In assessment task one, you will select a topic (a contemporary issue) and compile a short annotated bibliography. In addition, you will outline the search strategy (and individual steps) used to source the literature you selected for the annotated bibliography. The topic will be used for all assessment work, so please carefully consider your final choice.

Selecting a topic
'Disaster management is full of wicked problems, which are problems that are urgent and tough to solve because of incomplete, contradictory or changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise or evaluate. Wicked problems by their nature do not allow for a simple response.' The National Disaster Challenge, held by Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA), addresses one of these wicked problems and, as such, provides a real-world and authentic problem (contemporary issue) for you to work with. You are encouraged to use the topic of this year’s NHRA Disaster Challenge for the assessment work in this unit. See Moodle (Assessment tile) for a copy of the NHRA Disaster Challenge. 

Please note: while you are encouraged to use the NHRA Disaster Challenge topic, you can pick any emergency or disaster management-related topic (contemporary issue) that you consider is both important to the context you work or volunteer in and one that can be improved upon, that is, you can make recommendations for enhancement (addressed in a later task). You may also select one of the topics listed on the NHRA Operational response and innovation webpage or the suggestions posted on the Moodle page.

Based on the above, assessment task one is broken into two parts.

Part 1) Literature search
In part 1) you will provide an overview of the search strategy you used to locate the sources for the annotated bibliography (Part 2). Using the CQUniversity Australia seven (7) step process for searching databases as a framework (the process can be found in the ‘Assessment Resources and Help’ section of the DSMG29004 eReading List and the Moodle site under Assessment), you describe the broad steps taken to search the CQUniversity library catalogue. Part 1) is to be presented as a table showing the actions, results and rationale for these actions. You must use the CQUniversity library catalogue for this assessment task. A template, which includes the table, has been provided on the Moodle site (see Assessment tile). You must use the provided table.

There is no set word count on Part 1) as it will depend upon your particular actions and refinements.

Part 2) Contemporary issue
In part 2), you will:

• State your topic (contemporary issue). If you are using the NHRA Disaster Challenge as your topic, you can directly copy the NHRA wording here.
• Develop a short, annotated bibliography that contains five (5) sources.
• Three (3) of the five (5) sources MUST be peer-reviewed sources, and you must confirm their peer-reviewed nature in the title.
  Each source must be related to your burning interest.
• Based on the five (5) entries of the annotated bibliography, you will produce a short overview of 200-250 words arguing the importance of your chosen issue to contemporary emergency and disaster management.

Important note for those entering the NHRA Disaster Challenge: The assessment tasks in this unit are individual tasks and must not be completed in a group or be the work of collaborators. For those entering the NHRA Disaster Challenge, you may use your own personal work from this competition, but you cannot use the work of your teammates. If you are entering the Disaster Challenge, please feel free to contact me to discuss how you can use your work in the Disaster Challenge to satisfy the assessment requirements in this unit. 

The assessment criteria for this unit are in the form of a detailed rubric, which is available from the Moodle site. However, broadly you will be assessed on:

● Knowledge of contemporary emergency or disaster management related issues, with depth in a selected topic

● Application of knowledge and skills in relation to the selected topic

● Communication and presentation

In assessment task two, you will expand your exploration and understanding of the chosen topic to produce a short literature review (for the topic you selected in assessment task one). Your literature review will answer either an overarching question or a thesis statement, which you will develop. The question or statement will narrow down and guide you in collecting, synthesising and articulating an analytic reading of the literature related to the chosen topic. At the end of the literature review, you will formulate a minimum of two (2) possible future directions and associated recommendations for either addressing the issue (e.g., practical strategies) or knowing more about the issue (e.g., future research).

The literature review is your description and, importantly, your analysis of the available literature. The literature review should explicate and reinforce the key ideas and concepts related to your burning interest and the reasons why your topic is important. Your submission should have at least 15 references. The emphasis must be on peer-reviewed articles, however, some may be non-peer-reviewed sources, such as books/book chapters, government documents, news articles, non-peer-reviewed articles and/or web pages (see marking rubric for details). Please consult the Moodle site and eReading List for details on the literature review genre.

Assessment task two will be approximately 2000 - 2500 words.

Important note for those entering the NHRA Disaster Challenge: The assessment tasks in this unit are individual tasks and must not be completed in a group or be the work of collaborators. For those entering the NHRA Disaster Challenge, you may use your own personal work from this competition, but you cannot use the work of your teammates. If you are entering the Disaster Challenge, please feel free to contact me to discuss how you can use your work in the Disaster Challenge to satisfy the assessment requirements in this unit.

The assessment criteria for this unit are in the form of a detailed rubric, which is available from the Moodle site. However, broadly you will be assessed on:

• Knowledge of the literature related to contemporary emergency or disaster management issues, with depth in a selected topic
• Knowledge of the elements that relate to a selected topic
• Application of the literature relevant to a selected topic
• Communication and presentation.

In assessment task three, you will bring the threads together and deliver a presentation on your chosen topic (contemporary issue). As such, this assessment task has both a written and audio component. For shortlisted applicants of the NHRA Disaster Challenge, this is a great opportunity to prepare your final pitch for the judging panel. 

Part 1) Written component
You have four (4) options for the written presentation component. The option you select will be used as the basis of your audio component, so please select your option with this in mind.

Option 1: Abstract
Option 1 takes the form of an abstract (like the ones in the journal articles you drew on for your literature review). Your abstract will include four components (approximately 250 - 300 words), including:

1. Your topic and why it is important
2. Summary statement of the relevant literature
3. Broad recommendation(s) for enhancement
4. How the enhancement(s) are envisaged to improve practice/ an aspect of the topic (contemporary issue).

For option one (1), you must add a reference list after the abstract.

Option 2: PowerPoint Presentation
Option 2 takes the form of a PowerPoint presentation. The presentation will have a maximum of 15 slides. The first slide should include the title of your presentation and your name. The last slide will be a reference list. The PowerPoint template has been provided (see Assessment tile in Moodle). The PowerPoint presentation will include four components:

1. Your topic and why it is important
2. Summary statement of the relevant literature
3. Broad recommendation(s) for enhancement
4. How the enhancement(s) are envisaged to improve practice/ an aspect of the topic (contemporary issue).

For option two (2), you must add a reference list to the final slide.

Option 3: Poster Presentation
Option 3 takes the form of a poster presentation, as you would see at a conference. A poster presentation template has been provided in the Assessment section of the Moodle site. The template is a PowerPoint slide, specially set up for developing Poster Presentations, which you will save as a PDF. The PDF file is what you submit for grading. The Poster Presentation will include four components:

1. Your topic and why it is important
2. Summary statement of the relevant literature
3. Broad recommendation(s) for enhancement
4. How the enhancement(s) are envisaged to improve practice/ an aspect of the topic (contemporary issue).

For option three (3), you must add a reference list as a separate document, e.g., as a word document or PDF.

Option 4: Other written artefact
Option 4 gives you the opportunity to choose the written artefact type. The Unit Coordinator MUST approve Option 4. It must be based on your contemporary issue (from assessment tasks one and two) but could take several forms – limited only by your imagination. Below are two examples:

- Mythbuster activity: select a stimuli (for example, a newspaper article, social media article or other) and unpack the issue at the centre of the stimuli. Using the literature, you are to present a response (e.g., editorial response) that either confirms or refutes the claim(s) made.
- A flyer, webpage, education and training package or the like.

Like the above options, the written artefact for option 4 must include information on the following:
1. Your topic and its importance
2. Relevant literature
3. Recommendation(s) for enhancement
4. Enhancement(s)

For option four (4), you must add a reference list either as part of the artefact or as a separate document, e.g., as a word document or PDF.

Part 2) Audio component
The audio component is an MP3 file (or embedded audio in your PowerPoint) of your written component. The presentation itself is an extrapolation, that is, an expanded discussion of the topic and a verbal presentation of the written option you submitted in part 1). The audio presentation can be a maximum of 10 minutes.

Important note for those entering the NHRA Disaster Challenge: The assessment tasks in this unit are individual tasks and must not be completed in a group or be the work of collaborators. For those entering the NHRA Disaster Challenge, you may use your own personal work from this competition, but you cannot use the work of your teammates. If you are entering the Disaster Challenge, please feel free to contact me to discuss how you can use your work in the Disaster Challenge to satisfy the assessment requirements in this unit.

The assessment criteria for this unit are in the form of a detailed rubric, which is available from the Moodle site. However broadly, you will be assessed on:

• Knowledge of the literature related to contemporary emergency or disaster management related issues, with depth in a selected topic
• Ability to analyse a selected topic and relevant literature in order to make a recommendation for enhancement
• Ability to communicate (present) the topic and literature relevant to a selected topic
• Communication and presentation