Students

FOAR7004 – PACE: Arts Internship for Researchers

2024 – Session 2, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Linda Evans
linda.evans@mq.edu.au
Contact via 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 will give BPhil students the opportunity to complete a research project as part of a team in an academic or industry setting. The project will be aligned with the host’s strategic research priorities, and both managed and delivered by the student in consultation with their host supervisor. Students will also receive practical information about research careers in academic and non-academic settings and will reflect on what it means to be a researcher in the 21st century. Students must complete 100 hours as an intern in addition to written assessments.

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: Apply existing skills and knowledge to solving real-world problems.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.
  • ULO3: Participate in and contribute effectively to independent and/or team-based research.
  • ULO4: Model best research practice and demonstrate commitment to an ethical, reflective approach in a professional context.

General Assessment Information

DEADLINES

  • The deadline for both the Project Management Plan and Reflective Report is 11.55pm Sunday in the week they are due. These assignments must be submitted via the Turnitin links on the FOAR7004 iLearn website.
  • For the weekly Participatory task: Students must post a c. 100 word response to the Employability Journal on iLearn (OU Blog forum) by 11:59pm Sunday in Weeks 2-11. Posts submitted by the deadline will automatically receive 1%. Posts made after the deadline will receive zero unless an application for Special Consideration has been approved.

LATE ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION POLICY 

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. 

WORD LIMITS

  • Assignment word limits DO NOT include footnotes or bibliographies.
  • The +/- 10% rule applies for all written assessments.

FINAL MARKS

  • Please note with respect to the marks you receive for work during the session: that the marks given are indicative only.
  • Final marks will be determined after moderation.
  • See further the note on Results in the Policies and Procedures section below.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Employability journal 10% No 11:59pm Sunday (Weeks 2-11)
Project management plan 30% No 11:55pm Sunday, August 18 (Week 4)
Reflective report 60% No 11:55pm Sunday, November 3 (Week 13)

Employability journal

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 11:59pm Sunday (Weeks 2-11)
Weighting: 10%

 

Weekly completion of a reading followed by a short reflective blog post to the iLearn forum.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Model best research practice and demonstrate commitment to an ethical, reflective approach in a professional context.

Project management plan

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 11:55pm Sunday, August 18 (Week 4)
Weighting: 30%

 

Preparation of a structured project plan for the internship

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply existing skills and knowledge to solving real-world problems.
  • Demonstrate independent research and synthesis of acquired knowledge and skills.

Reflective report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 14 hours
Due: 11:55pm Sunday, November 3 (Week 13)
Weighting: 60%

 

Preparation of a comprehensive portfolio drawing on both information gained during the semester and personal reflections on the student’s experience as a research intern.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply existing skills and knowledge to solving real-world problems.
  • Participate in and contribute effectively to independent and/or team-based research.
  • Model best research practice and demonstrate commitment to an ethical, reflective approach in a professional context.

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

INTERNSHIPS

  • Students in FOAR7004 must complete an internship of 100 hours working on a research project for either a member of staff in the Faculty of Arts or an external host researcher. 
  • Everything you do in relation to your internship project can contribute to your hours - i.e., in addition to research tasks, any time spent in meetings with your host, speaking to them on the phone or emailing them all relate to your project and so these can be counted towards your 100 hours.
  • Important: If any issues or concerns arise during your internship, please contact the convenor (linda.evans@mq.edu.au) and the Arts PACE team (arts.pace@mq.edu.au) immediately.
  • No concern is too trivial!

SEMINAR

  • A one-hour seminar will take place on campus each week for In Person-Scheduled Students.
  • Online-Scheduled students will join the on campus class via Zoom. The Zoom link will be located on the unit iLearn page.

WEEKLY STEPS

  • The unit material is delivered in a one-hour seminar every week (except for Week 13), offered on campus for internal students and concurrently via Zoom for Online-Scheduled students.
  • Each seminar will consist of a 30-minute overview of the weekly topic followed by discussion and reflection on the ways in which the issues raised affect the conduct of research and the role of researchers.
  • Some weeks may also feature a guest or guest panels, either in person in class or via pre-recorded interviews.
  • Students will be expected to monitor the FOAR7004 iLearn site regularly.
  • Your required steps in most weeks are as follows:
  1. Liaise with and/or carry out work on behalf of your internship host.
  2. Attend the 1-hour seminar on campus or via Zoom.
  3. Complete the Required Reading from the textbook.
  4. Post a response to the Employability Journal forum by 11.59pm Sunday.
  5. Progress your other unit assessments.

TEXTBOOK

  • The text for FOAR7004 is Barbara Bassot's, Employability Journal (Palgrave, 2017).
  • This book is required to complete the weekly participation task.
  • It is available fully online via the Macquarie Library.
  • In addition, three physical copies are acessible in the Library (HF5381.6.B388 2017) or you can purchase a copy from Booktopia or another bookseller.

Unit Schedule

INTRODUCTION

  • Week 1: Unit overview

PART 1: RESEARCHER TOOLKIT

  • Week 2: Essential organisational skills
  • Week 3: Personal and interpersonal skills
  • Week 4: Funding research - Project Management Plan due, midnight Sunday

PART 2: BEING A RESEARCHER

  • Week 5: Being an academic researcher
  • Week 6: Conversations with academic researchers 
  • Week 7: Being a professional researcher
  • Week 8: Conversations with professional researchers 
  • Week 9: Challenges in a research career
  • Week 10: Conversations with early career researchers (ECRs)        

PART 3: CAREER PLANNING

  • Week 11: Preparing for career success
  • Week 12: Reflection and future plans

CONCLUSION

  • Week 13: No class - Reflective Report due, midnight Sunday

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 connect.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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2024.02 of the Handbook