Course Title: Wellness Practices and Perspectives

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Wellness Practices and Perspectives

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

COTH2153

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Internet

Sem 2 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 2 2013,
Sem 1 2014,
Sem 2 2014,
Sem 1 2015,
Sem 1 2016

COTH2153

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

173H School of Health and Biomed

Internet

Sem 2 2017,
Sem 1 2018

Course Coordinator: Liza Oates

Course Coordinator Phone: +61) 0412 310 390

Course Coordinator Email: liza.oates@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Off-campus


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

This course is offered as a foundational course for students in the postgraduate Wellness program (GradDip Wellness, GD169) and as a University Student Elective to postgraduate students from various disciplines.

There are no pre- or co-requisites, however students without adequate computer and English language literacy skills may find it difficult to meet the demands of the course. You will need to navigate the Blackboard LMS and other software applications (instructions will be provided). English literacy skills should be sufficient to be able to understand large amounts of written instructions and prepare an article suitable for publication in an English language journal. 

While a background in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) may assist, it is assumed that many students will not have such a background. Therefore any important concepts will be introduced as part of the course content.


Course Description

A variety of wellness practices are embraced by health consumers with an interest in maintaining their personal wellbeing. These include, but are not limited to, practices that fall under the banner of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Students with an interest in wellbeing will gain an overview of the exciting new field of wellness and the many aspects of life that contribute to our wellbeing. The course will explore a variety of strategies that can be employed to support health and wellness including alternative medical systems; biologically based therapies; bodywork therapies; mind-body medicine; and environmental medicine. Other topic areas include concepts of health, wellness and disease; the relationship between health promotion and wellness; and the regulatory environment for health practices and products.

Please note that this course is an overview only and will not provide you with the skills to practice any complementary therapies, other than some skills for personal use. Rather it will focus on perspectives of wellness in traditional systems such as Chinese medicine and naturopathy, selected wellness strategies and the potential for wellness to become the next wave of health promotion in the western world.

In particular, current or future health/ wellness practitioners should benefit from a better working knowledge of the array of wellness practices their clients may be utilising so that they can assist in supporting informed decision making. In addition, those wishing to work in other industries such as business and marketing may also benefit from understanding the characteristics of the various wellness practices that attract consumers.

This course includes a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) 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. The project is a simulated wellness consultancy exercise and can be completed as either a group activity or as an individual activity.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

A variety of wellness practices are embraced by health consumers with an interest in maintaining their personal wellbeing. These include, but are not limited to, practices that fall under the banner of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Students with an interest in wellbeing will gain an overview of the exciting new field of wellness and the many aspects of life that contribute to our wellbeing. The course will explore a variety of strategies that can be employed to support health and wellness including alternative medical systems; biologically based therapies; bodywork therapies; mind-body medicine; and environmental medicine. Other topic areas include concepts of health, wellness and disease; the relationship between health promotion and wellness; and the regulatory environment for health practices and products.

Please note that this course is an overview only and will not provide you with the skills to practice any complementary therapies, other than some skills for personal use. Rather it will focus on perspectives of wellness in traditional systems such as Chinese medicine and naturopathy, selected wellness strategies and the potential for wellness to become the next wave of health promotion in the western world.

In particular, current or future health/ wellness practitioners should benefit from a better working knowledge of the array of wellness practices their clients may be utilising so that they can assist in supporting informed decision making. In addition, those wishing to work in other industries such as business and marketing may also benefit from understanding the characteristics of the various wellness practices that attract consumers.

This course includes a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) 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. The project is a simulated wellness consultancy exercise and can be completed as either a group activity or as an individual activity.


On completion of this course you should be able to:

  1. Evaluate and provide examples of the personal, social, political and environmental implications of wellness
  2. Discuss the current and potential role of wellness practices in health promotion
  3. Explain the origins, philosophies and basic principles of various practices that can be used to promote wellness and describe their practical applications while demonstrating correct usage of essential terms.
  4. Evaluate the supporting evidence and controversies for the use of different wellness practices including their regulatory environment and ailments that are commonly addressed.
  5. Identify the potential benefits and risks that generally apply to all types of healthcare interventions.
  6. Locate, critically assess and synthesise credible information and evidence about wellness practices to provide practical recommendations for their safe and effective use.


Overview of Learning Activities

The course is offered entirely online via ’myRMIT Studies’ so no face-to-face contact is required. As such it is ideal for students who live remotely or have limited time to spend on campus. Students are able to access the course materials at any time of the day from anywhere that they can get an internet connection, even from overseas.

