Year

2022

Credit points

10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit

Prerequisites

Nil

Unit rationale, description and aim

The ability of educators and allied professionals to develop advanced knowledge, integrated understanding and expert skills in new and emerging domains is of critical importance in a time of rapid ongoing change. 

This unit provides the flexibility to make use of the occasional presence of visiting lecturers and/or special study/seminar arrangements to provide for the study of particular topics that fit within the Masters in Educational Leadership course, but which otherwise might not be taught within the regular list of units offered. The seminar also allows for the flexible delivery of the unit.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Understand comprehensively, critically analyse and reflect on topics that are relevant to the Masters in Educational Leadership course but which are not commonly available in the regular timetable of units (GA1, GA2 GA3, GA4; APSP 1, 2, 3, 4)

LO2 - Critically analyse and evaluate the key issues undertaken in the specialised studies in an area of Educational Leadership, Management and Administration (ELMA) (GA1, GA2, GA 3, GA4, GA8; APSP 1, 2, 5)

LO3 - Understand comprehensively, critically analyse and reflect on relevant professional requirements and professional ethical standards particular to the topic (GA1, GA2, GA3, GA5; APSP 1, 2, 5)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA2 - Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - Apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - Think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - Locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARD FOR PRINCIPALS - PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES

This unit addresses the following Professional Practices

1. Professional Practice: Leading teaching and learning

Principals create a positive culture of challenge and support, enabling effective teaching that promotes enthusiastic, independent learners, committed to lifelong learning. Principals have a key responsibility for developing a culture of effective teaching, for leading, designing and managing the quality of teaching and learning and for students’ achievement in all aspects of their development. They set high expectations for the whole school through careful collaborative planning, monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of learning. Principals set high standards of behaviour and attendance, encouraging active engagement and a strong student voice.

2. Professional Practice: Developing self and others

Principals work with and through others to build a professional learning community that is focused on continuous improvement of teaching and learning. Through managing performance, effective continuing professional learning and feedback, they support all staff to achieve high standards and develop their leadership capacity. Principals support others to build capacity and treat people fairly and with respect. They model effective leadership and are committed to their own ongoing professional development and personal health and wellbeing in order to manage the complexity of the role and the range of learning capabilities and actions required of the role.

3 Professional Practice: Leading improvement, innovation and change

Principals work with others to produce and implement clear, evidence-based improvement plans and policies for the development of the school and its facilities. They recognise that a crucial part of the role is to lead and manage innovation and change to ensure the vision and strategic plan is put into action across the school and that its goals and intentions are realised.

4. Professional Practice: Leading the management of the school

Principals use a range of data management methods and technologies to ensure that the school’s resources and staff are efficiently organised and managed to provide an effective and safe learning environment as well as value for money. This includes appropriate delegation of tasks to members of the staff and the monitoring of accountabilities. Principals ensure these accountabilities are met. They seek to build a successful school through effective collaboration with school boards, governing bodies, parents and others. They use a range of technologies effectively and efficiently to manage the school.

5. Professional Practice: Engaging and working with the community

Principals embrace inclusion and help build a culture of high expectations that takes account of the richness and diversity of the wider school community and the education systems and sectors. They develop and maintain positive partnerships with students, families and carers and all those associated with the wider school community. They create an ethos of respect taking account of the spiritual, moral, social and physical health and wellbeing of students. They promote sound lifelong learning from preschool through to adult life. They recognise the multicultural nature of Australia’s people. They foster understanding and reconciliation with Indigenous cultures. They recognise and use the rich and diverse linguistic and cultural resources in the school community. They recognise and support the needs of students, families and carers from communities facing complex challenges

Content

Topics may include appropriate content in Educational Leadership, Management and Administration which is consistent with the objectives of the course.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is offered in multi-mode as either online or face-to face intensive formats.

In online mode the use of LEO will be integral to the unit in exploring concepts and testing understandings and propositions. This mode provides opportunities for students to engage with unit materials in a flexible and self-directed format allowing asynchronous discussion with peers.

In the face-to-face intensive mode the use of collaborative learning and discussion will be integral to the unit in exploring concepts and testing understandings and propositions. This mode provides opportunities for students to engage face-to-face with peers in an intensive format allowing synchronous discussion with peers.

This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, video, workshops, and assignments etc. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment will relate directly to the achievement of the outcomes above. Some flexibility may be exercised in the assessment tasks to align with the needs of the student cohort, for example, students may be working in a classroom, in an administrative role or currently on leave from teaching.

The assessment schedule must be limited to a maximum of three assessment tasks. Unless justified and approved by the relevant Committee, no individual assessment task should have a weighting of more than 50 percent of the total assessment in a unit.

Overview of assessments

Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment TasksWeightingLearning OutcomesGraduate Attributes

*Assessment Task 1

e.g., extended writing task (i.e., acquisition and assimilation of advanced, specialised knowledge, understandings and skills)

50%

LO1, LO2

GA1, GA2, GA3, GA4

*Assessment Task 2

e.g., application task (i.e., application of advanced, specialised knowledge, understanding and skills)

50%

LO1, LO2, LO3

GA1, GA2. GA3. GA4. GA5

*To be completed as relevant to the special studies unit

Representative texts and references

A list of selected texts which cover the relevant content areas and which are at an academic level appropriate for Master students will be prepared in conjunction with the lecturer in charge for the specific seminar. 

Have a question?

We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday

If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.

Live chat with us now

Chat to our team for real-time
answers to your questions.

Launch live chat

Visit our FAQs page

Find answers to some commonly
asked questions.

See our FAQs