Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald
Course overview
- Study period
- Summer Semester, 2025 (01/12/2025 - 14/02/2026)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
This course aims to provide 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 RBUS7999 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 Changes in Response to Previous Student Feedback
Minor changes have been addressed in the LMS to support student feedback
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
GPA of 4.0 or higher. Approval required from Head of School via Business School Postgraduate Student Liaison Team.
Restrictions
Restricted to students in the final year of the MBus, MCom, MEI and MTHEM programs.
Course staff
Course coordinator
Lecturer
Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
During Summer Semester, this course is delivered in a flexible blended format to support your placement experience. As you will be completing 100–120 hours with your host organisation, there are no scheduled on-campus lectures or seminars.
Instead, you will engage through online activities, check-ins, and resources designed to guide you throughout your placement. Please ensure you check your UQ email regularly for announcements, updates, and important information about your placement and assessment.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide 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, 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.
Develop awareness of your graduate attributes and how they may apply in the workplace and enhance employability.
LO2.
Articulate key business practices within an organisation.
LO3.
Acquire practical skills and knowledge toward enhancing your employability.
LO4.
Explore the different means by which organisations engage in business practices.
LO5.
Develop the ability to think strategically from the perspective of a manager.
LO6.
Understand the professional rigor expected in corporate practice.
LO7.
Have a clear understanding of how graduate attributes contribute to employability skills in a graduate career.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation, Product/ Design |
A1. Professional identity and value proposition
|
25% |
A1.1 LinkedIn Profile 5/01/2026 5:00 pm A1.2 Video Pitch 12/01/2026 5:00 pm |
| Presentation, Portfolio, Reflection |
A2. Workplace reflection
|
35% |
A2.1 Workplace reflection Week 2 - Week 7 A2.2 Viva Voce Consultation 19/01/2026 - 30/01/2026
Submission and Viva Voce InformationYou will receive guidance on when to submit each of your portfolio reflections (A2.1) between Week 2 and Week 7 of the semester. Each reflection should be submitted progressively, following the schedule and instructions provided in class and on the Learning Management System Learn UQ. Once your reflections are underway, you will schedule your A2.2 viva voce consultation with the lecturer. This short discussion will take place in Week 6 or Week 7 and will focus on your reflections and placement experience. Please ensure that your A2.1 written reflections are submitted before your scheduled viva voce session. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Placement, Reflection |
A3. Professional Development Plan
|
40% |
A3.1 Supervisor and Self-Evaluation Forms 30/01/2026 5:00 pm A3.2 PDP 11/02/2026 5:00 pm |
Assessment details
A1. Professional identity and value proposition
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation, Product/ Design
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
A1.1 LinkedIn Profile 5/01/2026 5:00 pm
A1.2 Video Pitch 12/01/2026 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03
Task description
Assessment 1: Professional Identity and Personal Brand
Weighting: 25%
In this assessment, you will demonstrate your ability to define your professional identity and communicate your personal brand and value proposition both in writing and verbally. Drawing on your work-integrated learning experience, you will:
- Develop or refine a LinkedIn profile that reflects your career goals and professional values.
- Engage thoughtfully with professionally relevant content online (e.g., posts, articles, or discussions related to your placement field).
- Create a short personal brand video highlighting your unique qualities, strengths, and what you can offer as an emerging professional.
Together, these elements should convey who you are as a developing professional and how your placement experience has shaped your skills, confidence, and career direction.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT)
AI and MT tools may be used appropriately to support your work in this assessment (for example, to refine wording or generate ideas). You must clearly acknowledge how and where these tools were used.
Failure to reference the use of AI or MT may be considered a breach of the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 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
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Presentation, Portfolio, Reflection
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
A2.1 Workplace reflection Week 2 - Week 7
A2.2 Viva Voce Consultation 19/01/2026 - 30/01/2026
Submission and Viva Voce Information
You will receive guidance on when to submit each of your portfolio reflections (A2.1) between Week 2 and Week 7 of the semester. Each reflection should be submitted progressively, following the schedule and instructions provided in class and on the Learning Management System Learn UQ.
Once your reflections are underway, you will schedule your A2.2 viva voce consultation with the lecturer. This short discussion will take place in Week 6 or Week 7 and will focus on your reflections and placement experience.
