Holistic Health through Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) (9873.1)

Please note these are the 2022 details for this unit
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Holistic Health through Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE)
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Academic Program Area - Education Level 4 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit examines holistic health for wellbeing. Various dimensions of wellness in schools; physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental and occupational are explored with a focus on research relating to the benefits of movement and nutrition. The effects of hypokinetic diseases in society are explored and also the strong correlation between physical activity and optimal health and quality of life. Students consider: the benefits of physical activity in schools include enhancing mental health through optimising capacity for learning and managing stress; a range of lifespan physical activities and examine the "Stage of Change" model for behavioural change. Students consider why it is essential that implementation is "developmentally appropriate". Students identify strategies to engage people in physical activity and health promoting behaviours across the lifespan with a focus on schools.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Understand and define holistic health for wellbeing;
2. Know the various dimensions of wellness in schools; physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental and occupational;
3. Know the benefits of movement and nutrition and how these can be enhanced in schools;
4. Understand the effects of hypokinetic diseases (non-communicable diseases) and their connection to limited physical activity; cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer;
5. Understand the significance of physical activity (PA) and the strong correlation research indicates PA plays in enabling optimal health and quality of life;
6. Know research that suggests physical activity maximises mental health through optimising capacity for learning and managing stress;
7. Understand how physical activity for the whole school community can be best managed;
8. Understand a range of lifespan physical activities;
9. Know why PA being "developmentally appropriate" is essential across various contexts including educational settings; and
10. Understand the "Stage of Change" model for behaviour change; and strategies to engage people in physical activity and health promoting behaviours across the lifespan (with a focus on schools).


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
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 - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
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 - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas


Prerequisites

Must have passed 72 credit points including 9916 Sociocultural Foundations For HPE In Schools AND 9872 Health and Wellbeing AND 9861 Contemporary Physical Activities.

Corequisites

Enrolment in the Bachelor of Primary Education (HPE) OR Bachelor of Secondary Education (HPE).

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Dr Michael Davies
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Dr Michael Davies
Not available

Required texts

There is no required textbook for this unit. 

Additional readings and other stimulus material for this unit will be provided on the unit's Canvas site. Pre-service teachers are expected to utilise these and other resources when preparing for workshops, learning activities and planning assessment tasks.

The Unit Convener will also provide a list of 'recommended' textbooks, available from the UC library. 

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Responsibility for understanding:

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 pre-service teacher'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 (3) 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.

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.

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 following provides a breakdown of the unit workload expected of pre-service teachers: 

On-line Lectures:

10 x 1 hour Lectures = 10 hours (1 hour per week)

On-campus Workshops:

10 x 2 hour Tutorials = 20 hours (2 hours per week)

Reading, Voices from the Profession and General Preparation for Classes:

~30 hours (~2.5 hours per week)

Assignment Preparation:

~90 hours (~6 hours per week)

Participation requirements

There is a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. Your participation in all ten (10) tutorials and engagement with the online activities (i.e., content outlined in weekly learning modules) will enhance your understanding of this unit's content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

As a general courtesy, if you cannot attend your assigned tutorial class due to illness or unavoidable commitments, contact the Unit Convener as soon as possible to negotiate an alternative tutorial later in the week (if available) or another negotiated arrangement. 

Required IT skills

None.

In-unit costs

None.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.

Additional information

Underpinning pedagogical foundations of the unit:

Health Education 

This unit is informed from evidence-based Health Education research and education. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to pre-service teachers their passion for the research and practice they are carrying out. The Health Education theoretical foundation of this unit is based on the following.Together, these pedagogical frameworks form the foundations for how 'Holistic Health' Education is taught in this unit to equip pre-service teachers with the necessary skills to deliver quality, contemporary Health Education in Primary and/or Secondary school settings, and promoting a holistic approach to health and well-being for the whole school community. 
 

  • Evidence-based programs which take a strengths-based, human-rights, and whole-school approach to health topics that is informed by the Australian Curriculum for Health Education Version 9.0. 
  • The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).


This unit is also in its fifth iteration of addressing two of the Univeristy's Reconciliation Action Plan priorities in Indigenising the Curriculum Framework:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pedagogies — Enrich the University's curriculum by further embedding perspectives and pedagogies that demonstrate respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. 
  • Respecting the Ngunnawal People and their Culture — Strengthen further the University's commitment for respectful engagement with and guidance by the Traditional Owners of our region.

In addressing these two priorities, the unit not only aims to enact the University's key goal to provide pre-service teachers with the leadership, knowledge and independence to make a change towards reconciliation, it also offers multiple opportunities for pre-service teachers to develop their ways of knowing, being and doing to deliver the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority's Cross-curriculum Priority: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures in the context of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education.¿

Communication from Teaching Staff:

  • Notifications will be made through the Canvas 'Announcements' or the Canvas 'Discussion' forums to the unit cohort.
  • It is the responsibility of pre-service teachers to ensure they check for announcements on the unit's Canvas site.
  • Note: these Canvas forums also prompt an individual message to pre-service teachers UC student email. Pre-service teachers should therefore ensure they check their UC student email regularly. 

General questions about unit content and assessment content to Teaching Staff:

  • Please direct enquiries to the 'Discussion' forum on the unit's Canvas site.
  • The rationale for this is to ensure transparent communication around the unit's requirements and expectations between the unit's teaching team and students.

Specific enquires, including attendance, and assessment extensions to Teaching Staff:

  • Please direct enquiries to your direct tutor by email with the Unit Convener copied in. 

When to expect an email reply from Teaching Staff:

  • The Unit Convener and Teaching Team will check and respond to 'Discussion' forum and email enquires at certain timepoints across the work week (Monday to Friday). 
  • Students should expect a reply within 2-3 business days (this excludes weekends). 
  • If you do not receive a response in 2-3 business days please politely follow up your enquiry with the Unit Convener and/or Teaching Team member. 

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 your UC student university email account.
  • Pre-service teachers should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

Email Etiquette to Teaching Staff:

When using your UC student email to communicate with the unit's Teaching Team, you should always make sure that your message contains the following:

  1. A subject clearly outlining the nature of your query or request, including the unit code.
    • The Unit Convener and Teaching Team receive a high volume of email each day, and they also teach more than one (1) unit across the semester.
    • If your email does not contain the unit code it makes your enquiry difficult to put in context.
    • If the subject does not indicate the nature of the message, it may well remain unanswered.
  2. Change the default setting on your email program to include previous messages in replies, and make sure that any previous communication are included in an ongoing exchange.
    • The Unit Convener and Teaching Team manage a high volume of student enquiries. Having a copy of the previous exchanges included in your current email will expedite a response.
  3. Professionally address your Unit Convener or Teaching Team member by their name. 
  4. State your question or request clearly and concisely.
  5. Insert a signature at the end of your email that contains:
    • Your first and last name/family name.
    • Your UC student number.

Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your email not receiving a timely reply.