MATHS 3025 - Professional Practice III

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2019

Students need to learn how to operate effectively in a professional environment in order to be successful in their careers. This course is composed of two main components: finding and winning your next job; and achieving success in the workplace. More specifically, the first component will cover opportunity awareness, how to develop your personal brand and how to succeed in the selection processes. The second component will cover professional ethics, teamwork, meeting behaviours, self-awareness and awareness of others, relationship building, persuasion, and oral and written communication - both formal and informal, including social media.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MATHS 3025
    Course Professional Practice III
    Coordinating Unit Mathematical Sciences
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites COMP SCI 1102 or MATHS 1012
    Incompatible MATHS 3015
    Restrictions Not available to students in Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Teaching or double degrees combined with BSc or BTeaching
    Assessment Ongoing assessment
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Peter Hochs

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    1. demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills

    2. apply these skills at all stages of application for employment

    3. understand the importance of good communication in a professional environment, as well as differences in communication and personality styles

    4. understand the importance of teamwork in a professional environment

    5. understand the function of meetings and participate effectively in them

    6. work effectively in a team to analyse and solve practical problems
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    3
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    None
    Recommended Resources
    None
    Online Learning
    All necessary learning resources will be made available in MyUni.

    Link to MyUni login page:
    https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The goal of this course is for the students to develop practical skills. Background information will be provided in lectures, and is then put into practice in workshops. In the second half of the course, most workshop activities and assessments are related to a team project. Outside lectures and workshops, students are expected to prepare for lectures and workshops, to work on practical assessment exercises, to provide feedback on other students' work, and to work on the team project.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Activity Number Work load (hours)
    Lectures 12 12
    Workshops 12 24
    Preparation for lectures and workshops 12 36
    Assessment activities 8 42
    Team project 1 42
    Total 156
    Learning Activities Summary
    Lectures:

    1. Introduction and personal branding
    2. Opportunity awareness and feedback
    3. CVs and cover letters
    4. Interviews
    5. Technical inteview questions (guest lecture)
    6. Employer Q&A session
    7. Emotional intelligence; personality types; team work and meetings; project work
    8. Decision making (guest lecture)
    9. Presentations
    10. Report writing (guest lecture)
    11. Electronic communication
    12. Ethics

    Workshops:

    1. Diagnostic English test; personal statements
    2. CVs and cover letters 
    3. LinkedIn
    4. Interviews
    5. Assessments
    6. Employer pitch
    7. Personality types and communication
    8. First team project meeting
    9. Presentations
    10. Last team project meeting
    11. Team project presentations
    12. Team project presentations
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    The team project in the second half of the course is a small group discovery activity.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment task Weighting Learning outcomes assessed Week
    Active tutorial participation 10% 1-6 1-12
    Personal statement 5% 1,2 2
    CV 10% 1,2 4
    Cover letter 10% 1,2
    Video interview 10% 1,2 6
    Phone call 5% 1,3 9
    Email 5% 1,3 9
    Team work 5% 3,4,5,6 11
    Team project presentation 20% 1,3,4,6 11/12
    Team project report 20% 1,3,4,6 13

    For the team project, each student individually gives a presentation and writes a report.
    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission
    The personal statement, CV and cover letter, video interview, email and final report must all be submitted electronically.

    Precise deadlines for each assessment task will be announced in MyUni. Late submissions will not be accepted.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.