Learning Through Professional Practicum

Overview

This unit aims to have students fulfil the 200-hours of practicum requirement and will contain practicum elements in the form of

• direct supervision by a qualified teacher educator or authorised TAFE teacher,
• observation of other educators,
• professional activities (e.g. meetings,
  course development, student interviews),
• other teaching-related activities (e.g. supervised teaching or observations). 

This unit will be based on Swinburne’s existing suite of accredited placement units, with design and delivery supported by the WIL academic team.

Practicum and associated activities will be framed as authentic assessment, consistent with AQF Level 8 expectations, where knowledge is applied to complex problems and professional practice.

Students will build on their hours of practicum through other units in GCLT(VET), the last 100 hours concentrated in the dedicated Practicum unit.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Demonstrate professional teaching capability through satisfactory completion of supervised practicum activities in a VET context, aligned with regulatory standards and institutional expectations
2. Critically reflect on key theoretical concepts in relation to professional practice and your own teaching and learning philosophy to debate strengths, challenges, and opportunities
3. Apply pedagogical and assessment principles in authentic VET settings, integrating theory with practice to support learner engagement and competency development, including direct instruction, observation, and participation in organisational and learner-focused activities
4. Document and evaluate practicum activities as evidence of professional development, and opportunities for growth in vocational teaching and assessment practice

Teaching methods

Hawthorn Online

Assessment

Content

This is a practicum unit which enables students to fulfil the practicum requirement of the course. The unit's content will depend on the types of practicum elements completed by the student