Leading and Sustaining Professional Learning Communities PG (9096.3)

Please note these are the 2025 details for this unit
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Leading and Sustaining Professional Learning Communities PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Intensive
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Teacher Education Post Graduate Level Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
In this unit students will critically analyse the different theories and practices that enable team-based and organisation-wide professional learning to occur. They will develop a theoretical and practical understanding of strategies for creating and sustaining professional learning communities. They will develop the knowledge and skills to re-culture educational contexts so learning, collaboration and student improvement can occur. The unit provides an opportunity to investigate how educational leaders design, implement and sustain successful learning cultures which result in improved teacher practice and student achievement.
In the delivery of this unit opportunities will include on-campus and off-campus options.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of professional learning community (PLC) and the use of PLC process in schools and other educational settings;
2. Investigate the dimensions and critical attributes of PLCs;
3. Implement formal and informal tools and strategies to assess the educational culture in relation to the PLC process; and
4. Prepare professional development plans that implement the PLC process at the institutional or system level.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 Intensive Dr Sally Rule
Not available

Required texts

Required readings and additional resources will be made available on the unit Canvas site.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Special assessment requirements

An aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit.

Students may use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for tasks in this unit, however GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment in this task when:

  1. The Unit Convener has authorised its use for that assessment;
  2. The student uses it in the way that the assessment instructions allow for;
  3. The student fully acknowledges its use, with appropriate citations and references. Each referencing guide provided by the Library provides advice on how to appropriately reference the use of GenAI in-text.

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Note that the University supported text matching software is URKUND, which is now available to all units via Canvas. For further information, please see the description of how to use the Turnitin tool in the UCLearn (Canvas) Staff Support site.

The use of Turnitin is the default position of the university. Should a reason be put forward for deviation from this position, please discuss with ADE.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The workload for this unit is expected to be 150 hours: 
1. Online reflections and engagement                10 hours
2. Attendance and engagement in workshops    20 hours
3. Prescribed readings and private study            60 hours 
4. Research and assignment preparation            60 hours 

Participation requirements

Participation in the face-to-face intensive classes is required in order to complete Assessment 2 - Group Presentation (25%). Refer to Assessment 2 on the Canvas site for further details.

Your participation in both class and online activities will enhance your understanding of the unit content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

Required IT skills

Canvas is the learning management system for this unit. Basic computer literacy is assumed, and students should be able to perform the following before commencing the unit:

  • Use a standard word processing package
  • Use a standard spreadsheet package
  • Manage files
  • Access the Internet and use an email package

Artificial Intelligence

Students may use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for this unit.

GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:

  1. The Unit Convener has authorised its use for that assessment;
  2. The student uses it in the way that the assessment instructions allow for;
  3. The student fully acknowledges its use, with appropriate citations and references. Each referencing guide provided by the Library provides advice on how to appropriately reference the use of GenAI in-text.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not allowed for that assessment. If students are unsure, they should seek advice from the Unit Convener.

Students should be aware that the University of Canberra utilises GenAI detection software. Suspected instances of unauthorised GenAI use may lead to a Learning Validation Conversation' designed to provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes. Students who are suspected of having misused GenAI in assessment may be required to attend a summary inquiry for suspected misconduct.

In-unit costs

None

Work placement, internships or practicums

Not applicable

Additional information

Active Research in the Field

The convenor teaching the unit is an active researcher in the field of System-wide PLCs as a mechanism for school improvement, and is able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out. The convenor has a publishing contract with Palgrave McMillan: "The Dynamics of Professionalism in Australian Education Reform".  The monograph is due for publication in August 2026.

Theoretical foundations:  This unit is founded on current theory around professionalism-based school improvement and education reform. 

Research Led Education: The convenor delivering this unit is an active researcher in the field, able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.

Provision of information to the group

Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forums are deemed to be made to the whole class.  It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for announcements on the Unit's Canvas website (forum messages are also emailed to student email addresses only).  Students should ensure they check their student email regularly.  The Canvas discussion forums will be checked by staff regularly.

Use of student email account

The University Email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes".  Therefore all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Students should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.