Course Outline

EDU117 Introduction to Inclusive Practice

Course Coordinator:Anne Drabble (adrabble@usc.edu.au) School:School of Education and Tertiary Access

2026Session 7

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This introductory course is designed to strengthen your knowledge and practice in prior to school and school contexts. The 15-day Professional Experience (PEx) includes a focus on the alignment between curriculum and the teaching cycle. Using age appropriate curriculum, you will establish intentional teaching practices to plan, teach, and gather data on learner progress and achievement. You will develop strength-based approaches to identify the needs of diverse learners and include purposeful consideration for reinforcing agency, wellbeing and the full participation of all learners.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Learning materials – Learning materials are independently accessed in Canvas. They include course content, activities, readings and resources for active engagement and participation in the online tutorials. 1hr Week 1 5 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Tutorial 1 includes five online tutorials scheduled via zoom. The tutorials involve active participation. Additional modalities may be used to in this course. 1hr Week 1 5 times
Placement – You will undertake 7.25 hours of PEx each day for a total of 15 consecutive days. The PEx Handbook includes specific requirements for the PEx, and can be accessed on SONIA. The 15 days of PEx meets the number of PEx days required in this course. 108.75hrs Not applicable Once Only

Course Topics

  • Child Protection

  • Code of Conduct

  • Families and Community Relationships

  • Human Development, Managing Behaviours and Sense of Agency and Wellbeing

  • Inclusion  in the EYLF, QKLG and the Australian Curriculum

  • Intentional Teaching Practices for Inclusion

  • Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Engagement

  • Strength Based Approaches for Individual Learner Needs

  • The Reflective Practitioner

  • Trauma and Healing, Resilience

  • Universal Design for Learning 

What level is this course?

100 Level (Introductory)

Engaging with discipline knowledge and skills at foundational level, broad application of knowledge and skills in familiar contexts and with support. Limited or no prerequisites. Normally, associated with the first full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

6 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
1 Understand, enact, and comply with the professional practices as outlined in the SETA Code of Conduct Ethical
7, 7.1, 7.2
2 Contribute to the teaching cycles by working within established lesson plans and teaching frameworks to support diverse learners with a range of capabilities Sustainability-focussed
3, 4, 5
3 Assist in implementing purposeful, intentional, teaching opportunities to extend thinking and learning for diverse learners Empowered
1, 3, 4
4 Evaluate age appropriate curriculum to develop intentional teaching practices to engage diverse learners Engaged
1, 3, 4
5 Identify inclusive practices that support the diverse learning needs of all learners including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners Knowledgeable
1.3, 1.4, 2.4

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
1 PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE: Know students and how they learn
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds: Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians: Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
3 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
4 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
5 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
7 PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities: Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements: Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage.

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

EDU116, and must be enrolled in ED101 or ED102

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Limited Grading (PNP)

Pass (PU), Fail (UF). All assessment tasks are required to be passed for successful completion of the course.

Details of early feedback on progress

Students will receive timely feedback before Week 4 Census to support learning and guide subsequent assessments.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 3 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual
Assessment 3 consists of a 500 word (or equivalent) written submission.
Week 7 Online Submission
All 4 Artefact - Creative, and Oral Individual
Assessment 4 consists of a 2000 word (or equivalent) written component including an oral narration in which to explain the inclusive strategies observed and contributed to  during the PEx
Week 7 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 3:SPARK:A reflective analysis
Goal:
The goal of Assessment 3 is to reflect on the PEx to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement.
You must achieve a Pass (PU) to pass this course.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Assessment 3 includes submission of the SPARK reflection template, in Canvas.
The SPARK reflective analysis is due by Monday 10:00am, of the week following the completion of your PEx.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Evaluation of PEx experiences through reflection-for-action
2 4
2
Analysis of knowledge and practice for improved professional learning
2
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies
All - Assessment Task 4:Inclusive Teaching Strategies
Goal:
The goal of Assessment 4 is to reflect on the planning, implementation and inclusive strategies observed and contributed to during the PEx

You must achieve a Pass (PU) to pass this course.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Assignment 4 is completed using a narrated Power Point. You are required to include an example of a teaching activity and provide a narration explaining how the activity accommodates learner needs, demonstrates inclusive practice and reflects on your own professional learning.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification of inclusive strategies to meet the needs of learners
3
2
Explanation of the value of inclusive practice in teaching and learning
2
3
Analysis of inclusion on teacher impact and learner needs
5
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Recommended Iva Strnadová,Michael Arthur-Kelly,Phil Foreman 2021 Inclusion in Action 6e 6th Cengage AU

Specific requirements

Current Blue Card for the 15 days of PEx placement commencing Week 5. It is expected you will access both, the electronic learning materials available on Canvas and at resources available in the library. You are also required to have transport to your allocated PEx site.

How are risks managed in this course?

Risk assessments have been performed for all field activities and a low level of health and safety risk exists. Some risks concerns may include working in an unknown environment as well as slip and trip hazards. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

This course will be graded as Pass in a Limited Grade Course (PU) or Fail in a Limited Grade Course (UF) as per clause 5.1.1.3 and 5.1.1.4 of the Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) - Academic Policy.

In a course eligible to use Limited Grades, all assessment items in that course are marked on a Pass/Fail basis and all assessment tasks are required to be passed for a student to successfully complete the course. Supplementary assessment is not available in courses using Limited Grades.

Assessment: Submission penalties

You must contact your Course Coordinator and provide the required documentation if you require an extension or alternate assessment.

Refer to the Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs – Procedures.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: