This unit is a Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) Unit.

This unit is particularly focussed in getting you work ready and increasing your employability. To complete the unit you will need to draw together the knowledge and skills you have learnt in previous units and learn how to identify and gain any missing knowledge and skills needed to solve a real-world problem faced by a client. Furthermore, the unit provides practice in the softskills (see learning outcomes) sought by employers and required to meet the Australian Computer Society accreditation criteria. The unit assessments are structured around multiple deliverables including a final reflective report and exam to ensure these goals are achieved.

This unit includes students from many different majors. Also, sponsors have a wide range of projects. Deliverables have been modified according to the type of project being undertaken. Teams will need to identify the type of project they are delivering, undertake appropriate activities and submit appropriate deliverables according to the identified project type.

PACE units in Science and Engineering, their Unit Convenors, and their students, are supported by a PACE Team within the Faculty.  Throughout the unit offering, members of the Team may be in contact with students to provide or collect information. If you have any questions about PACE in Science and Engineering, please email:  pace.science@mq.edu.au  or visit the following webpages:  http://science.mq.edu.au/pace/

If you require more information about PACE in general or access to forms such as those for the PACE Travel Grants, please go to: http://mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/professional_and_community_engagement/

Late Assessment Submission and Penalties

Late assessments will not be accepted in this unit as you are working in a team and are also expected to perform risk management where sickness or other misadventure should be planned for and managed. Disruption and Special Consideration requests  will apply to individuals only, not to groups. The team are expected to cover the work of the individual who has an approved special consideration. If there is a significant problem outside the control of the group, they should contact the convenor well before the deliverable deadline to discuss solutions.

Requirements to pass the unit

You must achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50% to pass this unit. For more information about "Grading and Passing", please see that section.

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au. Please note that special consideration is only possible for individuals, not for teams. If a team member has a special consideration, they should let their team know of their unavailability and the team will need to use their risk management and project planning to cover that work.

COMP3850 projects will be sponsored by clients from industry.

CLASSES

You are expected to attend class meetings (Weeks 1, 2 and 13) throughout the semester. These are to prepare you for project, working with your team and the assessment tasks. There is also a class in Week 11 on Exam preparation including Ethics and Professionalism Training. If you are unable to attend on campus, please let the unit convenor know beforehand and watch the live stream portion of the class. For the team activities, arrange with another team member to discuss how you can connect with the team (e.g. via zoom, phone or technology) so you are able to fully participate in the activities.

Week 1 classes

Please ensure you attend the first lecture session. You should have already received information about which group you are in. If not, check on the first night. You will meet with your group and sponsor.

In week 2 the Careers Development Office will run a "Working in Teams" workshop. Attendance is expected and your active participation will receive a mark. If you have a valid reason not to attend a class (work is not a valid reason), you must get approval from the convenor before the class. In the event of illness or misadventure, contact the convenor ASAP.

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Lecture and Project Material

Some resources useful for your project can be found on iLearn under resources

Please read carefully the document at the Project Deliverables Definition link under Project Description and Deliverables on the unit iLearn website. Follow the instructions provided in that document for the group project work (worth 75% of the course mark).

UNIT WEBPAGE 

Website

Please login to ilearn http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/

METHOD OF COMMUNICATION

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn. If you have a question specific to an assessment, you should contact the person handling that stream.

COVID INFORMATION

For the latest information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the Coronavirus infection page on the Macquarie website: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs. Remember to check this page regularly in case the information and requirements change during semester. If there are any changes to this unit in relation to COVID, these will be communicated via iLearn.

TECHNOLOGIES USED AND REQUIRED

The technology you use will depend on your client's needs. You will have access to the third year computers and the software on them. You will not be able to add any other software to the machines in the labs. However, you may want to use resources that your sponsor and team members have access to. Your technology needs will be determined and defined by you in your project plan.

There are only 4 classes. Attendance should be on campus. However, if this is not possible watch the live stream and coordinate with your team how you can connect electronically with them during the class.

New projects and continuations of previous projects are offered each semester involving long term and new industry partners. There are four streams of projects covered in this unit: cybersecurity, data science, games and software. This semester we are also identifying any projects that might be relevant for artificial intelligence majors. Except for most cybersecurity projects, projects may span more than one major allowing for cross-skilled teams. The marking rubrics and deliverables definition documents have been modified where deemed appropriate based on feedback and effectiveness.

