Overview
You will develop expertise in the investigation and analysis of the practical aspects of contemporary accident investigations. In addition, you will attend a compulsory residential school, which will consolidate and further develop your practical accident investigation and analysis skills to intermediate level. You will plan and prepare for an investigation, manage safety at the accident scene, lead an accident team, photograph the accident scene and the collection of evidence, interview a witness, map a scene, collect and preserve evidence. Subsequent to the residential school, you will also gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics, strengths, weaknesses and effective application of key accident analysis tools and causation logic diagrams and effective media relations.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2020
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Verbal feedback at residential school
Actors that are used as witnesses at the accident scenes need to be better briefed and have a better understanding of their activity at the time of the 'accident'.
A review of the use of the 'actors' to be conducted to ensure that they are better briefed on the material required by the students.
- Explain the application of international, national and State laws related to accident investigation
- Evaluate methods of planning, preparing for and managing complex accident investigations
- Collect and evaluate evidence
- Evaluate and apply accident analysis models
- Reconstruct accident causation sequences using contemporary methods of reconstruction and simulation
- Evaluate methods for managing the media regarding their reporting of accidents
- Recognise the influence of legal professional privilege on the conduct of investigations.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion - 0% | |||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 50% | |||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||||
| 4 - Research | |||||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion - 0% | |||||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 50% | |||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.perry@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Nov 2020Module/Topic
- Introduction
- Laws relating to investigation practice
- OHS and risk assessment
- Planning and Preparing for an investigation
- Stakeholders, Media & Nosey Parkers
Chapter
Required readings:
Rossmo 2011, Criminal Investigative Failures: Avoiding the Pitfalls
MAIIF 2012, The Investigator, The Investigative Team and Teamwork, Marine Accident Investigator International Forum
NTSB 2002, Aviation Investigation Manual, Major Team Investigations, National Transportation Safety Board
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial:
- Introduction
- Laws relating to investigation practice
- OHS and risk assessment
- Applying the lecture material in context of investigation practice.
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Nov 2020Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
- The accident scene
- Gathering and preserving your evidence
Live lecture
- Forensic photography
Chapter
Required readings:
Smith, H. Ward. 1957, Physical Evidence in the Investigation of Traffic Accident
Dell, W. 2016, Accident Forensics Evidence Study Guide
Hughes, B 2009, Accident Investigation: Evidence Preservation
Davis, Charles A. 1959, Notes on physical evidence in pedestrian hit and run accidents.
Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board, Code of Practice, Rail Safety Investigations Vol 2.0 2014 pp. 42 - 53
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of investigation practice
Group Discussion 1 Due 20 November 2020 0900 (AEST)
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Nov 2020Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
- Mapping
- Witness interviewing
- Legal Professional Privilege (LPP)
Chapter
Required reading:
Dell, W. 2016, Accident Forensics Evidence Study Guide
Study Guide - Witness Interviewing
Dell, WR 2006, "The Limitations of Traditional Interview Methods", Safety in Action 2006, Safety Institute of Australia, Melbourne
Bennett & Hess (1991), Cognitive Interviewing, United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia USA
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of investigation practice
Group Discussion 2 Due Monday 27 November 2020 0900 (AEST)
Risk Assessment for Residential School Due Friday 27 November 2020 0900 (AEST)
Week 4 - Residential School
Begin Date: 30 Nov 2020Module/Topic
Residential School in Bundaberg
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School Activities assessed during Residential School
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 07 Dec 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 14 Dec 2020Module/Topic
Review of field work and final report
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Review of final report
Group Discussion 3 Due Monday 18 December 2020 0900 (AEST)
Week 6
Begin Date: 21 Dec 2020Module/Topic
Recorded lecture: Introduction to accident analysis tools
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom tutorial - Applying the lecture material in context of accident analysis.
Week 7
Begin Date: 04 Jan 2021Module/Topic
Recorded lecture
- Analysing your evidence
- PEEPO & timelines as starting points for building your event tree.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of accident analysis.
Week 8
Begin Date: 11 Jan 2021Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
Using other analysis tools (eg. Fishbones, Bowtie, Accimaps, Reason's model ICAM, HAZOP, FRAM and Dow Index) to inform your event tree.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of accident analysis.
Artefact Consolidation & Reflection Report Due Monday 11 January 2021 0900 (AEST)
Week 9
Begin Date: 18 Jan 2021Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
Using other analysis tools to inform your event tree (continued)
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of accident analysis.
Assessment 3 Part A Due Monday 18 January 2021 0900 (AEST)
Week 10
Begin Date: 25 Jan 2021Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
Using other analysis tools – Reason and friends
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of accident analysis
Week 11
Begin Date: 01 Feb 2021Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
Using other analysis tools – More than meets the eye
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Zoom Tutorial: Applying the lecture material in context of accident analysis.
