Course Title: Practicum B

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Practicum B

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

HWSS2102

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2006,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 2 2013

HWSS2102

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2014,
Sem 2 2015

Course Coordinator: Dr Phil Doecke

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7864

Course Coordinator Email: phil.doecke@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 220.03.01

Course Coordinator Availability: Please e-mail with several suggested times


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Students are expected to have undertaken the following courses:

Professional Practices in Disability 2A
Practicum A
Professional Practices in Disability 2B (concurrent enrolment)
 


 


Course Description

There is a great need to ensure that people with disabilities accessing services, whether they be educational, vocational, community based or residential, are assisted by staff who are competent in a variety of aspects of direct service provision. Direct support professionals need to be able to apply developmental and learning theories in designing structured skills teaching programs. They also need to be familiar with the operation of living and working environments of the person with a disability.

Graduates should understand the role of the disability professionals in the delivery of direct support services and to develop skills that are essential in this field, and should have the capacity to reflect on their ability to contribute to the lives of people with disabilities, to recognise areas in which they need to increase their knowledge and skills, and to develop modes of client service provision that are based on the collection and analysis of evidence of client skills and needs.

This course includes opportunities for students to gain direct experience in the provision of residential, educational, or vocational services to people with a developmental disability. Students will apply theoretical knowledge in applied situations, primarily with the intention of developing the skills and capacity of individuals with disability to function as independently as possible in everyday situations. Practicum placement venues will be primarily Adult Training Support Services and Community Residential Units, but may also include schools, special schools, and preschools.

This course includes a work integrated learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from industry and/ or community is integral to your experience.
 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Students will build on introductory and foundation capabilities, to develop capabilities at an intermediate level.

1.1 Ability to reflect on experience and critically evaluate the contribution of personal and professional practice to the goals and aspirations of the individuals, organizations and communities.

1.2 Ability to recognize limitations in knowledge and skill and to use ongoing learning and self-development to improve personal and professional practice.

2.1 Ability to employ a variety of approaches and procedures to inquiry and research that permit judgments and decisions to be clearly substantiated.

3.1 Ability to apply knowledge to diagnose and solve problems in situations that range from simple and discrete to complex and ill-defined.

7.2 Ability to clearly articulate and apply an ethical position that guides personal behaviour in all aspects of professional practice.


At the completion of this course, students with a concurrent enrolment in Professional Practices in Disability 2B (HWSS2101), who undertake field placements and participate in case conferences should be able to:

  • Demonstrate the ability to reflect on their own professional practices, with the view to improving those practices;
  • Analyse and understand how a service is structured and delivered;
  • Assess the strengths and needs of an individual client with disability;
  • Develop a teaching plan, in light of the Developmental Model;
  • Implement and evaluate a teaching plan, applying specific techniques such as developmental programming, and person-centred active support. The implementation and evaluation will be based on evidence gathered throughout the duration of the WIL experience.


Overview of Learning Activities

Weekly face to face case conferences that allow for individual and group supervision and problem solving.

Online reflective practice discussions to be initiated by the students and supported by the case conference supervisors

Regular readings and debate in relation to current best practice initiatives and how to integrate them into the workplace environment


Overview of Learning Resources

Students are provided with assessment protocols and other materials to assist with the development and evaluation of client programmes. Some assessment tools will have to be purchased by students.


Overview of Assessment

Note - there is a seperate set of assessments for Professional Practices in Disability 2B (HWSS2101). 

  1. Developmental programming assessment
  2. Active support protocol assessment
  3. Practicum B program report