ASSESSMENT DEADLINES

As well as checking them here, you can also check your assessment deadlines in iLearn.

Check the ASSESSMENT section in iLearn for more information.

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MAJOR ESSAY

The essay will be chosen from one of the set questions used in this unit. These questions will be posted online (in iLearn) by the end of March.

The essay should address the key themes of the unit drawing on the usual range of academic sources, including (but not limited to) required readings, recommended readings and independent research on related topics or themes as conducted by the student.

We will run workshops on key skills and essay writing in lectures and tutorials throughout the session. It is important that you attend all lectures and tutorials to gain the maximum benefit from these sessions.

Remember:

1. The essay must be your own work. Harsh penalties are imposed for plagiarism, ghost writing or other 'cheating' as per the academic honesty policy
2. The essay must show evidence of both an understanding of core unit content & substantial wider independently researched reading on the appropriate topic
3. The Major Essay must be written on a different theory and/or topic to your group presentation. If in doubt ask your tutor for advice.
4. Marks will be deducted for improper referencing. Students are required to use the APA7th referencing style in the final submission. 
   • Students were very clear that they want to be referred to a Macquarie support or guideline, and not to resources produced by other universities. The Library is creating a new suite of online Referencing Guides to support the five endorsed styles. A link to these guides will be built into the iLearn top menu under the Library dropdown menu for easy access. You can also access referencing guides here

For more information and answers to your frequently asked questions we have prepared a 'MAJOR ESSAY - Guidance on RUBRIC and FAQs' sheet in iLearn. For general support on essay writing you can also check out the MQ library website.

 

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GROUP PROJECT

The group project is divided into 3 components - two group components and an individual component. These grades are then combined to give each student thier final mark for the group project assessment, as a whole:

• PART 1. Group component. PROJECT PROPOSAL = 10% of GROUP PROJECT final mark
• PART 2. Individual Component. COLLABORATION WIKI = 50% of GROUP PROJECT final mark
• PART 3. Group Component. FINAL PRESENTATION = 40% of GROUP PROJECT final mark 

The groups will usually be allocated in week 3, but no later than week 5 (after the census date). This helps us minimise disruptions to the groups from students who withdraw from the unit before the census date. Group size varies depending on unit enrollments each year. 

For some guidance on getting started refer to the 'GROUP PROJECT - GETTING STARTED (and FAQs)' in iLearn

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

PART 1. Group component. PROJECT PROPOSAL

• The proposal is a collaborative group assessment. This means that all group members must contribute, and that all group members receive the same mark for the proposal; unless otherwise notified by the convenor.
• The word limit for the group project proposal is roughly 1000-1500 words, including the usual -/+ 10% leeway. This does not include any figures or tables (such as the Gantt chart).
• The proposal is submitted by uploading a word or pdf file to the wiki. Instructions on how to upload files to the wiki are included on the wiki start page. The final submission should include the group number in the title (e.g. GROUP 1. GROUP PROPOSAL DOCUMENT. FINAL).

 The GROUP PROPOSAL should:

• clearly demonstrate the title and topic / focus of the project 
• generate a properly formatted Gantt chart that can be used to track progress on the project throughout the session
• provide an initial task list / division of labour for individual contributions to the group project
• provide evidence of communication and group planning (e.g. minutes of first meetings)
• show basic language skills (e.g. grammar, referencing)

Please also refer to the 'PART 1. GROUP PROJECT PROPOSAL. RUBRIC & CHECKLIST' sheet provided in iLearn.

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

PART 2. Individual Component. COLLABORATION WIKI

For this assessment students must complete KEY TASKS in the GROUP COLLABORATION WIKI to demonstrate an individual contribution to the project.

