Overview
Evidence-based practice is integrated throughout the entire Master of Professional Psychology and Master of Public Health and aligns with the scientist-practitioner model. It is essential that you establish and evaluate your therapeutic/health practice based on scientific research. This unit will equip you with knowledge and skills related to research evaluation. First you will develop an individual research question relevant to the practice of psychology and develop a plan for evaluating your research question using existing data. In the next step you will implement your research plan and complete a substantive piece of writing to a standard that would be suitable for publication.
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 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 Verbal feedback from students and feedback from Unit Coordinator.
Students felt that the unit tasks built upon their existing research skills and improved confidence.
Continue approach to develop existing research skills and support student learning and confidence.
Feedback from Verbal feedback from students and feedback from Unit Coordinator.
Students suggested the size of the systematic review was difficult to complete within one term and may not be relevant to professional work.
Systematic review assessment task will be reviewed to reduce workload and improve relevance to professional practice. Students will also be given clearer explanation of the importance of evidence-based practice and the scientist-practitioner approach within psychology.
Feedback from Verbal feedback from students and supervisors, and feedback from Unit Coordinator.
Students and supervisors requested more clarity about unit expectations and how the unit fits within the broader Master of Professional Psychology course.
Continue to meet with supervisors prior to the beginning of term to discuss expectations within the unit and include information for students to situate the unit within the broader Master of Professional Psychology Course.
- Critically evaluate the contemporary scientific literature to develop an appropriate research question and plan.
- Conduct a substantive individual research evaluation relevant to the practice of psychology, to a standard that would be suitable for publication.
- Communicate research professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner.
Applicable to Master of Professional Psychology: Learning outcomes are related to core competencies specified by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), program of study criteria as stated by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), and specifications for study at level 9 as indicated by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal - 30% | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 70% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 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 | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal - 30% | ||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 70% | ||||||||
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: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.j.burke@cqu.edu.au
h.g.mason@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
- Review of Term 1 Research Basics
- Developing your research question
- What to include in a Research Plan
Chapter
See reading list on Unit Moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
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- Setting the scene for your research
- Finalising your research question
- Planning your approach
- Writing your plan
Chapter
See reading list on Unit Moodle page
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- Analysis and Results in Research Evaluation studies
- Different ways of presenting your data
Chapter
See reading list on Unit Moodle page
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- Interpreting the outcomes of your evaluation
- Considerations, and Limitations
- Implications, Recommendations, and Future Actions
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1 Research Proposal
You will be required to submit a completed Research Plan which will include:
A proposed research question
An information source/literature search strategy
An outline of the proposed evaluation method and approach being applied
Week 3 Friday (30 July 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 5 Friday (13 Aug 2021)
A marking rubric will be provided on Moodle, along with a template for the Research Plan.
Your Research Plan will be assessed on the following elements:
Title
Research Question
Information Sources and Search Strategy
Proposed Method/Approach
- Critically evaluate the contemporary scientific literature to develop an appropriate research question and plan.
- Communicate research professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Research
2 Written Assessment
Building on your Rapid Critical Review and Research Plan, you are required to develop, conduct, and write a Research Evaluation on your chosen topic area, utilising existing data sources.
Your Research Evaluation should be 5000 - 6000 words in length and should include sections typical of a professional psychology evaluation report (i.e. Introduction, Methods/Approach, Results, Discussion).
Week 12 Friday (8 Oct 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Please submit your Research Evalaution via the assessment submission portal on Moodle
Exam Week Friday (22 Oct 2021)
An assessment rubric will be made available via Moodle. Your Evaluation Report will be assessed on the following criteria:
Writing style
Title - Appropriate and representative title for topic area
Abstract - Succinct summary of the evaluation conducted, including statement of outcomes/recommendations
Introduction - Evidence based rationale for the evaluation topic and statement of research question
Methods - Clear statement of approach which was applied, including justification of appropriateness of approach
Results - Clear, logical, and accurate presentation of data
Discussion - Summary of main findings, appropriate interpretations, recommendations, and conclusions
- Conduct a substantive individual research evaluation relevant to the practice of psychology, to a standard that would be suitable for publication.
- Communicate research professionally, ethically, and in a culturally appropriate manner.
- 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?
