Through this task you will begin the process of engaging with peer-reviewed literature in an area that interests you (preferably within the bounds of Emergency and Disaster Management).

This assessment task is based upon your engagement with the coursework and the posts you and your fellow classmates make to the learning forums. At the beginning of this assessment task, you will need to include you response to the formative forum post in week two: What are your burning interests?

Your response will include three sections:

1. Your forum response from week 2: What are your burning interests?
2. Your search methodology for identifying three peer-reviewed research articles; and
3. A brief (200-250 words per article) overview of each of your three articles including why it was chosen, it’s significance to your burning interest, and the key findings.

Your response may be up to 1500 words including all three sections.

The assessment criteria for this course are in the form of a rubric, which is available from the Moodle course site.

You will be assessed on:

• Application of knowledge and skills relative to accessing peer-reviewed sources through University resources;
• Interpretation of peer-reviewed research, and understanding of how this links to your identified area of interest;
• Communication and presentation

Through this task you will explore the ‘gaps’ in literature, or areas requiring further research, in your burning area of interest. Please refer to the ‘Course Support – Getting Started and Assessment Help’ sections of the Moodle site for suggestions and additional guidance.

Drawing on the three articles you selected for Assessment Task One, you will summarise the key gaps/areas for further research in the area you have selected. This should not be a repetition of the limitations or future directions the article/s may identify – rather, this summary should represent a cohesive consideration of all three articles, and what these articles tell you about future research options. If you desire, you may include additional articles which support/guide your comments, but this is not a requirement for grading.

Your response will therefore include a discussion of:

a) your area of interest (this can again be copied from your forum post from week two, or modified slightly if you have developed this since the first assessment);

b) a discussion of the ‘gaps’ in literature which could be further explored; and

c) formulation of at least one research question, using the guiding principles from the unit to date.

The assessment task will be up to approx. 700 words in total and importantly your response must be supported by appropriate literature. The articles you used for Assessment 1 at a minimum should be included.

The assessment criteria for this course are in the form of a rubric, which is available from the Moodle course site.

You will be assessed on:

• Understanding of gaps/areas for further research in existing literature
• The ability to concisely communicate information
• Development of a meaningful research question/s using the principles explored in the course

This assessments asks you to select and critically evaluate two types of scientific communication relevant to one of the four stages of emergency management - prevention/mitigation; preparedness; response or recovery. Through this process, you will consider the area of interest for the research teams you've chosen, their communication of their research question/s, methodologies and findings. You will critically evaluate the approaches used, and consider the following questions:

a) Justify the articles you have chosen for your assessment - how do you know they are scientific literature? Draw upon content from the course to justify your selection.

b) What is the area of interest for the researcher/s? (not limited to the article – can source extra information)

b) What are the research question/s in each article?

c) Compare and contrast the methodologies used by the researchers

d) Which audience/s are each communication beneficial for? Provide a brief explanation.

e) What are some of the strengths and limitations of each communication approach? What might the most suitable audiences be for each communication approach?

f) Provide a suggestion for an alternative methodology that the authors could consider for each communication. What could the author/s have done differently? What could a different methodological approach add?

Draw upon the work of Coolican (page 24) and focus on the ‘variables’ and ‘design’ components of the decision areas in a research project. You could use these headings to inform your response.

The assessment criteria for this course are in the form of a rubric, which is available from the Moodle course site.

You will be assessed on:

· Knowledge of the research process

· Skills in interpreting and communicating research findings

· Application of knowledge and skills in the research design and implementation process

· Communication and presentation of knowledge and skills