All the assessments in this unit align with the Faculty's and the School's MRes program. The main goal of this unit is to help you structure your year, provide sessions in key skills and encourage you to begin writing early.

Weekly Colloquia

Assessment Type ¹: Practice-based Task Indicative Time on Task ²: 0 hours Due: 1-3pm Wednesdays Weighting: 0%

The objective is to engage in discipline-specific seminars and colloquia as appropriate. In particular, you will attend a combination of group sessions with your peers and individual work with your supervision team; engage in a program of activities supporting the preparation and the delivery of the assessment tasks in the MRes program; and develop your knowledge of the sub-disciplinary field of your own research topic. 

Project planning

Assessment Type ¹: Project planning Indicative Time on Task ²: 14 hours Released: 12noon March 5 Due: 12noon March 19 Weighting: 0%

The objective is to provide training in project management, and planning of a major research project. 

A plan for your MRes research will be developed, incorporating: a research question, methodology, budget, ethics (if appropriate), timeline; it will also briefly discuss an extension of the plan for a 3-year PhD research project. The plan will be submitted in written form, with an optional seminar presentation in class. The plan will be assessed by your Principal supervisor and the COMP8990 convenor, and awarded a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade. On its own, the plan does not contribute to a final grade, but it establishes the foundations of your thesis which is worth 90% of your mark.

Research Methods

Assessment Type ¹: Practice-based Task Indicative Time on Task ²: 20 hours Released: 12noon April 16 Due: 12noon April 30 Weighting: 0%

The goal of this task is for you to communicate the experimental and/or theoretical design of your research to your peers and the supervision team and to start writing the methods section of your thesis.

This task will be reviewed by your Principal supervisor and the COMP8990 convenor, and awarded a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade. A satisfactory grade confirms that the candidates have adequately demonstrated their understanding and skills in appropriate research methodologies, and are able to critically analyse their use in comparison with alternative methods. On its own, the completion of this task does not contribute to a final grade, but it provides a core component of your thesis which is worth 90% of your mark. 

Literature Review

Assessment Type ¹: Literature review Indicative Time on Task ²: 20 hours Released: 12noon May 14 Due: 12noon June 11 Weighting: 0%

The goal of this task is to collate and understand the background literature relevant to your chosen project and to start working on a written report in accordance with the requirements of their discipline. 

The literature review report is assessed by your Principal supervisor and the COMP8990 convenor, and awarded a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade. On its own, the literature review report does not contribute to a final grade, but it is part of the thesis that forms 90% of your mark. More importantly, taking this assessment task seriously at this stage will ensure you know your literature well enough to ask the right questions and leave you more time for analysis and discussion of your data down the line. 

Poster Presentation (Research Frontiers 2)

Assessment Type ¹: Poster Indicative Time on Task ²: 20 hours Due: Late June Weighting: 10%

This will have two compulsory components: (1) the presentation of a research poster and (2) the submission of five short reports on seminars you will attend throughout the semester.

The poster mark determined in your School/Faculty, will contribute 10% to your overall MRes thesis grade. Short reports are marked by the MRes Director and awarded a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade.

Thesis

Assessment Type ¹: Thesis Indicative Time on Task ²: 200 hours Due: EWS Date Weighting: 90%

This is the major component of the year, the writing of a thesis; all the other activities are designed to support this. 

The candidates will complete a substantial thesis subject to disciplinary standards (worth 90% of the MRes mark). The thesis will be examined by two examiners who are external to Macquarie University. The candidates should refer to University rules for further information regarding the thesis submission and the examination process. In addition, MRes thesis examiners will be asked to provide a percentage score for the thesis.

Your thesis will be due by your EWS date. You can check your EWS date in your student record, or in your enrolment and registration advice letters. Time extensions may be appropriate in cases of illness or misadventure, with permission from your supervisor and the MRes Director.

¹ If you need help with your assessment tasks, 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

Requirements to pass the unit

All the hurdle assessment tasks must be satisfactorily completed as per the requirements described above in order for you to complete your MRes course and graduate. 

Note that late submissions for project planning, research methods and literature review will not be accepted without an approval by the unit convenor. If a student has made a serious attempt in these hurdle assessments but has failed, they will be given another opportunity to complete the hurdle.

Late research poster presentations will require approval by the MRes director.

Weekly Colloquia

There will be a combination of weekly group sessions as well as individual sessions with your supervision team to discuss the study material in more detail and to help the MRes program and Activities in particular. 

All the resources will be provided on ilearn and the students are expected to study the reading and study materials provided on a weekly basis. Students are also encouraged to engage in active discussion via the General Discussion Forum on iLearn.

Assessment Tasks

Assignment specifications & requirements will be made available on ilearn and the written reports will be submitted online via Turnitin.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your Macquarie University's Email or through Announcements on ilearn.