Overview
This unit equips you with the essential knowledge, skills and techniques for planning, designing, and conducting a research project in the context of project management discipline. This unit provides a systematic approach to the planning required during the initial stages of your research project. You will develop the necessary competencies to identify a research gap and articulate research questions. You will learn how to identify and review credible literature. You will consider qualitative and quantitative approaches, and justify the most appropriate method for your project with the final outcome of the unit being the development of a full research proposal. This unit helps you develop a detailed and rigorous research project plan for the investigative study that may be undertaken in the research stream.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite: PPMP20007
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 - 2021
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 Student evaluation and faculty observation
The use of interactive slides, facilitated by Mentimeter, made the online learning more rewarding, interesting and fun. It also facilitated timely feedback and allowed students to ask questions anonymously. The interactive quiz competition at the end of each lecture encouraged students to come prepared and it helped polish their understanding of the lecture topic.
Continue with the use of Mentimeter and in-class quizzes.
Feedback from School leadership
The unit will be offered a core unit to students enrolled in Master of Construction Management and the current unit design may need to be revisited.
Redesign the unit to have a broader coverage to suit students from other disciplines.
- Apply project management processes, tools and techniques in articulating, designing and planning for the execution of a research project
- Develop and employ ethical practices that consider social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers
- Conduct a literature search to identify a problem that warrants research within the project management context
- Select appropriate research approaches, methods and skills for solving the research problem
- Prepare a research proposal with necessary components that describe an organised, coherent and convincing statement of the research intent, significance and strategies to conduct the research.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 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 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | |||||||||
Textbooks
Research methods for business students
- 8th edition (2019)
- Authors: M. N. K. Saunders, Philip Lewis & Adrian Thornhill
- Pearson
- New York New York
- ISBN: 9781292208794
- Binding: eBook
Additional Textbook Information
Both paper and eBook versions can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code).
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Endnote bibliographic software. This is optional for formatting references.
- Microsoft Planner
- Microsoft Teams
- MS Project (optional)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.skaik@cqu.edu.au
Week 1 Selection of Research Topic
Begin Date: 12 Jul 2021Module/Topic
- Overview of the unit and the assessment tasks
- Introduction to research in project management
- Selection of research topic
Chapter
Chapter 1, pp 4-13 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Chapter 2, pp 29-41 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Note: This book is available online under the Moodle e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Ice-breaking activity
- Select a research topic using a supplied research topic generation tool.
Week 2 Literature Search
Begin Date: 19 Jul 2021Module/Topic
- Searching for literature
- Writing annotated bibliography
- Developing a literature review
Chapter
Chapter 3, pp 72-103 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Library search for relevant scholarly resources
- Backward and forward search
- Check the credibility of journals
Week 3 Academic writing
Begin Date: 26 Jul 2021Module/Topic
- Paraphrasing and avoiding plagiarism
- Citing and listing references
Chapter
Chapter 2, pp 104-115 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Paraphrasing exercise
- How to review a journal article
- Building summary tables
Week 4 Research Question
Begin Date: 02 Aug 2021Module/Topic
- Industry problem vs research problem
- Identifying a research problem or gap.
- Framing a research question or hypothesis
- Formulating research objectives.
Chapter
Chapter 2, pp 42-53 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Q&A session on Assessment 1A.
- Quiz on Harvard reference style and research concepts.
- Use mind-mapping to develop RQs.
Assessment 1A due (review report)
Review Report and Outline Proposal Due: Week 4 Friday (6 Aug 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 5 Research Methodology
Begin Date: 09 Aug 2021Module/Topic
- Research design
- Qualitative vs quantitative approach
- Aligning research questions with the research approach
- Introduction to research methods
Chapter
Chapter 4, pp 128-159 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Chapter 5, pp 172-185 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Training on the peer assessment
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 16 Aug 2021Module/Topic
Enjoy your well-deserved break! This may help you come back on track and start afresh.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6 Research Methods
Begin Date: 23 Aug 2021Module/Topic
- Decide suitable research methods and tactics to investigate research questions.
