92607 Education for Practice Development
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksDescription
This subject is designed to meet the needs of nurses and other health professionals seeking to influence health care practice in their area of expertise and advance professional development through the processes of education and facilitation. Through reflection and action learning, students are supported to develop fundamental skills and attributes for the facilitation of transformational change in health care, and are prepared to undertake the role of change agent, critical companion or workplace learning facilitator. Students develop an understanding of education as a means of supporting, sustaining and promoting practice development.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Critique the role of practice development as a means of transforming culture within health care |
|---|---|
| B. | Identify and analyse an area for focus in practice development |
| C. | Apply and evaluate principles of action learning in practice development |
| D. | Critically reflect on the skills and attributes for facilitating transformational change in healthcare |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- Are reflective critical thinkers who examine and contribute to practice, policy and research to achieve clinical excellence and enhance health outcomes (1.0)
- Identify, synthesise, evaluate and apply the best available evidence for translation into practice to achieve optimal health outcomes (1.1)
- Demonstrate comprehensive clinical judgement and clinical reasoning that is based on evidence and reflects relevant professional codes and guidelines (1.2)
- Are visionary, innovative and responsive leaders (2.0)
- Analyse approaches for building own capacity for leadership and that of the interdisciplinary health workforce and health care consumers (2.1)
- Demonstrates ability to collaborate and influence evidence-based change and transformation for achieving optimal health care outcomes (2.2)
- Communicate effectively and professionally in diverse and dynamic situations (4.0)
- Consistently adopt a respectful, empathic and person-centred approach that engages and empowers health care consumers and families/significant others (4.1)
- Demonstrate a high level of verbal, non-verbal, written, digital and other technological communication skills. (4.2)
- Embody the professional qualities appropriate to the scope of their role (5.0)
- Demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing professional development (5.1)
- Demonstrate compassionate, empathic, ethical and collaborative clinical practice (5.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
In this subject, students will participate in a range of educational strategies that are designed to facilitate learning, teaching, and transformational practice development. These strategies include:
Orientation activities
In preparation for the session, students are expected to undertake activities prior to the first week. These activities include online readings, videos, interaction with peers, and are important in helping students prepare to engage with the subject and its assessment tasks. Orientation also provides students with an opportunity to meet and interact with peers.
Independent learning activities
Relevant readings, videos, reflections, and other activities will be made available for each learning module. Online modules are designed to deepen students' understanding of specific topics related to education and practice development. The associated independent learning activities will enhance students’ ability to progress successfully throughout the subject, actively engage in Zoom meetings, and complete assessment items effectively.
Zoom meetings
Four Zoom meetings spread evenly over the session will provide opportunities for group activities and discussion, self-assessment, peer review, assessment support and formative feedback from the Subject Coordinator.
Feedback
Students will receive regular feedback throughout the subject, using self-assessment and peer review, along with group and individual feedback from the subject coordinator. Feedback is designed to increase students' learning and engagement with the subject content and to enhance student performance in summative assessment tasks.
Content (topics)
This subject lays the foundation for health professionals to become expert education facilitators in their practice settings. Students are supported to reflect on their knowledge as it unfolds, to apply their facilitation skills, to think through the conceptual and theoretical implications of their work, and to be authentic in their facilitation. In this way, students will develop an understanding of education as a means of supporting, sustaining and promoting practice development.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Practice Development: Issue Identification
| Intent: | This assessment task will assist students to identify and elaborate on an area for workplace practice development, through: (a) a workplace culture mapping activity to identify a specific issue; (b) exploration of students' assumptions related to their chosen issue; (c) engagement with relevant literature on their chosen issue; and (d) a consideration of how education and transformational practice development may enable positive changes in the workplace in relation to the issue. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A and B This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.0, 2.2, 4.0 and 4.2 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 1500 words maximum (excluding reference lists and appendices) |
| Criteria: | Please see detailed marking rubric in Canvas. |
Assessment task 2: Practice Development in Action
| Intent: | This assessment task will afford students an opportunity to put their chosen issue for practice development into action, using systematic action learning sets. Students will engage in a participatory process with a critical companion, and share their reflections and action points for practice development in a series of professional journal entries, all designed to enhance their knowledge of education and facilitation processes. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C and D This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 2.0, 2.1, 4.0, 4.2, 5.0, 5.1 and 5.2 |
| Type: | Journal |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Four (4) separate original entries of 400 words each (total of 1600 words); two (2) separate responses to others' entries of 200 words each (total of 400 words). Total of 2000 words (excluding reference lists and appendices). |
| Criteria: | Please see detailed marking rubric in Canvas. |
Assessment task 3: The Practice Development Experience
| Intent: | A presentation on your experiences of action learning in your chosen area for practice development will:
Further, the assessment will also prepare you for:
|
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C and D This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 15 slides in total with speaker notes of 1000 words maximum (excluding reference lists and appendices). |
| Criteria: | Please see detailed marking rubric in Canvas. |
References
A comprehensive list of references has been included in eReadings accessible through the UTS Library. However, this list is not intended to be exhaustive and students are expected to search the literature independently and to read widely.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
Details for student centres: https://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/contacts/uts-student-centre
For other resources/information refer to the Faculty of Health website (https://www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-health) and Canvas at: https://canvas.uts.edu.au/.
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: lib.uts.edu.au, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: (02) 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.
HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.
The Accessibility and Financial Assistance Service
The Accessibility Service can support students with disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, including temporary injuries (e.g., broken limbs). The Accessibility Service works with Academic Liaison Officers in each Faculty to provide ‘reasonable adjustments’ such as exam provisions, assistive technology, requests and strategies for managing your studies alongside your health condition. If you’re unsure whether you need assistance, we recommend getting in touch early and we can provide advice on how our service can assist you. Make an appointment with an Accessibility Consultant (AC) on +61 2 9514 1177 or Accessibility@uts.edu.au.
The Financial Assistance Service can assist you with financial aspects of life at university, including Centrelink information, tax returns and budgeting, interest-free student loans and grants to assist with course-related costs. Check eligibility and apply online and make an appointment on +61 2 9514 1177 or Financial.assistance@uts.edu.au.