ASSESSMENT DEADLINES

Please check iLearn for all assessment deadline dates and times. Click the TURNITIN links for each assessment component or check the ASSESSMENT section in iLearn. If you cannot find the information check the GENERAL QUESTIONS thread in the General Discussion Board on iLearn before contacting staff.

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MAJOR ESSAY

The essay will be chosen from one of the set questions used in this unit. These questions will be posted online (in iLearn) by the end of March.

The essay should address the key themes of the unit drawing on the usual range of academic sources, including (but not limited to) required readings, recommended readings and independent research on related topics or themes as conducted by the student.

Remember:

1. The essay must be your own work. Harsh penalties are imposed for plagiarism, ghost writing or other 'cheating' as per the academic honesty policy
2. The essay must show evidence of both an understanding of core unit content & substantial wider independently researched reading on the appropriate topic
3. The Major Essay must be written on a different theory and/or topic to your group presentation. If in doubt ask your tutor for advice.
4. Marks will be deducted for improper referencing. Students are required to use standard Harvard (author-date) referencing style in the in-text content, citations and bibliographic references used throughout the final submission. Check the library referencing guides for further details

For more information and answers to your frequently asked questions we have prepared a 'MAJOR ESSAY - Guidance on RUBRIC and FAQs' sheet in iLearn. For general support on essay writing you can also check out the MQ library website.

 

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GROUP PROJECT

The assessment policy requires that "at least 50% of group work assessment shall be allocated to individual performance". To comply with this policy the group project is divided into 3 components - two group components and an individual component. These grades are then combined to give students a final mark for the group project assessment:

• Group component 1. PROJECT PROPOSAL = 10% of GROUP PROJECT final mark
• Individual Component. COLLABORATION WIKI = 50% of GROUP PROJECT final mark
• Group Component 2. FINAL PRESENTATION = 40% of GROUP PROJECT final mark 

The groups will usually be allocated in week 3, but no later than week 5. This varies depending on unit enrollments each year. Please check iLearn for the confirmed assessment deadlines for each component.

Please also refer to the 'GROUP PROJECT - GETTING STARTED (and FAQs)' in iLearn

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

Group component 1. PROJECT PROPOSAL

• The proposal is a collaborative group assessment. This means that all group members must contribute, and that all group members receive the same mark for the proposal; unless otherwise notified by the convenor.
• The word limit for the group project proposal is roughly 1000 words, including -/+ 10% leeway. This does not include any figures or tables (such as the Gantt chart and the task list - if this is presented in a table format).
• The proposal is submitted by uploading a word or pdf file to the wiki. Instructions on how to upload files to the wiki are included on the wiki start page. The final submission should include the group number in the title (e.g. GROUP 1. GROUP PROPOSAL DOCUMENT. FINAL).

 The GROUP PROPOSAL should:

• clearly demonstrate the title and topic / focus of the project 
• generate a properly formatted Gantt chart that can be used to track progress on the project throughout the session
• provide an initial task list / division of labour for individual contributions to the group project
• provide evidence of communication and group planning (e.g. minutes of first meetings)
• show basic language skills (e.g. grammar, referencing)

Please also refer to the 'PART 1. GROUP PROJECT PROPOSAL. RUBRIC & CHECKLIST' sheet provided in iLearn.

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

Individual Component. COLLABORATION WIKI.

For this assessment students must complete KEY TASKS in the GROUP COLLABORATION WIKI to demonstrate an individual contribution to the project.

• Examples of KEY TASKS are listed on the 'GROUP COLLABORATION WIKI RUBRIC AND GUIDANCE' sheet - Check the ASSESSMENTS section in iLearn to access/download this document.
• You decide how to structure your wiki as a team - even though you receive an individual mark for the wiki it is still part of the project. We can give you some guidance, but each group must take on responsibility for managing the wiki content as a team
• You decide how to divide up the KEY TASKS amongst your group - everyone must contribute to receive an individual grade, it is recommended that you keep a record of the task allocations in the wiki.
• Learn to use the wiki - even if you are not familiar with using a wiki you are required to try. Learning how to use the wiki is a key skill being assessed in this unit. All students must try to develop their wiki skills throughout the session. As such each individual student should try to complete at least one key task in wiki every week.
• If it isn't in the wiki we cannot mark it. Please bear this in mind when deciding how you are going to work, and document your work, as a group. ONLY contributions documented in the wiki are included in your assessed work so it is vital that students learn to use the wiki and document all aspects of their individual contributions to the group project in this virtual learning space.
• All wiki activity is monitored weekly by academic staff. Bulk uploads of content at the end of term are not a replacement for weekly work. 

Please also refer to the 'PART 2. GROUP COLLABORATION WIKI RUBRIC (Individual Component)' guide provided in iLearn

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

Group Component 2. FINAL PRESENTATION

A group presentation of no more than 15 minutes duration will be presented in the final week of term as the culmination of the GROUP PROJECT. Please consider that:

• general guidance on this component of the assessment will be made available in several of the lectures - please check the lecture recordings.
• workshops have been built into the tutorials to assist group with development and general preentation skills during term.
• a template for power-point presentation will be provided in iLearn.
• not all group members are required to speak in the final presentation - if not all group members present then there must be an reasionable distribution of workload to account for this division of labour.
• the timetable for final presentations will be uploaded to iLearn no later than WEEK 11.

