Dr Willem Janse Van Rensburg
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (30/06/2025 - 23/08/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
This course aims to provide penultimate or final year students with the opportunity to apply conceptual knowledge to the real world via a professional placement. As such, this course strongly links discipline learnings, personal employability skills and attributes developed by students across the duration of their studies with the challenges and expectations of working in industry. In doing so, students have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their chosen profession and to connect this experience to the development of a workplace ready skill-set. Successful completion of the course will provide students with the employability skills required for transition to the world of work. Further information about how to apply for RBUS4999 can be found on the BEL Faculty's work-integrated learning website.
The course is designed around the University of Queensland's employability framework, which focuses on four themes:
- Awareness - understanding employability as both degree knowledge and the attributes that guide workplace performance;
- Experiences - engaging with a range of experiences to develop the skills and attributes for employability;
- Learning - uses self-reflection to translate experiences into employability development; and
- Transfer - communicating employability effectively in the recruitment process and transferring learning into workplace performance.
This means that during this course, you will have the opportunity to:
- understand the range of skills and attributes required for employability;
- apply and practice your employability skills in an organisation;
- reflect on and deepen your understanding of the business practices and processes you encountered;
- evaluate your own performance and skillset;
- identify your areas for development and develop an action to address them; and
- develop a personal value proposition and practice articulating it in various settings.
Placement/Internship requirements
You will need to undertake an industry work placement (internship) of 80 to 120 hours throughout (or before) the semester. You should find your own work placement in an organisation that is willing to host you and provide meaningful project work to further develop your skills and abilities. As an example, you might choose to complete your internship in one block of 3 or 4 weeks full-time, 3 days a week over 4-5 weeks, or 2 days a week over 7-8 weeks. It is your responsibility to negotiate your working hours with your industry host, as well as manage your time effectively to attend all the scheduled learning activities throughout the semester. Support is available from the BEL Faculty Employability Team to help you source an appropriate host organisation.
NOTE: Before you commence your internship, it is important you first refer to the BEL Work-integrated Learning (WIL) website to familiarise yourself with the process of having your internship approved before it can be considered suitable for course credit. Access the website using this Link. Your internship commencement date should be within 6 months of the start date of the semester in which you are eligible to complete your WIL course. If your internship commencement date is outside of this time period, you may be advised to source a new internship for your WIL course.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
32 units in BAdvBus(Hons) or BAdvFinEcon(Hons); GPA of 4.0 or higher. Approval required from Head of School via BEL Student Administration team.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
RBUS3999 or 7999
Restrictions
Restricted to students in the 3rd year or higher of the BAdvBus(Hons) and BAdvFinEcon(Hons) programs.
Course staff
Course coordinator
Lecturer
Dr Willem Janse Van Rensburg
Course administrator
Mr Iain Munro
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
As you will be in the placement organisation for 100 to 120 hours there is limited seminar or lecture involvement. Attendance is required to maximise your assessment and the available support for your placement. Arrangements to attend are made between the student and their employer.
You must check your university email address for announcements about RBUS3999/RBUS4999/RBUS7999, for updates and additional information throughout the semester.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide students with the opportunity to apply conceptual knowledge to the real world via a professional placement/industry project. As such, thisﾠcourse strongly links discipline learnings, personal employability skills and attributes developed by students across the duration of theirﾠ studies withﾠ the challenges and expectations of working in industry. In doing so, students have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their chosen ﾠprofession and, importantly, to connect this experience to the development of an employability workplace-ready skill-set.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Articulate key business practices, processes and challenges within an organisation.
LO2.
Visually and verbally communicate your employability skill-set and personal brand using appropriate business language.
LO3.
Reflect on your own learnings and application of your personal employability attributes in the workplace or as an effective member of a project team.
LO4.
Demonstrate your ability to evaluate your own work performance.
LO5.
