Introduction to Academic Language, Literacy and Numeracy in Education
Overview
This unit develops students personal literacy and numeracy skills to ensure that they are well equipped to meet the demands of university, as well as the demands for teaching. In this unit students will learn about academic integrity, oral and written communication skills in the tertiary setting, critical analysis, and the application of different technologies. As they progress through the unit the students will also be supported to develop their personal literacy and numeracy skills and learn how to apply these skills in the context of learning of teaching. Students will be able to monitor and check their progress within the unit through a variety of online activities and weekly quizzes.
Requisites
02-November-2025
08-February-2026
31-May-2026
07-June-2026
04-October-2026
01-November-2026
07-February-2027
Unit learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Evaluate their own personal numeracies and literacies relative to learning and teaching
- Identify and apply personal literacy and numeracy strategies to achieve academic success
- Explain the importance of a growth mindset as a teacher and a learner
- Apply practices that reflect an understanding of academic integrity
- Discuss Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander approaches for teaching and learning
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Various | 4.00 | 12 weeks | 48 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 5.50 | 12 weeks | 66 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.50 | 12 weeks | 150 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Plan | Individual | 50% | 1,2,4,5 |
| Presentation | Individual | 50% | 2,3,4,5 |
Content
- Personal literacy – growth mindset
- Personal numeracy – growth mindset
- Writing – spelling, grammar, punctuation and academic referencing
- Academic reading strategies and other academic literacies
- Critical literacy
- Digital literacy, including AI literacy, information literacy, technical literacy
- Writing in the academic genre
- Professional terminology
- Mathematics anxiety
- The growth mindset
- Understanding, presenting and using data
- Academic integrity: Plagiarism, generative artificial intelligence & Turnitin
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information Literacy
- Graduate Attribute –Digital Literacies: Technical Literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.