Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jacqueline Mackaway
Contact via 0407986019
Arts Precinct, Building C, Level 3 Room 329
Zoom Drop-In OR email anytime
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Credit points |
Credit points
20
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(130cp at 1000 level or above) including (SSCI2010 and SSCI2020) OR (SOC224 and SSC200 or SSCI200).
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
SSCI3010 or SSCI300
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides you with practical ‘hands on’ experience working on a social research project for government, university, industry or a community based organisation. Projects involve a variety of research activities including policy reviews, program design, evaluations, community advocacy and more. The unit is made up of two parts. The first part involves you undertaking a supervised research placement with an organisation (150 hours). Projects are generally sourced for you, however you may organise your own with the unit convenor’s approval at least two months before the commencement of semester. The second part involves six workshops designed to develop skills and capacities you will need to manage and conduct research in an ethical and professional manner. From these two parts of the unit, and by reflecting on your project and personal experience, you will gain an understanding of the work of social researchers and the contribution they make to organisations and society more broadly. You will also gain insights into the skills and knowledge you need to further develop, possible career options and set goals for the future. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
The Project Management Plan, Short Written Task and Final Report must all be submitted electronically via iLearn and the Turnitin function. Please note that Project Management Plan (PMP) is due once you have completed a minimum of 20 hours working on your project. The submission date will therefore vary between students, but aim for mid-late August. Contact the Unit Convenor if you find yourself unable to meet the submission dates for assessments and/or the minimum placement hours.
University Grading Policy
The grade that a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of the unit of study. Graded units will use the following grades.
HD High Distinction 85-100
D Distinction 75-84
Cr Credit 65-74
P Pass 50-64
F Fail 0-49
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.
Return of Marked Work
As per university policy, written assessments will be returned to students within three weeks of the submission date. Early assignments will not be marked early.
*Note that Project Management Plans are marked as quickly as possible to allow students to review feedback and continue with their project.
Late Assessment Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.
This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.
Special Consideration (Extensions)
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration (SC). It may also be worth contacting the unit convenor to discuss your situation too (prior to submitting SC).
You need to show that the circumstances:
More information about Special Consideration is available in the Policies and Procedures section of the unit guide.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Project Management Plan (PMP) | 25% | No | Due first 20 hours of project (approx. mid-end August) |
Short Written Task | 10% | No | 23/08/2022 |
Presentation | 25% | No | Seminar 5 (week 44 - 24/10 & 27/10) |
Final Project Report | 20% | No | 12/11/2022 |
Workplace supervisor's report | 20% | No | 25/11/2022 |
Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Due first 20 hours of project (approx. mid-end August)
Weighting: 25%
Students develop their project management planning skills by creating a plan for their research project/activity. The plan must include: project description and rationale; outline of study design, objectives, outcomes and key stakeholders; specify key tasks and timeline; resources required; risks/issues and mitigation strategies; strategies for monitoring and evaluating the project and the quality of their work. The workplace supervisor must check this task prior to submission.
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 23/08/2022
Weighting: 10%
This task requires students to use critical and ethical thinking along with reflective skills to respond a question focused on either: a) the application of a specific principle of research ethics to their own project (using the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines) OR b) to critically analyse and report on their own positionality in relation to their research project.
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Seminar 5 (week 44 - 24/10 & 27/10)
Weighting: 25%
This task is designed for students to synthesize their academic and professional knowledge and present it in the form of a professional presentation to class and workplace supervisors. Presenters need to: 1. Engage with their audience through effective non-verbal and verbal skills – eye contact, body language, poise, enthusiasm and elocution! 2. Provide an overview of their project and organisation, including examples and evidence of their work/project. 3. Draw conclusions about the impact of their work on their organization and/or their future career/study plans. 4. Share reflections on their learning/s. 5. Manage their presentation in a logical, organized and timely way.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 12/11/2022
Weighting: 20%
The final project report requires students to critically analyse and reflect on their research project and experiences. The report must include: a critique of the study design and research methods/approaches used; research related challenges faced and how these were overcome; ethical and/cultural considerations and how addressed; examples/samples of work completed; a critical reflection on their personal, academic and career learning along with a consideration of the value of their disciplinary knowledge (social research) and/or their major to their project and/or society more broadly.
Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 25/11/2022
Weighting: 20%
The workplace supervisor will undertake an assessment of the student’s work and performance at the end of the project.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
The unit has an academic component (delivered through 6 seminars) and a practical component (students' research work for the organisation = 150 hours).
For the academic component students are asked to:
For the practical component of the unit students are asked to:
There are two available options for the seminars: Mondays 11-1pm OR Thursday 11-1pm - both are conducted in 11 Wally's Walk Tutorial Room 130. Please note that seminar 5 runs for 3 hours to allow enough time to get through all the presentations.
Seminar 1 (week 31) |
Mon 25 July 11-1pm Thurs 28 July 11-1pm |
Introduction to the unit and social research |
Seminar 2 (week 32) |
Mon 1 Aug 11-1pm Thurs 4 Aug 11-1pm |
Managing a research project |
Seminar 3 (week 33) |
Mon 8 Aug 11-1pm Thurs 11 Aug 11-1pm |
Reflective and reflexive practice |
Seminar 4 (week 34) |
Mon 15 Aug 11-1pm Thurs 18/8 11-1pm |
Research Ethics |
Mid-session recess |
Starts 12 Sept and classes resume 26 Sept |
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Seminar 5 (week 44) |
Mon 24 Oct 11-2pm Thurs 27 Oct 11-2pm |
Communicating research (Presentation week *3 hour seminar) |
Seminar 6 (week 45) |
Mon 31 Oct 11-1pm Thurs 3/11 11-1pm |
Pursuing a career in social research |
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.
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 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
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
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 2022.04 of the Handbook