In a multicultural environment, it is easy to come across as rude, or to misunderstand others' behaviour if we don't know their culture. Showing how politeness and behaviour norms function in different cultures, this unit will provide you with skills that give competitive edge in any professional area. The unit does not require any previous knowledge of foreign language.

Sydney is a city rich in diverse pre-colonial, colonial and contemporary sites of significance to Aboriginal Peoples. Too often though perceptions about Aboriginal Peoples consign them to an ancient past or perpetuate stereotypical imaginations that Aboriginal Peoples live predominantly in remote communities. Consequently Aboriginal narratives are commonly hidden or marginalised. The development of cultural competence capabilities helps to uncover and examine these hidden and marginalised narratives and experiences. This course explores some of the key themes and capabilities of cultural competence by exploring Aboriginal experiences and narratives of Sydney which are often invisible to non-Aboriginal eyes. Key elements of practicing cultural competence include being able to understand and interrogate context, which in the case of Sydney includes not only learning about the peoples, places and histories of Aboriginal Sydney but to also understand issues about how knowledge is created and how dominant narratives can exclude diverse knowledges and experiences. This unit will develop students' capacity to productively, collaboratively and openly in diverse groups and across cultural boundaries

This unit is a gentle on-line OLE introduction into coding using the popular script language Python for students who do not receive these skills in junior units of study. Through working with examples in on-line exercises, regular assessment and support hours, the students will develop hands-on skills. In particular the unit will teach analysis of text based data, numerical data and categorical data, constructing plots and developing summaries. Note that the unit runs in the intensive August teaching period.

This unit is a gentle on-line OLE introduction into coding using the popular script language R for students who do not receive these skills in junior units of study. Through working with examples in on-line exercises, regular assessment and support hours, the students will develop hands-on skills. In particular the unit will teach analysis of text based data, numerical data and categorical data, constructing plots and developing summaries. Note that the unit runs in the August intensive teaching period.

Anxiety is a normal emotion that evolved to ensure our survival. It is experienced when a person perceives that a situation is potentially harmful. However, some people experience so much anxiety that it interferes with their everyday lives. Anxiety disorders are common, and many of them begin during adolescence or young adulthood. How and why anxiety is experienced, how does it become a problem, and what can be done about it? This unit will introduce current scientific knowledge about anxiety and related disorders. We will consider recent empirical research concerning the nature and management of normal experiences of anxiety as well as the causes and treatment of anxiety disorders, for example, specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, or generalised anxiety disorder. Obsessive-compulsive and trauma-related disorders will be briefly introduced as well. You will learn about foundational concepts and methods in psychology, as well as practical skills that help manage anxiety in everyday life. By completing this unit you will increase your general mental health literacy to be able to identify and evaluate information about managing anxiety and maintaining good mental health in general.

The theory and observations of modern cosmology have revolutionised our view of the universe in recent years. This unit of study explores the big picture of the expanding universe in which we live, where around 96% of its content is revealed but invisible to us! You will learn about the galaxies that are the visible signposts in the universe, the dark matter hiding within and around them, and the dark energy that must also be present to explain the distribution of mass and its motion in the universe on the largest scales. How do we know? How do we even measure distance on these scales? What does this tell us about the history of the universe and its fate? You will gain an appreciation and understanding of the methodology and techniques of modern astronomy that allow us to probe the universe across vast distances and times since the Big Bang and into the future. In doing this unit you will confront the challenging scientific and philosophical questions posed by our cosmological picture. The unit also includes opportunities for day and night observing sessions.

Several thousand planets orbiting other stars (exoplanets) have been discovered in recent years. This unit of study introduces our rapidly changing understanding of the place of the Earth in a universe where we now know that planets are common. You will learn about the characteristics and age of the Earth and other planets of the solar system and how they compare with exoplanets. What does this tell us about planetary formation and the number of Earth-like planets? You will also learn the criteria for 'habitability' and the prospects for finding habitable worlds in the near future. What is the relevance of these discoveries to other sciences such as geology, biology and chemistry? You will gain an appreciation and understanding of the methodology and techniques of modern astronomy, especially the technology of astronomical observation. The challenging nature of exoplanet observations will illustrate the need to carefully judge the reliability and significance of scientific data and conclusions. The unit also includes opportunities for day and night observing sessions.

