Unit code: NUM2308
Unit title: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’ health and wellness
Semester / year: Semester 1 2020
Study mode / campus: On campus / Online
School: Nursing and Midwifery
Staff Information
Lecturer name:
Office location:
Phone:
Email:
Consultation times: Email for an appointment.
Key Dates
| Item | Due date |
| Census date (withdrawal without financial penalty) | See Withdrawal Dates |
| Academic penalty date (withdrawal without academic penalty) | See Withdrawal Dates |
| Assessment 1 Online quiz 20% | Week 5 Monday 22nd Mar 9am to Tuesday 23rd Mar at midday (12pm). |
| Assignment 1- Reflective piece 30% | Week 8 Monday 12th April 12pm (Lunchtime, noon) |
| Assignment 2 – Contemporary issue essay | Study week Monday 31st May 12pm (lunchtime, noon) |
| UTEI feedback | Week 12 (open for 3 weeks) |
Times quoted are Australian Western standard times (AWST)
Overview
Welcome to NUM2308 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’ health and wellness for both on-campus and online study. This unit provides students with a foundational understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the implications for health care. Topics such as cultural safety, the impact of historical events and contemporary health issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, will be explored throughout the unit. Additionally, the role of health professionals in improving health outcomes in rural and regional communities will be discussed. This unit is delivered in partnership with Kurongkurl Katitjin: ECU’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research.
Assessment
In order to pass the unit, you will need to:
- Achieve an overall percentage of 50% or more;
Assessment due dates are strictly adhered to and penalties apply for late submission of assessments in accordance with the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures (PDF file, 140.4KB, opens in new window).
If you require an extension of time to complete an assessment, you need to submit a request in writing to the Unit Coordinator using the Application for Extension on assignment form (PDF file, 156.7 KB, opens in new window) and including evidence of illness or exceptional circumstance. Requests can be made for a maximum of seven calendar days and must be submitted prior to the assessment due date. Extension requests beyond seven calendar days can only be granted in exceptional circumstances by the Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning.
You may find these examples of valid and invalid reasons for an extension helpful:
| Valid reasons | Invalid reasons |
| Ill health or injury | Routine demands of employment |
| Compassionate grounds | Stress or anxiety normally associated with course work and assessments |
| Sport representation at national or international level | Routine financial support needs |
| Representation in significant cultural activities | Lack of knowledge of the requirements of academic work |
| Unexpected employment-related intrastate, interstate or overseas travel | Difficulties with English language |
| Special consideration granted to a student as detailed on an ECU Learning and Assessment Plan (LAP) | Scheduled anticipated changes of address, moving home, etc. |
| Australian Defensive Service commitments | Demands of sport, clubs, social or extra-curricular activity (unless the student is registered in ECU Elite Athlete Program) |
| Other unexpected circumstances considered appropriate by the Unit Coordinator | Recreational travel (domestic or international |
| Planned events such as weddings, birthday parties, etc. | |
| Misreading the due date, sleeping in, forgetting, etc. |
Assessment 1 Test
| Assessment Description | Online quiz |
| Value | 20% |
| Team or Individual | Individual |
| Format | Length: 40 questions over 40 minutes |
| Due Date and time | See summary table |
| How to Submit | Via portal under Assessment s tab |
| Learning Outcomes | 3,4 |
| Feedback | Feedback will be available via Blackboard > My Grades. |
Instructions
- The test will comprise of 40 multiple choice questions – each question is worth 1/2 mark for a total of 20 marks. The 40 questions are randomly selected by Blackboard from a block of questions developed by the Unit Coordinator.
- this is an open book assessment that allows you to use the relevant materials from the lectures and the compulsory readings. The test assesses content from weeks 1-4. It is an individual assessment and collusion will be treated as academic misconduct as per ECU policy.
- the time allocation for the test is 40 minutes. Being on clinical practicum placement (or at work) will not be considered reason to re-open a test for individuals who fail to complete it in the period allocated.
- once started the test CANNOT be paused
- make sure you have a quiet space in which to conduct the test, are free of distractions, and are using a reliable computer and internet connection.
- If the ECU server or Blackboard fails, students may request by email to the Unit Coordinator, to have their test recommenced. The Unit Coordinator will only reset the test if the problem lies with ECU. If a problem occurs with a student’s computer or server, no reset option is available. Problems do occur when attempting to do the test using smart phones, so it is strongly suggested not to use these.
