Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor Matthew Kosnik matthew.kosnik@mq.edu.au Contact via matthew.kosnik@mq.edu.au 14ER-330 / x 7248 before / after scheduled class times or anytime by appointment.
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites Admission to MRes
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit teaches students to effectively communicate research concepts and findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences in written, oral and visual forms. It explores the critical link between the creation of disciplinary knowledge and the dissemination of that knowledge to benefit human societies. The unit emphasises the importance of maintaining standards of academic integrity in publication and communication. It also specifically addresses the steps involved in producing a high-quality research thesis.

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: Effectively communicate research concepts and findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences
ULO2: Demonstrate advanced writing and presentation skills
ULO3: Provide constructive feedback to others
ULO4: Evaluate current issues and debates in research ethics and integrity

General Assessment Information

Engagement – please read, as this is very important

As a BPhil / MRes Yr 1 student you are part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering research community. You are expected to actively participate in the unit activities by: asking questions, voicing your opinions, particpating in discussions, providing constructive feedback to your peers, and proactively working to find your place in our diverse research community. You are expected to contribute to a supportive and respectful dialogue. Disrespectful, offensive, belittling or exclusionary behaviour will not be tolerated (https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=55).

Academic Honesty

Academic integrity is fundamental to research. Presenting another person's work as your own is a serious breach of the University’s rules and carries significant penalties. The University’s Academic Honesty Policy can be found at http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

In this unit, all written work will be checked for plagiarism using Turnitin. Penalties for plagiarism may include a zero mark for the assignment or in more extreme cases, failure of the unit. Plagiarism will be noted on your academic record. Full details of penalties can be found at http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/schedule_penalties.html

Individual assessments

Each assessment has been designed to be as authentic to as possible. Marking criteria / guidance for each assessment are provided via iLearn. Due to the number of students the oral presentations will be split over weeks 12 and 13, but all student AV is due prior to the workshop in week 12 (even if you are not presenting until week 13). Both poster and oral presentations require an abstract to be submitted 3 weeks prior to the presentation (see iLearn and linked marking critera for extra details). All of your assessments will be based in your own discipinary area, but each presentation must cover a distinct topic.

Due dates and assessement topics

All assessments are due prior to the weekly scheduled workshop for the week indicated in the unit guide. Any student who is unable to meet a deadline should contact the unit convenor prior to the deadline to (possibly) avoid late pentalties.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

From 1 July 2022, Students enrolled in session based units with written assessments will have the following university standard late penalty applied. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments for more information. 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 grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted

In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows:

The summary paragraph, general audience writing piece and integrity reflection are subject to the standard late submission penalty. The abstract portion of the oral and poster presentations are also subject to the standard late submission penalty.
Oral and poster presentations must be given during the allocated time slots to the audience of your peers and markers, so late presentations will not be allowed unless a special consideration is granted. Providing peer feedback on the oral and poster presentations requires you to be present at the allocated time slots, so late feedbak will not be allowed unless a special consiferation is granted.
See marking guidance on iLearn or consult the convenor for additional information.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Summary	10%	No	Week 3
Integrity reflection	15%	Yes	Week 5 or as agreed.
Poster presentation	25%	No	Week 4 & Week 7
General audience writing piece	25%	No	Week 10
Oral presentation	25%	No	Week 9 & Week 12/13

Summary

Assessment Type ¹: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task ²: 7 hours
Due: Week 3
Weighting: 10%

You will write a summary of a current research topic in your discipline suitable for a general audience (analogous to the summary included in ARC grants).