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Unit of study_

SCWK5005: Practice Learning 2A

Semester 1b, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This is the first part of a field education practicum of 80 days. Field Education is a core component in all social work degree programs. The 80 days of second placement comprising SCWK5005 Practice Learning 2A and SCWK5006 Practice Learning 2B and the seminars provide a forum in which to explore issues concerning the theory/practice relationship, the development of advanced social work practice knowledge, skills and values as well as opportunities for support and consultation with other students and Faculty staff.

Unit details and rules

Unit code SCWK5005
Academic unit Social Work
Credit points 12
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
SCWK5010 and SCWK5004 and 12 additional credit points
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Pam Joseph, pam.joseph@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation hurdle task group assignment Oral presentation
Group presentation
0% Multiple weeks 30 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Placement hurdle task Learning plan
Placement learning plan
0% Progressive 1,500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Placement hurdle task Mid-placement report
Report
0% Progressive 1,500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Placement hurdle task End of placement report
Report
0% Progressive 1,500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Placement hurdle task Placement portfolio
Portfolio
0% Progressive 6,000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

A detailed description of each assessment task will be provided on Canvas.

These assessment reflect the progressive requirements for Placement Learning 2A (SCWK5005) and Placement Learning 2B (SCWK5006). 

Hand-signed copies of each written assessment submission should be scanned and uploaded to Canvas. 

  • Learning Plan: Your Learning Plan (LP) should relate to the 8 AASW Practice Standards (2013) and be set out in the template provided to you in class. It should reflect your learning goals for the placement and include specific tasks (strategies) which will assist you to meet those goals. You should begin to draft the LP within the first two weeks of placement, and discuss it in supervision with your Field Educator (FE), and external social work supervisor if you have one. The LP is due by Day 15 of your placement.
  • Mid-placement report: The mid-placement report is a summary of your learning in the first half of the placement. It should be written as a critically reflective essay. Please refer to the Field Education Handbook for guidance about the content. It should include comments by your FE, and your external SW supervisor if you have one.
  • Group presentation: The presentation task requires a group of students to facilitate a 30-minute class discussion, which may include related activities of the group’s choice, based on two academic articles taken from the recommended reading list for that week. The discussion should encourage all students in the class to consider the extent to which the topic and chosen readings contribute to their understanding of their own placement and other diverse social work fields of practice. 
  • End of placement report: The end of placement report is written as a final reflection on your learning throughout the placement. Refer to the Field Education Handbook for specific content. It should include comments by your FE, and external SW supervisor if you have one, and be signed by them and you.
  • Placement portfolio: The placement portfolio should include all of the following documents: Cover sheet/checklist, Learning Plan, Mid-placement Liaison Visit Summary, Mid-placement Report, End-of -placement Report and signed timesheet.

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

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Ongoing The broad tent of activism Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Building and maintaining alliances Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Power, leadership and justice doing Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 01 Pre-placement seminar: welcome & orientation to PL2; Preparation for placement. Seminar (6 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Week 08 Professional integrity in action Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

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 12 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 240-300 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this Unit of Study can be accessed via Leganto or weekly Canvas modules.

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.

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

  • LO1. demonstrate a deepening knowledge of concepts central to the social work discipline and be able to apply these in your practice
  • LO2. demonstrate the ability to work productively, collaboratively and openly in diverse groups and across cultural boundaries
  • LO3. demonstrate an ability to apply critical thinking and problem solving to both social work theory and practice
  • LO4. demonstrate an ability to communicate appropriately and effectively in a range of academic and professional settings including communicating with confidence using oral/written/digital media, communicating effectively and appropriately in both one-on-one and group interactions, being an engaged and reflective listener and collaborating and functioning as an effective team member
  • LO5. demonstrate a capacity to work effectively in interdisciplinary (including interprofessional) settings
  • LO6. reflect on your ethical responsibility through committing to core values of professional integrity; principles of social justice and a knowledge of AASW Practice Standards for Social Workers.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

Assessment tasks have been refined for consistency with information in the 2021 Handbook. A new learning-community activity, Student Communities of Practice, will replace Learning Circles in PL2 in 2021. This model seeks to strengthen students' sense of engagement with a peer learning community.

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

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.