This unit of study explores the lives of the stars, leading some to explosive ends and the formation of a black hole. You will learn about the life cycle of a star from its birth in the interstellar medium to its fate as a stellar remnant - as a white dwarf, neutron star or perhaps a black hole. You will work with simulations to gain an appreciation and understanding of the methodology and techniques of modern astronomy, especially astronomical spectroscopy that allows us to measure the composition, physical state and motion of the stars. These measurements also reveal the extreme properties of stellar remnants. More recently, observations of gravitational waves have opened a new window on the universe, allowing us to study the merger of neutron stars. Our study of spectroscopic and gravitational wave observations of extreme environments will clearly illustrate how modern astronomy depends on advancing technology leading to new instrumentation and observational capabilities. The unit also includes opportunities for day and night observing sessions.

This OLE analyses the major Australian sport of Rugby League from three perspectives: sociocultural, sports science and sports management. Critical thinking, ethical reasoning and interdisciplinary effectiveness underpin the online learning activities and a field trip to an NRL First Grade match.

We discuss the research process and three core concepts: variable, measurement and uncertainty. Variables are the building blocks of all quantitative studies. We describe their types, issues we face when deciding how to measure variables, and core differences between observational and experimental research. This unit will be of interest to students from different disciplines, from education and health to chemistry and engineering. You will come up with a simple study design, develop confidence in navigating quantitative research in general and improve interdisciplinary communication.

This OLE will provide the fundamentals of computer programming with a focus on developing skills for data ingesting, quality/format validation, format conversion, and summarization. It will teach these skills in Python, an easy-to-learn yet powerful, general-purpose scripting language used widely in industry and academia, especially for data science projects.

Ferment' is a Latin word and means 'to boil and to rise' which refers to leavening with yeast. Fermentation and brewing has been fundamental to human societies since Neolithic times and beer is just one example of the provisions we get from fermentation. The aim of this unit is to explore the science of fermentation and the entrepreneurship and influence needed to bring a product to market. You will learn about a broad range of fermented food and beverage products and investigate the importance of each of the ingredients, how they are selected and why this matters and the fundamentals of marketing the final product. Although the basic processes have remained essentially the same for hundreds of years, cutting edge technology is helping us to perfect the art of fermentation and brewing; as you progress through this unit the application of these technologies to a broad range of fermentation-based processes will be outlined. In addition, you will learn how humans have harnessed the power of microbes to convert simple ingredients into complex food and beverages. You will have the opportunity to direct your own exploration and entrepreneurship in fermentation by selecting a fermented food or beverage product, evaluating the problems around processing, and positing authentic solutions. By doing this unit you will also understand the interdisciplinary and influence skills needed to bring a product to market and how food and technology contributes to the Australian economy and society.

In the third upgrade to the 0 credit point Business Entrepreneurship unit, students learn about bootstrap finance. Colloquially, the term 'bootstrap finance' describes the feat of pulling yourself up by your shoelaces, by obtaining rudimentary funding from friends and family for a new business venture, and creating the conditions that might allow the venture team to later obtain business angel or venture funding. In this upgrade, students acquire theoretical knowledge of the valuation of a new business idea and venture, learn how to analyse a case, and formulate a perspective on the structure of the financial sources and models available. This intensive unit employs experiential learning and provides students with a business case, and hands-on tasks to develop the necessary skills and insights into early venture funding.

Where the 0 credit point Business Entrepreneurship unit provides students with a theoretical perspective on business entrepreneurship, this for-credit upgrade provides an opportunity for students to apply this knowledge, and to refine their understanding. To this aim, students are presented with entrepreneurial challenges and are assisted to develop viable prototypes of services or products that address the challenges. With the help of research-based entrepreneurship literature, students analyse the market potential of the prototypes, formulate a suitable value proposition for their prototypes, and develop a business model that enables them to progress from idea to venture. Through this experiential exercise and the accompanying literature on business models and prototyping, students develop relevant prototyping and analytical skills, an understanding of the role and nature of business models, and learn how to combine both toward the goal of venture growth.

In this second upgrade to the 0 credit point Business Entrepreneurship unit students learn how to take a minimally viable product or service to market while drawing on the ubiquitous digital environment to develop customer insights. These guerrilla tactics prove valuable in a business environment where a new venture may appear to possess little legitimacy and credibility among established organisations and customers. This intensive module uses problem-based learning, practical examples, and academic literature to ensure students acquire knowledge and develop skills to overcome the challenges of novelty.

