CQUniversity Unit Profile
PSYC22003 Thesis I
Thesis I
All details in this unit profile for PSYC22003 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This unit is part of the sequence of units that culminates in the degree of Master in Clinical Psychology. This unit is intended to provide supervision and knowledge necessary for developing and finalising a thesis proposal. It is also intended to help the student inculcate research skills necessary for working as a Clinical Psychologist.

Details

Career Level: Postgraduate
Unit Level: Level 9
Credit Points: 12
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.25

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Academic Course = CG17

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 1 - 2018

Rockhampton

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).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment
Weighting: 100%

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.

Previous Student Feedback

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 feedback

Feedback

Excess stress in the last term of the final year due to the tight timelines for the research thesis.

Recommendation

To initiate thesis tasks after exams in Term 1 of the first year, so the summer break can be utilised to progress the thesis and reduce stress at the end of the final year.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Utilise research knowledge and skills applicable to working from a Scientist - Practitioner base as a clinical psychologist.
  2. Apply systematic inquiry skills to clinical problems including problem identification, and the acquisition, organisation, and interpretation of information to allow critical analysis and disciplined, rigorous, careful and scientific inquiry of the psychological phenomena.
  3. Generate hypotheses of relevance to clinical practice and operationalise these into testable research questions.
  4. Demonstrate a high level knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative design and methods, including the systematic collection of data and the subsequent skilled analysis of data allowing accurate interpretation of findings.
  5. Utilise skills of critical evaluation to identify and analyse research literature.
  6. Incorporate a knowledge of ethical, legal and professional matters into the research process.
  7. Apply high level written communication skills and an awareness of professional writing styles to the production of the final thesis.

Each of the learning objectives is linked to current external accreditation guidelines and reflect a course ethos on developing scientist-practitioners.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Written Assessment - 100%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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 - Written Assessment - 100%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Sarah Blunden Unit Coordinator
s.blunden@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1: Beginning the Thesis journey Begin Date: 05 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

Preparation Gantt Chart and Research proposal

of ethics submission

Chapter

Students need to have read the Masters in Clinical Psychology Research Project Manual available on the students available university drive

WellnessCentre/Manuals2018

Thesis reading program to be developed in consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic


Week 2: Submission of Gantt Chart and Draft Research Proposal Begin Date: 12 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

Submission of Gantt Chart and Draft Research proposal to supervisor via email

Copy sent to UC when supervisor confirms readiness



Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Submission of Gantt Chart and Research proposal 

Due Date: Friday March 16th 2018 5:00 pm AEST



Week 3: Improving the research proposal Begin Date: 19 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

Re-submissions of Proposal if needed


Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

UC returns Research proposals to students and supervisors

Due Date: Friday March 23rd  5:00 pm AEST

Week 4: Approval of research proposal Begin Date: 26 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

Final Submission Research proposal to supervisor via email

Copy sent to UC

Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Proposal must be approved by supervisor and submitted to supervisor and UC

Due date:  Friday March 30th approved 

Week 5: Preparing ethics submissions Begin Date: 02 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

Preparation of Ethics submission


Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 09 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6: Ethics submission Begin Date: 16 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

Ethics submission 

Students need to be aware of the dates of submission and committee meeting dates and deadlines.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Ethics Submission

Low risk to Ethics Committee Secretary (ethics@cqu.edu.au)

High Risk to HREA

Due date: Friday April 20th 2018 5:00 pm AEST

Week 7: Undertaking components of the thesis Begin Date: 23 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

Development of literature review

Potential data collection


Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8: Undertaking components of the thesis Begin Date: 30 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

Continuing development of literature review

Data collection

Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9: Undertaking components of the thesis Begin Date: 07 May 2018

Module/Topic

Continuing development of literature review

Data collection

Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10: Undertaking components of the thesis Begin Date: 14 May 2018

Module/Topic

Continuing development of literature review.

Data collection

Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11: Finalising Literature review Begin Date: 21 May 2018

Module/Topic

Data collection continues.

Finalisation of literature review.

Preliminary development of methodology section.

Identification of target journal.

Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12: Submission of draft literature review - Completion of all Thesis I requirements Begin Date: 28 May 2018

Module/Topic

Proposal approval

Ethics approval

Draft of Literature review approved by supervisor

Supervisor approval for continuation into Thesis II 

Supervisor to email UC with approval

Chapter

In consultation with supervisor.

Unit-coordinator and supervisor to review progress

Events and Submissions/Topic

End of term review with supervisor on progress to date.

Due date: Friday 1 June 2018 5:00 pm AEST

Unit coordinator and supervisor to review progress


Thesis components Due: Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 04 Jun 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 11 Jun 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Term Specific Information

In order to pass this unit, students must submit all requirements of Thesis I as described in the CQU Masters Of Clinical Psychology Research Project Guidelines.

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Thesis components

Task Description

See Guidelines in CQU Master of Clinical Psychology Research Project  Manual 2018. It is expected that by the end of the Thesis 1 unit, students will have demonstrated satisfactory progress on the development of the thesis. This includes:

  1. Satisfactory completion of project proposal.
  2. Identification of target journal
  3. Development and supervisor approval of project GANNT chart.
  4. Submission of ethics application with either approvals completed or in progress.
  5. Submission of a second draft of their literature review to supervisor.
  6. A draft of their literature review


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST

Completion as ascertained by unit coordinator and supervisor approved satisfactory progress on thesis tasks as described above


Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (15 June 2018)

Feedback directly through the supervisor and approved with Unit Coordinator


Weighting
100%

Minimum mark or grade
The Proposal needs to be passed by the Supervisor in conjunction with Course coordinator in order to progress the thesis. The supervisor also needs to endorse the continuation of the project through to the Thesis ll subject.

Assessment Criteria

See Guidelines for Master of Clinical Psychology Thesis that was sent out to all prospective students and is stored in the Wellness Centre Manuals drive. It is understood that specific projects may, for a range of reasons, not have met all expected timelines.

It remains however the responsibility of the supervisor to endorse the continuation of the project through to the Thesis ll subject. If the proposal is not passed by the supervisor and the course coordinator, then a second review of the proposal will be sought. If the second reviewer concurs with the initial supervisor then the student will be required to withdraw from the Thesis l subject and will not be permitted to enrol in Thesis ll of that academic year.


Referencing Style

Submission
Offline

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Utilise research knowledge and skills applicable to working from a Scientist - Practitioner base as a clinical psychologist.
  • Apply systematic inquiry skills to clinical problems including problem identification, and the acquisition, organisation, and interpretation of information to allow critical analysis and disciplined, rigorous, careful and scientific inquiry of the psychological phenomena.
  • Generate hypotheses of relevance to clinical practice and operationalise these into testable research questions.
  • Demonstrate a high level knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative design and methods, including the systematic collection of data and the subsequent skilled analysis of data allowing accurate interpretation of findings.
  • Utilise skills of critical evaluation to identify and analyse research literature.
  • Incorporate a knowledge of ethical, legal and professional matters into the research process.
  • Apply high level written communication skills and an awareness of professional writing styles to the production of the final thesis.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility
  • Leadership

Academic Integrity Statement

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?