Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convener
Richard de Grijs
Contact via 9850 8317
12WW 521
Co-convener
Daniel Zucker
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GradDipResFSE
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
10cp at 7000 level
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides an opportunity for hands-on research in STEM. Students will actively participate in a single research placement during which they will develop advanced research skills in an area relating to their research interests and in consultation with research mentors. Students will reflect on new skills in the context of their professional goals. Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Quality Education; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Requirements to Pass this Unit
To pass this unit you must achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%.
Hurdle assessments
Assessment 1: Training & Inductions (0%)
It is important that all students are prepared to undertake their research projects in compliance with the prevailing ethical, professional and health and safety standards. Training and induction components are, to some extent, discipline-specific; please check with the unit convener or your mentor. In all cases, students must undertake the relevant discipline-specific training and induction, and provide evidence to the unit convener. This is a hurdle assessment meaning that failure to meet this requirement may result in a fail grade for the unit.
Engagement – please read, as this is very important
As a BPhil / MRes Yr 1 student you are becoming part of our community of researchers. You need to be an active participant in the unit's activities. You will be expected to be an active particpant in discussions, ask questions and engage with your cohort, and proactively work to find your place in our diverse research community.
Academic Honesty
Presenting the work of another person as one’s own is a serious breach of the University’s rules and carries significant penalties. In this unit, we will be checking written work for plagiarism using TurnItIn. Penalties for plagiarism may include a zero mark for the assignment or, in more extreme cases, failure of the unit. Plagiarism will be noted on your academic record. (link: Academic Integrity Policy)
Due dates and assessement topics
This unit is flexible by design. Each student will be undertaking a unique project with different academic mentors. See iLearn for more information about placement plans, but your placement plan will specify the due date and the content for each of your unit deliverables. It will also need to identify 2 or 3 suitable assessors from within your School who could be asked to second-mark your final written report. These assessors cannot be involved in your research or the research group you will be part of for the duration of your project.
Late Assessment Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A one-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical issue. For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration.
Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted
In this unit, late submissions will accepted for written work, but:
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 https://connect.mq.edu.au.
Assessment Type 1: Portfolio; Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours; Due: Week 1; Weighting: 0%. This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks).
Complete required WHS, ethics and other required training and induction prior to starting research work.
On successful completion you will be able to:
Assessment Type 1: Plan; Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours; Due: Week 1; Weighting: 15%
Create a plan for your research placement including: your proposed activities, time-line, data records and reporting format. Also include the names of 2 or 3 potential assessors from your School who could be asked to second-mark your final report. They cannot be associated with your research or the research group your are assigned to in any way. Please check that they are potentially willing to undertake the marking in Weeks 14 and/or 15.
On successful completion you will be able to:
Assessment Type 1: Report; Indicative Time on Task 2: 23 hours; Due: Week 13; Weighting: 50%
Your placement plan will outline the format and the content of your final report. You are expected to compose a written report of up to 20 pages (additional pages will be disregarded) formatted as if it were an article ready for submission to a peer-reviewed journal in your discipline. It should include records of your research activity as appropriate for the research undertaken.
On successful completion you will be able to:
Assessment Type 1: Oral presentation; Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours; Due: Weeks 11 or 12 (pending scheduling); Weighting: 20%
Oral presentations are part and parcel of the modern work environment, particularly for university graduates. You will receive instruction as to how to compose a compelling oral presentation and deliver an oral progress report towards the end of the unit. You are expected to compose compelling slides, turning your research journey into a convincing and engaging narrative. The presentation length will be up to 10 minutes per student, including questions (pending scheduling).
On successful completion you will be able to:
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing; Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours; Due: Week 13; Weighting: 15%
A reflection on your research experience in the context of your individual research and career goals.
On successful completion you will be able to:
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Placement plan | 15% | No | 07/03/2025 |
Oral presentation | 20% | No | Weeks 11 or 12 (pending scheduling) |
Professional reflection | 15% | No | 06/06/2025 |
Placement deliverable | 50% | No | 06/06/2025 |
Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: 07/03/2025
Weighting: 15%
Complete a placement plan outlining the research to be done and outlining any required WHS, ethics or other required training or inductions that need to be completed prior to starting your research placement.
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Weeks 11 or 12 (pending scheduling)
Weighting: 20%
Oral presentation in relation to your research placement.
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 06/06/2025
Weighting: 15%
A reflection on your research placement in the context of your:
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 23 hours
Due: 06/06/2025
Weighting: 50%
A report on your research placement. The content and format of this report should be as presented in your placement plan.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Finding research mentors:
You are encouraged to be proactive in seeking potential mentors, but school advisor and the unit convenor are here to help. Prior to or at the start of Week 1, and if necessary, the unit convenor will distribute a limited list of potential projects. In addition there are a some resources that are worth looking at:
We specifically use the term "mentor" rather than "supervisor" to make a clear distinction between a year 2 supervisor, and the year 1 mentors who you will work with in this unit. Working with a particular mentor during a year 1 placement does not obligate you (or your mentor) to supervise you in a year 2 project. We want you to use this opportunity to help find the best possible supervisor / topic match for you.
Most of this unit will take place in consultation with your mentor / outside of time-tabled locations and times. The unit convenor is available to help you navigate the transition to an active participant in your research group, but the goal is to let you and your mentor opperate as independently as possible!
In principle, students are expected to work one day a week throughout the semester on their projects. Most often this will be the Friday, but this can be negotiated individually with your mentor. Students will additionally be expected to spend one full week during the mid-semester break on their projects.
Formal class sessions will be held every second week, some in conjunction with the FOSE7901 cohort. Please see the unit's iLearn pages for practical details.
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.
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 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
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
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.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
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.
This is a relatively new Faculty-wide unit, so we are still ironing out some wrinkles. For physics and astronomy students, it replaces PHYS7911.
This will be the third session we run this unit. Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned, however we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.
This round, we have streamlined the assessment items and homogenised them for everyone. This was informed by a holistic review of all FOSE units where we checked which skills were assessed in each unit. We have tried to avoid excessive duplication, although we consider practising oral presentations and delivering professional-style written reports core skills that may be repeated.
Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook