Assignment Outline

Length: 2 pages

This task is designed for you to produce a professional document that will help you to achieve on-going employability. There are two parts to this assignment: resume and cover letter. These documents should be polished and professional and can be used to apply for internships. Students can submit this assessment from week 2 onwards (see below).

Students are encouraged to utilise the resources available on the CareerWise module on iLearn in developing this assignment

Examples of this assessment will be discussed in lectures, and resources will be posted on iLearn.

Resume

Write a concise, professional and comprehensive resume based on existing work experience and skills relevant to your career goals. This aspect of the assignment should be one page.

Cover Letter

Write a cover letter that is no more than one page. At the top of the cover letter detail the position you are applying for (this can be a real or imagined role). The letter must elaborate upon the resume, and showcase the skills you not only believe to possess at the time of completing the assignment, but are also skills you believe are required for the (real or imagined) position.

Submission instructions

The Resume + Cover Letter must be submitted as a single PDF file via the turnitin link on iLearn before the due date and time. The submission link will open two weeks before the assessment is due. If any issues arise during submission, you must email the unit convenor ASAP with a copy of your assessment.

Assessment criteria:

• The document is polished and professional
• Writing is clear and concise
• Skills and work experience are relevant to position
• Ability to personally and professionally self-reflect with a view to ongoing employability

For a full assessment rubric, please refer to the unit’s iLearn page. Assessments standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors, see further here.

Please refer to the ‘Late Submission Penalty’ section for details on late submission and special consideration.

Assignment Outline

This assessment includes two iLearn diary entries and two responses due throughout your placement. The first diary entry should be in the first half of the placement, and the second diary entry during the second half of the placement. This timing, detailed further below, is proposed so that students maximise the self-reflection of their personal and professional growth over the course of their placement. In completing these tasks, students will integrate knowledge from various media units, share their experiences doing placement with their cohort, and also develop self-reflective skills.

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.

Examples of this assessment will be discussed in lectures, and resources will be posted on iLearn.

Due dates

Students in MAS350 are completing their internships/PACE activities at different times, different stages, and in different ways. To account for this, this assessment requires you to propose your own due dates based on the structure of your internship and expected completion. It will require you to estimate and plan when you will complete different milestones so that you are able to consistently reflect upon your progress. This assessment therefore also assesses your organizational and time management skills.

Once your internship/PACE activity plans are finalised, you must create an entry in the Placement Database on MAS350's iLearn page. This entry will include the structure, start and end date of your internship/PACE activity, proposed due dates for your iLearn Diary posts and responses, and reasons for the chosen due dates. The unit convenor will assess these due dates, post comments under the individual posts if further action is required, and ultimately approve them. Please ensure you check iLearn and your student email regularly in case the unit convenor proposes any changes to your dates. Once approved, your individual proposed due dates for this assessment will then be treated like any other assessment due date (i.e. late penalties apply).

Students will have until 5pm of the date proposed to complete the task.

Please note: If your internship does not have a fixed structure or end-date, then you will need to use your judgement as to when you expect to have completed each milestone. The first student who posts their diary entry may need to wait longer to post their response. Contact the unit convenor if you have questions.

Diary Entry Requirements

• 2 diary entries between 300 and 400 words (+/- 10%)
• In each diary entry you will briefly outline the activities you undertook for your placement during that period and:
  • Make at least one critical observation about your placement. E.g. something you learned about the media industry, a relevant theory that relates to your practical experience, etc. These should be appropriately supported with academic sources.
  • Incorporate self-reflection. E.g. your expectations, skills assessment, strengths, weaknesses, an achievement, a difficulty you faced, etc.
• Students must use Harvard Style referencing: full bibliographical details for any texts referred to should be clearly given through in-text referencing and, after some line spacing, a reference list. The reference list will not be included in the word count. Students should consult the Harvard style guide available on iLearn.
• Students should write concisely and in an academic style.

Response Requirements

• 2 responses between 300 and 400 words (+/- 10%) in the same Option Forum
• Each response must address and build upon the critical observation(s) made in that student’s diary entry, including:
  • Connecting their placement issues/observations with pertinent academic work, and/or analysing their observations with relevant media theory. These should be appropriately supported with academic sources.
  • Incorporating your own self-reflection, such as examining how other students' diary entries are affecting your experiences and reflection process.
• Students must use Harvard Style referencing: full bibliographical details for any texts referred to should be clearly given through in-text referencing and, after some line spacing, a reference list. The reference list will not be included in the word count. Students should consult the Harvard style guide available on iLearn.
• Students should write concisely and in an academic style.