Please also refer to the 'PART 3. FINAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC' provided in iLearn for more useful information

 

                                                                                         

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Rubrics, alongside more detailed guidance on both the assessment criteria for each assessment and some useful steps for students to consider when undertaking assessments, have been included in the iLearn site. Please check them for guidance.
• Students are advised to post all general questions to the general discussion board. Before posting your queries: 
  • Information is provided in a number of locations, it is a good idea to check the following before posting a question:
    • the unit guide
    • rubrics
    • iLearn site
    • assessment guidance 
  • Check previous thread titles and topics to see if your question has been asked / answered already
  • REMEMBER - duplicate threads or questions answered elsewhere may not receive a response. It is your responsibility to read the provided guidance.

 

REVIEW MEETINGS (optional). Part of the group project is learning how to collaborate. This requires you to work within the group to resolve any issues that arise, however we acknowledge that academic guidance may be required in some situations. If you experience difficulties within your group that you are unable to resolve - e.g. if a group is not working well, a group member experiences a serious disruption to study, or the team falls far behind schedule (as outlined in thier Gantt chart) - the convenor may require OR students may request a 'review meeting' to discuss the progress of the group. A review meeting can be requested at any time during term, but the convenor will often schedule these meetings for the first week or two after the mid-session interval (usually around WEEK 8). Review meetings are arranged on a needs only basis, but can be requested by appointment. All group members should try to attend a review meeting if one has been arranged, but we also allocate time in tutorials throughout the session to discuss the group work as a whole. Externals are welcome to skype in for workshops and/or review meetings.

Lectures

• The lectures for this unit are pre-recorded. Please check iLearn to view the weekly lectures and check the unit announcements in iLearn (sent to your university email address) for updates. The scheduled lecture time is an excellent opportunity to drop-in and talk to the convenor on campus.

Study

• Special Circumstances / Fully online students will have the opportunity to engage in learning activities online. These activities are the same for all students choosing SC / External / fully online study. Please review iLearn for details.
• Check the unit announcements for updates on your study. These updates will be posted to your university email account. Please read them.
• Whilst active participation is no longer assessed in this unit that does not mean you can coast through without doing all of the required work. Students who do not complete all of the learning activities will see this lack of engagement reflected in their final marks.
• FOR ALL TIMETABLE INFORMATION go to the MQ timetable website.
• Some rooms or workshop dates/locations/times may change. Check announcements regularly for updates.
• Academic staff cannot change your enrolment or registration for tutorials or online sessions. You manage your own enrollment / registration. If there is no space in a class/tutorial you may post to the general discussion board asking for a swap.
• If you have a question:
  1. Check the unit guide for an answer
  2. Check iLearn - most questions are answered in our FAQs
  3. Check the general discussion board in iLearn, if you do not see a post relating to your question then post your question to the discussion board in the GENERAL QUESTIONS thread
  4. If you do not receive an answer within a day or so email your tutor / the unit convenor

Readings

This unit requires you to read multiple papers every week. A bulk of your study time outside of class will be spent reading and making connections between the content of readings. Whilst we do our best to upload all readings to ilearn or e-reserve before term begins though this is not always possible, you may benefit from buying one or more of the following textbooks.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Several of the texts we use will be only available on e-reserve for a limited time due to copyright restrictions imposed by the publisher. Please manage your reading schedule accordingly, this is not something that academic staff are able to influence. Be mindful that accessing the readings whilst they are available is YOUR responsibility.  

• We do not use one single core text for this unit. Readings are drawn from a number of sources. If you do wish to focus on ONE book you may find this particularly useful:

White, R.; Haines, F., Asquith, N. (2012) Crime and Criminology, Oxford: Oxford University Press (5th edition)

• There are also many copies of the earlier editions by White and Haines in the library. For this text in particular the earlier editions have similar content. Another important text from which required readings are drawn, is:

North, D. C., Wallis, J. J., & Weingast, B. R. (2009). Violence and social order: A conceptual framework for interpreting recorded human history. Cambridge: New York.

• Reading BEFORE you attend face-to-face activities is mandatory in this unit. Contribution to discussions in the seminars & online is much more difficult if you do not read / come to class prepared for a discussion of the reading material.

The unit schedule is provided in iLearn for students who decide to enrol in this unit.

ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE SESSION: It is vital that students attend or engage with every lecture and topic. Pragmatic, strategic or time-poor students sometimes feel that they can only engage with the topic that they choose to write their major paper on. This is a mistake. Content builds throughout the schedule, linking each week together sequentially to build a story over time. Students who skip topics have found it much harder to land good grades in assessments. Consider the value of attending every week and engaging with every topic.