Students

MQBS8090 – Business Internship

2024 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Brett White
brett.white@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit gives students workplace experience and professional development skills to position them to better succeed in securing employment and manage their future careers. Students undertake a placement in an organisation under the guidance of a workplace mentor/supervisor and with the support of professional and academic University staff. The unit links the workplace experience to academic theory and research to maximise the benefits of both. Assessment tasks are integrated with a range of individual and interactive learning activities. Students will gain experience of the Australian workplace environment and the ability to self-manage future professional development of generic skills and specialist knowledge. The unit contributes to the development of graduate capabilities in critical, analytical and integrative thinking and professional and personal judgement and initiative. Visit Employability Connect for important information on this unit.

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: Develop professional skills in the workplace.
  • ULO2: Manage personal contribution to an organisation.
  • ULO3: Evaluate the application of academic learning in the workplace.
  • ULO4: Manage professional learning through reflective practice and the application of research.

General Assessment Information

Portfolio of development

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours Due: Week 4 or 4 weeks after your internship commences Weighting: 40%

 

This assessment is worth 40% in total. It is a portfolio of work reflecting on professional skills and employability skills development. Students will build a portfolio of evidence considering their learning contract, their professional skills and evidence that reflects on their development.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

  • Manage personal contribution to an organisation.

Learning Contract

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours Due: Week 6 and Week 8 Weighting: 30%

 

This assessment is worth 30% in total. You will create a learning contract for your internship or project, identifying appropriate learning objectives in consultation with your supervisor. Objectives should be linked to graduate capabilities and developed with reference to assigned readings and relevant organisational and professional standards. A template for this task, a reading list, and links to a range of professional standards are provided on iLearn.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

  • Develop professional skills in the workplace.

Placement evaluation

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours Due: Week 12 Weighting: 30%

 

This task includes your supervisor’s evaluation (10%) and a 1500-1800 word critical reflection (20%). In order to complete the unit, you will need to submit the placement evaluation form which includes the supervisor’s placement evaluation marking guide. Your supervisor has agreed to complete this evaluation as part of their agreement to host your internship or project. You will need to provide your supervisor with a copy of the placement evaluation form, giving your supervisor enough time to complete their evaluation. During your internship or project your supervisor will assess your performance using the supervisor’s placement evaluation marking guide included in the placement evaluation form. If your performance is rated unsatisfactory at any time during your internship or project, you will be invited to a meeting to discuss your performance. You may be given an opportunity to improve your performance or the internship or project may be discontinued. In this case, you may be required to complete the remainder of your placement hours within the Macquarie Business School. In these cases, MQBS will identify a project, an appropriate supervisor and specify the number of hours required to meet the learning outcomes of this unit. If your supervisor gives a fail for your placement evaluation at the end of session, penalties may be applied to Task 3. In the critical reflection you will critically reflect on your progress towards achieving learning objectives identified in Task 1, with reference to your internship or project experience and assigned readings, incorporating any feedback from your supervisor and/or feedback on Task 1.

On successful completion you will be able to:

  • Develop professional skills in the workplace.
  • Evaluate the application of academic learning in the workplace.
  • Manage professional learning through reflective practice and the application of research.

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

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Portfolio of development 40% No Week 6 and week 8
Learning Contract 30% No Week 4 or 4 weeks after commencement of internship
Placement evaluation 30% No Week 12

Portfolio of development

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 6 and week 8
Weighting: 40%

 

This assessment is worth 40% in total. It is a portfolio of work reflecting on professional skills and employability skills development. Students will build a portfolio of evidence considering their learning contract, their professional skills and evidence that reflects on their development.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Manage personal contribution to an organisation.

Learning Contract

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 4 or 4 weeks after commencement of internship
Weighting: 30%

 

This assessment is worth 30% in total. You will create a learning contract for your internship or project, identifying appropriate learning objectives in consultation with your supervisor. Objectives should be linked to graduate capabilities and developed with reference to assigned readings and relevant organisational and professional standards. A template for this task, a reading list, and links to a range of professional standards are provided on iLearn.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop professional skills in the workplace.

Placement evaluation

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 30%

 

This task includes your supervisor’s evaluation (10%) and a 1500-1800 word critical reflection (20%). In order to complete the unit, you will need to submit the placement evaluation form which includes the supervisor’s placement evaluation marking guide. Your supervisor has agreed to complete this evaluation as part of their agreement to host your internship or project. You will need to provide your supervisor with a copy of the placement evaluation form, giving your supervisor enough time to complete their evaluation. During your internship or project your supervisor will assess your performance using the supervisor’s placement evaluation marking guide included in the placement evaluation form. If your performance is rated unsatisfactory at any time during your internship or project, you will be invited to a meeting to discuss your performance. You may be given an opportunity to improve your performance or the internship or project may be discontinued. In this case, you may be required to complete the remainder of your placement hours within the Macquarie Business School. In these cases, MQBS will identify a project, an appropriate supervisor and specify the number of hours required to meet the learning outcomes of this unit. If your supervisor gives a fail for your placement evaluation at the end of session, penalties may be applied to Task 3. In the critical reflection you will critically reflect on your progress towards achieving learning objectives identified in Task 1, with reference to your internship or project experience and assigned readings, incorporating any feedback from your supervisor and/or feedback on Task 1.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop professional skills in the workplace.
  • Evaluate the application of academic learning in the workplace.
  • Manage professional learning through reflective practice and the application of research.

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

This unit is based in the workplace. You should focus on your internship and use this experience to develop your assessment responses. 

Please see iLearn for further information

Unit Schedule

Please see iLearn for Unit Schedule

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 2024.01R of the Handbook