• Examples of KEY TASKS are listed on the 'GROUP COLLABORATION WIKI RUBRIC AND GUIDANCE' sheet - Check the ASSESSMENTS section in iLearn to access/download this document.
• You decide how to structure your wiki as a team - even though you receive an individual mark for the wiki it is still part of the project. We can give you some guidance, but each group must take on responsibility for managing the wiki content as a team
• You decide how to divide up the KEY TASKS amongst your group - everyone must contribute to receive an individual grade, it is recommended that you keep a record of the task allocations in the wiki.
• Learn to use the wiki - even if you are not familiar with using a wiki you are required to try. Learning how to use the wiki is a key skill being assessed in this unit. All students must try to develop their wiki skills throughout the session. As such each individual student should try to complete at least one key task in wiki every week.
• If it isn't in the wiki we cannot mark it. Please bear this in mind when deciding how you are going to work, and document your work, as a group. ONLY contributions documented in the wiki are included in your assessed work so it is vital that students learn to use the wiki and document all aspects of their individual contributions to the group project in this virtual learning space.
• All wiki activity is monitored weekly by academic staff. Bulk uploads of content at the end of term are not a replacement for weekly work. 

Please also refer to the 'PART 2. GROUP COLLABORATION WIKI RUBRIC (Individual Component)' guide provided in iLearn

 

                                                                                                                                 

 

PART 3. Group Component. FINAL PRESENTATION

A group presentation of no more than 15 minutes duration will be presented in the final week of term as the culmination of the GROUP PROJECT. Please consider that:

• ALL group final presentations will be pre-recorded this year. Students will upload a copy of the original powerpoint file (ppt. file) as well as provide a recording (mp4 is best) to the collaboration wiki before the deadline (above).

- DO - check the size of the file and the file type before you attempt to upload your presentation to the wiki. Some file types will not work / be too large.

- DO NOT - post a hyperlinks to outside storage instead of uploading a file. 

• please review lecture recordings as well as Discussion Forum posts for the latest responses to FAQs
• workshops have been built into the weekly activities to assist group development, team work and general presentation skills during term.
• a template for power-point presentation will be provided in iLearn.
• not all group members are required to speak in the final presentation - if not all there must be an reasonable distribution of workload doucmented in the wiki to account for this division of labour.

Please also refer to the 'PART 3. FINAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC' provided in iLearn for more useful information

 

                                                                                         

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Rubrics, alongside more detailed guidance on both the assessment criteria for each assessment and some useful steps for students to consider when undertaking assessments, have been included in the iLearn site. Please check them for guidance.
• Students are advised to post all general questions to the Discussion Forum. Before posting your queries: 
  • Information is provided in a number of locations, it is a good idea to check the following before posting a question:
    • the unit guide
    • rubrics
    • iLearn site
    • assessment guidance 
  • Check previous thread titles and topics to see if your question has been asked / answered already
  • REMEMBER - duplicate threads or questions answered elsewhere may not receive a response. It is your responsibility to read the provided guidance.

 

REVIEW MEETINGS (optional). Part of the group project is learning how to collaborate. This requires you to work as mature adults to resolve any issues that arise, however we acknowledge that academic guidance may be required in some situations. If you experience difficulties within your group that you are unable to resolve - e.g. if a group member experiences a serious disruption to study, if a team emmebr refuses to respond to messages or the team falls well behind schedule (as outlined in thier Gantt chart) - the convenor may require OR students may request a 'review meeting' to discuss the project. A review meeting can be requested at any time during term, but the convenor will often schedule these meetings for the first week or two after the mid-session interval (usually around WEEK 8). Review meetings are arranged on a needs only basis, but can be requested by appointment. All group members should try to attend a review meeting if one has been arranged, but we also allocate time in tutorials throughout the session to discuss the group work as a whole. Externals/online are welcome to skype/zoom in for workshops and/or review meetings.

 

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION / EXTENSIONS

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. 

More info is here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Lectures

• The week Lectures for this unit are recorded live on campus, each week.
• Access to lectures for online students in via iLearn. Review lecture recordings (via echo) and regularly check unit announcements in iLearn (sent to your university email address) for other learning and teaching updates.

Study (online activities)

Online activities are provided via iLearn. Please read the preparation instructions for these activities and complete them in iLearn, every week.