Chapter
Chapter 5, pp 186-220 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities: (Complusory)
- Group forming announcement (meet and greet your group peers).
- Group online enrolment in Moodle
- Negotiate, complete & sign off the group charter.
Assessment 1B due (Outline Proposal)
Assessment 1C due (Peer Assessment of Outline Proposals)
Week 7 Research Proposal
Begin Date: 30 Aug 2021Module/Topic
Lecture topics:
- Develop a detailed research proposal.
Chapter
Chapter 2, pp 53-61 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Enrol in a new team for the group in Microsoft Teams
- Training on Microsoft Planner to help complete Assessment 3 group project.
- Assign tasks to each team member
Week 8 Project Management in Research
Begin Date: 06 Sep 2021Module/Topic
- Principles of managing research projects
- Tools and techniques for managing research
Chapter
Refer to unit resources in the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Group activity to help understand the scope of the implementation phases.
- Complete the risk register using the table in the relevant lecture notes.
- Complete stakeholder analysis using the template below.
Week 9 Research Ethics
Begin Date: 13 Sep 2021Module/Topic
Lecture topics:
- Conduct ethical research
- Responsibilities of researchers
Chapter
Chapter 6, pp 232-280 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Familiarise yourself with CQU Ethics Protocol.
- Start preparing the Ethics Application for your project.
Week 10 Data Collection
Begin Date: 20 Sep 2021Module/Topic
Lecture topics:
- Types of collected data
- Data collection tools and techniques
- Data analysis
Chapter
Chapter 7, pp 292-326 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Chapter 8, pp 338-368 (Saundres et al. 2019)
Events and Submissions/Topic
- Group mock assessment of a research proposal example.
Assessment 2 due (Quiz)
Quiz Due: Week 10 Friday (24 Sept 2021) 8:00 pm AEST
Week 11 Guest Lecture and Oral Presentations
Begin Date: 27 Sep 2021Module/Topic
Lecture topics:
- We will host a researcher to share his expertise in developing and implementing research proposals.
- Group oral presentaions
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Group oral presentations of detailed proposals (Formative assessment-Compulsory)
Week 12 Executing Research Proposal
Begin Date: 04 Oct 2021Module/Topic
- Execution of your research project.
- Research stream as a pathway to PhD studies.
- Final remarks
- Group oral presentions (Cont'd)
Chapter
Refer to unit resources in the Moodle site
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial activities:
- Group oral presentations (Cont'd)
- Q&A session
- Complete "Have Your Say" survey for this unit
Assessment 3A (Final proposal due)
Assessment 3B (Group Evaluations due)
Research Proposal Due: Week 12 Friday (8 Oct 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 11 Oct 2021Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 18 Oct 2021Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This term, the unit will be delivered completely online. For any inquiry, contact the unit coordinator, Dr Samer Skaik (email: s.skaik@cqu.edu.au).
1 Written Assessment
Assessment (1) Individual submission
Overview
This individual assignment tests your essential research competencies needed to identify a knowledge gap or a problem in the context of project management discipline that warrants research. It primarily assesses your understanding and level of engagement with learning resources at an early stage of the inquiry process. The assignment MUST be your own piece of work. You must not plagiarise, collude or get help from others. All submissions must follow CQU Harvard referencing style.
Assignment 1 consists of three parts:
- Assessment 1A, 20%: Review Report, due by end of week 4
- Assessment 1B, 10%: Outline Research Proposal, due by the start of week 6
- Assessment 1C, 10%: Peer Assessment of Outline Proposals, due by the end of week 6
Note: Assessment 1C will receive a mark of ZERO if not completed by the given deadline to complete the work.
Tasks
Assessment 1A Review Report (20%)
Assessment 1A requires you to prepare a review report of no more than 1500 words using a given template. Your report must be relevant to the unit content and Moodle sources and must only be based upon your learning in this unit. You must follow the following steps in developing your report:
- Choose an initial research topic using a supplied research topic generation tool.
- Conduct a literature search to identify one scholarly paper relevant to your chosen topic.
- Provide a detailed overview of the paper using your own words following the given example in the unit.
- Provide an explanation of the search process you followed in locating and downloading this paper
- Demonstrate adequate evidence of the credibility of the paper.
- Identify two relevant sources/references relevant to the summarised paper (one source cited by the paper and a second source citing the paper).
- Build a review summary table and a theme matrix table of the three identified papers
- Provide your personal reflection of your learning experience in this phase.
Tip: The personal reflection should record your experiences, feelings and reactions during the learning experience in the last four weeks. This may include your commentary on Turnitin similarity percentage, evaluation of the adopted approaches, techniques or tutorial activities that have been helpful or unhelpful. You must also reflect on the consultation process you have had with your lecturer/tutor, peers and/or Moodle sources.
Assessment 1B Outline Research Proposal (10%)
Assessment 1B aims to help you initiate the concept of your research project. The assessment requires you to submit an outline proposal based on the review report. You will develop the outline proposal of your intended research project. The outline proposal must essentially outline the what, why and how of your research project. Your topic must be relevant to project management discipline. The outline proposal must include the following components.
- The research topic.
- Research question and objectives (min. 1 RQ and 2 ROs).
- The rationale for the proposed research and its significance.
- A discussion of relevant theories or previous studies on the topic (a minimum of three sources, based on the summary tables of Assessment 1A).
- The high-level research design by which the research will be conducted.
- References
The outline proposal MUST not exceed 750 words plus references, so each sentence must be concise and relevant. You must remove your name and any identifying information in the submission as it will be blindly reviewed by your peers.
Assessment 1C Peer Assessment (10%)
Assessment 1C aims to reinforce your understanding of research principles by exchanging knowledge with your peers. The assessment requires you to assess three proposals (assessment 1B) submitted by your peers as randomly and anonymously assigned to you. Students will not be given any mark for assessment 1C if they fail to complete the peer assessment by the deadline. You will conduct the assessment based on the assessment criteria and a marking tool will be provided. You are expected to provide a constructive summary of your comments and justify your given mark. To facilitate the undertaking of peer assessments, the Moodle Workshop plugin will be used.
Week 4 Friday (6 Aug 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 5 Friday (13 Aug 2021)
Assessment 1A: Review Report
Assessment will be done according to presentation, accuracy and coverage of the content for each part of the assessment 1A as set out under 'Specifications' section. In particular, the following assessment aspects will be used to assess submissions:
- The proposed research is relevant to PM, logical and concise. (10%)
- The selected articles are properly identified, credible and relevant to the chosen topic. (10%)
- The review is comprehensive, well-structured and concise. (15%)
- The summary tables include thorough and key information to guide the writing. (15%)
- Personal reflection is relevant, critical and well-articulated in response to the assessment task. (20%)
- The report content is substantially based upon the unit resources and lecture notes. (20%)
- Clarity and soundness of language, report format, presentation and referencing. (10%)
Assessment 1B: Outline Proposal (10%)
This part will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- The research project is reasonable, relevant to PM and interesting. (10%)
- The project need and significance are clear, logical and concise. (20)%
- The proposal content is based upon the unit resources and lecture notes. (20%)
- Clear alignment between the research topic, question, justification and method. (10%).
- The discussion is relevant, clear and concise (20%)
- The cited sources are credible, recent and directly related to the research topic. (10%)
- Overall clarity and soundness of language, report format and referencing. (10%)
Assessment 1C: Peer Assessment of Outline Proposals (10%)
You will receive marks for the quality of assessing the outline proposals of your peers. Based on how close your assessment is to the best assessment of each criterion of the submission, the system will automatically calculate the score for the quality of your assessments. The unit coordinator will moderate the calculated marks for consistency and accuracy. The best assessment represents a consensus of the majority of assessors. The maximum marks will be allocated as per the following table:
| Assessment 1B mark: Quality of your submission as assessed by all reviewers | 10 marks |
| Assessment 1C mark: Quality of your peer assessment compared to the best assessment | 10 marks |
- Conduct a literature search to identify a problem that warrants research within the project management context
- Select appropriate research approaches, methods and skills for solving the research problem
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
2 Online Quiz(zes)
You will be required to complete one set of multiple-choice quiz questions related to all learning outcomes of this unit.
Purpose
The primary purpose of this assessment item is to help you understand the processes required in initiating and planning a research project. The secondary purpose is to give you the opportunity to reinforce your research knowledge and skills.
Notes:
The quiz will be based on the learning materials between Week 1-9. In order for you to complete the quiz, it is necessary for you to complete all learning activities prescribed in the unit for the respective weeks.
Important Information:
1. The quiz will ONLY be available during a specific time period as detailed in the unit Moodle site.
2. Up to TWO ATTEMPTs ONLY. The quiz must be completed latest by the given deadline. Your mark will be calculated as the average mark you scored in both attempts.
3. The quiz is an OPEN BOOK test. You may refer to the unit materials (lectures slides, your own notes etc).
4. When you attempt the quiz, 40 questions will be selected and displayed in random order. You must complete the attempt within 50 minutes. It is very unlikely that two students will see the same questions. All questions will be in the form of multiple-choice questions
1
Other
Week 10 Friday (24 Sept 2021) 8:00 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (24 Sept 2021)
- The percentage of correct answers
- No penalty deduction for wrong answers
- Apply project management processes, tools and techniques in articulating, designing and planning for the execution of a research project
- Develop and employ ethical practices that consider social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers
- Conduct a literature search to identify a problem that warrants research within the project management context
- Select appropriate research approaches, methods and skills for solving the research problem
- Prepare a research proposal with necessary components that describe an organised, coherent and convincing statement of the research intent, significance and strategies to conduct the research.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
3 Written Assessment
Assessment 3 (Group submission)
Overview:
This group assessment requires all on-campus students to enrol in groups to complete a project-based assessment. Distance students must complete this part individually. The project is to work as a team to plan and develop a viable research proposal of high academic standards. Your group must demonstrate effective application of project management competence in planning and completing the project proposal. Your group should prioritise projects initiated in the completed outline proposals and eventually agree upon the group research topic for further adoption in this assessment. The proposal must address a research problem or gap that warrants research in the project management discipline. The proposal must be substantially based on the learning materials of this unit.
The assessment must be developed via a randomly formed group of 3-4 students. Each group member must enrol in their group online by the given deadline. The group must select its group leader and negotiate group rules by completing a group charter template. Your group must meet on a regular basis and keep a record of group minutes of meetings until the end of the term. All group communications must be conducted through Moodle Forums, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Planner and/or CQU student emails. If a group decides to use an external platform, each member must keep a full record of all exchanged communications throughout the term for scrutiny by the faculty. Any dysfunctional member should be given a warning by the group leader and an opportunity to improve. In the case of no improvement, the group members must award a low rating to the dysfunctional member in the final group evaluation.
The assessment consists of three graded deliverables or parts:
- Assessment 3A: 5 marks: Oral presentation of the draft research proposals by the beginning of week 11.
- Assessment 3B, 30 marks: Final Research Proposal, due by the end of week 12
- Assessment 3C, 5 marks: Group Member Performance Evaluation, due by the end of week 13.
Assessment Tasks:
Part 3A: Oral presentations (5 marks):
Each group will be required to submit a draft proposal and powerpoint slides by the beginning of the week 11. Groups will deliver a compulsory 15-minutes oral presentation during tutorials in week 11 to present the draft detailed proposals to their lecturer/tutor and peers. Each group must submit the slides and the draft Every group member must attend and co-present his/her contributed part of the group work. This will help you learn from each other and receive constructive feedback and improve your final proposal.
