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 (including 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. A Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

The teaching program consists of the following:

• The main way in which the course will be delivered is via a weekly lecture and an applied activity (via the weekly discussion forums) relating to the topic for that week. These can be found under the weekly tabs on the iLearn page. The lecture components provide students with the knowledge base essential for undertaking qualitative research for policy. Students are required to listen to the lecture to successfully complete the applied exercises, which aim to develop practical skills un undertaking qualitative social research.
• For Weeks 1-12, the applied exercises will be set-up as guided activities organised through the weekly Discussion Forums. These assist students to develop their qualitative research skills and include exercises relating to how to design research, develop ethical approaches to research, use various qualitative research methods, undertake data analysis and interpretation of different types of qualitative data and how to write for policy. As this is a skills-based unit, attendance and active participation in the discussion forums is a minimum expectation.
• The course is structured around several modules. Weeks 1-5 are devoted to qualitative research design for policy-making. Weeks 6-9 introduce students to qualitative strategies of inquiry and research methods including analysing policy documents using qualitative analysis techniques. Weeks 10-13 applies these foundations in qualitative research to policy processes, including qualitative data analysis for policy, finding and using existing qualitative data sets using research to influence policy, research dissemination and communication, and the uses and misuses of citizen perspectives in policy processes.
• Students will be required to read a series of set texts on a weekly basis that relate to the topic for that week. Weekly readings are available via the Leganto link on the SOCI8035/SOCX8035 iLearn site.
• To successfully complete the assessment tasks, students will be required to undertake additional research on their policy area and apply course concepts covered in the lectures and weekly readings.