Where the 0 credit point Business Ethics unit provides a theoretical perspective on business ethics, this for-credit upgrade provides the opportunity for students to practise and expand their understanding in a problem-based, intensive mode. Students work interactively to resolve a staged ethical dilemma. This format, which is frequently used in business organisations for the ethics training of staff, allows students to unpack the different roles, rules, norms, politics, and power relationships in companies, to appreciate the intricacies of human interaction and decision making, and to search for an ethically satisfying resolution of the staged dilemma. Additional literature on the types of dilemmas faced helps students further refine their understanding.

Cancer is a highly prevalent health issue in the community and survival rates are increasing for many cancer survivors Because of its impact cancer is also a national health priority and is a key research area at the University The primary aim of this unit of study is to introduce students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to the common issues experienced by cancer survivors Other aims include understanding the experience of a cancer diagnosis and its management exploring the common problems experienced by cancer survivors and understanding the stages of cancer survivorship prevention detection diagnosis interventions rehabilitation survivorship and palliative care

Computer programming (aka coding) in digital era has been increasingly as important as literacy and numeracy. This OLE unit is designed for students who do not have any background of coding, but want to gain fundamental knowledge and skills of coding. It covers core coding concepts including statement, variable, flow control, and functions through digital media, such as graphics, animation, and sound, and interaction. Students are able to unleash their creativity through coding in this unit.

In this unit you will learn and practice techniques for understanding research problems or responding to innovation challenges in complex team-based environments. This will further develop your skills of inquiry, feedback and agency, recognising the collective importance of personal background, experience and different ways of knowing. This knowledge and practice is highly appreciated across disciplines and sectors where graduates are expected to be able to successfully collaborate effectively in highly diverse groups. You will learn about approaches for recognizing different dimensions of diversity and how to leverage their value in the context of group performance. At the same time, you will learn how to moderate and understand your own contribution to maximise the performance of the group. To demonstrate your understanding, and test the interrelationship of communication and collaboration, the unit challenges you in a group environment to articulate research problems or innovation challenges for a real-world problem.

This unit of study provides practical training in conceptualizing and undertaking a collaborative ethnographic research project. Students will consider the features of ethnographic collaboration within particular disciplines, and the many different ways in which the researcher's cultural competency must be strengthened and interrogated for collaboration to proceed. In particular, students will explore and reflect upon ethnographic research collaborations undertaken together with individuals who are "insiders" in the research community. Students will gain an understanding of how collaboration impacts upon research ethics, plans and goals, projects and processes, and outcomes and dissemination through being supported to plan, undertake and reflect upon their own small collaborative research activity, thereby further enhancing their understanding of the benefits of collaborative ethnography for both communities and researchers.

This OLE unit teaches students to load, use and interpret information using Wikidata. This free, open source repository gathers and stores content in the public domain. It will benefit students in any discipline who are interested in harvesting statistics freely and –as Wikidatauses SPARQL –without the need for query items to be contained in data bases. Published under CC0 1.0 Universal, the data can be reused, copied, modified, and distributed and stored in Wikidata. Wikidata is multilingual so can be used for translations. It can be used with specific datasets or to ask interesting questions like 'What is the capital city of every chocolate manufacturer and how many people live there?'

What is STEM? Why is it essential that scientists learn to communicate effectively about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to a variety of audiences? What makes for engaging communication about STEM? How does the style of communication need to change for different audiences? What styles, techniques and approaches can be used to greatest effect for each communication activity? What are the nuts and bolts of good STEM communications? This OLE will first introduce you to the fundamentals, definitions and techniques of STEM communication. You will learn that good communication is essential both within the sciences and for our broader society. Complex topics, concepts and issues need to be communicated effectively in order to promote an understanding of science, an appreciation of its strengths and limitations, and to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications. You will be introduced to various forms of STEM communication appropriate to different audiences. You will outline, develop and present examples of STEM Communication. You will also be asked to critically evaluate and identify examples of effective communication of STEM ideas.

Interested in understanding how you might work with communities to bring about social change? This unit, offered in an Open Learning Environment, provides the opportunity for students to gain theoretical and practical tools to support community-based social change. Students will identify, undertake and reflect on social action in community settings. Completion of the unit will build students graduate qualities of influence, interdisciplinarity and cross-cultural competency. This unit challenges the historical tendency of professions to work 'on' rather than 'with' communities which has contributed to ineffective policies, poor outcomes and professional frustration. It seeks to expand students' knowledge and skills in relation to working with the interactions, networks, structures and processes at the community level.

