Assignment Outline

There are three parts to this assessment:

1. Three iLearn diary entries (250-500words) due throughout your placement - 15%

2. Three iLearn entry responses (250-500words) due throughout the semester - 15%

3. Log sheet

These tasks are designed to enhance the coherence, quality and viability of your program of study. It also provides students with a sense of belonging to a cohort of learners and an opportunity to engage in collaborative learning. The purpose of this is to share experiences with your fellow enrolled students and with the unit convenor, and to also encourage ongoing reflection while you are undertaking your placement. This individual learning activity, then, will help you to achieve a number of graduate outcomes by ensuring program breadth, context, and depth are key parts of this transformational learning experience. Further instructions will be posted on iLearn.

Important: As soon as a student's internship/PACE activity plans are finalised, they must enter the relevant information into the Placement Database on MAS350's iLearn page. This will include the start and end date of their internship/PACE activity, its structure, and also due dates for iLearn Diary posts.

1. iLearn Diary

• During your placement you will post 3 diary entries on the MAS350 iLearn site that reflect on your placement. The due dates for these entries will be based on the information provided in the Placement Database on MAS350's iLearn page. The structure for the entries are as follows:
  • Entry 1 - within the first 15 hours of your placement
  • Entry 2 - within the second 15 hours of your placement
  • Entry 3 - within the third 15 hours of your placement
• The diary entries must be between 250 and 500 words, and will briefly outline the activities you undertook for your placement during that period and make at least one critical observation about your placement. This may be, for example, an achievement, a difficulty you faced, something you learned about the media industry, and/or a relevant theory that relates to your practical experience. It may also be something you incorporate into your Presentation.

2. iLearn Response

• After each diary entry, you will write a response to a post by a fellow student.
• These responses must be between 250 and 500 words and will address the critical observation(s) made in that students' placement. This may be through connecting their placement issues/observations with pertinent academic work, and/or noting how other students' experiences are affecting your reflection.

3. Log Sheet

At the end of your placement, all students must submit a completed log sheet (available on iLearn under Assessments). This must be signed by the placement supervisor to show you have completed the 45 hour minimum requirement. This must be included with the work submitted in Week 13 (see 'Presentation + Media Summary' below)​ on the MAS350 iLearn page.

Other information

This assignment is also one of the systems that the unit convenor has put in place to monitor and detect when something has gone wrong with your placement. It is therefore of utmost importance that you complete this task across the semester and meet each set benchmarks. Note that any workplace bullying and resulting psychological damage should be included. The University has a duty of care for you and therefore this is one of the work placement safety monitoring systems that has been put in place for you. Note, however, that this is not the only system, so if anything problematic occurs during your placement, you are required to contact the unit convenor immediately: rachael.gunn@mq.edu.au.

Marking criteria:

• The ability to connect relevant theories to practical experiences
• Completion of a self-reflective post in the early, middle, and final stage of the internship/PACE activity
• Completion of three responses to a fellow student's entries
• Attempt to connect theoretical ideas with practical experiences
• Ability to assess what changes and growth were undertaken during the placement
• Level of insight into the placement as an effective workplace
• Where relevant, ability to recognise problems and seek support
• Informed, thoughtful, and respectful responses to other students' entries
• Thoughtful attempts to share and develop ideas with cohort
• Clarity of communication
• Submission of log sheet

Assignment Outline

This report is designed for you to develop a more in-depth understanding of the workplace/community/industry in which you are doing your placement. It is a midway assessment of your placement and will cover two aspects:

1. You will analyse your placement in terms of the sector in which it operates, including internal and external environments, and corporate and operational goals. You will support your discussion with a range of material relevant to your placement, including academic sources, industry reports, policy documents, news articles, etc.

2. You will reflect on your placement in terms of your own expectations and career goals, as well as consider the context of your placement within the broader community/industry. You will draw on your self-reflection iLearn diary posts, and relevant unit readings.

Further instructions will be made available on iLearn.