Week 12
Begin Date: 08 Feb 2021Module/Topic
Recorded lecture:
Analysis Tools – Into the Future – SAFE-NET, FRAM and others
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Feb 2021Module/Topic
No lecture
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3 Part B Due Monday 15 February 2021 0900 (AEST)
1 Group Discussion
Your Unit Coordinator will post three discussion questions or tasks on Moodle during the term. For each discussion question, post a thoughtful response and reply constructively to two fellow students' responses when required.
Clearly state and justify a position, supporting it with appropriately referenced sources.
The questions could relate to:
- the application of international, national and state laws related to accident investigation
- methods for managing the media regarding the reporting of accidents
- the influence of legal professional privilege on the conduct of investigations.
- Collecting of digital evidence
You will not be able to see your peers' responses until you have posted your response.
Approximately 500 words or equivalent
As per the study schedule
Two weeks after the submission date
You will be assessed against your ability to:
- Explain the application of international, national and state laws related to accident investigation
- Evaluate methods for managing the media regarding the reporting of accidents
- Recognise the influence of legal professional privilege on the conduct of investigations
- Carry out the tasks set
- Respectfully and constructively respond to your peers.
- Explain the application of international, national and State laws related to accident investigation
- Evaluate methods for managing the media regarding their reporting of accidents
- Recognise the influence of legal professional privilege on the conduct of investigations.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
2 Portfolio
Residential School Activities
Part A: Preparedness (5%)
This assessment is designed to ensure that you are well prepared for your practicum at the crash lab. This assessment requires you to undertake a series of activities that will help you be successful by maximising your preparedness..
In order to achieve this you will need to:
- Review relevant literature (textbooks, websites, templates etc) to identify suitable literature, document templates and tools to support your investigation activities at the crash lab
- Review your learning from all previous AINV units
- Participate in the unit lectures, or watch the recordings in Moodle, each week in the lead up to the residential school
- Prepare your travel requirements, including all document templates and copies, to bring to the residential school. The minimum requirements for your travel requirements will be discussed during the lectures and in Moodle.
- Complete a risk assessment of the hazards, risks and issues you might expect to encounter at an accident scene. As a minimum, you should assess the hazards you might expect to encounter at a two car collision on a suburban road . NOTE: (The risk assessment needs to be submitted the Friday prior to the first day of residential school - 27 November 2020).
Part B: Scene Management and Collection (20%)
During the residential school activities you will be working in teams. Each student will have the opportunity to collect and document physical evidence, take photographs of an accident scene, map an accident scene, interview witnesses and lead an investigation team.
You will update and add to your portfolio during the scheduled activities in the Crash Lab. These will include:
- Contemporaneous notes
- Accident scene sketches
- Evidence and photograph logs
- Continuity records
- Scene access log
- Photographs of the scene
- Witness statements
Before the end of the residential school, your portfolio will be assessed so that you can demonstrate your understanding of the material you have collected. Your team leadership, team participation and witness interview technique will also be assessed during the activities at the residential school.
Grades will be allocated for the following:
- Leadership and scene management - 5%
- Witness interviews - 7%
- End of residential school portfolio (your sketch map, photographs and logs created for the scene you managed) - 8%
Note: You will be required to share your portfolio items you created at the residential school with other members of your investigation team, so that your team members can complete their own practicum reports. Please make sure you bring a large capacity USB stick to the res school so that you can easily share files with your peers.
Please note: For members of your investigation team to successfully finalise their portfolio items you will need to share the artefacts that you collected or created during the investigation of the accident scenes. Failure to provide this information to your investigation team members in the period specified by your lecturers will result in an automatic fail of this assessment.
Part C: Presentation (5%)
During the residential school you will develop and present a 15 minute talk, with supporting visual media, on a topic to be advised during residential school. The instructions for this presentation will be provided on Day 1 of residential school. You will submit the visual media via Moodle by 0900 hours on the Monday after the residential school.
Part D: Professionalism: (Pass/Fail)
Throughout the residential school you will be assessed on your ability to apply professional approaches to all activities.
There is no submission required for this part.
Following the residential school you are required to prepare and submit a complete set of consolidated evidence artefacts and reflection.
Practicum work conducted in the crash lab will emulate the evidence gathering in an accident investigation in the field and you will apply your knowledge of investigation methods. Following the residential school, you will compile and submit a report of the accident you investigated which will include (20%):
- Formatting for a professional report
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Description of the scene
- Your finalised portfolio items as attachments to your report.
