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.
IT is a profession governed by professional standards defined by the Australian Computer Society. Students must be able to demonstrate their ability to meet these standards. 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, including upholding information technology laws and cybersecurity laws.
Meet any professional and legislative requirements and registration requirements from the Australian Computer Society (ACS).
Comply with relevant codes of practice for design, construction, and maintenance of IT systems.
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.
Engage in complex ethical decision-making, reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues, and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
Demonstrate honesty and integrity in professional and academic settings.
Apply ethical and professional standards and independent judgement in workplace, research, and academic settings.
Uphold privacy and legal standards in data collection, data management, and the use of technology.
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 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 professional and academic settings.
Initiate and uphold relevant workplace health and safety policies in professional and academic 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 work effectively, responsibly, and safely in diverse contexts and interdisciplinary teams.
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 safe and effective business 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 and evidence, and evaluate its significance for specific purposes.
Ability to learn, recall, conceptualise and process appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items and professional requirements.
Ability to apply knowledge of research principles, methods, techniques, and tools to established concepts to solve professional practice problems.
Communicate ideas, arguments, designs, and conclusions clearly and coherently to a variety of audiences.
Literacy
Inherent requirement:
Apply English literacy skills to accurately acquire and interpret information and convey appropriate messages to meet professional and academic standards.
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 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.
Ability to develop a range of texts including digital, written, and visual texts.
Produce accurate, concise, and clear documentation which meets legal and ethical requirements.
Enact communication strategies and techniques to effectively convey cybersecurity threats, risks, policies, and strategies to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Numeracy
Inherent requirement:
Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts for effective professional and academic practice.
Rationale:
Accurate numeracy skills are necessary for accurate data analysis and the development of IT solutions.
Examples:
Apply numeracy skills to interpret and solve problems in a range of professional and discipline-specific contexts.
Ability to accurately interpret quantitative research data in professional and academic contexts.
Demonstrate accurate numerical interpretation of IT 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 is necessary for effective professional and academic practice.
Examples:
Select and use appropriate ICTs to successfully accomplish professional and academic tasks in a timely manner.
Use relevant computer programming languages and techniques, if and when, required.
Effectively use ICTs to develop and present discipline-specific and/or client-specific projects in professional, academic, and community environments.
Ability to apply technological solutions in unfamiliar settings and contexts.
Verbal communication
Inherent requirement:
Effective, respectful, and professional verbal communication in English for effective professional and academic practice.
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 professional consultations, and present complex information to a variety of stakeholders.
Convey spoken messages clearly, accurately and effectively, and communicate in a sensitive manner that responds to cultural and individual differences.
Understand verbal instructions and respond accurately and appropriately in time-constrained professional and academic environments.
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 professional and academic 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.
Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural and individual differences when using 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 business practice.
Examples:
Construct and communicate complex academic and professional perspectives in writing, in a time-constrained environment, using appropriate formatting and referencing when required.
Produce accurate, concise, and clear written documentation which meets professional, academic, and, if appropriate, legal, and ethical requirements.
Read, understand, and apply precise and appropriate language to communicate technical and academic information in a time-constrained environment.
Ability to understand and communicate using discipline-specific characters, symbols, vocabulary, and language.
Visual
Inherent requirement:
Sufficient visual acuity to meet professional and academic performance requirements.
Rationale:
Aspects of 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, the visual information required to provide safe professional and academic environments.
Ability to follow visual instructions and respond to visual signals when using ICTs.
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 professional and academic performance.
Examples:
Actively listen, and contribute to, 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 necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of others, and to function effectively in professional and academic settings.
Rationale:
Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary for safe performance and intervention.
Examples:
Apply gross motor skills to perform tasks effectively and safely in professional and academic settings.
Set up safe environments with resources and equipment.
Complete tasks within constrained timeframes.
Fine motor ability
Inherent requirement:
Manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to meet professional and academic performance needs.
Rationale:
A wide range of fine-motor skills is required to complete various discipline-based tasks, and is necessary for safe and effective performance.
Examples:
Apply fine motor skills to perform tasks effectively and safely in professional and academic settings.
Perform tasks effectively and safely in professional and academic settings.
Ability to operate discipline-specific software 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 professional and academic practice.
Examples:
Ability to sustain study performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a 13-week and/or intensive 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.
Ability to perform multiple tasks and provide professional services to clients, including IT and project management services.
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:
Ability to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in complex and time-sensitive situations.
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 the high level of professionalism required by the Australian Computer Society (ACS).
