Unit Synopsis
Our health is an outcome of a complex social-ecological system of variables including individual characteristics, social factors and environmental drivers. Such systems, by nature, incorporate elements that are uncertain, unpredictable and co-occurring at the same time across different levels and scales. In this unit, you will be introduced to the concept of complex adaptive systems and learn how to apply systems thinking to identify ways in which changes can be made to social and environmental determinants to influence health outcomes at community and population levels. You will also learn to use participatory methods to anticipate alternate futures as a tool for improving public health planning and building resilience.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 8 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| 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 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Group Work | 50% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 50% |
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 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 91.18% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 18.99% 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
Unit contains too much material and specifically too much theory.
Material in the study guide should be reviewed to ensure focus on practical application of systems thinking that will support student understanding and completion of assessment tasks.
The material in the study guide was reviewed and deemed appropriate to ensure a focus on the practical application of systems thinking, which will support student understanding and completion of assessment tasks.
Source: Student Unit Evaluation
Student Feedback on Assessments items was generally positive and students found the material and assessment tasks easy to follow
It is recommended to clearly define the learning objectives in assessment tasks and improve students' understanding of the marking rubric and grade distribution.
In Progress
Source: Informal feedback
The academic learning drop-in session organized at the beginning of the term was well received, and students wanted more information about peer assistance and support.
It is recommended to collaborate with the Academic Learning Center to provide ongoing support for students throughout the term and in future terms. This will enhance engagement and assist those who may be struggling with workload or completing assessment tasks.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain how complex adaptive systems thinking is used in public health to better understand entrenched health issues related to colonisation, population pressure, climate and environmental changes
- Distinguish between different scales and domains identified within complex adaptive systems thinking relevant to public health
- Apply complex adaptive systems thinking to public health issues relating to social and environmental determinants of health
- Analyse participatory and relational approaches to addressing complex adaptive system challenges in public health
- Reflect on and discuss the impact of social practices related to power, leadership and trust on public health from a complex adaptive systems perspective
- Determine how complex adaptive systems thinking informs practical and sustainable interventions across scales and domains using asset-based community development and disease prevention models
- Evaluate how complex adaptive systems thinking influences approaches to evidence and practice in public health.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Group Work | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Communication | • | • | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | • | • | • | ||||
| 4 - Research | • | ||||||
| 5 - Self-management | • | ||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | • | ||||||
| 7 - Leadership | • | • | • | ||||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |
| 1 - Group Work | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | ||||