Course Title: Maintain and enhance professional practice

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term2 2013

Course Code: EMPL9754C

Course Title: Maintain and enhance professional practice

School: 650T TAFE Business

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5292 - Diploma of Legal Services

Course Contact : Robyn Lang

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925-1565

Course Contact Email:robyn.lang@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Bernadine McNamara, Sessional Teacher

Email bernadine.mcnamara@rmit.edu.au

Nominal Hours: 30

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

None

Course Description

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required by individuals to manage their own professional development and ongoing performance. This unit addresses the process required to maintain a high level of professional performance in a particular field. It includes modelling high standards of performance according to professional standards and procedures, and the processes and outcomes involved in determining professional development needs and participating in associated activities. A range of legislation, rules, regulations and codes of practice may apply to this unit at the time of endorsement, depending on job roles and jurisdictions.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

BSBLED503A Maintain and enhance professional practice

Element:

2. Determine personal development needs

Performance Criteria:

2.1. Assess personal skills and knowledge against relevant benchmarks to determine development needs and priorities
2.2. Identify changes in professional practices and codes of conduct
2.3. Use feedback from colleagues and clients to identify personal learning needs and areas of professional development
2.4. Identify future career options
2.5. Update and document personal learning needs
2.6. Discuss personal development needs with relevant personnel for inclusion in professional development plan
 

Element:

3. Participate in professional development activities

Performance Criteria:

3.1. Select development opportunities suitable to personal learning styles to support continuous learning and maintain currency of professional practice
3.2. Participate in professional networks to support continuous learning and to maintain professional practice
3.3. Use technology to maintain regular communication with relevant networks, organisations and individuals
 

Element:

4. Reflect on and evaluate professional practice

Performance Criteria:

4.1. Research developments and trends impacting on professional practice and integrate them into work performance
4.2. Use feedback from colleagues, supervisors, staff and clients to identify and introduce improvements in work performance
4.3. Identify innovative and responsive approaches for improving professional practice through the use of continuous improvement techniques and processes
4.4. Track progress through a personal portfolio or other mechanism
4.5. Manage records, reports and recommendations for improvemen
 

Element:

1. Model high standards of performance

Performance Criteria:

1.1. Ensure personal performance is consistent with the organisation's goals and objectives
1.2. Ensure work goals and plans reflect individual responsibilities in accordance with organisational and legal requirements
 


Learning Outcomes



Details of Learning Activities

This course is delivered in conjunction with BSBCOM501B Identify and interpret compliance requirements and BSBCMM501A  Develop and nurture relationships

From this unit (one of three comprising the course Professional Practice) students will acquire an understanding of legislative compliance obligations relevant to legal firms.  The focus will be on professional conduct rules, occupational health and safety, and privacy.   The second workshop in the course will be dedicated to this unit and will involve discussion of issues and participation by students.  Extensive use will be made of RMIT’s online learning environment (Blackboard) to provide extra reading material, links to video resources and administer an assessment of learning. 

The teacher will be contactable by email in between workshops and will be able to respond to queries from students. Announcements will also be posted on Blackboard by the teacher.
 

Students will need to bring a laptop to workshops and to have basic computer literacy skills.
 


Teaching Schedule

The five workshops in Professional Practice are spaced out across the semester, as shown in the table below. Each workshop is scheduled to last three hours with a break in the middle. Workshops 1 and 5 are mandatory due to orientation and the examination respectively.


 

Workshop Topic Date/time/location
1

 

Orientation and introduction to the Diploma of Legal Services

 

Thursday 28 June 2012, 6pm - 9pm

Room 108.09.06 in Building 108

2

 

Identify and interpret compliance requirements

 

Thursday 5 July 2012, 6pm - 9pm

Room 108.09.07 in Building 108

3 Develop and nurture relationships

 

Thursday 2 August, 6pm - 9pm

Room 80.04.021 in Building 80

 

4

 

Maintain and enhance professional practice

 

Thursday 6 September, 6pm - 9pm

Room 80.04.021 in Building 80

 

5

 

Test

 

Thursday 4 October, 6pm - 9pm

Room 80.04.021 in Building 80

 


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

Materials will be supplied.


References


Other Resources

These will be provided in the first set of materials.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment may incorporate a variety of methods including in-class exercises, problem-solving exercises, assignments, group or individual projects, presentations and written or practical tests, as well as homework activities.

Other activities may be workplace-based or simulate work practices. These may include the production of technical requirements documents, direct observation of workplace practices and the presentation of a portfolio of evidence. This portfolio may include documents, photographs, video and/or audio files.

Students are advised that they are likely to be asked to personally demonstrate their assessment work to their teacher to ensure that the relevant competency standards are being met. Students will be provided with feedback throughout the course to check their progress.
 


Assessment Tasks

There will be three assessment tasks for Professional Practice, all competency-based, that is, no percentage mark will attach to any of the assessment tasks. To be competent in these competencies you must pass all three assessments. If any assessment is not competent you will be given an opportunity to resubmit but the maximum grade will be CAG. The grade awarded for competency based assessment are:

CHD Competency with High Distinction

CDI Competent with Distinction

CC Competent with Credit

CAG Competency achieved - Graded

NYC Not Yet competent

DNS Did not submit for assessment

 

First, there will be an assignment addressing material studied in workshop 2. The assignment, which will be available on Blackboard the day of the second workshop, will contain some short answer questions and a question requiring a longer answer based on online research.
 

Second, there will be an online quiz following workshop 3, addressing material studied for that workshop.
 

Third, there will be a two hour test conducted in workshop 5 which will address all the material studied in the course. The test will be open book and sample test questions will be provided prior to workshop 5.
 


Assessment Matrix

Course Overview: Access Course Overview