Overview
Thesis I (PSYC22003) is the first of two research units that form the cornerstone of the research component of the Master of Clinical Psychology. In this unit you will work under supervision to develop and submit a research proposal, Gantt chart and ethics application, which must be passed in order to progress to Thesis II (PSYC22004) in Term 2. These tasks will prepare you for data collection, analysis and interpretation and is linked to Thesis II (PSYC22004), thereby developing the research skills necessary for working as a Clinical Psychologist.
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 1 - 2022
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 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
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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: Unit Coordinator
Having regular drop-in sessions increased contact and familiarity between the students and the unit coordinator
Continue to host fortnightly drop-in sessions via Zoom so that students have the opportunity for face-to-face contact with the unit coordinator, and other students.
Feedback from Student feedback
Various self-contained research methods resources should be added to the Moodle site.
Locate and upload research methods resources to the Moodle, and ensure students are aware of these resources and how they could be helpful during the conduct and completion of their research project.
- Apply advanced knowledge and skills to plan a research project that is applicable to clinical psychology
- Investigate methods to inform, formulate and test a research question, including methods of data collection appropriate to clinical psychology
- Apply critical analysis and rigorous scientific inquiry to relevant literature in preparation of an ethics application and research proposal
- Communicate research professionally, ethically and in a culturally appropriate manner fit for a range of audiences.
These Learning Outcomes are intended to link with the 2019 Australian Psychology Accreditation Council accreditation guidelines and in particular, Clinical Psychology guidelines and competencies of Knowledge of the Discipline and Research and Evaluation. In addition, the Learning Outcomes are linked with the CG17 Master of Clinical Psychology course Learning Outcome: "Demonstrate the capacity to formulate, research and successfully complete a discipline based research project."
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal - 0% | ||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 0% | ||||
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 | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal - 0% | ||||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 0% | ||||||||
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.
m.condie@cqu.edu.au
c.l.thompson@cqu.edu.au
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Non-compulsory Zoom Q&A session. Please see Moodle for dates and times.
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Submit one document to Moodle containing your draft Gantt chart and draft Research Proposal
Both must have already been approved by your supervisor.
Due date: 2355 AEST Friday, 25 March 2022.
Research Proposal and Gantt chart Due: Week 3 Friday (25 Mar 2022) 11:55 pm AEST
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Reviewer’s comments on the draft Gantt chart and draft Research Proposal will be returned by the Unit Coordinator with any comments no later than 2355 AEST Monday, 11 April, 2022.
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The final Gantt chart and Research Proposal must be uploaded to Moodle once comments from reviewers have been discussed with your supervisor and the proposal has been revised if necessary.
Due date: 2355 AEST Friday, 29 April, 2022.
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By the end of Week 12, you need to have submitted:
- Proof of ethics application submission and/or approval (if required), and proof of organisational approvals to unit coordinator (if required)
Due date: 2355 AEST Friday3 June, 2022.
Although not an assessment task, it is recommended that at least one draft of the Literature Review to your supervisor.
Organisational Permissions & Ethical Clearances Due: Week 12 Friday (3 June 2022) 11:55 pm AEST
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1 Research Proposal
In the Thesis I unit, you are required to develop and submit a Research Proposal. This is a plan for the undertaking and reporting of your Research Project. The research proposal submission includes submission of a Draft Research Proposal, and a Final Research Proposal.
The Research Proposal should include a brief overview of the topic/area of research, including the gap in existing knowledge or practice that is to be addressed in the research project. The Research Proposal should also include detailed statements regarding the theoretical approach and/or methodology to be used, and the hypotheses that are to be assessed in the project.
The Research Proposal must include a Gantt chart, which is a commonly used technique for charting project tasks and identifying associated timelines.
More detail on the requirements of the Research Proposal and Gantt chart can be found in the Research Project Manual found in Moodle.
Students will be required to submit a draft research proposal (due on Friday of Week 3) and a final research proposal and Gantt chart (due on Friday of Week 7).
Week 3 Friday (25 Mar 2022) 11:55 pm AEST
A draft of the Research Proposal and Gantt chart is due at 2355 AEST Friday 29 April 2022 - end of Week 7, Term 1. The final Research Proposal and Gantt chart, incorporating any changes requested during the review process, is due 0900 AEST Monday April 26th 2021 - beginning of Week 7, Term 1.
Vacation Week Monday (11 Apr 2022)
Comments and suggestions for improvement on the draft Research Proposal and Gantt chart will be returned to students no later than 0900 AEST Monday April 12th 2021 (beginning of Term 1 midterm break).
The Research Proposal and Gantt chart are marked as either a Pass or a Fail.
The Research Proposal is compulsory and will need to be passed in order to continue on in Thesis I (and for enrolment in Thesis II in Term 2). That is, despite the fact that marks are not allocated for the proposal, students are required to submit a well-written and workable proposal in order to continue with the project in Term 2. If the proposal does not meet the minimum requirements after resubmission, the student and supervisor will be notified that the proposal has failed to be supported and they will be unable to enrol in Thesis II in Term 2.
- Apply advanced knowledge and skills to plan a research project that is applicable to clinical psychology
- Investigate methods to inform, formulate and test a research question, including methods of data collection appropriate to clinical psychology
- Apply critical analysis and rigorous scientific inquiry to relevant literature in preparation of an ethics application and research proposal
- Communicate research professionally, ethically and in a culturally appropriate manner fit for a range of audiences.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
2 Research Assignment
If you are planning to conduct your research project in partnership with an external organisation, you will require their approval. Contact with outside agencies to arrange this approval will be made by the student, with guidance and assistance from the Supervisor.
If your research involves humans and their data, you will need approval from the CQUniversity Human Research Ethics Committee before you commence your project. Research projects requiring ethics approval include surveys, interviews, certain types of observational studies, administration of tests or stimuli, collection or use of human tissue, bone, blood or other body fluids, clinical trials, and accessing databases or archived information. Different kinds of studies require different levels of ethical clearance, your supervisor will be able to advise you on what level of ethical approval is required for your project.
If you are completing your research project by joining a pre-existing study, which already has ethics approval, then you may not need to complete another full ethics application. It may be necessary, however, to seek an amendment to the approved ethics application to include yourself (as the student) on the research team, and to add any measures that you may be particularly interested in. Again, your supervisor will be able to advise you whether an ethics amendment is required for your participation in a project.
Week 12 Friday (3 June 2022) 11:55 pm AEST
Evidence of organisational permissions (if required) and submission or approval of ethical clearance (if required) is to be uploaded to Moodle by 2355 AEST Friday, 3 June, 2022- end of Week 12, Term 1.
Exam Week Friday (17 June 2022)
No feedback required for this task.
No Assessment Criteria
- Apply critical analysis and rigorous scientific inquiry to relevant literature in preparation of an ethics application and research proposal
- Communicate research professionally, ethically and in a culturally appropriate manner fit for a range of audiences.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- 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?
