Students

SSCI3090 – PACE: Professional Social Research Project

2024 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jacqueline Mackaway
jacqueline.mackaway@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
20
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(130cp at 1000 level or above) including (SSCI2010 and SSCI2020) OR (SOC224 and SSC200 or SSCI200).
Corequisites Corequisites
SSCI3010 or SSCI300
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides you with practical ‘hands on’ experience working on a social research project for government, university, industry or a community based organisation. Projects involve a variety of research activities including policy reviews, program design, evaluations, community advocacy and more. The unit is made up of two parts. The first part involves you undertaking a supervised research placement with an organisation (150 hours). Projects are generally sourced for you, however you may organise your own with the unit convenor’s approval at least two months before the commencement of semester. The second part involves six workshops designed to develop skills and capacities you will need to manage and conduct research in an ethical and professional manner. From these two parts of the unit, and by reflecting on your project and personal experience, you will gain an understanding of the work of social researchers and the contribution they make to organisations and society more broadly. You will also gain insights into the skills and knowledge you need to further develop, possible career options and set goals for the future. 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: Demonstrate and apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and knowledge to an applied social research project for an organisation.
  • ULO2: Design and implement a project plan to successfully undertake and manage tasks, data, risks, time and resources.
  • ULO3: Integrate critical thinking and reflective practices into their project, and develop self-management strategies to address challenges and enhance personal, academic and career learning.
  • ULO4: Critically analyse and report on research methods and processes, project outputs and outcomes, effectively using a range of professional and academic written and oral formats.
  • ULO5: Create and produce a high quality evidence informed artefact such as a report, research instrument, discussion paper or resource for an organisation that supports the organisation’s purpose and strategic goals.

General Assessment Information

Please submit your Project Management Plan, Short Written Task and Final Report electronically via iLearn and the Turnitin function.  You will also use iLearn to load your presentations however a different tool from TurnitIn is used - see the Assessment section in iLearn for instructions on what to do (we also discuss this in class).

Note that Project Management Plan (PMP) is due once you have completed a minimum of 20-30 hours working on your project. The submission date will therefore vary between students. Please talk to a staff member if you are confused or have any questions about this due date. Before you submit your project management plan (PMP) you are asked to meet with a member of the teaching staff to review a draft of your plan. This meeting we call a 'consultation' and it is designed as a collaborative, judgement-free space to touch base and get clarity with respect to any outstanding questions or concerns you may have about your project. While the meeting/consultation is mandatory, it is not assessable - nor is the draft version of your PMP.

Contact the Unit Convenor as soon as possible if you find yourself unable to meet the submission dates for assessments and/or the minimum placement hours cannot be met.

Late 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 (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. 

Return of Marked Work

As per university policy, written assessments will be returned to students within three weeks of the submission date. Early assignments will not be marked early. *Please note however that Project Management Plans are marked as quickly as possible to allow students to continue with their work

University Grading Policy

The grade that a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of the unit of study. Graded units will use the following grades

HD    High Distinction        85-100

D      Distinction                 75-84

Cr     Credit                        65-74

P      Pass                          50-64

F      Fail                              0-49

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.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Project Management Plan (PMP) 25% No Due first 20-30 hours of project
Short Written Task 10% No Friday 22 March
Presentation 25% No Seminar 5 - Tuesday 21 May
Final Project Report 20% No Friday 14 June
Workplace supervisor's report 20% No End of project (approx. 3 June)

Project Management Plan (PMP)

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 38 hours
Due: Due first 20-30 hours of project
Weighting: 25%

 

Students develop their project management planning skills by creating a plan for their research project/activity. The plan must include: project description and rationale; outline of study design, objectives, outcomes and key stakeholders; specify key tasks and timeline; resources required; risks/issues and mitigation strategies; strategies for monitoring and evaluating the project and the quality of their work. The workplace supervisor must check this task prior to submission.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and knowledge to an applied social research project for an organisation.
  • Design and implement a project plan to successfully undertake and manage tasks, data, risks, time and resources.

Short Written Task

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Friday 22 March
Weighting: 10%

 

This task requires students to use critical and ethical thinking along with reflective skills to respond a question focused on either: a) the application of a specific principle of research ethics to their own project (using the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines) OR b) to critically analyse and report on their own positionality in relation to their research project.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and knowledge to an applied social research project for an organisation.
  • Integrate critical thinking and reflective practices into their project, and develop self-management strategies to address challenges and enhance personal, academic and career learning.
  • Critically analyse and report on research methods and processes, project outputs and outcomes, effectively using a range of professional and academic written and oral formats.

Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: Seminar 5 - Tuesday 21 May
Weighting: 25%

 

This task is designed for students to synthesize their academic and professional knowledge and present it in the form of a professional presentation to class and workplace supervisors. Presenters need to: 1. Engage with their audience through effective non-verbal and verbal skills – eye contact, body language, poise, enthusiasm and elocution! 2. Provide an overview of their project and organisation, including examples and evidence of their work/project. 3. Draw conclusions about the impact of their work on their organization and/or their future career/study plans. 4. Share reflections on their learning/s. 5. Manage their presentation in a logical, organized and timely way.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and knowledge to an applied social research project for an organisation.
  • Integrate critical thinking and reflective practices into their project, and develop self-management strategies to address challenges and enhance personal, academic and career learning.
  • Critically analyse and report on research methods and processes, project outputs and outcomes, effectively using a range of professional and academic written and oral formats.

Final Project Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Friday 14 June
Weighting: 20%

 

The final project report requires students to critically analyse and reflect on their research project and experiences. The report must include: a critique of the study design and research methods/approaches used; research related challenges faced and how these were overcome; ethical and/cultural considerations and how addressed; examples/samples of work completed; a critical reflection on their personal, academic and career learning along with a consideration of the value of their disciplinary knowledge (social research) and/or their major to their project and/or society more broadly.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and knowledge to an applied social research project for an organisation.
  • Integrate critical thinking and reflective practices into their project, and develop self-management strategies to address challenges and enhance personal, academic and career learning.
  • Critically analyse and report on research methods and processes, project outputs and outcomes, effectively using a range of professional and academic written and oral formats.

Workplace supervisor's report

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: End of project (approx. 3 June)
Weighting: 20%

 

The workplace supervisor will undertake an assessment of the student’s work and performance at the end of the project.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Design and implement a project plan to successfully undertake and manage tasks, data, risks, time and resources.
  • Integrate critical thinking and reflective practices into their project, and develop self-management strategies to address challenges and enhance personal, academic and career learning.
  • Create and produce a high quality evidence informed artefact such as a report, research instrument, discussion paper or resource for an organisation that supports the organisation’s purpose and strategic goals.

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

The unit has an academic component (delivered through 6 seminars) and a practical component (students' research work for the organisation).

For the academic component students will be asked to:

  • submit the required assessment tasks on time
  • complete required readings
  • attend all seminars (if unable to attend contact the unit convenor and alternative activity will be assigned for completion)

For the practical component of the unit students will be asked to:

  • complete 150 placement hours with a partner organisation
  • define a work schedule with their workplace supervisor and commit to it
  • work on a research project according to the research plan they discuss with their workplace supervisor/s
  • submit a final output of the research project to their organisation.

Unit Schedule

Seminars are held on Tuesdays at 11 Wally’s Walk Room 180 from 9-11am  Note that Workshop 5 is presentation week and runs from 9-12noon to allow sufficicent time to get through all the presentations.

Note mid session recess is 15-28 April

Workshop 1

20 Feb

(week 8)

Introduction to the unit and social research

Workshop 2

27 Feb

(week 9)

Managing a research project

Workshop 3

5 March

(week 10)

Reflective and reflexive practice

Workshop 4

12 March

(week 11)

Research ethics

Workshop 5

21 May

(week 21)

Communicating research (presentation week)

Workshop 6

28 May

(week 22)

Pursuing a career in social research

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 2024.03 of the Handbook