In this unit, you will learn practical techniques for addressing complex problems and the role of interdisciplinary perspectives in developing innovative strategies. Complex problems, sometimes referred to as being “Wicked”, include concerns of global dimension that deeply impact on the lives of people, such as climate change, mass urbanisation, world poverty and food security. Through examples, you will develop an understanding of what constitutes complex problems. You will be taken through scenarios, enabling your insights into the use of techniques across a range of practical situations. Through exercises and practice techniques you will integrate your disciplinary expertise with perspectives from other disciplines. Building on this understanding, you will assess and reflect on how problem-solving techniques can lead to innovative strategies that address complex challenges in research projects.

Complex systems, such as modern smart cities, infrastructure, power and data grids, bio- and ecosystems, are composed of numerous diverse interacting parts, making them susceptible to unexpected, large-scale, and apparently uncontrollable behaviours. This unit will develop an awareness of the complex nature of systems around and within us, with the view to develop and expand the expertise in computational modelling and policy development for crisis forecasting and management. It will define and explore core concepts that describe system dynamics in terms of how individual components interact locally to generate global system properties. This OLE will require an estimated 50 hours of course learning content, practical formative exercises and assessments. Graduates of this unit are expected to develop critical reasoning, depth of disciplinary expertise, interdisciplinary effectiveness/expertise and broader skills.

Molecular and systems biology have become data-intensive sciences owing to the fast-growing omics technologies that enable the profiling of genome, epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome at full scale and, increasingly, at the single-cell level. Computational and statistical methodologies are now indispensable for analysing omics data generated from high-throughput technologies. This unit will introduce you to commonly used computational and statistical methods in omics data analysis. You are encouraged to use your own data to construct the models to visualise your research and interpret results. Learning the correct use of computational methods for various omics data analysis applications including your own data, you will develop an essential knowledge of methods and techniques in analysing omics data. This will provide a strong foundation for using computational approaches in omics-based molecular and systems biology research.

In this unit, you will learn about creative thinking techniques and develop an understanding for how to apply creative thinking to achieve innovative outcomes. The World Economic Forum lists creativity as one of the top skills required in future work environments. As more tasks are becoming automated across industries, creativity is increasingly seen as a skillset that contributes new perspectives and to deliver outcomes that offer a competitive advantage in the market. As a way of thinking, creativity offers an approach for dealing with complexity and uncertainty, and to develop resilience. The unit will unpack these relationships through case studies from the innovation sector interlinked with exercises, such as creative writing. To demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary creativity, the unit will take you through a collaborative exercise, in which you build on ideas from others in the class. As a final step, we will assess and reflect on how creative thinking compares to research methodologies and how it can benefit research projects.

This unit introduces the emerging world of cryptocurrencies with an emphasis on the trading and valuation of these assets. Students learn about the mechanics of various blockchains, delve into the economics of crypto-mining, and learn about the critical features of various currencies. The trading infrastructure utilised by these assets is documented, an understanding of their valuation provided, and how these assets can be incorporated into traditional portfolios to add diversification benefits is explored. The unit provides an overview of the regulatory frameworks evolving to deal with cryptocurrencies and explains how initial coin offerings (ICOs) compare to crowdfunding and other traditional raising methods. Several successful ICO's are investigated to build an understanding of how capital is raised and what sorts of projects lend themselves to disruption via the blockchain. Students also explore what future areas cryptocurrencies are likely to disrupt.

This unit is delivered in a module format and is designed to encourage students to learn about who they are and how they relate to the world around them. It aims to serve as a starting point in an individual's journey towards being respectful of diversity and encouraging open and inclusive behaviour. The unit will examine the meaning of culture and cultural competence; examine social and emotional wellbeing in a cultural competence context as well as identity formation, worldview, socialisation. The unit will address the importance of building cultural competence capabilities to recognise and address racism. The unit will also help build critical self-reflection skills and a greater understanding of diverse knowledges. The unit helps students explore the implications of being part of a University community that is located on Aboriginal land. The unit will help the development of cultural competence in order to develop students' capacity to productively, collaboratively and openly in diverse groups and across cultural boundaries.

Cultural competence is a congruent set of values and principles that are reflected in behaviours, attitudes, policies, structures, and practices in a system, organisation, professional or researcher and facilitate work and effective interactions with clients and environments in cross-cultural situations (modified from Kiefer et al 2013). The unit will introduce undergraduate students to general principles in cultural competence awareness and provide a learning space to reflect on some overall values, behaviours, attitudes and practices that will enable them to work and interact effectively with their clients, co-workers, communities and environments crossculturally during their research, placements and professional practice. Part of this OLE will also be tailored to the student's interests by providing an opportunity for reflection on the impact of some cultural competence aspects on the research, professional placements and extramural rotations/practice of their disciplines when applied to cross cultural settings.

