Students

ECON3081 – PACE: Current Issues in Economics

2022 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer
Dr Danielle Kent
Room 427 4 Eastern Rd
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including ((ECON203 or ECON2003) and (ECON204 or ECON2004))
Corequisites Corequisites
10cp from ECON units at 3000 level
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Students in this unit have the opportunity to complete a major research project that deals with current issues in economics, under the supervision of an academic research adviser. Real world research problems are provided by an industry partner. The unit provides an opportunity for students to gain a sound understanding of how to conduct a fully-fledged research project. Students will contextualise their graduate capabilities in their final group research report.

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: Create economic knowledge-based solutions that can be applied to problems faced by key economic decision makers.
  • ULO2: Critically analyse economic issues and make policy recommendations based on economic theories and sound statistical or econometric evidence.
  • ULO3: Effectively communicate solutions to economic problems to specialist and non-specialist audiences, in written reports and oral presentations.
  • ULO4: Work in a team to develop a major group economic research report for an Industry Partner.

General Assessment Information

Late submissions of assessments  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, no extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available assessment-task marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24-hour period or part thereof that the submission is late. Late submissions will only be accepted up to 96 hours after the due date and time.

No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g., quizzes, online tests.

Submission time after the due date (including weekends) 

Penalty (% of available assessment task mark) 

Example: for a non-timed assessment task marked out of 30 

<24 hours 

10% 

10% x 30 marks = 3-mark deduction 

24-48 hours 

20% 

20% x 30 marks = 6-mark deduction 

48-72 hours 

30% 

30% x 30 marks = 9-mark deduction 

72 – 96 hours 

40% 

40% x 30 marks = 12-mark deduction 

>96 hours 

100% 

Assignment won’t be accepted 

Special Consideration

To request an extension on the due date/time for a timed or non-timed assessment task, you must submit a Special Consideration application. An application for Special Consideration does not guarantee approval.

The approved extension date for a student becomes the new due date for that student. The late submission penalties above then apply as of the new due date

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Project Pitch 10% No 25/03/22
Problem-based learning 30% No 06/05/22
Final Research Project 60% No 03/06/22

Research Project Pitch

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 25/03/22
Weighting: 10%

 

At the beginning of the session, students will be placed into teams of 5. Each team is then expected to complete a research project pitch, which aims to help students develop a clear sense of direction early on in their project and to support teams in organising, planning and monitoring their progress as they move forward during the session. Each research project pitch will contain information pertaining to both the individual research goals of the student and the overall research goals of each team. Completed research project pitches must be uploaded to Turnitin by week 5.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Create economic knowledge-based solutions that can be applied to problems faced by key economic decision makers.
  • Critically analyse economic issues and make policy recommendations based on economic theories and sound statistical or econometric evidence.
  • Effectively communicate solutions to economic problems to specialist and non-specialist audiences, in written reports and oral presentations.
  • Work in a team to develop a major group economic research report for an Industry Partner.

Problem-based learning

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 06/05/22
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will be asked to analyse economic issues in the context of the session's industry partner. The exact format will depend on the topic and the assessment will be due in week 9.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Create economic knowledge-based solutions that can be applied to problems faced by key economic decision makers.
  • Critically analyse economic issues and make policy recommendations based on economic theories and sound statistical or econometric evidence.

Final Research Project

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 55 hours
Due: 03/06/22
Weighting: 60%

 

The team research project consists of both presentations and a written report. The presentations are designed to provide opportunities for constructive feedback from peers and academic staff that can be used to inform the remainder of their research projects. Selected teams will be asked to present their final research findings to the industry partner along with their peers and academic staff. Each team is required to submit to Turnitin a 5,000-word economic research paper based on the topics presented by the industry partner at the beginning of the session.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Create economic knowledge-based solutions that can be applied to problems faced by key economic decision makers.
  • Effectively communicate solutions to economic problems to specialist and non-specialist audiences, in written reports and oral presentations.
  • Work in a team to develop a major group economic research report for an Industry Partner.

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

Lectures

Two-hour lectures will be delivered live online via Zoom.

Lectures will be interactive and students will be expected to actively participate in the online lectures. 

iLearn

Students are expected to check the unit iLearn site (iLearn.mq.edu.au) regularly for important information related to ECON3081.

Textbook:

Guell, R. C. (2021). Issues in economics today (9th Ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

An electronic version of the book will be available through Macquarie Library. 

Printed books are available to purchase at: https://www.mheducation.com.au/ise-issues-in-economics-today-9781260575767-aus For a 15% Discount Code use – 2022PR

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

Academic Integrity

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.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

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. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

Topic Session 1 2022: Economics of Crime

This offering will focus on the Economics of Crime.

We will work with the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research, our industry partner, in Session 1 2022.

This offering will develop your policy and consulting skills in order to meaningfully contribute to public policy.   

This unit has an industry focus and will help you successfully transition to graduate employment. 


Unit information based on version 2022.05 of the Handbook