Students

MHHS8006 – Researcher Reflective Practice and Professional Development

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jennifer Rowland
jen.rowland@mq.edu.au
Annika van Hummel
annika.vanhummel@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides you with the opportunity to develop a wide range of bespoke research and professional skills that support and enhance both research and researcher career development. Working with a mentor, you will curate your professional development from a range of flexible learning activities, tailoring your learning to your research project(s) and professional goals. Professional development opportunities may include but are not limited to: digital research skills; data management; tools and software training; publishing, presenting and communicating research; project management; mentoring and coaching; research leadership, and more. This unit will equip you with the ability to identify and reflect upon your unique strengths and transferable skills developed throughout your research and related professional experiences, as well as the skills and mindsets to plan and accomplish continuous future development. Through the skills and attributes obtained in this unit, you will enhance your ability to confidently undertake research and make meaningful and impactful contributions in research, industry and the community.

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 knowledge of current research and identify potential future research questions in your chosen discipline.
  • ULO2: Develop and provide evidence for the attainment of relevant skills, including digital research skills, that support and enhance research and career development.
  • ULO3: Evaluate discipline-specific concepts and practices to identify and contextualise transferable skills as they apply to researchers and research-related careers.
  • ULO4: Demonstrate reflexivity, judgement, adaptability and accountability in your professional practice as a researcher.
  • ULO5: Communicate relevant research concepts and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences through the development of reflective practice and evidence of professional development.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Audio-Visual Explainer 30% No 01/06/2026 Individual No Observed
Graduate Researcher Skills Portfolio 30% No 12/05/2026 Individual Yes Open
Grant Proposal 40% No 03/05/2026 Individual Yes Open

Audio-Visual Explainer

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 01/06/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Short video describing the research project to a general audience.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of current research and identify potential future research questions in your chosen discipline.
  • Develop and provide evidence for the attainment of relevant skills, including digital research skills, that support and enhance research and career development.
  • Evaluate discipline-specific concepts and practices to identify and contextualise transferable skills as they apply to researchers and research-related careers.
  • Demonstrate reflexivity, judgement, adaptability and accountability in your professional practice as a researcher.
  • Communicate relevant research concepts and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences through the development of reflective practice and evidence of professional development.

Graduate Researcher Skills Portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 12/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Portfolio including a Graduate Researcher Skills Gap Analysis developed with the academic mentor and a critical reflection.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of current research and identify potential future research questions in your chosen discipline.
  • Develop and provide evidence for the attainment of relevant skills, including digital research skills, that support and enhance research and career development.
  • Evaluate discipline-specific concepts and practices to identify and contextualise transferable skills as they apply to researchers and research-related careers.
  • Demonstrate reflexivity, judgement, adaptability and accountability in your professional practice as a researcher.
  • Communicate relevant research concepts and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences through the development of reflective practice and evidence of professional development.

Grant Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 03/05/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Grant proposal for a research project. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of current research and identify potential future research questions in your chosen discipline.
  • Develop and provide evidence for the attainment of relevant skills, including digital research skills, that support and enhance research and career development.
  • Evaluate discipline-specific concepts and practices to identify and contextualise transferable skills as they apply to researchers and research-related careers.
  • Demonstrate reflexivity, judgement, adaptability and accountability in your professional practice as a researcher.
  • Communicate relevant research concepts and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences through the development of reflective practice and evidence of professional development.

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Students are expected to have a laptop that they can use to participate in this unit of study,. 

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 2026.02 of the Handbook