OLET1607: Intensive September, 2022

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Units OLET1607 Intensive September 2022 [Block mode]

Unit of study_

OLET1607: Cultural Competence in Natural Science

Intensive September, 2022 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Cultural competence is a congruent set of values and principles that are reflected in behaviours, attitudes, policies, structures, and practices in a system, organisation, professional or researcher and facilitate work and effective interactions with clients and environments in cross-cultural situations (modified from Kiefer et al 2013). The unit will introduce undergraduate students to general principles in cultural competence awareness and provide a learning space to reflect on some overall values, behaviours, attitudes and practices that will enable them to work and interact effectively with their clients, co-workers, communities and environments crossculturally during their research, placements and professional practice. Part of this OLE will also be tailored to the student's interests by providing an opportunity for reflection on the impact of some cultural competence aspects on the research, professional placements and extramural rotations/practice of their disciplines when applied to cross cultural settings.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	OLET1607
Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	2
Prohibitions ?	AVBS4003
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Jaime Gongora, jaime.gongora@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Online Quiz Quiz based on the online component	20%	Week 05 Due date: 23 Sep 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 07 Oct 2022	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflective Assignment Reflective Assignment	80%	Week 08 Due date: 14 Oct 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 28 Oct 2022	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Students need to complete the online quizzes by the due date and prior to the face-to-face component. A reflective assignment needs to be submitted by the due date. Further details are provided on the Canvas site. Both assigments are compulsory and individual.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	The overall quality of the assignment is outstanding and exceptional.
Distinction	75 - 84	The overall quality of the assignment is excellent and it shows signs of outstanding work.
Credit	65 - 74	The overall quality of the assignment is superior and it shows signs of very good work.
Pass	50 - 64	The overall quality of the assignment is good but it fails to meet expectations in one or more components.
Fail	0 - 49	The submitted assignment does not meet the learning outcomes for this unit of study..

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Mid-semester break	Face-to-Face Session 1: Fundamentals of cultural competence	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Face to Face Session 2: Cultural competence in community-based research, placements and programs	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Face to Face Session 3: Traditional knowledge	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
	Face to Face Session 4: Case studies	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Ongoing	Online Component Module 1: The relevance of cultural competence	Online class (3 hr)
	Online Component Module 2: Identity, values and attitudes	Online class (3 hr)
	Online Component Module 3: Engagement with Indigenous science	Online class (3 hr)
	Online Component Module 4: Putting it into practice	Online class (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance to the block session of the face-to-face component is compulsory. Explanation of the reflective assignment and advice to structure this will be provided in this session.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 2 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 40-50 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. define the concepts and approaches involved in cultural competence
LO2. recognise some of the facts that contribute to the formation of values, identity and attitudes in yourself and others, and how this relates to cultural competence
LO3. identify the key concepts related to Indigenous knowledge systems and how these concepts can be applied to issues in the natural sciences to give additional perspectives to those given by Western science
LO4. identify how to begin applying the use of cultural competence principles to approach different cultural settings while working in the natural sciences.
LO5. discuss the overarching principles, dimensions and elements of cultural competence
LO6. demonstrate the ability to use cultural competence principles to propose how to approach situations in different cultural settings, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander settings

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit consists of two major components, the online modules and the live discussion/reflective sessions. Due to COVID and clashes with other units of study in 2020, the discussion/reflective session of this OLE were delivered through pre-recorded videos only. This meant we could not provide live sessions and support necessary for the assignment, which are vital for the unit as it is a reflective and discussion-based unit. Thus, students could not engage as in previous years. It has been demonstrated that an effective learning of and engagement of students in cultural competence is much better when live sessions, discussion and reflections are based on students’ own experiences and field, but we did not have the chance to do it. To address these challenges, in 2021 we delivered the discussion/reflective session online but live in a single block session. We will make sure that central Uni properly apply the date for the live session in the timetable, so all students are aware of this. We had positive student feedback in 2021 but due to the low number of surveys we preferred to wait for the 2022 surveys to assess if the changes that we have implemented have had a positive impact in student learning.

Additional information

Science student portal

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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