Your submission should also include a self-appraisal against the points below as a reflection. (5%)
- Your performance in the portfolio and address any weaknesses
- Your practicum assessment outcomes and reflect on potential remedial actions
- Your preparation and capacity for leadership of investigation teams
- Your professional practice confidence and competence during the residential school activities
- The quality of your finalised portfolio items and investigation artefacts (forms etc).
Expectations with regard to this assessment will be discussed thoroughly prior to and during the residential school.
Risk Assessment to be submitted 27 November 2020. Portfolios will be assessed during the residential school. Presentation material to be submitted the Monday following the residential school (7 December 2020). Assessment 2 Part E Due Monday 11 January 2021 0900 (AEST) Further details of the assessment arrangements will be included in Moodle and at the commencement of the residential school.
Feedback will be provided on portfolio work before students leave the residential school. Artefact Consolidation and Reflection will be returned 3 weeks following submission date.
Residential School activities
PART A: - Preparedness You are required to attend the first morning of the residential school with a complete crash kit as detailed during the lectures. Failure to provide a complete crash kit will result in you being excluded from the practical activities of the residential school until the shortcomings are corrected. Risk assessments will be assessed based on the effectiveness of your application of risk assessment concepts to investigation fieldwork.
PART B: - Scene Management & Evidence Collection
Accident Scenario - Team Leader Assessment
Collected evidence will be assessed to ensure that you
- have collected, engaged with and can verbally explain the photos, sketch map and log sheets done by your team
- have witness statements to appropriate standard and has interviewed a number of witnesses
- have sufficient materials and understanding to be able to prepare a report
- recognise weaknesses in collected materials and have a plan to address them.
PART C: – Presentation
Presentation style, formatting & content will be marked against a matrix provided to you prior to the residential school.
PART D:– Professionalism (Pass/Fail)
Throughout the residential school, you are expected to apply professional approaches to all activities, including:
- attendance
- teamwork
- personal leadership
- professional and ethical practice
Your submission will be assessed on the following criteria:
Artefact consolidation (20%)- Formatting for a professional report
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Description of the scene
- Your finalised portfolio items as attachments to your report.
Reflection (5%)
Your submission will be assessed on the depth of your self-appraisal against the points below as a reflection.
- Your performance in the portfolio and address any weaknesses
- Your practicum assessment outcomes and reflect on potential remedial actions
- Your preparation and capacity for leadership of investigation teams
- Your professional practice confidence and competence during the residential school activities
- The quality of your finalised portfolio items and investigation artefacts (forms etc).
Please note: For members of your investigation team to successfully finalise their portfolio items you will need to share the artefacts that you collected or created during the investigation of the accident scenes. Failure to provide this information to your investigation team members in the period specified by your lecturers, will result in an automatic fail of this assessment.
- Evaluate methods of planning, preparing for and managing complex accident investigations
- Collect and evaluate evidence
- Evaluate and apply accident analysis models
- Reconstruct accident causation sequences using contemporary methods of reconstruction and simulation
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Written Assessment
Select an accident from the following list and review literature available in the public domain, including regulatory reports:
- Maritime Domain - Herald of Free Enterprise or Exxon Valdez
- Industrial Domain – Bhopal or Chernobyl
- Rail Domain – Waterfall or Granville
- Aviation Domain – QF32 A380 engine failure or Concorde
- Road Domain – Kempsey bus crash or Mont Blanc
Part A (25%)
Use your case study and information available in the public domain to develop a Timeline, PEEPO and Event Tree for that case study.
You will be required to submit a completed PEEPO, Timeline and Event Tree for your chosen case study.
Part B (25%)
Use each of the following accident analysis tools to further analyse the causation of your case study accident, with the view to using the tools to cast a new lens on your initial analysis and further enhance your event tree from Part A:
- Acci-Map
- Fishbone
- Bow Tie
- Swiss Cheese
- ICAM or TapRoot
- Your enhanced event tree
- A summary of the changes made to your event tree and how the tools assisted in highlighting those new understandings (max. 1500 words)
- A narrative describing the event tree causation sequences.
As per schedule
Within 2 weeks of submission date
Part A: (25%)
You will be assessed on the depth and thoroughness of the populating of the timeline, PEEPO and event tree.
Part B: (25%)
You will be assessed on the thoroughness to which you have:
- Evidence that the accident analysis tools have been employed to enhance the event tree submitted in Part A
- Your enhanced event tree showing further lines of inquiry
- Your summary of the changes made and how the accident analysis tools assisted in making those changes
- your narrative will clearly and distinctly describes the lines of inquiry depicted on your event tree.
- Evaluate methods of planning, preparing for and managing complex accident investigations
- Collect and evaluate evidence
- Evaluate and apply accident analysis models
- Reconstruct accident causation sequences using contemporary methods of reconstruction and simulation
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
