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The information below is relevant from 25/02/2013 to 23/02/2014
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COMM11108 - Communication and Democracy in Australia

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This course provides an overview of formal and informal structures of power in contemporary Australian society and a guide for students of communication, journalism, public relations and culture to the hidden and complex patterns of historical change and negotiation which occur on a daily basis within the institutions of a sophisticated democracy such as Australia's. These institutions include : legislatures, the legal system, industrial relations, regulatory authorities, the public service, lobby groups including non-government organisations, political parties, various elites and religious organisations.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2013

Term 2 - 2017 Profile
Distance
Perth
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2018 Profile
Cairns
Distance
Perth
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2019 Profile
Cairns
Online
Perth
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2020 Profile
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 1 - 2021 Profile
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2021 Profile
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 1 - 2022 Profile
Online
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2022 Profile
Online
Rockhampton
Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Medan
Online
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Online
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Online
Rockhampton

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).

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Practical and Written Assessment 35%
2. Group Discussion 20%
3. Written Assessment 45%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 40.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.32% response rate.

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.

Source: 2022 Student evaluation survey
Feedback
Students commented favourably on the real-world issues and case studies covered in the unit content.
Recommendation
Maintain the real-world issues and case studies covered in the unit content.
Action Taken
Unit content which linked to real-world issues and case studies was maintained.
Source: 2022 Student evaluation survey
Feedback
Students commented on the positive learning experience and informative assessment feedback provided by the Unit Coordinator.
Recommendation
Maintain the positive learning experience and informative assessment feedback provided by the Acting Unit Coordinator.
Action Taken
Students continued to receive detailed and useful assessment feedback from teaching staff.
Source: 2022 Student evaluation survey
Feedback
Some students requested the weighting of each marking criteria be made available on the marking rubrics.
Recommendation
Review the marking rubrics and make any necessary adjustments where possible for future offerings.
Action Taken
Marking rubrics were adjusted, however this is an ongoing activity to continue improving the relevance and clarity of rubrics to enhance student learning.
Source: Student Satisfaction Survey
Feedback
Students requested further clarification of assessment requirements, including additional learning material
Recommendation
Clarify assessment requirements and provide additional learning material to assist students to prepare their assessment items.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student Satisfaction and Teaching Staff Evaluation
Feedback
Students had some trouble navigating Moodle
Recommendation
Update unit to better support student navigation of learning management system (Moodle).
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. define the structures of power, formal and informal, in contemporary Australian society;
  2. identify past and present characteristics of the Australian social and political system;
  3. describe the institutions of Australian democracy including ongoing pressures for change and reform;
  4. demonstrate an awareness of the communication and information processes involved in Australian democracy in government;
  5. identify and monitor the resources and technologies available to a range of groups.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Practical and Written Assessment
2 - Group Discussion
3 - Written Assessment
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
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
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Practical and Written Assessment
2 - Group Discussion
3 - Written Assessment