Requirements

• Must be written in the style of a report (factual style, bullet points and headings can be used but must provide narrative with an introduction and a conclusion)
• Length: 1000 words +/-10% (excluding references)
• Referencing in the Footnote/Bibliography method - a guide will be made available on iLearn
• Submission: online via the Turnitin link on the MAS350 iLearn page

Marking criteria:

• Evidence of thorough research into your placement, including a range of sources (academic sources, online documents/reports, news articles, etc.)
• The research informs your understanding of your placement and its sector
• Self-reflection and attempt to align your experience with the graduate capabilities and learning outcomes for this unit
• Ideas are expressed clearly and succinctly
• Correct grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation
• Written in an appropriate factual style with correct referencing
• The document looks polished and professional

Assignment Outline

There are two different options for this final assessment, based on the type of internship/PACE activity that was conducted. This assessment will be held in Week 13. Students will be marked by a panel and should be prepared to answer any questions after their presentation.

1. Presentation + Media Summary

OR

2. Multimedia Presentation + Media Release (Note: this option is only for students participating in the Community Video Production (CVP) Stream coordinated by Dr Iqbal Barkat)

Further details:

1. Presentation + Media Summary (40%)

This option requires two components: a presentation and a short summary.

a. Presentation (20%)

Length: 7 minutes (+/-10%)

Due: Week 13

This Presentation will demonstrate how your internship/PACE activity relates to your academic studies. You must choose a media-related topic/process/theory that you have studied in-depth over the course of your degree, and critically discuss/evaluate it in light of the practical industry work you have completed as part of your internship/PACE activity. The Presentation can be self-reflective, but it is still an academic piece of work that requires references. You can incorporate your self-reflection from your iLearn diary, observations from your Placement Research Report, but these must be critically grounded through relevant academic and independent research.

Students should prepare any relevant audiovisual material (such as powerpoint slides) to aid in their presentation. The total presentation will be 7 minutes (+/-10%), and will be held in Week 13. Possible topics and further instructions will be posted on iLearn.

b. Media Summary (20%)

Length: 800 words (+/-10%)

Due: Thursday 9 November 5pm

Submission: the Turnitin link on the MAS350 iLearn page

This task provides you with an opportunity to transform your PACE activity/internship into an 800word Media Summary that captures the principal aims and conclusion of your placement in a style accessible to a broad audience. Written in the style of an online news/industry article, this task encourages you to think about the broader application of your academic knowledge and vocational experience after university. You should include key points from your Presentation, such as your self-reflection and the relevant media theories/issues/ideas you related to your internship/PACE activity. Further instructions will be posted on iLearn.

OR

2. Multimedia Presentation + Media Release (40%)

Note: 2a and 2b is only for students participating in Placement Option 4: the Community Video Production (CVP) Stream coordinated by Dr Iqbal Barkat.

a. Multimedia Presentation (20%)

Length: 7 minutes (+/-10%)

Due: Week 13

The Multimedia Presentation provides an opportunity for you to not only show how your internship/PACE activity relates to your academic studies, but to also present short excerpts from your final community video project. As part of the presentation, you must choose a media-related topic/process/theory that you have studied in-depth over the course of your degree, and critically discuss/evaluate it in light of the practical industry work you have completed as part of your community engagement placement. The Presentation can be self-reflective, but it is still an academic piece of work that requires references. You can incorporate your self-reflection from your iLearn diary, observations from your Placement Research Report, but these must be critically grounded through relevant academic and independent research. 

Possible topics and further instructions will be posted on iLearn. The total presentation (including video) will be 7 minutes (+/-10%). Students will be marked by a panel on both the presentation and chosen video excerpts.

b. Media Release (20%)

Length: 800 words (+/-10%)

Due: Thursday 9 November 5pm

Submission: the Turnitin link on the MAS350 iLearn page

This task is designed for you to transform your PACE activity into a Media Release, written in the style of an online news/industry article. This Release should not only provide background to your community videos, but should also capture the principal aims of your community engagement project in a style accessible to a broad audience. This task encourages you to communicate your research beyond an academic audience, and to also think about the broader application of your work and disciplinary knowledge after university. You should include key points from your Presentation, such as your self-reflection, relevant media theories/issues/ideas you related to your internship/PACE activity, and/or relevant disciplinary information surrounding the community video production and documentary filmmaking. Further instructions will be posted on iLearn.