Assessor Resource

ACMCAN309A
Develop institutional husbandry guidelines

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


The unit is applicable to wildlife animal keepers or carers who are expected to perform tasks under supervision.

In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all units of competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised.

This unit of competency covers the process of researching, consulting with others and writing institutional husbandry guidelines for a particular species.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.




Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can:

research, collate and analyse information relating to a particular species

discuss and collaborate with team members on the development and maintenance of the guidelines.

The skills and knowledge required to develop institutional husbandry guidelines must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment of this unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a captive animal workplace or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions.

There must be access in either situation to the appropriate equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence.

Method of assessment

To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this unit are:

written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge

observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks

simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions

third-party evidence

workplace documentation (e.g. research and guidelines documentation)

portfolio.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

research and analyse information

follow institutional policies and procedures

operate appropriate species management databases

use word-processing software

literacy skills to read and implement institutional policies and procedures, including OHS and waste management; interpret data; record accurately and legibly information collected; and select and apply procedures to a range of defined tasks

communication skills/language to fulfil the job role as specified by the institution, including questioning techniques, active listening, asking for clarification from supervisors and consulting with supervisors and other staff

numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record routine workplace measures

interpersonal skills to work with and relate to people from a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds

problem-solving skills to use available resources and prioritise daily tasks

write husbandry guidelines following institutional standard format and citation procedures.

Required knowledge

animal husbandry guidelines requirements

biology and husbandry of animals in a captive animal environment

database programs for recordkeeping and data analysis

genetic principles for the management of captive animal populations

institutional policies and procedures, including OHS

principles of animal welfare and ethics

regional and institutional collection plans and policies

relevant federal, state or territory legislation and codes of practice

report formats for husbandry guidelines

research methods and facilities

species stocking policies.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Husbandry guidelines:

may be documents, usually at an institutional level, that provide information on species management including:

maintaining, displaying and breeding a species in captivity

should encourage readers to access additional information by referencing published data

husbandry guidelines differ from Husbandry Manuals in that they refer to the specific management of the species within the said institution rather than all institutions in a region/program.

Information that may be researched includes:

artificial incubation and/or rearing of the animal group

behaviour

feeding requirements

general husbandry

health requirements

housing, handling and transport requirements

taxonomy and natural history

relevant references.

OHS risks to consider when developing guidelines may include:

animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches and crush injuries

biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal

handling of chemicals and medicines

gas leakage

inhalation of aerosol particles

intraocular contamination

manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting

needle pricks and cuts from other sharps

release of infective agents (animal and human)

slippery or uneven work surfaces

zoonoses.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Need for husbandry guidelines and additional notes are agreed upon in consultation with supervisors. 
Information relevant to the species to be included or referenced in the guidelines is researched. 
Draft of guidelines is prepared in accordance with institutional policies and procedures and occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements. 
Draft of guidelines is circulated within the institution for comment and revised accordingly. 
Final document is produced and distributed in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. 
Information in the guidelines is monitored for accuracy, relevance and currency. 
Guidelines are updated and improved in consultation with relevant personnel. 
New information to be included in guidelines is disseminated to staff. 
Guidelines are stored in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

ACMCAN309A - Develop institutional husbandry guidelines
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:


Assessment Record Sheet

ACMCAN309A - Develop institutional husbandry guidelines

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: