The lecture/tutorial hours have been changed from a 1 hour lecture + 3 hour tutorial to a 2 hour lecture + 2 hour tutorial. This was done for several reasons. Briefly: student feedback indicated that the 3 hour session was too long for students to be productive over the whole period. Also, the relatively short lecture meant that some information, such as assessment details, was provided during the workshop - leading to inconsistencies between groups.

Industry sponsors require that IBL students are assisted in their preparation for successful placements by a program that develops the confidence, understandings and ability to participate in personal and professional, formal and informal workplace communications.

This unit has been updated as part of a 2009 review and comparison of data with current Handbook, Syllabus + and Callista data.

30/11/2017 - Unit disestablished at FEC 5/17 Item 7.3.

In view of the critical importance of communication skills in the IT industry, the role of this unit is to develop the communication skills of students to prepare them for their professional careers in IT. This unit exemplifies faculty/industry interface in the students' development of professional attributes and skills.

At the completion of this unit students will be able to:

• describe the elements of effective communication and discuss barriers to the production and reception of meaning;
• explain and demonstrate the appropriate adjustment of register in formal and informal, social and professional, verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communications;
• be sensitive to and demonstrate understanding of cultural differences;
• select and use strategies for effective and efficient productive (speaking and writing) and receptive (reading and listening) communications;
• discuss a variety of organisational structures, management styles and culture;
• discuss workplace demeanour and reporting relationships;
• produce a variety of professional writing genres in the appropriate text structure using the appropriate language features. For example, memos, emails, faxes, business letters, reports and job application letters;
• describe the purpose, protocols and procedures for, and the roles of participants, in formal/informal meetings and interviews;
• demonstrate the ability to take leadership roles and work co-operatively with peers/colleagues;
• describe several conditions and procedures for negotiation and dealing with conflict;
• describe the cross-cultural understandings and challenges of participating in the global economy;
• outline the CSA code of ethics and professional practice and analyse the competing interests and possible consequences of a variety of ethical dilemmas;
• present a formal (oral) report to peers in a formal business setting and demonstrate the ability to translate the written genre into the spoken;
• demonstrate the ability to make an effective presentation, orally and in writing, of a technical IT subject to a non-technical audience;
• demonstrate the ability to make effective use of technology in oral and written communication;
• understand current ICT trends e.g. communications groupware.

020399

This unit provides a theoretical and practical overview of personal and professional communications, with particular emphasis on appropriate register. Topics include: the elements of communication, barriers, cultural differences; active listening and feedback cues; public speaking; technical and business text structures and language features; workplace communications; personal and professional ethics and codes of practice; negotiation skills and conflict resolution; cross-cultural sensitivity and communications in the global economy. This unit is a hurdle requirement for Industry-Based Learning (IBL) students before their professional placements.

On-campus

Examination (2 hours): 25%; In-semester assessment: 75%

6

2 hr lecture/wk, 2 hr laboratories or tutorial/wk

FIT

Use of 63/115 for formal business presentations

Completion of 24 points at level 1