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 and academic settings, and ensures students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.
Examples:
Comply with relevant Australian legislation.
Comply with relevant codes of practice and meet any other professional legislative requirements.
Ability to meet any membership requirements of professional organisations.
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, field, laboratory, and academic
environments.
Pursue ethical decision-making, reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues, and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
Demonstrate honesty and integrity in professional, field, laboratory, and academic settings.
Ability to apply ethical and professional standards and independent judgement in workplace, research, and academic settings.
Inherent requirement:
Safe practice sufficient to meet professional and academic performance standards.
Rationale:
Safe practices protect the rights, interests, and safety of all stakeholders in a professional, academic, laboratory, and fieldwork/placement settings.
Examples:
Contribute to safe professional and academic environments, including adhering to the requirements of informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality in professional and academic settings.
Initiate and uphold relevant workplace health and safety policies in the professional, academic, laboratory, and fieldwork/placement settings.
Ability to assess risk, and practice safety assessment and risk reduction.
Identify and respond to alarm systems in a time-sensitive manner.
Ability to apply cultural frameworks to work effectively, responsibly, and safely in diverse contexts.
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 to acquire information, accurately convey messages, and read, decode, interpret, and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for effective professional and academic practice.
Examples:
Capacity to research, recall, and process appropriate and relevant information, and evaluate its significance to make informed professional and academic decisions.
Ability to critically review, analyse, consolidate, and synthesise information and evidence, and evaluate its significance for specific purposes.
Ability to learn, recall, conceptualise and process appropriate knowledge in response to professional requirements and academic assessment items.
Capacity to retain, reason and integrate and analyse knowledge to build a coherent argument.
Ability to critically appraise the relevance of learning in local, national, and international contexts.
Capacity to identify, analyse and generate solutions to unpredictable or complex problems, by applying scientific knowledge and skills using initiative and high-level judgement.
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 the written text in a scholarly and discipline-specific manner, and within a specific timeframe.
Interpret written and spoken language to enact verbal or written directions.
Interpret graphs, tables, diagrams, and pictographs in professional and academic settings.
Ability to develop a range of texts including digital, written, and visual texts.
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:
Apply numeracy skills to interpret and solve problems in a range of academic and discipline-specific contexts.
Demonstrate quantitative numerical skills and computing methods in professional, laboratory, field, and academic settings.
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:
Select appropriate ICTs to successfully accomplish professional, laboratory, field, and academic tasks in a timely manner.
Organise, analyse, and interpret complex scientific data using mathematical, statistical, and technological skills.
Ability to use discipline-specific software, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software.
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:
Process complex verbal information and respectfully respond to feedback.
Participate in meetings and presentations to groups in professional and academic contexts.
Understand verbal instructions and respond accurately and appropriately in time-constrained professional and academic 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.
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, communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication is required for safe and effective academic and professional interactions.
Examples:
Ability to process complex verbal information, convey instructions, and respond clearly, accurately, and appropriately, in time-constrained academic and professional environments.
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.
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.
Examples:
Construct and communicate complex professional and academic perspectives in writing, using appropriate formatting and referencing when required.
Produce accurate, concise, and clear written documentation that meets professional, academic, and, where appropriate, legal, and ethical requirements.
Read, understand, and apply precise and appropriate language to contribute clearly to handwritten and electronically produced records and reports in a time-constrained environment.
Ability to understand and communicate using discipline-specific characters, symbols, vocabulary, and language.
Visual
Inherent requirement:
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to carry out scientific observations and engage in various learning environments which have visual components.
Rationale:
Elements in the teaching, learning and working environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from, or respond to, these inputs is required to provide safe and effective professional and academic performance.
Examples:
Ability to process, and respond to, visual information obtained from laboratory instruments, chemical samples, and scientific observations.
Ability to process, and respond to, the visual information required to provide safe professional, field, laboratory, and academic environments.
Ability to use discipline-specific equipment and respond to visual signals.
Auditory
Inherent requirement:
Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to meet professional and academic performance requirements.
Rationale:
Aspects of the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from, or respond to, these inputs is required to uphold safety and for effective academic performance.
Examples:
Actively listen, and contribute, to professional and academic discussions.
Respond to verbalised instructions in a timely manner.
The capacity to acquire auditory information accurately and effectively in laboratory, field, professional, and academic settings.
Tactile
Inherent requirement:
Ability to perform competently and safely in professional, field, laboratory, and academic environments.
Rationale:
Certain scientific approaches are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from, or respond to, these inputs is required for safe and effective performance.
Examples:
Capacity to safely operate equipment to avoid harm to yourself and others.
Utilise discipline-specific software and hardware to analyse scientific findings.
Complete tasks within constrained timeframes.
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 range of gross motor skills is required for safe performance and intervention.
Examples:
Enable safe mobilisation of equipment.
Apply gross motor skills to perform tasks effectively and safely in professional and academic settings.
Ability to set up safe environments with resources and equipment.
Fine motor ability
Inherent requirement:
Manual dexterity and fine motor skills are sufficient to meet course performance needs.
Rationale:
A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks is required for safe and effective performance.
Examples:
Apply fine motor skills to perform tasks effectively and safely in professional and academic settings.
Ability to operate discipline-specific equipment and complete tasks within constrained timeframes.
Inherent requirement:
Sustained physical, cognitive, and psychosocial performance sufficient for safe and complete 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 13-week and/or more intensive study period, and for the degree, within a timeframe.
Capacity to maintain consistency and quality of professional performance and complete all required tasks throughout a designated period.
Inherent requirement:
Demonstrate behaviour that adapts to diverse and changing situations in professional, field, laboratory, 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.
Examples:
Adjust ways of working within groups 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.
