Students

ECON3081 – PACE: Current Issues in Economics

2023 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ben Wang
ben.wang@mq.edu.au
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.

Visit Employability Connect for important information on this unit including required preparation and closing dates for PACE activities.

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 Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments) 

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 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions 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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Project Pitch 10% No Week 5
Problem-based learning 30% No Week 9
Final Research Project 60% No Week 13

Research Project Pitch

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5
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: Week 9
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: Week 13
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

Lecture time: Friday 10am - 1pm

Learning and teaching strategy The learning and teaching strategy in ECON3081 recognises that students learn from contact with academic staff and their peers. It also recognises that students must take responsibility for their learning process, which includes independent study and reflection.

Lectures and consultation seminars The timetabled three-hour lectures for ECON3081 are in a mixed format, comprising of a variety of formal lectures, industry partner presentations, student presentations and consultation seminars. As ECON3081 is a participation and capstone unit, you are strongly encouraged to get engaged each and every lecture in order to gain vital hands-on experience and exposure to the ideas of peers, academic staff and the industry partner.

Required and Recommended Texts There is no set textbook for the course. Recommended reading material will be posted to the unit iLearn during the session.

Unit Schedule

Week Lecture Topic Assessment Task Due
1, 25 Feb Introduction to ECON3081  
2, 3 Mar Partner Guest Lecture (Angus Moore, REA Group)  
3, 10 Mar Writing an Economics Research Paper I: Embarking on a research project Industry  
4, 17 Mar Writing an Economics Research Paper II: Econometrics and related literature  
5, 24 Mar Project Consultation Seminar Research Project Pitch
6, 31 Mar Project Consultation Seminar  

7, 7 Apr

 Good Friday (no class)  
8, 28 Apr Research Presentation I Presentation I
9, 5 May Project Consultation Seminar Problem-based learning
10,12May Project Consultation Seminar  
11,19May Research Presentation Presentation II
12,26May Research Presentation to Industry Partner (Angus Moore, REA Group) Presentation
13, 2 Jun

Project Consultation Seminar

 Team Research Paper

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.

Unit information based on version 2023.05 of the Handbook