School: Kurongkurl Katitjin

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Cultural Responsiveness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
  • Unit Code

    IAS3110
  • Year

    2026
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Ms Sian BENNETT

Description

This unit provides students who are enrolled in the Speech Pathology course, the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge required to engage professionally with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students explore a range of historical, cultural, social and linguistic contexts and intercultural relationships that contribute to current interactions with Indigenous peoples. A key outcome of the unit will be an enhanced ability to empathise, communicate and work effectively in cross-cultural professional practice involving Indigenous peoples.

Prerequisite Rule

The student must complete 120 credit points in their current course of study before attempting this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically analyse historical and contemporary influences on the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including socio-cultural determinants affecting health, communication, and access to speech pathology services.
  2. Apply cultural safety frameworks to develop appropriate strategies for engaging professionally and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families, and communities in speech pathology contexts.
  3. Design and evaluate culturally responsive speech pathology interventions that incorporate ethical principles and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on health and wellbeing.
  4. Demonstrate reflective practice and effective professional communication regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural considerations in speech pathology practice.

Unit Content

  1. The diversity and continuity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' cultures.
  2. An overview of historical and contemporary influences on the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  3. Cultural reflexivity in professional settings.
  4. Individual, collective and community responsibilities in healthcare delivery.
  5. Intercultural relationships to engage professionally and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 3 hour seminarNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures Workshops Guest lecturers Videos Reading & self reflection Community engagement

Assessment

GS2 GRADING SCHEMA 2 Used for Undifferentiated Pass/Fail units inc. practical units or work-integrated learning

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescription
PortfolioRequired Learning Activities

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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