Course Outline

EDU412 Diversity and Inclusion

Course Coordinator:Sharon Louth (slouth@usc.edu.au) School:School of Education and Tertiary Access

2026Session 5

UniSC Sunshine Coast

Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

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

Every learner in your class is diverse and has particular needs based on gender, ethnicity, language, culture, religion and/or socio-economic background. You will apply specialised knowledge to develop advanced and integrated understanding of socio-cultural theories and professional skills to respond to and support students in your care, to foster a strong sense of personal wellbeing. You will research socially just and equitable practices that support learners and contribute to positive behaviours, investigate theories and policies and interrogate resources and current issues pertinent to your future professional role.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – You are required to engage and interact with asynchronous materials and activities accessed through Canvas modules, course readings and required texts. 3hrs Week 1 5 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – There will be a scheduled daily on-campus tutorial during the one week intensive. Tutorial notes will be available to accompany all tutorials to support your learning. 10hrs Week 2 Once Only
Tutorial/Workshop 2 – A zoom or face to face session each week post intensive. 2hrs Week 3 4 times
Online
Learning materials – You are required to engage and interact with asynchronous materials and activities accessed through Canvas modules, course readings and required texts. 3hrs Week 1 5 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – There will be a scheduled daily Zoom tutorial. Tutorial notes will be available to accompany all tutorials to support your learning. 10hrs Week 2 Once Only
Tutorial/Workshop 2 – A zoom session each week post intensive. 2hrs Week 3 4 times

Course Topics

Student diversity in classrooms – gender, disability, linguistic (EAL/D), cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Inclusivity and equity and the impacts of biases and assumptions.

Consideration of the use of a multi-tiered system of support framework to assist teachers to support diverse learner needs 

Education for peace – positive behaviours that promote well-being, respect, tolerance, community cohesion, including domestic violence awareness.

Pedagogical approaches supported by research that are sensitive to the diverse needs of students, including trauma informed and culturally responsive practices

Differentiation of the curriculum, teaching and learning strategies and assessment practices for students from diverse backgrounds

What level is this course?

400 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 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 Apply knowledge and understanding of ethical and inclusive practices to adjust your existing teaching and learning activities to support diverse learner needs, giving consideration to students' physical, social and intellectual development. Create practical applications to demonstrate inclusive learning experiences. Ethical
Engaged
1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.4, 3, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 4, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2
2 Demonstrate knowledge of how students learn (physically, socially and intellectually) and the implication for teaching through undertaking research into inclusive teaching and learning practices Knowledgeable
Empowered
1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.7, 4, 6.1, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2
3 Design and create teaching resources that incorporate and promote inclusive practices and diversity Empowered
1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 3, 3.1, 3.4, 4, 4.1, 6.4, 7, 7.1, 7.2
4 Justify your professional decisions to effectively engage diverse learners. Including strategies to support student well-being and safety, legislative requirements and policy. Empowered
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 3, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 4, 4.1, 6.3, 6.4, 7, 7.1, 7.2

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
1 PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE: Know students and how they learn
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
1.2 Understand how students learn: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
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.
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability: Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability.
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
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals: Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs: Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.
3.3 Use teaching strategies: Include a range of teaching strategies.
3.4 Select and use resources: Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs: Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.
3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process: Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.
4 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
4.1 Support student participation: Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs: Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice: Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning: Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved 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

Enrolled in Program ED304, ED306, ED305, AE304, SE303, ED315

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

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

During workshops throughout the course students will be given feedback on their progress through group and individual discussion activities.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?

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.

Schedule

Period and Topic Activities
Module 1: Seeing and Listening to Learner Diversity
Legislation and requirements
 Understanding sociocultural determinants impacting on the learning and teaching environment for learners:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural diversity
Multicultural, religious and linguistic diversity
Socio-economic diversity
Gender and familial diversity including domestic violence awareness
Module 2: Responding through Pedagogy to Promote Inclusion
Creating positive learning environments
Differentiating curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment
Motivation and engagement
Education for peace – well-being, respect, tolerance and community cohesion
Module 3: Thinking about the need for Equity in Education
School and teacher responsibility regarding equity, inclusivity and learning engagement for all students from a diverse range of backgrounds throughout their schooling
Theoretical frameworks relating to diversity and inclusion
Impact on teaching philosophies and resulting practices
Collaborating and connecting to walk the talk

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 Eric H. Frangenheim 2018 Reflections on Classroom Thinking Strategies 11 Rodin

Specific requirements

Nil

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. 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

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

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: