Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Miriam Williams
Contact via By email
W3A, 431
By appointment
|
---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
4
|
Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(Admission to MPlan or MEnvPlan) and 40cp
|
Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit students undertake a planning project involving development of, or critical review of, a plan. The planning project may be linked to an internship or student consultancy with a planning employer, or be a personal research project. Examples of plans are spatial plans or policy implementation plans that relate to urban development, social or economic development, and/or environmental planning. Students may be able to include activities in a current workplace as their planning project. The unit is designed to develop knowledge and skills for a new career path in the planning profession across a range of sectors including government, industry, not-for-profit, professional associations and university research partnerships.
|
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:
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Project Brief & Plan | 15% | No | 5pm Friday Week 4 to iLearn |
Literature & Approach | 30% | No | 5pm Friday Week 7 |
Descriptive Outline | 15% | No | 5pm Friday Week 9 |
Final Project Report | 40% | No | 5pm Friday Week 12 |
Due: 5pm Friday Week 4 to iLearn
Weighting: 15%
SUBMISSION: Turnitin via the GEOP832 iLearn site
Your first task is to work with your academic mentor to establish a project brief & plan. The project brief will:
1. Clearly identify the topic that you will be working on
2. Explain the purpose for the study and its broader context
3. Identify some specific aims, objectives or questions that you plan to investigate
4. Discuss the specific research activities that need to be undertaken to achieve your goals within the agreed timeframe.
5. Identify the nature of the product to be prepared and if you plan to present your work to external stakeholders
Assessment criteria:
(i) Clarity of scope and achievability in the timeframe
(ii) Clear sequence of steps to achieve the projected outcomes
Due: 5pm Friday Week 7
Weighting: 30%
SUBMISSION: Turnitin via the GEOP832 iLearn site
This assignment has two components: a literature review and a discussion of methods and approaches. The combined word length for the two sections of this assignment is 2000 words. Please ensure that you have discussed the literature and methods for your project with your academic mentor.
Literature review (approximately 1000-1200 words). Once the project has been identified, you are required to identify the relevant academic research as well as current policy and any legislation and governance issues which may apply. The purpose of the literature review is to clearly articulate the issues that are central to the problem under investigation, particularly as it relates to environmental and planning practice and to the planning profession generally.
Discussion of methods & approaches (approximately 800-1000 words) It is also important for you to consider methodological issues in the context of the project. In the previous assignment, you will have already considered your data needs for the project. This section should describe and justify the methodological approaches taken (desktop survey; site analysis; interviews with stakeholders, etc) and consider strategies for analysing the data.
Students will be provided with a marking rubric and an emphasis will be placed on writing skills. Please check iLearn for supporting material.
This assessment task should be written in an academic style and must incorporate appropriate references from academic sources (other 'grey literature' sources from government and industry can also be included).
Assessment criteria:
(i) Critical analysis of issues identified in the literature
(ii) Demonstrated integrative thinking and problem solving
(iii) Identification and discussion of an appropriate methodological approach
(iv) Clarity of expression and quality of writing skills
Due: 5pm Friday Week 9
Weighting: 15%
SUBMISSION: Turnitin via the GEOP832 iLearn site
In this task you will write a descriptive outline of your final report. The word limit for this task is 800 words. The descriptive outline will include the following:
The draft table of contents is the most substantive part of this task. It will clearly identify different sections of your report and provide a brief synopsis (2-3 sentences) describing what each section is about. The purpose of this task is to get you thinking about the final product, the overall structure, and the logical ordering of information.
*Although most students choose the final research output to be in the form of a written report, in some instances, students opt for a different type of final research output (GIS map, design project, etc). If this applies to you, you will need to work with your academic mentor to adapt this part of the assignment into a 500 word draft synopsis of the final research output of the project.
Assessment criteria
(i) Careful consideration the purpose of the project and the audience it is being produced for
(ii) Clear communication and a logical approach to organising information and ideas in written form
(iii) Evidence of sufficient progress toward the individual research task due in Week 12
Due: 5pm Friday Week 12
Weighting: 40%
SUBMISSION: Turnitin via the GEOP832 iLearn site
The final product will vary from project to project and may take the form of a report, a submission, a proposal, an assessment, a review or such other product as set out in the Brief. Included in your final project should be a revised literature review and method discussion (based on feedback from assignment 2).
The word limit is 4000 for this assignment and should also include your revised literature review (max 2000 words), an executive summary/abstract, all diagrams, maps, tables etc and references.
Assessment criteria:
(i) Consistency with the agreed work plan, including the revised agreed work plan if revision has been necessary
(ii) Written expression including readability, fluency, grammar, structure and succinctness
(iii) Clarity of presentation of the purpose of the project, tasks undertaken and results achieved.
(iv) Professional presentation of the final output/report
(v) Meticulous referencing
Getting Started
This is a self-directed unit where you are required to undertake a substantive planning related project relevant to your studies and to your career aspirations. To get the most out of this unit, it is important to plan early. Please get in contact with Miriam Williams (miriam.williams@mq.edu.au) before the beginning of the semester in which you plan to take the unit. Please note that some projects will require a partner agreement, insurance and ethics clearances. It is is a good idea to come into this unit with some idea about what you plan to do!
There is no required text. It is anticipated that topic-related background reading will be required for each project and assignment. Additional resources will be provided on the iLearn site for this course.
Students will have access to Macquarie Library resources and also the support of planning staff. This unit is supported in iLearn, where supplemental materials have been compiled.
This is a self directed, project based unit where you are expected to work to the plan set out in the first 2 weeks of semester. There are no scheduled classes for this unit, however, we will meet as a group and individually throughout the course of the semester to discuss your progress. You are encouraged to investigate possible topics before semester begins. This can involve developing a planning-related project in your workplace; developing a planning based project based on an area where you would like to enhance your planning knowledge; working with local council or planning consultants to develop a project; and consulting with an academic in Geography and Planning about potential projects. Please get in contact with Miriam to discuss your ideas before the beginning of the first week of semester! There is no shortage of planning issues and projects to work on - the purpose of the 'Gateway' unit is to tailor a unit to suit your own interests.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results shown in iLearn, 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by: