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AWL201 - Communication and Persuasive Presentation

Year	2026 unit information
Enrolment modes	Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online
Credit point(s)	1
EFTSL value	0.125
Unit chair	Trimester 1: Caroline James-Garrod Trimester 2: Katrina Clifford
Prerequisite	Students must have passed 6 credit points of study, prior to enrolling in this unit
Corequisite	Nil
Incompatible with	Nil
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment	1 x 1.5-hour on-campus seminar per week
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment	1 x 1.5-hour online seminar per week (livestreamed, recordings provided)
Typical study commitment	Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Content

Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills to have. It is also an essential tool to maintaining strong, lasting working relationships across a range of professional contexts. This unit is designed to equip you with the tools to develop your confidence and skills in communicating with credibility and presence. Through a combination of guided discussion, personal reflection, case studies and practical exercises, you will explore what it means to be an effective communicator and collaborator in diverse settings. You will learn the importance of matching your communication and presentation style with your work and project goals, and how to refine your messaging to ensure you reach and engage target audiences. The potential barriers to being able to clearly and convincingly share your ideas and connect with audiences, and tactics to overcome these, will be explored along with the potential consequences of miscommunication.

Learning outcomes

Each unit in your course is a building block towards Deakin's Graduate Learning Outcomes - not all units develop and assess every Graduate Learning Outcome (GLO).

ULO	These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:	Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)
ULO1	Identify, explain and apply the key concepts and principles that underpin the effective communication and presentation of ideas, and strategies for building support and influence.	GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking
ULO2	Critique examples of different communication techniques and presentation styles in action, including their influence on audiences and potential barriers to effectiveness.	GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking
ULO3	Reflect on their own patterns of communication and presentation and how these may need to be adapted to effectively communicate with others.	GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management
ULO4	Demonstrate the capacity to create and deliver content naturally, credibly and effectively, using audio-visual technologies.	GLO2: Communication GLO3: Digital literacy

Assessment

Assessment Description	Student output	Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit)	Indicative due week
Assessment 1: Essay	1200 words or equivalent	30%	Week 5
Assessment 2: Pitch	3-minute Video Presentation	20%	Week 9
Assessment 3: Audio-Visual Presentation and Reflection	5-minute Audio-Visual Presentation and 500 word Self-Reflection	50%	Week 12

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning resource

The texts and reading list for AWL201 can be found via the University Library.

Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.

To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.

Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.