Assignment 1
| Assessment Description | Reflective piece |
| Value | 30% |
| Team or Individual | Individual |
| Format | Length: 1000 words (plus or minus 10%). Use headings provided below. Your reference list must contain a minimum 7 references, 7 years old or less, from a mixture of unit lectures/content, journal articles, books and credible websites (e.g. Australian Indigenous health info net). Remember to reference individual chapters of edited books e.g. Biles and Biles. Format as per the SMN Assessment Guidelines and ECU Referencing Guide. |
| Due Date and time | See summary table |
| How to Submit | Electronically via Blackboard > Assessment folder Please keep your Turnitin receipt and an electronic copy of the work as proof of completion and submission. If your assignment is submitted after the due date (with or without an approved extension) and you have already submitted a draft, you will need to email the unit coordinator immediately so that the draft can be removed before it is graded. |
| Learning Outcomes | 1,2,5 |
| Marking Criteria | The rubrics for assignment 1 and 2 are based on the standard school rubric with a few minor changes. Please make sure you review the rubric whilst preparing your assignments. Rubric adjustments: Content 45 (15 marks each) Critical thinking (20 marks) Structure/pres (15) Ref (10) ELP (10) |
| Feedback | Feedback will be available via Blackboard > My Grades and Turnitin |
Instructions
If you have any questions relating to this assessment task, please go to the discussion board and post your questions there.
Reflect on the following 3 statements from the questionnaire you took at the start of the unit:
- Time in the health professional curriculum devoted to the promotion of student self-awareness and well-being is time well spent.
- As a health professional if I needed more information about a person’s culture to provide a service, I would feel comfortable asking the person or one of their family members.
- I need to think beyond the individual when considering Aboriginal health issues.
Describe and explain your response (agree or disagree or remain neutral) to these statements and consider how the unit content so far has influenced your response. Consider an alternative view and the reasons why other people may have given a different response to you. The focus on your reflection should be how this new knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health and wellness has or will impact on how you deliver care in your career.
You may refer to the unit texts, videos or resources as background to your learning but you will need to be specific about which module, chapter or resource influenced your response.
You also need to support your reflection using journal articles, books or audio-visual sources (professional documentaries by credible sources) that are not in the unit content but they must be able to be located via an active weblink and properly referenced. You do not need to use Gibbs reflective cycle or other frameworks for your writing but it will help you if you consider the “What?, So what?, now what?” framework as provided in the first tutorial activity.
Write approximately 300 words for each item.
You may write in first person if you wish but sentence structure, spelling and grammar must be in academic style.
Do not include an Introduction or Conclusion.
For example:
- Pineapple is an inappropriate topping for Pizza
My initial response to the above statement was that I disagreed with the concept of pineapple being an appropriate pizza topping. This is because fruit is generally sweet (reference) and pizza is generally savoury (reference). In my cultural background, foods that are sweet and foods that are savory are generally eaten separately (reference). However, when I watched the video, Traditional ways of making Pizza (reference), I was encouraged to consider a different perspective. I was surprised to see people enjoying a variety of fruit toppings on their pizza and this challenged me to try pineapple on pizza and to incorporate this new knowledge into my future ways of cooking.
Referencing learning materials:
1) if possible, refer to the main source e.g. if the lecturer or tutor refers to a book, video or article
2) be specific – don’t say “I liked lecture 2 it was interesting”, rather say: The concept of enculturation was discussed in lecture materials for module 2 (Garvey, 2020)
3) For the end text reference for a lecture – use the format
- Author (Garvey, D, Schultz, B or McCullough, K ),
- date (2020 for all materials because that was when the unit was written),
- then the title of the lecture “Culture” or “Tutorial Activities module 2”
- For the publisher write ” NUM2308, Edith Cowan University”
It might not be perfect APA style but is ok for the purposes of this reflection.
Assignment 2
| Assessment Description | Contemporary issue essay |
| Value | 50% |
| Team or Individual | Individual |
| Format | Length: 1750 words (plus or minus 10%). Use headings provided below. Minimum 10 references, 7 years old or less, from a mixture of journal articles, books and credible websites (e.g. Australian Indigenous health info net). Your unit text is an edited book so reference the separate chapters that you use appropriately. Do not reference unit lectures or tutorial activities for this assignment. Make sure your sources are credible. Remember to reference the individual chapters of edited books e.g. Biles and Biles Format as per the SMN Assessment Guidelines and ECU Referencing Guide. |
| Due Date and time | See summary table |
| How to Submit | Electronically via Blackboard > Assessment folder Please keep your Turnitin receipt and an electronic copy of the work as proof of completion and submission. If your assignment is submitted after the due date (with or without an approved extension) and you have already submitted a draft, you will need to email the unit coordinator immediately so that the draft can be removed before it is graded. |
| Learning Outcomes | 3,4,5, |
| Marking Criteria | The rubrics for assignment 1 and 2 are based on the standard school rubric with a few minor changes. Please make sure you review the rubric whilst preparing your assignments. Rubric adjustments: Content 45 (15 for similarities, 15 for concepts, 15 for strategies) Critical thinking (20 marks) Structure/pres (15) Ref (10) ELP (10) |
| Feedback | Feedback will be available via Blackboard > My Grades and Turnitin |
Instructions
If you have any questions relating to this assessment task, please go to the discussion board and post your questions there.
