EUN639 Inclusive Education: Historical, Conceptual and Legal Foundations
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUN639 |
|---|---|
| Antirequisite(s): | LCN629 |
| Equivalent(s): | EUZ639 |
| Credit points: | 6 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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| CSP student contribution | $296 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $1,734 |
| International unit fee | $2,370 |
Unit Outline: Flexible Period - 03A 2026, Online (Start Date: 23 Feb 2026)
| Unit code: | EUN639 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 6 |
| Equivalent: | EUZ639 |
| Anti-requisite: | LCN629 |
Overview
Inclusive education is a process of systemic transformation that begins with educators acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that all learners can access and participate in high-quality, age-appropriate curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in regular classrooms and early childhood education and care settings. This includes learners with a disability for whom inclusive education is a human right in accordance with international law and who are entitled to reasonable adjustments under national anti-discrimination legislation. This unit steps through the fundamental knowledge that educators need to meet their legal obligations and to understand inclusive practice. Together with EUN681, EUN639 provides a strong foundation for the three other core units in the inclusive education specialism: EUN640 Reading and Writing Difficulties, EUN641 Multi-tiered Supports for Diverse Learners, and EUN642 Creating Positive Learning Environments.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the history of, rationale and evidence for fundamental concepts underpinning inclusive education and critically analyse differences between inclusive and special education (CLO 1.1, 2.1).
- Express sufficient working knowledge of educators’ obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Standards for Education (CLO 2.2, 2.4, 3.1).
Content
This unit will cover the following topics:
- Historical developments responsible for the shift from special to inclusive education.
- The social and medical models of disability and their relevance to the education of learners with diverse abilities.
- The empirical evidence for inclusive education.
- Children’s rights to an inclusive education and educators’ obligations under international human rights law, Australian anti-discrimination legislation, and state education policy.
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- Lectorials with leading inclusive education experts and guest speakers
- Weekly readings
- Recap workshops to prepare for assessment
- Authentic assessment tasks designed to support real-world application of unit content.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
In this unit, formative and summative feedback will be provided as follows:
- Formative feedback will be provided by way of an assessment discussion forum, through weekly lectorials, and a re-cap workshop.
- You will receive extensive feedback on your Assessment through written comments on the assessment item.
Assessment
Overview
There is one assessment piece: a case study task.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Case study
Create a case study to guide inclusive practice in your educational setting. Ensure that your case study:
(1) provides a rationale that (i) connects to the fundamental concepts underpinning inclusive education, (ii) explains the development of inclusive education with reference to key historical, political and legislative events (domestic and/or international) and the difference between inclusion, integration, special education, and segregation, (iii) analyses the research evidence for inclusion;
(2) outline educators’ specific obligations in relation to the support of learners with a disability under (i) international instruments (e.g., United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 24 and General Comment No. 4), and (ii) Australian legislation (1992 Disability Discrimination Act and 2005 Disability Standards for Education).
Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Graham, L.J., (Ed) (2023). Inclusive education for the 21st century: Theory, policy and practice (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Other
Additional readings will be available via QUT Readings.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are confronting topics included in this unit and these may be distressing to some students. There are also communication risks associated with making comments on Canvas. These risks can be mitigated through the use of inclusive language and respect for human dignity; both are core elements of inclusive education.