James Cook University is committed to enhancing student access, participation and success in higher education and embracing the diversity of the communities we serve. The inherent requirements listed for the each course are designed to assist prospective students and all current students to make informed decisions for study.
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession.
Reasonable adjustments
JCU assists students who are experiencing a disability to participate in this course, and achieve the inherent requirements of the course, on the same basis as someone who is not experiencing a disability. To do this, JCU works with our students and placement providers to develop agreed reasonable adjustments in accordance with the Student Disability Policy.
A reasonable adjustment is an arrangement, support, or modification, agreed in an Access Plan to enable participation in learning and achievement of course requirements. Contact JCU’s AccessAbility Services to discuss possible adjustments. Please note that the process of negotiating and implementing reasonable adjustments may take several weeks.
In assessing whether an adjustment is reasonable, the University is entitled, in accordance with the Disability Education Standards, to maintain the inherent requirements of a course. If inherent requirements cannot be met with reasonable adjustments, the University provides guidance regarding other study options.
How to interpret the inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are presented below as domains and sub-domains and contain the following information:
The definition of the inherent requirement
A rationale as to why it is an inherent requirement
Examples of the knowledge, skills, and capabilities that are required to satisfy the inherent requirements of this course.
The inherent requirements for this course should be read in conjunction with the Course and Subject Handbook.
Compliance with Australian Law and professional regulations.
Rationale:
Knowledge and understanding of, and compliance with, legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary to reduce the risk of harm to self and others in professional experience placement settings; compliance with legislation and professional regulations ensure students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.
Examples:
Comply with Australian legislation, paying specific regard to workplace health and safety, disability legislation, and anti-discrimination legislation.
Ability to comply with relevant codes of practice and meet any other professional legislative requirements.
Inherent requirement:
Demonstrate knowledge of, and engage in, ethical and professional behaviour consistent with all relevant standards.
Rationale:
Compliance with standards, codes, guidelines, and policies that facilitate safe, competent interactions and relationships for all students/graduates and the people they engage with, supports the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of all.
Examples:
Uphold standards, codes, guidelines, and policies that facilitate safe, competent interactions and relationships within professional and academic environments.
Pursue ethical decision-making, reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues, and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
Apply ethical and professional standards in the workplace and academic settings.
Demonstrate honesty and integrity in professional and academic settings.
Uphold privacy and legal standards in data collection, data management, and the use of technology.
Inherent requirement:
Safe and inclusive practice is sufficient to meet professional and academic standards.
Rationale:
Safe practices protect the rights, interests, and safety of all stakeholders in professional, community, and academic settings.
Examples:
Contribute to safe professional and academic environments, including adhering to the requirements of informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality in academic and educational settings.
Initiate and uphold relevant workplace health and safety policies in professional and academic settings.
Contribute to an inclusive learning environment and promote awareness of the culturally safe practice.
Assess risk, and practice safety assessment and risk reduction in professional and academic settings.
Identify and respond to alarm systems in a time-sensitive manner.
Knowledge and cognitive skills
Inherent requirement:
Demonstration of the necessary knowledge and cognitive skills to acquire disciplinary understanding and provide professional, competent practice.
Rationale:
The ability acquires information, accurately convey messages, and read, decode, interpret, and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for effective practice.
Examples:
Capacity to research, recall, and process appropriate and relevant information, and evaluate its significance to make informed academic and professional decisions.
Ability to critically review, analyse, consolidate, and synthesise information, claims and evidence to inform professional and academic practice.
Ability to integrate the knowledge of the diversity of cultures and peoples, their differences, and their commonalities in professional and academic settings.
Ability to apply knowledge of research principles, methods, techniques, and tools to established concepts to solve professional practice problems.
Capacity to critically reflect on leadership styles and approaches, in both theoretical and practical contexts.
Literacy
Inherent requirement:
Apply English literacy skills to accurately acquire and interpret information and convey appropriate messages.
Rationale:
The ability to read, decode, comprehend, interpret, and apply multiple sources of information are essential competencies required for effective professional and academic practice.
Examples:
Engage in discussions, make verbal presentations, and participate in tutorials and group work, conveying spoken and written messages, including complex academic perspectives, accurately and effectively.
Capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written, digital, or verbal text in a scholarly and discipline-specific manner, and within a specific timeframe.
Interpret complex written and spoken language to enact verbal or written directions.
Communicate ideas, arguments, designs, and conclusions clearly and coherently in professional and academic settings.
Numeracy
Inherent requirement:
Accurate processing and reasoning with numbers and numerical concepts to meet professional and academic standards.
