Auslan Basic Assessment

Assessment Type ¹: Practice-based task Indicative Time on Task ²: 0 hours Due: 11.55pm 12th June 2026 Weighting: 50%

Completion of an externally facilitated Auslan assessment.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Understand Auslan as the language of the Australian deaf community and how Auslan grammatical structures differ from English.
• Conduct accurate Auslan simple communication including exchanges about daily routines, use of question forms including appropriate facial expressions, and negotiating basic discussions applying Auslan signs for dates, times and common events and celebrations.
• Demonstrate accurate brief exchanges in Auslan including common concepts, adjectives, other modifiers, including those applied to a range of emotions.
• Demonstrate awareness of the range of communication strategies deaf people use with each other and hearing people.
• Demonstrate beginnings of appropriate use of non-manual features of Auslan (e.g., facial expression, role shift).
• Demonstrate the use of advanced visual-gestural communication strategies.

Auslan level 1

Assessment Type ¹: Practice-based task Indicative Time on Task ²: 0 hours Due: 11.55pm 12th June 2026 Weighting: 20%

Completion of an externally offered Auslan level 1 course.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Understand Auslan as the language of the Australian deaf community and how Auslan grammatical structures differ from English.
• Conduct accurate Auslan simple communication including exchanges about daily routines, use of question forms including appropriate facial expressions, and negotiating basic discussions applying Auslan signs for dates, times and common events and celebrations.
• Demonstrate awareness of the range of communication strategies deaf people use with each other and hearing people.

Auslan level 2

Assessment Type ¹: Practice-based task Indicative Time on Task ²: 0 hours Due: 11.55pm 12th June 2026 Weighting: 30%

Completion of an externally offered Auslan level 2 course.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Demonstrate accurate brief exchanges in Auslan including common concepts, adjectives, other modifiers, including those applied to a range of emotions.
• Demonstrate beginnings of appropriate use of non-manual features of Auslan (e.g., facial expression, role shift).
• Demonstrate the use of advanced visual-gestural communication strategies.

Students are expected to source Auslan 1 and 2 courses themselves that are approved by the NextSense Institute.

Contact details for externally administered Auslan courses approved by the NextSense Institute are available on the iLearn site. To confirm the suitability of any other Auslan courses, students should contact student.enquiries@nextsense.org.au.

Information about the iLearn site

Students are expected to access the iLearn site and engage with unit content and discussion regularly during session 1.

Electronic Communication

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis.  Communication may occur via:

• Official MQ Student Email Address
• The Dialogue function on iLearn
• Other iLearn communication functions

Support resources

Macquarie University has a range of services for students. If you are struggling with any aspect of academic life or career trajectory and skills, please refer to the comprehensive list of support services here.

Access and technical assistance

Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/systems/ilearn . You will need to enter your student username and password.

Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help. Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk ph: 02 98504357 and 1800 67 4357 or log a request at onehelp@mq.edu.au. OneHelp is the online IT support service for both students and staff.

This unit requires students to use several ICT and software skills:

Internet access: The iLearn site contains resources for this unit; it is also required for the online submission of Auslan 1 and 2 certificates

For the Master of Disability Studies, this unit is mandatory for students to demonstrate that they have foundational Auslan skills prior to enrolling in their professional experience unit, SPED8910.

For the ‘Education: Deaf/Hard of Hearing’ specialisation: SPED8906 - a unit that requires students to demonstrate foundational skills in Auslan levels 1 and 2 and successful passing of an Auslan basic assessment. Students must complete this unit prior to enrolment in their professional experience unit, SPED8910. For students that have completed a Certificate II or higher qualification within the past 5 years, the Auslan Basic Assessment is not required. Please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator for more information.

The Auslan basic assessment will be held in approximately mid-May 2026. This will be facilitated by a Deaf Connect examiner online via Zoom. Students need to register for the Auslan basic assessment via the NextSense website. Once completed, the Auslan basic assessment outcome document must be uploaded to the SPED8906 iLearn site by the end of week 13. Please note a registration fee applies for the assessment.