Submission

iLearn diary entries and responses will be posted on the relevant iLearn forums (further instructions available on iLearn). Each student will start a new discussion topic, and all 2 iLearn diary entries will be posted in this discussion topic (by replying to your previous entry). To respond to other student's posts go to their Diary discussion topic and hit 'reply' on whichever post you are responding to. At the top of your response please include the details of the entry you're responding to (student name, diary entry number) in case it gets lost in the thread.

Once students have completed all 4 posts, they need to copy and paste all posts into a word document and submit it via the Turnitin link on iLearn. No changes to the posts can be made during the submission to Turnitin.

Other information

This assignment is 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.

Assessment criteria:

• Connect and integrate relevant theoretical ideas with practical experiences
• Ongoing ability to evaluate personal and professional strengths and weaknesses
• Self-reflection and capacity to situate self within broader context
• Informed, thoughtful, and respectful responses to other students' entries
• Productive contributions to the collaborative learning environment of the unit
• Clarity of communication in a concise academic style
• Accurate Harvard referencing
• Time management skills

For a full assessment rubric, please refer to the unit’s iLearn page. Assessments standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors, see further here.

Please refer to the ‘Late Submission Penalty’ section for details on late submission and special consideration.

Log Sheet

At the end of your placement, all students must submit a completed log sheet (available on iLearn). This must be signed by the placement supervisor to show you have completed the 45hour minimum requirement. Students must submit their signed log sheet to the assignment submission dropbox on iLearn by 5pm Friday of Week 14.

Assignment Outline

Length: 2000 words +/-10% (inclusive of everything)

This report is designed for you to develop a deeper 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 (Part 1 and Part 2) within the one report. You will contextualize your placement in terms of the industry/community it operates, and then reflect upon how this research informs, perhaps even changes, your initial understanding of your placement and the industry/community.

This task 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) and be a highly polished and professional document.

Examples of this assessment will be discussed in lectures, and resources will be posted on iLearn.

Part 1 – Placement Research and Summary (minimum 800words)

In this section of your report, you will incorporate a broad range of research about the organisation in which you are doing your placement. You will provide a summary that contextualises your placement within local/national/international changes, issues, trends, and innovations. To do this, you will need to research how the company manages its own impressions, and how it is perceived by the broader community/industry/etc. You will take into consideration:

• Internal environment of organisation (such as brand management, vision, short to long term goals, clients, target audiences, partnerships, projects/products, resources, funding, operations, etc.)
• External environment of organisation (such as industry trends, policy/regulation changes, audience responses, product reviews, politics, news, op-eds, academic research, etc.)

You will include this research and summary in your report under relevant headings/sub-headings.

You are encouraged to use your professional judgement regarding what you include, and what you focus on, in this part of the report. You can be strategic and focus upon the area of the industry that interests you the most, and may benefit you in terms of your career goals.

Part 2 – Reflection (minimum 600words)

In this section, you will reflect upon your placement based on the research you undertook in Part 1. This must be undertaken after you have completed Part 1. In Part 2, you will provide a short reflection summary that addresses the following questions:

• How has your research conducted in Part 1 changed your initial understanding of your placement, and organisation and/or sector in which it operates?
• What was the most significant thing you learned about the organisation/industry in which you are doing your placement from the research you conducted in Part 1?
• What are some things you did not consider, but should have, when you accepted the placement?

Research

• You will support your discussion (in both parts) through conducting independent research across a broad range of sources (including academic sources, industry reports, policy documents, legislation, trade media, news articles, media examples, etc.).
• You must engage with a minimum of 8 sources.
• You will demonstrate engagement with relevant unit readings.
• Referencing must be in the Footnote referencing system (such as the Chicago style) – refer to the guide on iLearn.

Formatting

• Use consistent and appropriate formatting
• Use short informative headings and subheadings
• Allow generous spacing between the elements of your report
• Use dot points/ numbers/ letters to articulate these elements
• Use tables and figures (graphs, illustrations, maps etc.) for clarification (with full references provided)
• Use page numbers
• Use footnote referencing system (such as the Chicago style) – refer to the guide on iLearn
• Use concise, formal language
• Use the first person pronoun in Part 2 (only)
• Proofread to ensure accuracy
• List your word count at the end of your report

Layout

• Title page
• Table of contents
  • A formatted list of the different major and minor sections of your report (with page numbers).
• Introduction
  • Give some background information about the placement. State the aim/purpose of the investigation. Outline the different sections of the report that will feature in the body.
• Body
  • The body will need to divide its focus between the two parts of the assessment task. Organise the two sections in a logical sequence. Use short informative headings and subheadings to add clarity.
• Conclusion
  • Recap the most significant findings of your investigation and reevaluate your initial anticipation of your placement.
• Reference list
• Appendices (as necessary)
  • Any information (graphs, charts, tables or other data) you used in your report but did not include in the body.