Your final grade will depend on your performance in the project and exam. The final mark for the unit will be calculated by combining the marks for all assessment tasks according to the percentage weightings shown in the assessment summary. Note that in order to receive the full marks awarded to your group you must contribute your equal share to the project. Individual contribution forms will be used to identify the contribution of each team member. Every individual in the team will complete this online form. These forms and the process will be explained further in the week 1 induction.

You are expected to attend all compulsory class sessions or provide a reason (to the unit convenor preferably before the class) why you were unable to attend.

All work submitted should be readable and presented in a business-like and professional format.

Late work will not be accepted. As you are working in a team and also are expected to perform risk management, sickness or other misadventure needs to be planned for and managed. Disruption requests will apply to individuals only, not to groups.

If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.

Grade Assessment Standards

What to do in the case of an emergency:

1. Remove yourself from any danger.

2. Call 000, if necessary.

3. Speak to your partner-based supervisor, if possible. The Organisation may have emergency procedures to follow.

THEN - if the emergency occurs in office hours (i.e. Monday - Friday 9am-5pm)

4. Contact your Unit Convenor by phone/email as soon as you can.

5. If you cannot reach your Unit Convenor, contact your Faculty PACE Manager by phone/email.

OR - if the emergency occurs outside of office hours (i.e. outside of Monday - Friday 9am-5pm)

6. Phone Campus Security Office on (02) 9850-9999 as soon as you can. This is a 24 hour, 7 days a week service and it does not matter where in Australia you are when you call. Please identify yourself as a PACE student when you call.

N.B. For any minor issues with your participation activity, please speak to your partner-based Supervisor. If the problem is more serious, please contact your Unit Convenor or your Faculty PACE Manager.

If you are experiencing difficulties and need to speak to a counsellor:

Contact the MQ Counselling Service at Campus Wellbeing on 9850-7497 (Monday - Friday, 8am-6pm)

1800 MQ CARELINE (1800-227-367) - information and referral service (24 hours, 7 days a week)

If you would like to speak to a counsellor outside of office hours, you can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours, 7 days a week).

Work, Health, and Safety (WHS)

A PACE Activity is a practical experience allocated to, and undertaken by, a student within a PACE unit which may take place in premises other than the University (usually the Partner Organisation’s premises). When working or studying in non-University premises, the primary responsibility for the health and safety of our students becomes that of the Partner Organisation hosting the student. However, as a student, you also have a legal responsibility under the Workplace Health & Safety Act 2011 and the Macquarie University Health & Safety Policy to ensure the health and safety of yourself and of others in the workplace.

Each student has a moral and legal responsibility for ensuring that his or her work environment is conducive to good health and safety, by:

• ensuring that their work and work area is without risk to the health and safety of themselves and others
• complying with the University’s and Partner Organisation’s Work Health & Safety Policy and Procedures
• reporting hazards and incidents as they occur in accordance with University and Partner Organisation’s policy
• actively participating in all health and safety activities and briefing sessions (eg emergency evacuation procedures, site inspections etc)

Each student is also required to advise their Unit Convenor or Faculty PACE Manager as soon as possible when:

• he/she feels unsafe at any stage during the PACE activity
• he/she did not receive a safety induction prior to the commencement of the activity covering: First aid, Fire and emergency evacuation; and Injury/incident reporting
• he/she did not receive any specialised instructions/training necessary to carry out the role
• an incident/accident happens (even when reported to the Partner Organisation/supervisor and managed by them) 

Non-compliance with the above may result in withdrawal of the student from the PACE Activity. 

WHS and risk for fieldwork-based PACE activities

Certain PACE activities are fieldwork-based.  Fieldwork includes professional experience whereby the fieldwork i) forms the majority of the activity; ii) is essential to partner benefit; and iii) requires the application of discipline specific knowledge and skills. Fieldwork-based activities are undertaken in collaboration with a partner and are conducted on a site in the natural and/or built environment in order to collect data (e.g. soil samples, asking questions of humans, documenting information about animals, etc.) for the purposes of informing a study about that environment or site. Fieldwork may be led by students as the discipline experts; however, it requires supervision by an appropriately qualified Macquarie University staff or external partner. Students who will undertake fieldwork-based PACE activities must consult with their unit convenor regarding additional WHS and risk procedures that might be necessary. All fieldwork must be officially approved by relevant staff before it commences. 