Tanika is Aboriginal and lives in a small rural town where she has strong connections to family and country. She is 16 years old and pregnant with her first child. Physically, mother and Baby are well but because there are no birthing services in her community she is required to go to the nearest major city (several hundred kilometres away) to wait to birth her baby. Tanika is refusing to go to town saying that she would prefer to birth in her community with the assistance of the local Aboriginal community-controlled health service staff. Using the concepts learned in this unit, analyse Tanika’s situation regarding the pros and cons of birthing on country and birthing in a metropolitan hospital. Discuss concepts from the unit that relate to her situation and provide some recommendations that would ensure the availability of culturally safe care in a metropolitan hospital.
Frame your essay around key concepts in this unit (outlined in the study schedule on the last page and in the week 9 tutorial) such as:
- Race/culture/ethnicity/identity
- Privilege/Equality/Access to health services
- Unequal power / Enculturation
- Colonisation/ Australian Historical events
- Stereotyping /racism
- Victim blaming
- Communication/health literacy
- Cultural safety/ Cultural competence
- Social Determinants of Health
- Codes and Standards of Nursing and Midwifery practice
TIP: Remember that you need to demonstrate that you understand the concepts above, so start your paragraphs with a topic sentence that introduces the concept, then relate the concept to the case study in a way that shows you understand how the concept can be applied in ‘real life’. Discussion of at least three concepts in depth is expected as a minimum. You should be able to refer to several other concepts as well (the more the better)
Headings (sub-headings may be used of your choice):
Introduction (150 words): Brief overview of the topic and structure of the essay
Similarities and differences between health services (400 words) Describe and support with references.
Concepts that relate to the case study (600 words)
Strategies to manage health issues in a culturally safe way (500 words)
Conclusion (100 words) summary of key points
Study schedule
Each week, students are expected to:
- listen to the recorded lectures for each module,
- read the prescribed chapter(s) from the core text: Biles, B., & Biles, J. (Eds.). (2020). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health and wellbeing. Docklands VIC: Oxford University Press, and,
- to attend 80% of all tutorials if enrolled on-campus or work through the module “activities” section if off campus.
Study Schedule NUM2308
| Week | Lecture Modules – (2 hrs) | Topics | Tutorial Activities- (2 hrs) |
| 1 | Welcome Cultural safety for nursing studentsCultural competence | Cultural safety and capability Nursing standards for practiceReadings as per BB instructions | Attitude change questionnaireSelf-reflectionCulture, ethnicity and race |
| 2 | CultureSocio-historical events | History and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesReadings as per BB instructions | TerminologyBasic demographicsHistorical events |
| 3 | Dark Emu adaptationAboriginal identity | Concepts of health and wellbeingReadings as per BB instructions | Social and emotional WellbeingCollectivist cultureConnection to countrySpirituality |
| 4 | Ask us anythingSocial and emotional wellbeingSwimming the river | Social determinants of healthReadings as per BB instructions | Racism, prejudice, discriminationStereotypesVictim-blamingPrivilege/Equality/equity |
| 5 | Cultural safetyCardiovascular health | Cardiovascular health Effective Provision of health servicesReadings as per BB instructions | Access to health servicesAboriginal Medical servicesAboriginal Health PractitionersBeing an Ally |
| Tutorials continue for students attending Clinical Practice 2 & 3 | |||
| 6 | Using Aboriginal Interpreter servicesDiabetes and health literacy | Endocrine healthHealth literacy Readings as per BB instructions | Indigenous languages and communicationHealth literacyNon-complianceWorking with interpretersYarning |
| 7 | Early lifeStatistical indicators of health | Early life Readings as per BB instructions | Perinatal careBirthing on Country |
| 8 | Enhancing clinical practice in mental health care Stolen Generations | Mental health and intergenerational traumaReadings as per BB instructions | TraumaFamily and KinshipCulturally informed approach to mental health |
| 9 | Elders and traditional knowledgeArt as Cultural expression | Older adult health and wellbeingReadings as per BB instructions | Leaving a legacySorry businessUnit conclusion and assignment preparation |
| Mid Semester Break Weeks 10-13 Tutorials 6-9 repeat for students attending Clinical Practice | |||
| Study Week | |||
| Examination Week 1 | |||
| Examination Week 2 | |||