Please ensure that your A2.1 written reflections are submitted before your scheduled viva voce session.
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning, Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Assessment 2: Reflective Journal and Discussion
Weighting: 35%
In this assessment, you will demonstrate your ability to analyse and reflect on the business or organisation where you completed your placement. You will submit at least three journal reflections written at different stages of your placement. Each reflection should focus on a significant experience such as a challenge, success, decision, or learning moment and show how you made sense of it in relation to your professional growth.
Your journal entries will form the basis for an individual discussion with your lecturer or course coordinator, where you will respond to questions about your placement experience. You are expected to describe and interpret key business processes, practices, and workplace dynamics, and to critically reflect on alternative actions or decisions and their potential outcomes.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT)
AI and MT tools may be used appropriately to support your work in part 1 of this assessment the Reflective Journal (for example, to refine wording or structure your reflections). You must clearly acknowledge how and where these tools were used.
Failure to reference the use of AI or MT may be considered a breach of the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 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.
A3. Professional Development Plan
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Placement, Reflection
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
A3.1 Supervisor and Self-Evaluation Forms 30/01/2026 5:00 pm
A3.2 PDP 11/02/2026 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment 3: Professional Development Plan
Weighting: 40%
In this assessment, you will prepare a comprehensive and self-reflective Professional Development Plan that evaluates your employability and career readiness. Drawing on your placement experience, you will:
- Reflect on your performance and learning during the placement.
- Incorporate feedback from your supervisor, mentor, or colleagues.
- Consider insights from self-assessment tools and employability frameworks.
- Research industry trends and job requirements relevant to your career goals.
- Align your reflections with UQ’s Graduate Attributes.
You will identify specific areas for growth and create an actionable plan to guide your professional development. The assessment concludes with a strategic reflection on your professional identity and long-term career aspirations, considering how you intend to build and sustain your employability in the future.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT)
AI and MT tools may be used appropriately to support your work in this assessment (for example, to refine wording, summarise trends, or structure your action plan). You must clearly acknowledge how and where these tools were used.
Failure to reference the use of AI or MT may be considered a breach of 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) | 47 - 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 You will complete 80–120 hours of work experience with an approved industry host organisation. Working in a professional environment provides an opportunity to gain valuable practical experience and apply your academic learning in a real-world setting. Through this placement, you will begin to identify and develop the skills, attributes, and professional behaviours needed to be workplace ready. Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 1 |
Lecture |
1: Course introduction and Concept of employability This week outlines the key elements of the course and sets the foundation for your placement experience. Topics include:
Learning outcomes: L01, L06, L07 |
Week 2 |
Lecture |
2: Becoming a reflective practitioner This week focuses on developing your ability to reflect critically on your learning and professional experiences. During this session, you will:
Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L05 |
Week 3 |
Lecture |
3: Online Professional Identity This module focuses on developing your professional identity and online presence. During this week, you will:
Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Multiple weeks From Week 4 To Week 8 |
Not Timetabled |
Optional Online Module: Unlocking Your Employability (Employ101x MOOC) This self-paced, seven-module online course introduces you to key ideas and strategies for building employability. You will hear from:
The MOOC is an optional activity designed to complement your placement experience by helping you reflect on your skills, strengths, and career development goals. Learning outcomes: L01, L07 |
Week 5 |
Lecture |
5: Communicating your professional identity and value proposition This week focuses on effectively articulating who you are as a professional and the value you bring to future employers or collaborators. During this session, you will:
Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 6 |
Lecture |
6: Professional Development Plan This week guides you in developing a structured approach to your ongoing professional growth. During this session, you will explore:
Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L07 |
Multiple weeks From Week 7 To Week 8 |
Consultation |
Viva voce in-person consultations Each student will participate in an individual viva voce consultation with the lecturer to discuss their placement experience. During this in-person discussion, you will respond to questions that invite you to:
You must submit your A2.1 Written Workplace Reflection before your scheduled consultation. The viva voce discussion will serve as the basis for your A2.2 assessment, providing an opportunity to demonstrate critical reflection, professional awareness, and communication skills. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
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
- AI for Assessment Guide
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:
- Placement
- Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience