Overview
This unit is a review of contemporary issues related to emergency and disaster management, focusing on those issues that have particular significance for you and your specific industry context. You will identify one contemporary emergency or disaster management related issue of interest and investigate that issue comprehensively. Based on your investigation, you will then identify future directions and recommendations and communicate your findings in an appropriate genre to the academic community and your specific industry context.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: DSMG28001 Foundations of Emergency and Disaster Management DSMG20003 Research for Emergency and Disaster Management
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 2 - 2023
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 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 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 Self-reflection
Content
Add additional scaffolding narrative that sets the scene and provides a foundation for the independent study undertaken by students.
- Identify contemporary issues impacting the emergency or disaster management context
- Critically evaluate appropriate peer-reviewed and industry-based literature sources relevant to an identified contemporary emergency or disaster management issue
- Synthesise the located literature in order to formulate future directions and recommendations for addressing the identified issue
- Formulate findings and recommendations in the appropriate genre for the academic community and the specific emergency or disaster management context.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||
2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
3 - Presentation - 40% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Knowledge | ||||
2 - Communication | ||||
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
4 - Research | ||||
5 - Self-management | ||||
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
7 - Leadership | ||||
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom (both microphone and webcam capability)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
h.keendyer@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Stage One: Setting the scene and selecting a topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Classroom Drop-in Session.
Wednesday 7.00 to 7.30 pm AEST (QLD Time).
Unit welcome, unit overview and guidance on selecting an appropriate assessment topic (burning interest).
Module/Topic
Stage One: Setting the scene and selecting a topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage One: Setting the scene and selecting a topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Classroom Drop-in Session.
Wednesday 7.00 to 7.30 pm AEST (QLD Time).
Module/Topic
Stage One: Setting the scene and selecting a topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage Two: Reviewing the literature
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage Two: Reviewing the literature
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage Two: Reviewing the literature
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Classroom Drop-in Session.
Wednesday 7.00 to 7.30 pm AEST (QLD Time).
Module/Topic
Stage Two: Reviewing the literature
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage Three: Refining and presenting your topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage Three: Refining and presenting your topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage Three: Refining and presenting your topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Classroom Drop-in Session.
Wednesday 7.00 to 7.30 pm AEST (QLD Time).
Module/Topic
Stage Three: Refining and presenting your topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
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.
Week 5 Wednesday (9 Aug 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 7 Wednesday (30 Aug 2023)
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
- Identify contemporary issues impacting the emergency or disaster management context
- Critically evaluate appropriate peer-reviewed and industry-based literature sources relevant to an identified contemporary emergency or disaster management issue
2 Written Assessment
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.
Week 9 Wednesday (13 Sept 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 11 Wednesday (27 Sept 2023)
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.
- Identify contemporary issues impacting the emergency or disaster management context
- Critically evaluate appropriate peer-reviewed and industry-based literature sources relevant to an identified contemporary emergency or disaster management issue
- Synthesise the located literature in order to formulate future directions and recommendations for addressing the identified issue
- Formulate findings and recommendations in the appropriate genre for the academic community and the specific emergency or disaster management context.
3 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.
Review/Exam Week Wednesday (11 Oct 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Wednesday (18 Oct 2023)
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
No submission method provided.
- Synthesise the located literature in order to formulate future directions and recommendations for addressing the identified issue
- Formulate findings and recommendations in the appropriate genre for the academic community and the specific emergency or disaster management context.
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?
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