Note: Distance students must record their oral presentations and upload a Youtube link along with the draft proposal in Moodle.
Part 3B: Final Detailed Research Proposal (30 marks):
Planning and developing a final detailed research proposal is the most important assessment item in this unit. In developing your detailed proposal, you must adopt the supplied research proposal template which includes sufficient guidelines to complete each section. The proposal content must be relevant to the lecture notes and unit learning sources in Moodle. You should think of your detailed proposal as a document that should be detailed enough so anyone else can use your plan to execute the project if they enrol in the research stream units (PPMP20019 and PPMP2016). You must familiarise yourself with the scope of work in the research stream units by reviewing the unit profiles and prepare your project management plan & documentation accordingly.
Part 3C: Group Member Performance Evaluation (5 marks)
Evaluation of group members is the second deliverable of the final assessment which aims to evaluate the process of undertaking the final assessment and ensure that each group member will receive a unique mark reflecting the quality and quantity of their contribution. In week 12, each group member will receive an email from the unit coordinator inviting you to respond to a compulsory survey. You must respond by the given deadline, mentioned in that email. The survey includes five Likert-Scale questions and one open-ended question. The survey aims to evaluate the performance of each group member regarding leadership, attendance of group meetings, timely action, cooperation, quality of contribution, etc. You must self-rate your performance and rate each member of your group against the given criteria. You must also provide short feedback of not less than 30 words about the level of contribution, the reliability of contributions and the performance of each group member by answering the sixth question. You must respond to the survey independently and privately. You must be objective and honest in your assessment as you will be penalised by awarding ZERO marks for this part if your assessment is found to lack objectivity.
Important Notes:
- The unit coordinator or a delegated staff member may request groups with suspicious submissions or evaluations to attend an interview with the unit coordinator and provide evidence of the given assessment to their peers such as communications history, minutes of meetings, earlier drafts and the like.
- Distance students are not required to complete part 3C. As such, part 3A mark will be adjusted to be a total of 35 marks.
Week 12 Friday (8 Oct 2021) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (22 Oct 2021)
Part 3A: Group Oral Presentations (5 marks)
Each group member will receive an appropriate mark for this part based on the quality of their presentation, preparation, ability to answer questions and student participation in the session. The group member will receive a Zero mark on this part if: 1) the group member failed to present their contributed part of the group work; or 2) the group member did not attend the full oral presentation session.
Part 3B: Detailed Research Proposal (30 marks)
The below rubric will be used for marking this assessment task. This part will be marked simultaneously with Part 3C. If a group member receives 2.5 marks or less in the group evaluation in Assessment 3C, this will encounter a further reduction of his/her mark in Assessment 3B to be a maximum of 15 out of 30 marks.
| HD | D | C | P | F |
| Need and Significance (10%) Project is original in its approach and will contribute to project management development. Significance emerges logically from the construction of argument in addition to being clearly articulated. | Project is justified and will consolidate understanding in project management. Significance emerges from the construction of argument in addition to being articulated. | Project is relevant and will consolidate student’s understanding of project management. Significance does not emerge easily in argument but it is evident in addition to being outlined. | Project replicates well-established understanding in project management. Significance is stated but does not emerge from argument. | Project is too simplistic or disorganised to offer any significance. |
| Research Questions & Objectives (10%) Original and highly relevant research questions/hypothesis is clearly articulated. The specified RQs are well aligned with the project focus. Objectives are concisely elaborated and aligned with RQs. | Clearly relevant research questions/hypothesis are determined. Objectives are well formulated. | Relevant research questions/ hypothesis outlined but could be tighter in their focus. Objectives are identified and mostly relevant to the project. | Research questions/ hypothesis outlined but lacking in clarity, relevance to project focus. Objectives are described in broad terms only. | Research questions/ hypothesis are missing, unclear or so poorly written and irrelevant to project. Objectives are missing or poorly articulated. |
| Research Methodology and Data Collection Methods (20%) Research approach and data collection method are exceptionally articulated, justified and detailed. Details include data collection instruments, diagrams, etc. | Research approach and data collection method are well-argued, justified and detailed. | Research approach and data collection method are explained and appropriate for the project. | Research approach and data collection method are broadly outlined, but details are not always clear. | Research approach and data collection method are either not appropriate for the project or are poorly articulated suggesting deficits in understanding. |
