fail assessment task, as a high level of class attendance and participation is considered to be a key requirement of this course.

Throughout the term, as part of this unit you will be actively involved in a range of clinical experiences which will provide you with the opportunity to apply theory to practice when assessing, treating and managing clients with communication and/or swallowing disorders. This particular assessment task will enable you to reflect upon and demonstrate the learning that has taken place during these experiences, and to highlight the skills and knowledge that you have acquired as a student clinician.

As the assessment title suggests, there are two elements to this assignment - one written and one oral. You will firstly be required to present to the class a particular assessment or therapy technique or an assessment or therapy tool that you have used whilst on placement and have found to be useful when assessing and/or treating a client's communication and/or swallowing difficulties. Your presentation should be engaging and interactive and should also aim to provide your fellow classmates with information and ideas that they may find useful in the future. You should reflect upon your own experiences using this technique/tool when discussing both the pros and cons of using your particular technique or tool, and also include information about the rationale for using it, the clientele that it is and isn't suitable for, issues or challenges that may be faced during its implementation, and any other considerations that may need to be made when deciding whether or not to use this particular technique or tool.

During your presentation you should also make links to and demonstrate your understanding of the importance of at least one of the four generic professional competencies - reasoning, professionalism, communication, and lifelong learning. For example, you may choose to refer explicitly to communication and the pros and cons of developing and using a script when explaining to a client how to engage in a particular therapy technique. Or you may describe the reasoning and problem solving skills that are required when a particular assessment tool does not provide you with the information that you intended to gather about an individual client.

The second part of this assessment task is a written component that will require you to complete a handout explaining the key elements that you have addressed in your presentation. For example, it should explain what the assessment/therapy technique/tool is, the benefits and disadvantages of using it, and any considerations that may need to be made when determining it’s suitability for a particular client and/or context. This handout should have a visually appealing and professional presentation, be easy to read, and be informative. Whilst there is no specific word count, the handout must be no longer than one double-sided A4 page. The use of pictures, diagrams, dot points and separate sections are all encouraged if they increase the readability of the document.

The intention is that each student’s handout will be compiled to create a collection that other students in future years can refer to and use as a source of ideas, information and inspiration whilst attending clinical placements.

You will be assessed on your ability to do the following:

• describe a particular assessment or therapy technique or an assessment or therapy tool that you have used whilst on placement
• provide a comprehensive analysis of its use that is based on a combination of the research that you conduct into this approach or tool and your own personal experience of using it whilst on placement. This analysis should include (but may not be limited to) the pros and cons of using the technique/tool, the rationale for using it, the clientele that it is most suited (and not suited) to, and issues or challenges that may be faced during its implementation. Any further considerations that may need to be made when deciding whether or not to use this particular approach or tool should also be discussed.
• demonstrate an understanding of the role and the importance of at least one of the four generic professional competencies (reasoning, professionalism, communication and lifelong learning) when using your chosen technique/tool
• explain how the implementation of the technique/tool during your placement allowed you to apply theory to practice when assessing and/or treating clients with communication and/or swallowing disorders in a clinical setting
• communicate effectively and engage an audience when giving an oral presentation
• present a professional and informative written handout that serves as an effective means of providing key information to other student clinicians
• use appropriate referencing, formatting and conventions, including spelling and syntax

A marking rubric will be made available via Moodle and will include specific marking criteria in detail. Note that students must obtain a minimum mark of 50% for the oral presentation and also a minimum of 50% for the written component in order to pass the assessment task.

You will be attending one full-day or two half-day clinical placements during Term 1. These sessions will occur on a weekly basis throughout the term and will provide you with the opportunity to develop your practical skills under the supervision of a Clinical Educator (CE). Your CE, a qualified Speech Pathologist, will assess your competence across the seven CBOS units and each of the four generic professional competencies at both the mid and final points of the placement, through the use of the COMPASS online assessment tool. You will also be required to complete a self-assessment at each of these placement points, also through COMPASS online. In addition, at the commencement of each placement you will need to complete a learning contract which is to be reviewed by you and your CE as part of the mid-placement and final-placement assessments. By the end of your placement/s you are expected to demonstrate novice-intermediate level competence across each generic professional competency and the majority of the CBOS Units, provided that you have been given the opportunity to do so.

All students should be aware that it is expected that there will be a high level of variability across the different clinical placements that each student participates in. This variety will be dependent on a range of factors, including the caseload (eg. children versus adults), the supervisor, the clinic setting, and the range of practice areas that are the focus of each placement (eg. speech versus language versus swallowing, etc). The variety of placements that are available to students provide you with the opportunity to broaden your experiences and develop your skills across different areas relevant to Speech Pathology.

You will be assessed on the following four generic professional competencies through the use of COMPASS online:

• Professional Competency Unit 1: Reasoning
• Professional Competency Unit 2: Communication
• Professional Competency Unit 3: Learning
• Professional Competency Unit 4: Professionalism

You will also be assessed on the following seven CBOS Units:

• CBOS Unit 1: Assessment
• CBOS Unit 2: Analysis and Interpretation
• CBOS Unit 3: Planning Evidence-Based Speech Pathology Practice
• CBOS Unit 4: Implementation of Speech Pathology Practice
• CBOS Unit 5: Planning, Providing and Managing Speech Pathology Services
• CBOS Unit 6: Professional and Supervisory Practice
• CBOS Unit 7: Lifelong Learning and Reflective Practice

Further information regarding each of these units can be found in the COMPASS Assessment Resource Manual, available through COMPASS online: https://compass.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/compass/portal/portal.jsp

Prior to meeting with your CE to complete your mid-placement and final-placement assessments, you must first complete the self-assessment component through COMPASS online. You must also bring the learning contract that was developed at the commencement of the placement, for you and your CE to review, as this will aid the discussion you have about the progress you have made and any objectives you may have achieved.

At the final-placement assessment, your COMPASS results must indicate that you have demonstrated novice to intermediate level competence across each of the generic professional competency units and the majority of the CBOS units (including CBOS units 1-4), provided you have had the opportunity to do so. You must also show that you have made progress in each of the generic professional competency units (i.e. based on the mid-placement assessment results).