School: Medical and Health Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Assistive Technology
  • Unit Code

    OCT2251
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Jeff BROSE

Description

In this unit students are introduced to a range of assistive technologies that can be used to enhance the occupational performance of people. Students will experience assistive technologies for communicating, learning, moving, manipulating objects and controlling the immediate environment. Through hands-on laboratories, students learn how to evaluate body posture, measure wheelchairs, operate powered mobility devices and examine the impact that correct postural support has upon body functions and occupational performance outcomes. Unit content explores the legal and ethical requirements associated with assisted technologies and encourages students to consider the future direction of assistive technology in occupational therapy practice.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must have passed OCT2101 or OCT2203; and OCT2102 or OCT2208.

Students must be enrolled in H96.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded OCT3203

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Work collaboratively to assess the features and occupational impacts of assistive technologies.
  2. Formulate person-centred assistive technology solutions to address the complex occupational goals of people.
  3. Evaluate the person factors and seating factors that impact upon an individual’s body posture and postural control.
  4. Apply evidence-informed and ethical occupational therapy practices to respond to assistive technology challenges.

Unit Content

  1. Technologies that assist people to communicate, move, learn and engage with their environment to perform occupations.
  2. Assistive technology in an occupational therapy context.
  3. Ethical and legislation issues related to assistive technology.
  4. Professional reasoning to justify assistive technology from an occupational therapy perspective.
  5. Body postural assessment.
  6. Seating technology for postural control.
  7. Manual and powered wheelchairs.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 2 hour labNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

Laboratory classes involve students working in small groups to critically appraise a range of assistive technologies in highly practical ways. In this unit students apply their knowledge of switch skills through practical activities, case scenarios, and gain insights from expert guest lecturers and assistive technology suppliers. In assignment groups, students will gain experience with using and evaluating a new assistive technology, then deliver their evaluation findings to classmates in group presentations.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit information may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PresentationGroup analysis and presentation of assistive technology25%
AssignmentClient-centred assistive technology solution for a case study35%
Test ^End of semester test40%

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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