Unit Synopsis
This unit continues the analysis of the lifespan through an occupational lens. You will build on foundation knowledge of lifespan development to understand the occupational roles of adults from young adulthood to end of life. Selected issues impacting upon occupational performance during these periods of development will be explored using an overarching health framework (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, also known as ICF) and occupational therapy practice models. The potential contribution of the occupational therapist during each phase will be highlighted, and the role of the occupational therapist in the facilitation of occupationally-inclusive interventions will be explored. You will be introduced to professional reasoning and evidence-based practice in the context of working with adults and older people. You will also attend a series of fieldwork sessions, working with older people in the community, which will enhance learning and provide the opportunity to practice application of the occupational therapy process in a real-world situation.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisites: OCCT12003 OCCT12006 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 1 - 2026
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
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 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. Presentation | 25% |
| 2. Research Assignment | 35% |
| 3. Portfolio | 40% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Term 2 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 84.62% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 40.63% 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: SUTE comments Informal student feedback
Student feedback suggested that exposure to and practise with a greater number of clinical assessments would be beneficial.
It is recommended that more workshop time is dedicated to trialling and practising assessments, particularly those of relevance to work integrated learning (WIL) and the Interprofessional Education experience.
Skills workshops included a focus on clinical assessments to prepare students for WIL and for interprofessional education (IPE).
Source: Unit coordinator reflection
Students would benefit from further preparation for the WIL fieldwork experience.
It is recommended that the initial fieldwork session in 2025 be planned and run by the teaching team as a means of modelling and initiating students into the experience.
This was implemented in 2025, and will continue in 2026.
Source: SUTE comments Informal student feedback Educator reflections
Students found managing the multiple tasks in the portfolio to be challenging at times.
It is recommended that the final portfolio assessment be reviewed for clarity and effectiveness for the 2025 offering.
The portfolio was modified and simplified, and will be reviewed again prior to the 2026 offering.
Source: SUTE comments Teaching team observations
Poor on-site classroom audio hindered the learning experience.
It is recommended that the AV set up in the classrooms be monitored and improved where possible.
In Progress
Source: SUTE comments Informal feedback
Students appreciated the availability of online lectures for some content.
It is recommended that further online lectures be added to the class schedule where practicable.
In Progress
Source: SUTE feedback
There was some lack of clarity about assessment requirements.
It is recommended that all assessment materials be reviewed and that all information sources (e.g., Moodle, Unit Profile) be checked for consistency prior to the 2026 offering.
In Progress
Source: SUTE comments Informal student feedback
The guest lecturers and special interest topics were well regarded.
It is recommended that the guest speaker format be continued and added to when possible.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Analyse the cultural and developmental expectations and relevant environmental supports and barriers related to occupational performance from early adulthood to older age and end of life.
- Analyse the implications for selected impairments commonly seen by occupational therapists in terms of activity limitations and participation in society.
- Select appropriate assessment tools to understand the impact of impairment on occupational performance and identify how the occupational therapist might intervene.
- Set client-centred goals based on information obtained from clients and their significant others.
- Plan an evidence-based intervention with appropriate clinical justification for a person from young adulthood through to older age.
- Describe the occupational therapist role in promoting occupationally inclusive opportunities for people across the lifespan.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Presentation | • | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Research Assignment | • | • | • | • | ||
| 3 - Portfolio | • | • | • | |||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 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 | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Presentation | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| 2 - Research Assignment | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||
| 3 - Portfolio | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||