Students

GEOP4080 – Planning Experience

2021 – Session 2, Special circumstances

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kate Lloyd
kate.lloyd@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
30
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to BPlan and (GEOP2080 or GEOP212) and (GEOP3080 or GEOP370) and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides an off-campus, work-integrated learning experience or student consulting team experience, with a real client, in the planning field. Placements and consultancies may be undertaken across a range of sectors (such as government, industry, non-profit, industry and professional associations). Students use reflective practice to improve their understanding of workplace or client project needs, and their own strengths and weaknesses, to develop their professional skills. Platform skills, including stakeholder analysis and negotiation, are focused on. As far as possible, placements and consulting projects are arranged in accordance with each student's background, skills, experience, professional/academic interests and career aspirations. Students must complete 175 hours on placement or the client project plus attend workshops. Students must submit a Special Permission request to enrol in this unit no later than 1 month prior to the start of semester to enable placements to be arranged.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Work effectively in a professional planning environment
  • ULO2: Demonstrate understanding of the skills required of the practising planner
  • ULO3: Use reflective practice to improve performance in a professional workplace
  • ULO4: Evaluate personal needs for professional development and continuous learning

General Assessment Information

Assignment requirements and submission

Detailed requirements and marking rubrics for each assessment are available from the iLearn site. All written assignments should be submitted online to Turnitin via the relevant links provided in iLearn. You are not required to submit a hardcopy of any assignments or include a cover sheet.

Assessment extensions and late penalties

Circumstances that affect your ability to complete assignments by the deadline must be discussed with the convenor prior to the due date. Extensions will be granted only in unforeseen or exceptional circumstances according to the University Special Consideration policy. Students must apply online via AskMQ and provide appropriate supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate).

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. 

Assessment feedback

All feedback for assignments will be made available online. The grade will be in the form of a letter as consistent with University policy (HD, D, Cr, P, F) alongside written feedback

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Reflective practice planning 20% No 23.59 03/09/2021
Job redesign suggestions 10% No 23.59 05/11/2021
Work Placement 0% Yes ongoing during session
Reflective learning report 50% No 23.59 29/10/2021
Stakeholder analysis 20% No 23.59 20/08/2021

Reflective practice planning

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 23.59 03/09/2021
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will design ways of developing their professional skills that respond to learning needs, challenges and opportunities identified in the workplace or consulting process. Approaching professional practice experimentally - identifying promising moves to try, hypotheses to test, and situations in which open-ended exploratory practice is appropriate - will play a central role. Students will be expected to ground their reflective exploration of how to be skilful in integrity, consideration, and empathy. 1,200 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of the skills required of the practising planner
  • Use reflective practice to improve performance in a professional workplace
  • Evaluate personal needs for professional development and continuous learning

Job redesign suggestions

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 23.59 05/11/2021
Weighting: 10%

 

Reflecting on the design of the job they have been doing, in the light of the interests of stakeholders at every resolution, students will identify changes that might improve the design of the job. Possibilities include identifying ways of better meeting client needs, ways that workflows might be improved, and opportunities to moderate or increase challenges to expand the opportunities for employees to experience flow. Conclusions will be presented in a short professional memo. 600 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of the skills required of the practising planner
  • Use reflective practice to improve performance in a professional workplace
  • Evaluate personal needs for professional development and continuous learning

Work Placement

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 175 hours
Due: ongoing during session
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Students are required to complete 175 hours in a professional planning placement or consulting process to a satisfactory standard in order to pass this course.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Work effectively in a professional planning environment
  • Demonstrate understanding of the skills required of the practising planner
  • Use reflective practice to improve performance in a professional workplace

Reflective learning report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 23.59 29/10/2021
Weighting: 50%

 

This report will describe what students consider are their most consequential learning(s) from reflective professional practice. Students will describe how they have approached reflective practice (the methods they have used, notably the roles that exploratory practice, move testing and hypothesis testing have played), key learnings, including insights and puzzles, re either or both of (a) focal professional skills (e.g. consulting, development assessment, or strategic planning) and (b) platform skills (e.g. negotiation, self-care, systems analysis), and the report will include an assessment of their future learning needs. 3,000 words

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of the skills required of the practising planner
  • Use reflective practice to improve performance in a professional workplace
  • Evaluate personal needs for professional development and continuous learning

Stakeholder analysis

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 23.59 20/08/2021
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will undertake a stakeholder analysis of the workplace in which they are being placed or for which they are working. The stakeholders considered will include themselves, their immediate supervisor or mentor, their workgroup, the organisation as a whole, and the clients and other key external stakeholders of the partner organisation. The analysis will focus on stakeholder interests and powers, and how the student’s work is designed to meet the interests of stakeholders at each scale. 1,200 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of the skills required of the practising planner

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Classes

GEOP4080 workshops will run on campus on Tuesdays for 3 hours (2-5pm) in weeks 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13.

Reading

Required reading (journal articles and chapters) will be listed on iLearn and available via Leganto.

Technology used and required

All enrolled students have access to the GEOP4080 website via iLearn. iLearn will provide access to unit resources (powerpoint presentations for download) as well as readings, links and forum discussions. Regular access to iLearn is required in order to complete the unit.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2021.04 of the Handbook