NOTE: Whilst active participation is no longer assessed in this unit, that does not mean students will be able to 'coast'. Evidence from previous years has shown that students who do not complete all of the learning activities will see this lack of engagement reflected in their final marks.

It is even more important for online students to be active in iLearn if they want to get the most out of thier studies.

To this end, online students should remember that they can request a zoom call with the convenor, individually or as a group, to discuss topics, activities and assessments. Contact the convenor by email to request a time slot. Bookings are made according to the teaching staffs availability.

 

Support

• For administrative advice (on your enrollment etc), consult ask.mq
• For academic advice (on unit content and assessments etc.) please contact teaching staff via email.
• Depending on student up-take a drop-in clinic for academic advice (e.g. unit content, academic skill, time management, group work etc.) will be made available, however it is often best to email for an appointment.
• Unit announcements provide important updates on study throughout the session. These updates will be posted to iLearn and sent to your university email account. Please check your university email regularly.
• Some dates/locations/times may change. Check announcements regularly for updates.

 

• If you have a question:
  1. Check the unit guide for an answer
  2. Check iLearn - most frequently asked questions are answered in our FAQs documents
  3. Check the Discussion Forum in iLearn - if you do not see a post relating to your question then post your question in the GENERAL QUESTIONS thread
  4. If you do not receive an answer within a day or so email your tutor / the unit convenor

Readings

This unit requires you to read multiple papers every week. A bulk of your study time outside of class will be spent reading and making connections between the content of readings. Whilst we do our best to make sure the Leganto reading list is ready before term begins, this is not always possible - so please be pateint in the first week of term.

You may benefit from buying one or more of the following textbooks.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Several of the texts we use will be only available on e-reserve for a limited time due to copyright restrictions imposed by the publisher. Please manage your reading schedule accordingly, this is not something that academic staff are able to influence. Be mindful that accessing the readings whilst they are available is your responsibility.  

• We do not use one single core text for this unit. Readings are drawn from a number of sources. If you do wish to focus on ONE book you may find this particularly useful:

White, R.; Haines, F., Asquith, N. (2012) Crime and Criminology, Oxford: Oxford University Press (5th edition)

• There are also many copies of the earlier editions by White and Haines in the library. For this text in particular the earlier editions have similar content. Another important text from which required readings are drawn, is:

North, D. C., Wallis, J. J., & Weingast, B. R. (2009). Violence and social order: A conceptual framework for interpreting recorded human history. Cambridge: New York.

• Reading BEFORE you attend face-to-face activities is mandatory in this unit. We advise you to read the unit readings before the lecture, and again afterwards.
• Readings must be completed before attending tutorials - Note. You get more out of youir learning in the seminars & online if you read & come to class prepared for a discussion.

The unit schedule is provided in iLearn for students who decide to enrol in this unit.

ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE SESSION: It is vital that students attend or engage with every lecture and topic. Pragmatic, strategic or time-poor students sometimes feel that they can only engage with the topic that they choose to write their major paper on. This is a mistake. Content builds throughout the schedule, linking each week to sequentially build a theoretical 'genealogy of ideas' over time. Students who skip topics have found it much harder to land good grades in assessments. Consider the value of attending every week and engaging with every topic.

Referencing

A “Harvard” style is not endorsed

We can see from student feedback that using the “Harvard” style causes unnecessary complexity and confusion as there is no one defined “Harvard” style manual, and a number of variations are readily available. The Referencing Project’s iLearn sampling survey identified at least six versions of Harvard in use. An environmental scan identified that this is a pain point across the sector with a number of institutions also moving away from Harvard towards APA7 as the preferred Author-Date style.

 

Students were also very clear that they want to be referred to a Macquarie support or guideline, and not to resources produced by other universities. The Library is creating a new suite of online Referencing Guides to support the five endorsed styles. A link to these guides will be built into the iLearn top menu under the Library dropdown menu for easy access.

You can also access referencing guides here

Academic Writer, a resource produced by the American Psychological Association, is also available for comprehensive style advice and includes many teaching resources and support material.