Students

PROF3000 – PACE: Professional Practice Placement 2

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-infrequent, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Jennifer Ruskin
jennifer.ruskin@mq.edu.au
Contact via jennifer.ruskin@mq.edu.au
628, 4 Eastern Road, Wallumattagal Campus in North Ryde
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
30
Prerequisites Prerequisites
20cp at 2000 level or above including PROF2000 or PACE2001
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides support for students to scaffold their learning during an extended placement. Students will extend their skills in reflective practice and professional self-management. Unit topics include professional skills, such as problem solving, leadership, resilience and working in teams. Students will have opportunities to explore workplace behaviour, particularly in the face of complex challenges. The unit encourages students to reflect on experiences in the workplace, seminars and learning through online modules. This unit is a designated PACE unit. For background on PACE and making the most of placement experiences, visit PACEWISE on iLearn.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Apply reflection skills to learn from workplace practice.
  • ULO2: Critically reflect on strategies for working with diverse teams.
  • ULO3: Practice leadership skills relevant to junior professionals in the workplace.
  • ULO4: Analyse organisational practices that address contemporary challenges in modern societies.

General Assessment Information

To complete the unit, students are required to complete the placement hours as agreed with their host organisation as well as the assessment tasks for the unit. Detailed instructions for each assessment task are available on iLearn. The instructions include information about content, submission methods, due dates and marking guides or rubrics. All assessment tasks must be submitted via links on iLearn.

At the end of the placement/internship, some students' host organisations may require them to present to their team, a broader team or a leadership group. The unit content is designed to prepare students for this possibility. This unit is a Professional Practice/Co-op unit with Fitness to Practice requirements. For more information about the performance expectations, see the policies and procedures section below.

Late Submission Penalties  

If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days. Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Example 1 (out of 100): If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

Extensions  

Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

Special consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for short extension, you must apply for special consideration. Need help? Review the Special Consideration page for further details.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Professional practice: Learning plan 20% No 08/02/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Professional practice: Performance evaluation 40% No 02/04/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Professional practice: ePortfolio 40% No 31/05/2026 Individual Yes Open AI

Professional practice: Learning plan

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours
Due: 08/02/2026
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI assisted?: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to set goals to guide your own professional development.
 
You will set specific and measurable professional goals and write an argument for the career-related importance of meeting each goal.
 
 
Skills in focus:
 
  • Work readiness
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills 
 
Deliverable(s): Written submission [max 750 words]
 
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply reflection skills to learn from workplace practice.
  • Practice leadership skills relevant to junior professionals in the workplace.

Professional practice: Performance evaluation

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: 02/04/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI assisted?: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to learn from feedback and reflection.
 
You will engage in placement activities and complete online modules. Then you will invite feedback from your placement supervisor and reflect on their feedback, the online modules and your experience in the workplace.
 
 
Skills in focus:
 
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Collaboration skills 
  • Work readiness
 
Deliverable(s): Performance evaluation and reflection [max 800 words]
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply reflection skills to learn from workplace practice.
  • Critically reflect on strategies for working with diverse teams.
  • Practice leadership skills relevant to junior professionals in the workplace.
  • Analyse organisational practices that address contemporary challenges in modern societies.

Professional practice: ePortfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 31/05/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI assisted?: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to showcase your professional development.
 
You will create or extend an ePortfolio with a professional introduction and three areas of professional development.
 
 
Skills in focus:
 
  • Communication skills
  • Digital skills
  • Work readiness
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
 
Deliverable(s): ePortfolio
 
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply reflection skills to learn from workplace practice.
  • Critically reflect on strategies for working with diverse teams.
  • Analyse organisational practices that address contemporary challenges in modern societies.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Textbook

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit.

Other recommended reading

Students should be familiar with accessing academic sources from the library. Useful reading includes both recommended journals in the relevant discipline area and research on experiential learning in the work place. 

Technology Used and Required

Microsoft Office suite (or equivalent), including in particular word processing and presentation software. Email (student email address) and iLearn (https://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/) are both required for the unit. Students should be able to access research databases through the library. They may find referencing software helpful.

Unit Schedule

All seminars will be held 4-7pm at the City Campus at 123 Pitt Street, Angel Place.

Room and topic to be confirmed in advance of each seminar.

Seminar dates
Tues, 27 Jan
Tues, 25 Feb
Tues, 25 March
Tues, 29 April
Tues, 27 May

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Fitness to Practice Requirements

This unit is a Professional Practice unit and is part of a professional course with Academic and Fitness to Practice requirements. Please see detailed requirements in the handbook listing for your course and year of commencement:

Actuarial Studies Co-op

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2026.02 of the Handbook