Unit rationale, description and aim
Graduates of programs in Spirituality should develop knowledge and skills in this discipline and be able to reflect critically on the ways in which their personal development impacts upon their professional roles. This unit introduces students to the principles and practice of spiritual care across a range of health settings and different population groups. Students will examine the theory and practice of spiritual care, through an exploration and critical analysis of contemporary research. They will consider the origins and development of spiritual care as an authentic aspect of the holistic care of the individual. They will also have the opportunity to apply their learning to their vocational contexts. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a framework for understanding the role and nature of spiritual care within healthcare environments and to enable them to consider the implications of their learning for professional practice.
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.
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles and...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse and reflect critically on current models o...
Learning Outcome 02
Articulate a contemporary understanding of spiritu...
Learning Outcome 03
Assess the place of spiritual care in holistic med...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- The genesis of the concept of Spiritual Care;
- The nature of healthcare – theoretical and theological considerations;
- Critical analysis of contemporary research;
- The principles and practices of spiritual care;
- Theoretical approaches and models of spiritual care;
- The relationship between spiritual care and holistic healthcare.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete all assessment tasks and achieve an overall minimum grade of pass. All assessment tasks are designed for students to show their achievement of each learning outcome and graduate attribute. They require students to demonstrate the nexus between their learning, dispositions, and healthcare practice, and the evidence on which this demonstration is based.
Overview of assessments
15-minute presentation with accompanying written ...
15-minute presentation with accompanying written notes (equivalent to 3000 words). This task is designed to provide students with the opportunity to test and review the quality of their learning in the context of peer discussion.
50%
Essay (4000-words). This task is designed to prov...
Essay (4000-words). This task is designed to provide students with the opportunity to integrate their learning and engage critically with its implications.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
THSP508 will be delivered in multi-mode, that is, in various combinations of face to face and mediated learning environments, utilising strategies which may include:
- Self-directed activities (such as completing scaffolded reading tasks or web-based exercises) which enable each student to build a detailed understanding of a topic;
- Small-group tasks and activities (such as contributing to discussion forums or undertaking peer review) which enable students to test, critique, expand and evaluate their understandings;
- Plenary seminars and webinars which enable students to link their understandings with larger frameworks of knowledge and alternative interpretations of ideas;
- Practical or fieldwork activities which enable students to rehearse skills necessary to the discipline and to be mentored in that practice;
- Critically reflective activities (such as a guided Examen or private journal-writing) which assist students to learn reflexively, that is, to identify their affective responses to the learning and to integrate their learning with action.
The unit is delivered with the expectation that participants are adult learners, intrinsically motivated and prepared to reflect critically on issues as well as on their own learning and perspectives.