Rationale:
Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts are essential competencies required for effective professional and academic practice.
Examples:
Ability to accurately interpret quantitative data in professional and academic contexts.
Apply numeracy skills to interpret and solve problems in a range of professional and academic contexts.
Effectively analyse and disseminate educational data.
Information and communication technology (ICT)
Inherent requirement:
Apply ICT processes and tools fundamental for effective professional and academic practice.
Rationale:
Competent knowledge and application of ICTs are necessary for effective practice.
Examples:
Utilise appropriate ICTs to successfully accomplish academic tasks in a timely manner.
Effectively use ICTs in professional and academic environments, including any ICTs specific to educational research and practice.
Verbal communication
Inherent requirement:
Effective, respectful, and professional verbal communication in English to meet professional and academic standards.
Rationale:
Effective interaction with spoken English is required for effective learning and to interact appropriately in different situations.
Examples:
Ability to process complex verbal information, convey instructions, and respond clearly, accurately, and appropriately, in time-constrained academic and professional environments.
Convey spoken messages clearly, accurately, and effectively, and communicate in a sensitive manner that responds to cultural and individual differences.
Ability to communicate in a timely manner when speed and interactivity of communication are critical for individual safety and/or assessment.
Participate in meetings and present complex information to groups in professional, community, and academic contexts.
Non-verbal communication
Inherent requirement:
Recognise, interpret, and respond to non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others.
Rationale:
The 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 is required for safe and effective professional and academic interactions.
Examples:
Convey non-verbal behaviour that is respectful of others and consistent with the nature of discussions and presentations in both professional and academic environments.
Demonstrate the ability to recognise non-verbal cues.
Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural and individual differences in non-verbal communication.
Written communication
Inherent requirement:
Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional communication, with language usage and style which can be tailored to a specific audience.
Rationale:
Effective written communication, in English, is an essential student capability, and a fundamental aspect of professional practice.
Examples:
Construct and communicate complex professional and academic perspectives in writing, and in a time-constrained environment, using appropriate formatting and referencing when required.
Demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and sustained and organised academic arguments.
Ability to understand and communicate using discipline-specific characters, symbols, vocabulary, and language.
Produce accurate, concise, and clear written documentation that meets professional, academic, and, where appropriate, legal requirements.
Visual
Inherent requirement:
Sufficient visual acuity to meet professional and academic performance requirements.
Rationale:
Aspects of workplace and learning environments are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from, or respond to, these inputs is required for effective professional and academic performance.
Examples:
Ability to process visual information from electronic displays, wall-posted information, instruments, and handwritten and electronic documents.
Ability to process the visual information required to demonstrate or facilitate learning and teaching experiences.
Auditory
Inherent requirement:
Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to meet professional and academic performance requirements.
Rationale:
Aspects of workplace and learning environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn, from or respond to, these inputs is required to provide safe and effective professional and academic performance.
Examples:
Actively listen, and contribute to, professional and academic discussions.
Respond to verbalised instructions in a timely manner.
Capacity to acquire auditory information accurately and effectively in professional and academic settings.
Gross motor ability
Inherent requirement:
Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of others, and to function effectively in professional and academic settings.
Rationale:
A wide range of gross motor skills is required for safe and effective performance.
Examples:
Apply gross motor skills to perform tasks effectively and safely in professional and academic settings.
Complete learning experiences within constrained timeframes.
Set up safe environments with resources and equipment.
Fine motor ability
Inherent requirement:
Manual dexterity and fine motor skills are sufficient to meet professional and academic performance needs.
Rationale:
A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks is required for safe and effective performance.
Examples:
Maintain effective fine motor control when engaging in professional and academic tasks.
Manipulate discipline-specific equipment.
Inherent requirement:
Sustained physical, cognitive, and psychosocial performance sufficient for safe and complete professional and academic performance in a time-constrained environment.
Rationale:
Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in varying periods of time to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples:
Ability to sustain study performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a study period, and for the degree, within a timeframe.
Capacity to maintain consistency and quality of professional and academic performance and complete all required tasks throughout a designated period of time.
Inherent requirement:
Demonstrate behaviour that adapts to diverse and changing situations in professional and academic environments.
Rationale:
Behavioural adaptability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Students may be exposed to highly complex situations and are required to have behavioural adaptability to manage these events objectively and professionally.
Examples:
Adjust ways of working within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds and opinions to facilitate effective decision-making.
Ability to manage your own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with multiple and/or changing demands in a range of settings.
Maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads and be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback.
Adjust to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care while maintaining a high level of professionalism.
Ability to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in complex and time-sensitive situations.
