Course Outline
SEC709 Cyber Industry Placement/Research Project
Course Coordinator:Clive Harfield (charfiel@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
2026Semester 1
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 Work Integrated Learning (WIL) cyber security course provides experience of the workplace through a virtual or remote working environment. Students will undertake a set of work activities under the guidance and supervision of an academic supervisor at the University of the Sunshine Coast and an industry placement supervisor from the partner organisation; e.g., delivery of a specific industry research project on a topic agreed with the placement supervisor. Critical reflection on your own practice and the impact of organisational needs within the cyber security paradigm will be emphasised.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Online | |||
| Online | 600hrs | Not applicable | Not Yet Determined |
Course Topics
- Reflective practice
- Scope of the field of study
- Applications and engagement in their field
- Career pathways in field of study
- Professional practice
- Professional communication
- Professional conduct
What level is this course?
700 Level (Specialised)
What is the unit value of this course?
48 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 Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Critique key components and processes involved in the understanding and deployment of cyber security controls and countermeasures. | Creative and critical thinker |
| 2 | Apply behavioural, ethical, information systems and criminological frameworks that explain workplace cyber security policies, techniques, and practice challenges associated with working within a cyber security environment from a multi-stakeholder perspective |
Empowered Ethical |
| 3 | Identify and analyse attributes of cyber security risk assessment, prevention, detection and response system as they relate to the workplace setting. | Knowledgeable |
| 4 | Use analytical skills to demonstrate value and new knowledge and insights required within the workplace setting. | Empowered |
| 5 | Critically reflect on your own practice and values. |
Creative and critical thinker Engaged |
| 6 | Act in accordance with prescribed code of conduct/ethics, including communicating respectfully with clients, colleagues and community members. |
Knowledgeable Empowered Ethical |
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
192 units of SEC postgraduate courses and must be enrolled in Program SC704.
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)
Details of early feedback on progress
Feedback on process will be delivered at key points in the placement experience. Early feedback on the design of the student learning agreement assessment will be provided in the liaison meeting in the first 4- 5 weeks of placement. Mid placement review, by supervisor and student will provide early feedback on student performance at the mid-way point of placement or 190 hours.
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 | 1 | Placement performance | Individual | 385 Hours of Verification |
Refer to Format | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Code of Conduct | Individual | Duration of placement |
Refer to Format | To Supervisor |
| All | 3 | Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece | Individual | 3000 word reflective journal and 30 minute presentation |
Refer to Format | To be Negotiated |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Cyber Industry Placement / Research Project Performance | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal of this assessment is to undertake 385 hours of professional practice in the cyber security field. |
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| Product: | Placement performance | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | Learning Agreement (set template involving 5-10 pages) to be completed by end of week 3 of the placement. Mid- and Final Placement Assessment Reports. Set template involving 5-10 pages. Due at completion of 190 and 385 hours respectively. 385 Hours of Verification – signed verification of hours to be submitted at end of placement. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | |||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 2:Code of Conduct | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | To undertake your professional practice while on placement in accordance with Field Education Manual Code of Ethics (2020), together with your agency’s code of conduct and the student code of conduct at the University of the Sunshine Coast. |
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| Product: | Code of Conduct | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | Pre-placement introduction. Placement activity assessed and graded taking account of Placement Supervisor advice. As part of your placement you are required to complete 385 hours of verification. To be eligible to pass, you are required to complete the placement satisfactorily according to the criteria below. See Field Education Manual (FEM) on Blackboard for the student Code of Conduct and further details. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | |||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 3:Critical Reflective Assessment Task | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | To develop and evaluate your professional learning goals based on your Learning Agreement. |
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| Product: | Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | Learners will keep a diary throughout the placement recording and reflect upon experiences in the field, including interactions with staff and clients, issues and situations encountered and how theoretical frameworks inform practice. The diary should be approximately 3000 words in length. You will submit your diary and lead a discussion comprising an multimodal presentation and question and answer session totally approximately 30 minutes on how you have integrated your theoretical understandings into your practice framework. SUBMIT: 2 weeks prior to the end of placement |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | |||||||||||||
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
Specific requirements
Please note that some placements require criminal history checks and work with children checks. It is important to discuss this with the Course Coordinator at the pre-placement interviews.
How are risks managed in this course?
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
Limited Graded Course: This course will be graded as Pass in a Limited Grade Course (PU) or Fail in a Limited Grade Course (UF) as per clause 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) - Institutional Operating Policy of the USC. 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.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
- In person:
- UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
- UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
- UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
- UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
- UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
- UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
- Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
- Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au