Create a development plan to further build upon employability skills.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation, Product/ Design |
A1. Professional identity and value proposition
|
20% |
A1.1 LinkedIn Profile 25/07/2025 3:00 pm A1.2 Video Pitch 8/08/2025 3:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique, Reflection |
A2. Workplace reflection
|
30% |
A2.1 Reflective Journal 1/08/2025 3:00 pm A2.2 Viva Voce Consultation 22/08/2025 3:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique, Quiz, Reflection |
A3. Professional Development Plan
|
40% |
A3.1 Self-Tests Summary 1/08/2025 5:00 pm A3.2 Job/Industry Trends and Career Pathways 8/08/2025 5:00 pm A3.3 Supervisor and Self-Evaluation Forms 15/08/2025 5:00 pm A3.4 PDP 22/08/2025 5:00 pm |
| Quiz |
A4. Graduate Attributes Quiz
|
10% |
Week 5 Mon - Week 5 Mon
During Class |
Assessment details
A1. Professional identity and value proposition
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation, Product/ Design
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
A1.1 LinkedIn Profile 25/07/2025 3:00 pm
A1.2 Video Pitch 8/08/2025 3:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L02
Task description
In this assessment, students will demonstrate their ability to define their professional identity and effectively communicate their personal brand and value proposition, in writing as well as orally. They will create a compelling LinkedIn profile, engage with professionally relevant content online, and produce a short video that highlights their unique qualities, personal brand, and professional value. Together, the LinkedIn profile, online engagement, and video should clearly convey who they are as emerging professionals and showcase what they can offer to potential employers or business contacts.
AI statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
A2. Workplace reflection
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Reflection
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
A2.1 Reflective Journal 1/08/2025 3:00 pm
A2.2 Viva Voce Consultation 22/08/2025 3:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04
Task description
In this assessment, students will showcase their reflective skills by analysing and reflecting on the business/organisation they observed and engaged with during their placement. Students will compile a minimum of three journal reflections (completed at different stages throughout the placement), each focusing on a notable incident/situation/challenge/success.
The journal entries will form the basis for an individual discussion with the lecturer, during which students will orally respond to questions about their placement experience. Students will describe key business processes, practices, decisions, and workplace dynamics they observed. They are expected to demonstrate an understanding of these elements and critically reconstruct actions and decisions, offering insights into alternative courses of action and how these might have led to different—positive or negative—outcomes.
AI statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
A3. Professional Development Plan
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Quiz, Reflection
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
A3.1 Self-Tests Summary 1/08/2025 5:00 pm
A3.2 Job/Industry Trends and Career Pathways 8/08/2025 5:00 pm
A3.3 Supervisor and Self-Evaluation Forms 15/08/2025 5:00 pm
A3.4 PDP 22/08/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L04, L05
Task description
In this assessment, students are required to write a comprehensive and self-reflective Professional Development Plan. Students will evaluate their employability in the context of:
- self-evaluation of their placement performance,
- feedback they receive from supervisors/mentors/colleagues,
- various self-test instruments,
- research into job/industry requirements and trends, as well as
- UQ’s graduate attributes.
Specific areas for improvement (development areas) will be identified, and a clear action plan to achieve the identified development goals will be developed. The assessment concludes with a strategic perspective of the student's professional identity and long-term career aspirations. They will strategically consider career pathways that align with their goals for both personal and professional growth.
AI statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
A4. Graduate Attributes Quiz
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
Week 5 Mon - Week 5 Mon
During Class
- Learning outcomes
- L04
Task description
In this assessment students will complete a multi-choice quiz that tests their awareness of the UQ Graduate Attributes and how they might be applied to an employability skillset.
The UQ Graduate Attributes framework is important as it:
· provides an additional standard against which students can evaluate their existing skillset,
· helps students to identify development areas,
· helps students understand how even high level (broad) attributes can add value in work settings, and
· helps students build a nuanced career narrative.
The quiz will be completed in-person in class under examination conditions.
AI Statement
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 49 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 8 |
Placement |
Industry placement with a host organisation Your work experience: Learning outcomes: L01 |
Not Timetabled |
Employ101X - MOOC Unlocking your employability In this self-paced, seven module course, you will hear from:
Learning outcomes: L02 |
|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
Seminar 1: Course introduction and Concept of employability The seminar will include:
Learning outcomes: L03 |
Week 2 |
Seminar |
Seminar 2. Becoming a reflective practitioner During this seminar we will:
Learning outcomes: L03 |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
Seminar 3: Online Professional Identity The seminar will include:
Learning outcomes: L02 |
Week 4 |
Seminar |
Seminar 4: Communicating your professional identity and value proposition During this seminar we will:
Learning outcomes: L02 |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Seminar 5: Professional Development Plan During this seminar students will explore:
Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Multiple weeks From Week 6 To Week 8 |
Consultation |
Viva voce in-person consultations Each student will have an individual discussion with the lecturer, during which they will orally respond to questions about their placement experience. Students will describe key business processes, practices, decisions, and workplace dynamics they observed. They are expected to demonstrate an understanding of these elements and critically reconstruct actions and decisions, offering insights into alternative courses of action and how these might have led to different - positive or negative - outcomes. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.