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Unit Synopsis
This is the first of 2 fieldwork placements that students are required to complete. As a student you will complete 63 days x 7 hours (440 hours) of onsite, agency based interactions and learning tasks in a practice context supervised by an approved agency worker. Students will participate in the range of activities, tasks and processes that the agency encompasses by negotiation with the supervisor and subject to agency rules and procedures. During the first placement students are invited to consolidate and apply their learning from the first two years of study within an agency placement context. Students will observe other workers, participate in the operations of the agency and should be able to critically analyse and articulate their developing professional practice framework within the context of the field placement. Students will be required to attend and participate in assessable tasks in the relevant residential to complete the requirements of this unit. The residential SOWK13010 is a pre-requisite for fieldwork placement, as is all units from year one and two of the BSW Honours course. The students will be contacted once their application has been received and a pre placement consultation will be offered. Eligible students, who have passed all of the pre required units within the BSW Honours Course, will participate in a compulsory seminar in the final residential of their second year of the course, whereby they will also be offered a private consultation. Students who for whatever reason are not attending this residential shall request an interview with the field education coordinator if required or the field education coordinator will request an interview with the student if previous experiences and feedback need to be discussed in regards to placement readiness.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| Credit Points | 18 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.375 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisites: (SOWK12010 and SOWK12012 and SOWK12014) or (SOWK11010 and SOWK11011 and SOWK19014 and SOWK19015 and SOWK13006) or Approval of Appropriate Head of Program Co-requisite: SOWK13010 Integrating theory and practice 1 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 - 2020
Term 1 - 2020 Profile
Term 1 - 2021 Profile
Term 1 - 2022 Profile
Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Term 1 - 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 18-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 37.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 450 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 0% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 0% |
| 3. Group Discussion | 0% |
| 4. Written Assessment | 0% |
| 5. Practical Assessment | 0% |
| 6. Written Assessment | 0% |
| 7. Written Assessment | 100% |
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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.
No previous feedback available
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
Again, way too many assignments when we are on full time placement. The learning plan and 500 hours of placement is enough. Keep the practice framework assessment and that's it.
The assessment structure has been reviewed in response to this feedback. From Term 1, 2025, expectations for placement-based assessment have been reduced to better support student workload and wellbeing during full-time placement.
Action taken to streamline assessment from T1 2025 has been effective. Student satisfaction scores in 2025 suggest this change supported workload balance without compromising learning outcomes.
Source: SUTE - Teacher Evaluations
Lecturers are always available and answer questions in a timely manner.
We appreciate this feedback and remain committed to being responsive and approachable. Students are encouraged to contact staff with any questions, and gentle reminders are always welcome if a response is delayed.
Positive feedback on staff responsiveness and availability has been maintained. This remains a consistent strength of the unit and will continue to be prioritised.
Source: SUTE
Structure of learning agreement needs improvement - was difficult for myself and my FELO to easily understand what sections needed to be completed before mid placement review.
The Learning Agreement template and instructions have been reviewed and streamlined to improve clarity. Key sections are now clearly labelled for completion by the mid-placement review, and additional guidance is provided on Moodle.
The revised Learning Agreement template and guidance have addressed previous concerns. No further negative feedback has been received, suggesting improved clarity for both students and supervisors.
Source: SUTE - Teacher Evaluations
Robyn went above and beyond to make sure I could do my placement in an environment that worked for me, advocating and supporting me throughout the entire application process. Because of this, I was able to have a placement that was extremely beneficial to my learning and my personal needs and commitments at the time.
We are grateful for this feedback. Supporting students to secure meaningful and appropriate placements remains a priority, with ongoing advocacy to match learning needs with suitable placement contexts.
The teaching team’s commitment to advocacy and securing appropriate placements continues to be recognised by students. This remains an important feature of the unit and contributes to overall student satisfaction and success.
Source: SUTE
appreciated Robyns feedback/comments of my learning agreement and her responses felt encouraging and helped me feel like I was on the right track. Robyn also helped me feel prepared for placement by providing relevant information and explaining the different processes and requirements. Thank you!
We will continue to provide relational support and clear guidance in feedback, with a focus on ensuring students feel encouraged and well-prepared for field education.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Determine placement preferences, learning contract and post placement learning needs
- Select and apply appropriate use of self and problem solving skills as a worker within an organisation
- Select and apply appropriate self care strategies within the professional context
- Apply cross cultural competency including working in indigenous contexts and critique agency policy and practice
- Analyse and articulate client's needs using social work theories and evaluate intervention strategies
- Work within the AASW code of ethics, practice standards, and organisational policies and procedures
- Evaluate elements of an emerging professional practice framework
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Group Discussion | • | • | • | ||||
| 4 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 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 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| 3 - Group Discussion | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||
| 4 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| 5 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| 6 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| 7 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||