Inherent requirements – Graduate Certificate / Master of Education
Find the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of our:
You should carefully consider the following inherent requirement statements as:
- a guide for your learning during the course
- a way to identify challenges you may have in meeting the requirements.
This relates to the student's ability to understand and adhere to standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with.
Examples include:
- complying with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies, including academic integrity policies
- understanding and complying with professional standards, codes of practice and guidelines.
Rationale
Compliance with standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with in the many environments of practice is required for the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all. This includes upholding a clear duty of care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of self and others.
Examples
Willingness and ability to comply with:
- VU conduct codes and policies
- Academic Integrity Policy
Identify and enact relevant applications of these codes and standards, including those relating to plagiarism, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and equitable and respectful behaviour in university settings.
.Where relevant, this relates to considerations of current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, and any other matter related to safety.
Examples include the ability to:
- understand and comply with all relevant workplace health and safety policies and practices
- identify and respond to alarm systems.
- understand and demonstrate compliance with current scope of practice.
- manage one's own health in a manner that promotes the ability to fulfil the requirements of study, placements and the role/s for which the study typically equips the graduate.
Rationale
Compliance with current scope of practice, workplace health and safety are required to provide safe environments for staff, students, families and relevant stakeholders. Educating is demanding on mind, body and spirit. Self-management of health, mental health and quality of life is essential.
Examples
Ability to:
- Follow all health and safety regulations
- Manage one's own health and wellbeing in challenging environments
- Continually self-manage to better understand one's own self- regulation needs
- Communicate safety standards to others
- Identify instances of need for help or support.
This relates to the student's capacity for knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention. It also includes metacognitive capacity such as awareness of one's own thinking, and the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies.
Examples include:
- Focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning sufficient to meet the course objectives
- Ability to reflect and take personal responsibility
- Ability to apply knowledge in practical and theoretical assessment settings.
Knowledge & cognitive
Knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention spanning and drawing together all coursework subjects. Cognitive skills for focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning.
Rationale
Demonstrate the capacity for knowledge acquisition, utilisation, and retention that spans and integrates all coursework subjects, drawing on cognitive skills such as focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical reasoning, and practical application.
Examples
Ability to:
- problem solve, concentrate, remember, focus and function
- develop and apply knowledge and experience in various settings.
Metacognition
Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning.
Rationale
Demonstrate awareness of their own thinking and the capacity to reflect, evaluate, and adapt their cognitive strategies to enhance learning. This includes an understanding of the importance of ongoing self-reflection and professional learning.
Examples
- Critically reflect, evaluate and think logically and creatively
- Reflect on own actions, behaviour and practice
- Respond to constructive feedback positively and respectfully.
This includes both writing and reading, and is also linked to English language proficiency (literacy requirements are always established in terms of English).
Please note: For VE, literacy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF).
Examples include:
- capacity to comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments.
- producing clear, accurate documentation relating to practical tasks.
Rationale
Information is delivered in different modes and competent literacy skills are essential to provide appropriate, safe and effective engagement.
Examples
Ability to:
- Comprehend, summarise and reference a range of sources in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in assessment tasks
- Interpret written and spoken language
- Produce accurate, concise and clear documentation for a range of stakeholders
This includes any form of numeracy required to complete the course successfully. For many courses, this will be basic functional numeracy.
Please note: For VE, numeracy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF).
Examples include:
- competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts
- ability to perform basic mathematical tasks.
Rationale
Competent reasoning and accuracy with numerical concepts are essential.
Examples
Ability to calculate, interpret and apply numerical data to inform teaching and assessment practices related to education.
This includes verbal, non-verbal and written communication.
Examples include:
- Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear and comprehensible two-way discussions.
- Ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication.
- Ability to produce English text to the expected standard (Please note: This is a skill that may be developed throughout a course and should be identified as such in any inherent requirements statement).
Communication - Verbal
Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions, tailored to the local English-speaking audiences.
Rationale
Effective verbal communication with others and the University is required for effective learning and to provide safe practice.
Examples
Ability to:
- Engage in purposeful dialogue with peers and university staff to support learning, provide feedback, and foster a safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environment
- Present information clearly and confidently to groups.
Communication - Non-verbal
Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others.
Rationale
Demonstrate a range of non-verbal communication strategies to support engagement and respectful communications.
Examples
Using non-verbal cues to inform own practices and to ensure cohesive group dynamics.
Communication - Written
Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with language usage and style tailored to the targeted recipients.
Rationale
Effective written communication is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing and developing informed arguments.
Examples
- Ability to present knowledge and understanding logically in an academic writing style
- Willingness to learn and adhere to academic requirements
This includes visual, auditory and tactile capacity.
Please note: Care must be taken to not prescribe any sensory ability as an inherent requirement if the student might be able to achieve the desired result with the use of one or more adjustments.
Examples include the ability to:
- interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
- interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
- respond to tactile input and provide appropriate tactile interaction.
Sensory ability - Visual
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.
Rationale
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to engage with learning materials.
Examples
Engage effectively with visual inputs to manage learning environments. .
Sensory ability - Auditory
Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.
Rationale
Elements in the learning environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from and respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective participation.
Examples
Respond to auditory inputs from peers and university staff.
This includes a person's ability to sustain their performance in a given activity or series of activities over time. Care must be taken to not prescribe sustained performance in a way that allows no room for temporary changes to performance levels due to illness or other factors. Examples include:
Ability to sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of any task required as part of the course or any placement.
Rationale
Complex, multi-component teaching and learning tasks are carried out during each unit. This requires maintaining focus and collegial conduct during sessions.
Examples
Ability to:
- Sustain study practices and time management to engage effectively with the academic workload for the duration of the course
- Maintain cognitive engagement and performance levels.
This includes the personal flexibility and resilience required to adapt behaviour to different situations, even when they are stressful or difficult.
Please note: Care must be taken to allow room in the inherent requirements for the individual to demonstrate behavioural adaptability through withdrawing from activities for a time to undertake medical interventions and self-care measures.
Examples include:
- ability to adjust ways of working to work within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds
- being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
- maintaining respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
- adjusting to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care.
Rationale
Behavioural adaptability is required to manage personal and collegial responses within learning environments.
Examples
Ability to:
- Adjust ways of working within diverse groups to support effective collaboration
- Receive, reflect on, and respond appropriately to constructive feedback
- Adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining collegiality.
If you remain interested or engaged in the course, you should discuss your concerns with the College staff such as the Course Chair as soon as possible.
If the challenges are related to your disability or health condition contact Accessibility Services to discuss possible strategies and reasonable adjustments.