ABN501 Integrated Professional Practice


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 Outline: Semester 1 2025, Gardens Point, Internal

Unit code:ABN501
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:72 credit points of completed Landscape Architecture study (ABB24% or DL% units), or admission into DE83 Master of Architecture.
Equivalent:DYN203, DAN145
Coordinator:Sarah Briant | s.briant@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

This unit introduces and consolidates key aspects of integrated professional practice in a business setting. The unit is delivered in two key modules. Module 1 investigates how to become, and what it means to be, a professional, including examining the roles of regulatory bodies governing the professions, ethics in professional life, moral rights, copyright and intellectual property and obligations pertaining to professional practice. Module 2 expands on this knowledge by examining the processes of professional relations, leadership skills, collaboration, communication, marketing, professional identity, equity, universal design, and well-being. This unit enables students from Landscape Architecture and Architecture to collaborate and share learning experiences.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. 1. Identify relevant regulation requirements and obligations, as well as legal and ethical obligations required of professionals, and understand their impact on the design and implementation of projects.
  2. Demonstrate clear and consistent communication with clients and other relevant stakeholders in professional practice.
  3. 3. Demonstrate an advanced and integrated understanding of the professional relations which exist in professional practice.

Content

The major topics covered in this unit include:

  • Module 1 – Ethics and Professionalism: Professional practice, acts and regulations, codes of practice and professional conduct, registration and professional memberships, professionalism, ethics and professional dilemmas, moral rights, and obligations pertaining to professional practice.
  • Module 2 – Professional Relations: Leadership and interpersonal skills, culturally appropriate professional collaboration and communication, marketing and professional identity, equity and well-being and universal design in professional practice settings.

Learning Approaches

ABN501 is an advanced unit designed as a shared learning environment for Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Built Environment (Honours) (Landscape Architecture) students, focusing on issues that affect the professional practice of architects and landscape architects in collaboration with a broad range of clients, stakeholders and allied professionals.

This unit will be offered as weekly on-campus workshops with weekly online resources to inform the weekly topics. The content and learning outcomes of this unit lend themselves to being engaged in a professional manner; as such, portions of this unit will be run as a simulated practice office in which you will role-play the membership of a professional design office in team-based projects and be expected to contribute to collaborative group discussions. Information sessions with experts and specialists and facilitated meetings will guide your participation in the workshop discussions.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in following ways:

  • ongoing in-class formative exercises/activities with peers, academics, and professional/industry experts.
  • in-class review of weekly activities
  • marking rubrics for formal assessments.
  • verbal/written feedback from teaching staff at completion of summative assessments.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment will include the creation of an ethical manifesto, report and in class presentation, and a simulation presentation and accompanying report. The accompanying reports demonstrate alignment of the theoretical work to the context of a professional office setting. While you will be assessed for grading at the completion, there will also be ongoing formative feedback throughout the semester, to guide your progress. Assessment expectations will be discussed during relevant workshops.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Manifesto and Report

In the first assessment, you will create an ethical manifesto to guide your future practice as a professional. To do this, you will outline the relevant regulation requirements and obligations, as well as legal and ethical obligations related to professional practice, while critically reflecting on various ethical challenges. You will also outline a series of recommendations about how to respond to these challenges as a future practicing professional.

Weight: 60
Length: Manifesto, Reflective Journal, and in-person Presentation
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 7
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2

Assessment: Simulation and Report

In the second assessment, you will collaborate in groups to simulate, record, and present educative CPD resources, to demonstrate your advanced and integrated understanding of the professional relations which exist in professional practice, to ensure professional practice success. This assessment also includes the creation of an individual reflective journal that demonstrates your understanding of the requirements and practices of future practicing professionals.

Weight: 40
Length: Recorded group Presentation (e.g. video, slideshow, animation), Group Contract, and Reflective Journal
Individual/Group: Individual and group
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3

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

All students and staff are required to complete the Tier 1 FoE General Health and Safety online Induction for access to campus buildings and facilities.

Resources

Specific unit resources and materials will be shared through the online learning site for the unit.

Risk Assessment Statement

During classes you are expected to comply with all evacuation drills, instructions and other occupational health and safety regulations at QUT. You are advised to avoid construction areas/hazardous zones and to minimise risks to both yourself and other members of the public while at QUT. In this unit, you will undertake lectures and tutorials in traditional classrooms and lecture theatres. The unit may require you to participate in field trips, both of a self-guided nature and sometimes organised trips overseen by staff. A risk assessment for the latter has identified only low impact risks. A risk assessment will be conducted prior to any organised field trips. You will be provided with relevant safety guidelines prior to any field trip and be required to comply with all guidelines and directions given while attending field trips.

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

AB01 Bachelor of Built Environment (Honours)

  1. Apply theoretical, practical and cultural knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines and specialist knowledge and skills in one built environment area.
    Relates to: Manifesto and Report
  2. Design and critically evaluate sustainable and creative solutions to social, economic, technological and environmental challenges.
    Relates to: Manifesto and Report, Simulation and Report
  3. Communicate knowledge, ideas and creative solutions in diverse modes, for a range of contexts and diverse audiences.
    Relates to: Manifesto and Report, Simulation and Report
  4. Reflect on feedback and experience, and display professional and ethical judgment and initiative.
    Relates to: Manifesto and Report, Simulation and Report

DE83 Master of Architecture

  1. Independently researching and evaluating emergent knowledge as it becomes necessary to fulfil the profession's role in society.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Manifesto and Report, Simulation and Report
  2. Supporting their decision-making using evidence-based, reasoned argument and judgement pertaining to architectural propositions.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Manifesto and Report, Simulation and Report
  3. Communicating with a variety of audiences in appropriate ways.
    Relates to: ULO2, Manifesto and Report, Simulation and Report
  4. Demonstrating their understanding of architecture's status as an ethical service-oriented profession committed to responsible care for the inhabited environment.
    Relates to: ULO1, Manifesto and Report