Students will be able to access online course materials via ‘myRMIT’. At the commencement of the semester students should log into the Blackboard LMS (i.e. the course site) via ’myRMIT Studies’ and read all of the relevant announcements which will assist in working through the course materials. Each week students will be directed via the ’Learning Guide’ to a series of course materials and activities to consolidate their learning. These tasks will provide the foundational knowledge required to complete the assessments. A ‘Planning and Time Management Chart’ is provided in the Learning Guide to assist you in navigating your way through the course materials.

A variety of online learning experiences, both individual and group, will be drawn on to help you achieve the course learning outcomes. Individual work consists of reading, viewing presentations, completing activities or online self-assessment quizzes and preparing assessments. The tests will be based on these activities and quizzes. Group work will occur through online discussions facilitated by staff, peer-assessment and the option to complete the wellness agency project (WIL activity) as a group activity. Online discussions will explore selected topic areas to bring ideas together in a meaningful way, and students will be encouraged to discuss their personal experiences with wellness practices.

The assessments are designed to ensure that you can demonstrate a deep understanding of wellness and wellness practices through the appropriate use of terminology, and provide relevant and credible information on wellness and wellness practices.

RMIT University has a commitment to work-integrated learning (WIL) that links formal learning with workplace experience. Part of the assessment for this course requires you to undertake professional work within a community setting and includes a mechanism to gain feedback from a person in the workplace.

To help you meet the assessment requirements your progress will be monitored throughout the course. The interactive online and group activities will provide opportunities for self-assessment, peer-assessment and feedback from staff on a regular basis. Formal assessment includes written assignments, community engagement, participation in group discussions and activities, and online tests.

 

Teacher Guided Hours: Thirty-six (36) hours per semester
(Approximately 3 hours per week for reading or viewing presentations online)

Learner Directed Hours: Eighty-four (84) hours per semester
(Approximately 7 hours per week for online self-assessment quizzes, activities and assessment preparation)


Overview of Learning Resources

Students will have access to extensive course materials via the Blackboard LMS (i.e. the course site) and ’myRMIT’ including: a detailed learning guide, self-assessment and practice exam questions, digitised readings, external internet links, and access to RMIT library and databases online (http://rmit.libguides.com/wellness). Hardcopy resources are also available in the RMIT library.

The Blackboard LMS , which is accessible via ’myRMIT Studies’, will be used as an ‘active space’ where you can give and receive feedback with staff and/or fellow students around various activities, discuss issues pertaining to wellness practices and share ideas.You will be resources for each other, drawing upon your prior knowledge and experience of health, wellbeing, and health care. Your knowledge and experience is valuable and you will be encouraged to share it, particularly in the online group activities.

Please note that access to the course is entirely online via the Blackboard LMS and no hard copies or CDs will be posted.


Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

Assessment Tasks

 

Early Assessment (Formative): 

Self-assessment quizzes

Weighting 0% (Formative assessment with feedback)

The self-assessment quizzes will assist students in preparing for the tests which are conducted in Weeks 2,4,6 and 12. Feedback is provided following submission of quizzes, and quizzes may be repeated.

This assessment task supports CLOs 1-6

 

Assessment 1: 

Wellness article for publication

Weighting 40%

This assessment includes several components requiring both individual and group work.

• Idea development

• Peer review

• Writing the article

This assessment task supports CLOs 1-6

 

Assessment 2:

Wellness Agency Project (Client Folio)

Weighting 40%

This is a simulated wellness consultancy exercise (WIL). Each group/ individual is to work with a business/ clinic/ organisation that promotes itself as a wellness agency (or has the potential to do so), to create a folio of information and options that could potentially enhance their capabilities as a wellness agency.

This assessment can be completed as either a group activity or as an individual activity. The group option has both group and individual assessment components.

This assessment task supports CLOs 2-6

 

Assessment 3:

Tests (Four x 20 minute online)

Total Weighting 20%

Self-assessment quizzes and activities will be completed throughout the semester to assist students in preparing for the tests. Feedback will be provided after completion of the tests.

This series of assessment tasks supports CLOs 1-6

Test 1 – Topics 1-2 (5%) (Week 2) CLOs 1,3

Test 2- Topics 3-4 (5%) (Week 4) CLOs 2,4,6

Test 3 – Topic 5 (5%) (Week 6) CLOs 2,4,5

Test 4 – Topics 6-10 (5%) (Week 12) CLOs 3,4,5,6