Submission instructions

The Placement Research Report must be submitted as a single PDF file via the turnitin link on iLearn before the due date and time. The submission link will open a week before the report is due. If any issues arise during submission, you must email the unit convenor ASAP with a copy of your assessment.

It is understood by unit staff that a small number of students may not have started their placement by the due date for this assignment. This assignment has been designed so that it can be completed independent of the placement progress.

Assessment Criteria

• Evidence of thorough research into your placement, which enhances your understanding of your placement and its sector
• Use of a range of sources (academic sources, online documents/reports, news articles, etc.) and correct referencing in the appropriate style
• Evidence of ongoing evaluation of personal and professional strengths and weaknesses with view to ongoing employability
• Written clearly and concisely in the appropriate style
• The document is polished and professional

For a full assessment rubric, please refer to the unit’s iLearn page. Assessments standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors, see further here.

Please refer to the ‘Late Submission Penalty’ section for details on late submission and special consideration.

Assignment Outline

Length: 7 minutes**

This task is designed for you to connect your internship/PACE activity with your academic studies. Students are encouraged to showcase their strengths and distinct skills attained through their studies and internship with a view to achieving ongoing employability.

You must choose a media-related topic/process/theory that you have studied in your degree, and critically discuss/evaluate it in light of the practical industry work you have completed as part of your internship/PACE activity. For example, think about how has a specific idea/theory helped you make sense of the industry, including the work you completed in your placement, or audience trends, etc.

The Presentation should incorporate self-reflection, but it is still an academic piece of work that requires references.

Examples of this assessment will be discussed in lectures, and resources will be posted on iLearn.

**CVP Students (Option Four)

For students participating in the Community Video Production (CVP) Stream coordinated by Dr Iqbal Barkat, at the start of your presentation you will have an additional 2 minutes to screen excerpt(s) from your film(s). You will be stopped at the 2-minute mark and will then commence the 7-minute presentation as per the instructions below.

Research and References

• Minimum of 2 unit readings to demonstrate your engagement with the unit material
• Independent research of a minimum of 4 other types of sources to demonstrate your ability to integrate knowledge from a variety of contexts. These types of sources may include academic sources (books/journal articles), industry reports, government policy/legislation/regulation, news articles and op-eds (by reputable publishers), official websites of companies, audiovisual material, etc.
• Any borrowed ideas or quotations should be referenced in full onscreen, with a reference list shown onscreen at the end of the presentation (any referencing style is acceptable).

Presentations

• Presentations must not exceed 7 minutes - students will be stopped at the 7-minute mark.
• Students should prepare relevant audiovisual material (such as PowerPoint slides) to aid in their presentation. These must be submitted to the dropbox link on iLearn in Week 13.
• No technical support will be provided – it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that any additional material is easily accessible.
• A panel will mark the presentations – students should be prepared to answer any questions after their presentation. The panel will consist of the unit convenor, and one or two of the following: MMCCS staff member, PACE officer, industry representative.
• All presentations will be filmed for record-keeping purposes only.

Presentation Schedule

• Presentations will be held in Week 13 in Y3A.
• Students must register a time via the Presentation Schedule on iLearn (which will be posted during the mid-semester break). There is no guarantee that you will be able to present at your preferred time and day.
• The Presentation Schedule will be locked from Week 11 onwards – no further changes can be made.
  • If students do not register a time before the Week 11 deadline they will then be allocated a time.
• Students must be ready to present at their scheduled time.

Assessment Criteria:

• Ability to connect and translate relevant theoretical idea(s)/knowledge from degree to employment contexts
• Reflect on your personal and professional development during the internship with a view to ongoing employability
• Presentation is professional and well-timed
• Speaker is clear and engaging
• Slides visually contribute to the presentation
• References are correct and clearly displayed

For a full assessment rubric, please refer to the unit’s iLearn page. Assessments standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors, see further here.

Students who miss their presentation will forfeit the marks for that assessment. Please refer to the ‘Late Submission Penalty’ section for details on special consideration. Where a Special Consideration application has been approved, alternative arrangements will be made for the student.