| Preliminary Literature Review (20%) Creative and highly organised literature review that outlines the context for the research project. Critical appraisal of the key previous research relevant to the study clearly evident throughout. | Well-argued and logical literature review that provides a good overview of the background and context of the research project. Evaluation of key previous research quite evident throughout. | Good range of literature examined throughout the presentation that is most relevant to the project’s background and context. Key studies contrasted but little evidence of evaluation. | Points are supported with relevant literature, but the scope of the literature review is limited, as is background and context for the project. Some key studies not referred to at all or only inferred. | The quality of the literature referred to is questionable or not relevant to the project’s background or context. Few key studies referred to. |
| Project Management (20%) Highly robust, detailed and practical PM documentation with well thought off content reflecting an outstanding understanding of project management practices in planning and developing the proposal. Appendices are fully provided as per requirements. Evidence is provided to demonstrate outstanding use of management tools. | The PM documentation is nicely structured and detailed with an excellent consideration of the project issues. Appendices are almost provided as per requirements. Evidence is provided to demonstrate excellent use of management tools. | The PM documentation is included with sufficient detail. Appendices are partially provided as per requirements. Evidence is provided to demonstrate a reasonable use of management tools. | The PM documentation is broadly outlined, but details are not clear or accurate enough. Appendices are not provided as per requirements or include some inaccurate information. Evidence is provided to demonstrate the basic use of management tools. | The PM documentation is either not appropriate for the project or is poorly detailed with illogical content suggesting deficits in understanding of the scope and issues relating to the next stage of research. Appendices are missing, incomplete or inaccurate. Evidence for using management tools is poor or missing. |
| Overall content, format, appendices (20%) The proposal is substantially based on the unit learning resources and is logical in its construction with no spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. It includes all necessary and applicable sections. In-text and reference list consistently adhere to a single Author-date system throughout. Completed checklist & team contribution tables are very accurate. | The proposal is substantially based on the unit learning resources and mostly logical in its construction with 1 or 2 consistent spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. In-text and reference list adhere to a single Author-date system with 1 or 2 errors. Completed checklist & team contribution tables are accurate. | The proposal is relatively based on the unit learning resources and easy to follow with 3 or 4 consistent spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. In-text and reference list adhere to a single Author-date system with 3 or 4 errors. Completed checklist & team contribution tables lack accuracy. | The proposal has all components, but includes unfamiliar or irrelevant content to the unit or is not logical in its construction or has a numerous inconsistent spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. In-text and reference list adhere to a single Author-date system with 5 or 6 errors. Checklist or team contribution is not included. | The proposal has most of the components but includes unfamiliar terms or content. Aspects of the proposal are missing or so poorly written due to numerous spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors so the meaning is unclear. In-text and reference list do not adhere to the same Author-date system or there are more than 7 errors. Checklist or team contribution statement is not included. |
Assessment 3C: Group Member Performance Evaluation (5 marks)
This part will reflect the level of your engagement as a group member, your leadership, teamwork, participation in group meetings, timely action, academic integrity, reliability, cooperation, quality of contribution, etc. You will receive zero marks if you do not complete the survey by the deadline or miss the open-ended question in the survey. You must respond to the survey independently and privately. You must be objective and honest in your assessment as you will be penalised by awarding ZERO marks for this part if your assessment is found to lack objectivity.
- Apply project management processes, tools and techniques in articulating, designing and planning for the execution of a research project
- Develop and employ ethical practices that consider social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers
- Prepare a research proposal with necessary components that describe an organised, coherent and convincing statement of the research intent, significance and strategies to conduct the research.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
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?