PACE-related policies, procedures, and other important information

Student Undertaking Form

Before a student begins their activity they will be required to complete the Student Undertaking Form.  This form asks students for their contact details, emergency contact information and their agreement to abide by the Roles and Responsibilities as set out in the Governance and Guidelines document.  The Student Undertaking form is provided electronically through iParticipate and the Faculty PACE team will alert you when it is available for completion and instructions on how to complete it. 

PACE Activity – Early Commencement Procedure:  – to outline the conditions under which the unit convenor of a PACE unit will consider a request from a student to commence or complete a PACE activity prior to the official start date of the associated PACE unit.

PACE - Managing Other Commitments Procedure:  to outline the University’s approach to an absence or other form of disruption during the session due to a student undertaking a PACE activity.

PACE - Reasonable Adjustments, Guideline and Procedure:  Macquarie University will endeavour to match students with an appropriate host and feasible PACE activity to maximise student success.  These documents provide good practice information for students and staff to encourage early disclosure of circumstances (e.g. disability, medical condition, flexible time arrangements, or leave days for official observances, etc.), which may impact on a student’s PACE activity, and the subsequent arrangement of reasonable adjustments when enrolling or participating in a PACE Unit (Guideline).

PACE activities requiring background checks:  Some partner organisations may require students to complete certain background checks and/or clearances in cases where they will be working with children, young people, people with disabilities, the frail-aged, at-risk clients, and government/statutory agencies. It’s very important that students complete the required background clearances before beginning the PACE activity. Any necessary information on background checks will be communicated directly to students by the Unit Convenor or the Faculty PACE team. Please note there is an extra verification step required for students who need to to complete a Working with Children Check.  Students will be required to provide their WWCC number to the Faculty PACE Team electronically and the result of their check will need to be verified by MQ WWCC Administrator (Governance Services) before they start their activity.

Policy regarding PACE and the AHEGS statement:  PACE units will be flagged on student transcripts with the symbol ‘π’ after the unit code which corresponds to the following statement on the transcript:

π: Units marked with a π are designated PACE units. These units provide students with an opportunity to learn through practical experience and make a valuable contribution to the community by applying knowledge and skills acquired at the University.

PACE and Ethical Practice:  Ethical considerations feature heavily in the PACE Initiative. As ambassadors of the University, students are expected to engage with the wider community in a responsible and ethically informed manner that respects the rights of individuals, communities and the environment. This expectation applies to all PACE activities regardless of their nature. Ethical practice involves negotiating the ethical complexities of the context with which you are working. This involves critically thinking about issues of power, hierarchy, culture and position, and about the potential risks of your work and interactions with others, immediate and over time. It is important to ensure that risks are mitigated and experiences are enriching and worthwhile for all those involved.

In addition to the role of students as ambassadors, partners must conform to the University’s ethical standards; PACE activities must be aligned with the wellbeing of people and planet; there are research-based PACE activities as well as collaborative research with partners; and, the way in which everybody’s PACE experiences are captured and shared must be ethical. If a student ever feels that unethical behaviour has occurred during a PACE activity, they should consult with their Unit Convenors and/or the Faculty PACE staff immediately. Further, any students whose PACE activity will involve research that is led by a Macquarie staff member must consult with their convenor prior to commencement to confirm whether or not research ethics permission is required.

PACE and IP:  Students enrolled in PACE units may be working with external industry partners. Although it is uncommon, during some activities Intellectual Property may be created and there may be some instances when the partner requires the assignment of IP. Students are encouraged to seek legal advice prior to entering into any such agreement. Students uncertain of their rights relating to IP ownership can seek advice from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). This should be done by contacting the relevant Faculty PACE Manager.

PACE Grants and Prizes:  There are several ways in which PACE might support students financially to undertake PACE activities. PACE students are also eligible to apply for the prestigious Prof. Judyth Sachs PACE Prizes.

http://students.mq.edu.au/courses/professional_and_community_engagement/pace_grants/

http://students.mq.edu.au/courses/professional_and_community_engagement/pace_prizes/