This unit explores the cultural significance of food in Europe. It introduces the history of food in major European countries. Students will have the opportunity to explore in depth the food culture of one European country and its manifestation in Australia.

Science is undergoing a data explosion, and astronomy is leading the way. Modern telescopes produce terabytes of data per observation, and the simulations required to model our observable Universe push supercomputers to their limits. To analyse this data scientists need to be able to think computationally to solve problems. In this course you will investigate the challenges of working with large datasets. How to implement algorithms that work and how to think about scaling to large datasets. The focus is on practical skills - all the activities will be done in Python 3, a modern programming language used throughout astronomy. This will be run as a 0 cp + 2 cp unit of study. Students should have strong programming skills in Python 3, with a good understanding of loops, decisions and user-defined functions.

Science is undergoing a data explosion, and astronomy is leading the way. Modern telescopes produce terabytes of data per observation, and the simulations required to model our observable Universe push supercomputers to their limits. To analyse this data scientists need to be able to think computationally to solve problems. In this course you will learn how to manage your data with databases, and use the SQL language to ask questions about your data. You will also learn how to explore your data with machine learning tools. The focus is on practical skills - all the activities will be done in Python 3, and modern programming language used throughout astronomy. This will be run as a 0 cp + 2 cp unit of study. Students should have strong programming skills in Python 3, with a good understanding of loops, decisions and user-defined functions.

Data comes in many and varied formats, it can be tall or wide, big or small, structured or unstructured. Regardless of where you get your data from, it will almost always require some wrangling. Data wrangling is the convolution, alignment and preparation of data before use. This unit provides an overview of best practices in organising your research data from the point of discovery through to its use for scientific applications. You will learn the principles of data handling and how to maintain rigour and integrity of your data throughout your research, including documenting data provenance, how to access major databases, and data licensing. After calculating summary statistics to aid in the identification of outliers and missing values, you will learn how to clean and wrangle data in a reproducible manner in R, at a variety of scales. You will "wrangle" your research data using R, identifying outliers and missing values and ensuring provenance.

This unit explores social media as an important communication process for a broad and diverse range of industries and organisations. It aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to become competent social media communicators and to critically analyse social media cultures. Students will explore the logics of platforms for interacting with audiences, publics and online communities, including professional networks. This OLE offers a unique interdisciplinary approach to provide theoretically informed and relevant training in social media communication.

Understanding and applying emotional intelligence are skills increasingly demanded by employers. The concept of emotional intelligence is an important skill for the modern workforce. In this OLE unit, you will investigate the current best practice theoretical models of emotional intelligence used in both research and business, including the component parts of each model and the similarities and differences among these models. These theoretical models underpin the tests that are used to measure individuals' emotional intelligence levels. In this unit, you will investigate the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical models and major tests of emotional intelligence. This will include critically evaluating major findings on emotional intelligence, and participating in practical demonstrations of how emotional intelligence is measured. This unit presents the evidence that emotional intelligence predicts major life outcomes such as job performance, school performance, health and wellbeing. In this unit, you will learn to apply these theoretical concepts and associated emotional, social and cognitive skills in practical exercises inclusive of personal reflections and a personal development plan. By completing this unit, you well develop a suite of theoretical and practical competencies that will enable you to apply emotional intelligence to your personal and professional life.

This unit focuses on how sound can be used to present information effectively. It deals with audio recording techniques, and the creation of original music to add emotional weight to presentations, using sampling and synthesis techniques.

Disability is part of the human condition, and people with disability are an integral part of society. Being able to appropriately communicate and consult with people with disability is an important graduate quality. This unit of study introduces students to issues of language, communication with people with disability, collaboration and consultation, inclusive social and physical environments and spaces. By undertaking this unit, students will increase their understanding of attitudinal and environmental barriers and their impact on the full participation of people with disability in society. The video assignment (2cps) provides students the opportunity to put into practice the core concepts of this unit and relate them to their field of study.

Starting with the US War on Drugs, this OLE introduces the cultural, political, health and economic issues of the international illegal drug trade. It advances an understanding of the global commodity chains, migrations, political decisions, and cultural meanings that imbue drug production, distribution, and consumption. Students will gain an understanding of transnational policy, public health, cultural connections, underground economies and the consequences of legalised narcotic consumption. Students will study cultural texts such as hip hop and HBO TV, and ethnographic research on Afghani poppy farmers, Peruvian coca field workers, and non-violent offenders in American prisons.