EUN653 The Science of Complex Trauma

Unit Outline: Flexible Period - 06A 2025, Kelvin Grove, Internal (Start Date: 06 May 2025)

Overview

In this unit, you will build your knowledge and understanding of important theory and research examining the biology and neurobiology of child and adolescent development, the impact of complex trauma on development and functioning, and the intergenerational transmission of complex trauma. Your growing understandings will be applied to the education context including early childhood education and care and primary and secondary schooling. You will work with peers to consider the implications of this information for educational policies and practices and will develop your skills to explain key learnings to colleagues. This unit is designed to be studied along with or after EUN651 and EUN652, as part of the Trauma-Aware Education specialisation for the Graduate Certificate or Master of Education course. The unit may also be studied as a single option unit.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate a body of knowledge including recent developments in the field of trauma-aware education (CLO 1.1).
2. Use cognitive and critical reflection skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and professional practice or scholarship in the field of trauma-aware education (CLO 2.1).
3. Demonstrate technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments in the field of trauma-aware education that contribute to professional practice or scholarship (CLO 2.4).
4. Demonstrate application of knowledge and skills regarding trauma-aware education with creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning with high level personal autonomy and accountability (CLO 3.1).

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit has a blended learning design that provides engagement options for students. Throughout this unit, you will learn through engaging in lectures and workshops which you can choose to attend in person or engage with on-line. You will be required to understand, critically reflect and apply content to your own practice and the broader education context.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will gain feedback in this unit by participating in discussion forums and activities (on-line or face-to-face) with academics and peers that contribute to your understanding and skill development. This will include a critical review of a research article relevant to your selected topic for your literature review that will provide you with early feedback for completion of assignment one.

Assessment

Overview

1. Essay: You will choose a topic to discuss from a selection provided that are drawn from unit content.
2. You will design and present a poster (resource) to share with colleagues in your work context, that helps to explain elements of the science underpinning complex trauma that you addressed in your essay.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Essay

You will choose a research topic to review from a selection provided that are drawn from unit content.

Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs 1.1, 2.1

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Poster Presentation

You will produce a poster (size A1) designed to share with colleagues in your work context that summarises and explains elements of the science underpinning complex trauma that you addressed in your literature review. You will present a 10 minute summary (video recording) explaining your poster to your peers.

Relates to learning outcomes
CLOs  2.4, 3.1

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

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.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Access to internet

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Howard, J. A. (2022). Trauma-aware education: Essential information and guidance for educators, education sites and education systems. Australian Academic Press

Recommended text(s)

Howard, J.A. (2013). Distressed or deliberately defiant: Managing challenging student behaviour due to trauma and disorganised attachment. Brisbane: Australian Academic Press