SCIE11023 - Scientific Research Fundamentals

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit, you will explore, synthesise and apply the fundamentals of the scientific method. You will develop skills in scientific communication beyond reading and writing - through a series of seminars, lectures and self-guided tasks students will learn appropriate manipulation of mathematical and statistical data as well as data presentation. You will enhance your knowledge and understanding of a range of fundamental scientific concepts and consider issues relating to ethics, experimentation and professional practice. Finally, through conducting your own research activity, you will learn how to develop a research framework and apply critical thinking to solve complex problems.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2024

Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Online
Rockhampton
Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate 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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 15%
2. Presentation 35%
3. Portfolio 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 81.82% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 16.67% response rate.

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.

Source: SUTE and emails from student
Feedback
Students continue to appreciate detailed assessment feedback, practical strategies during tutorials and Q&A sessions, and linkage of content to real-world applications.
Recommendation
Lecturers should continue to facilitate scheduled tutorials and ad hoc Q&A sessions to discuss assessment requirements and feedback. Lecturers should continue to provide examples of how scientific research can be applied in employment and other outcomes.
Action Taken
Live weekly Zoom sessions were maintained throughout term, with more examples of how scientific research is applicable to likely avenues of student employment.
Source: SUTE and student comments on Moodle
Feedback
It was evident some students were unfamiliar with technology needed to complete the video-based assessment.
Recommendation
It is recommended to provide students with supplementary instructions on Moodle regarding recording a video presentation.
Action Taken
Additional written and video instructions were provided for the video-based assessment.
Source: SUTE feedback
Feedback
It was noted that some pre-recorded lecture content need updating as they reference COVID lockdowns and accommodations for such interruptions.
Recommendation
The lecture content has been scheduled for updating for the 2025 offering, following an update of the unit structure and delivery completed in 2024.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: In-person, email, and Moodle feedback
Feedback
Students appreciated the ability to determine their own topic of study for the experimental practical work in the unit, noting that the frequent one-on-one support offered by the teaching staff helped give them confidence to complete the work.
Recommendation
Maintain the structure of self-determination of the student experiment, with frequent ad hoc support outside of scheduled lecture and tutorial times.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain and apply information and numerical literacy skills to communicate scientific knowledge and ideas clearly and coherently to a variety of audiences
  2. Formulate a research hypothesis and research questions that include relevant ethical considerations
  3. Conduct and manage a small research project using quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods research methodologies
  4. Analyse, interpret and explain scientific data, resulting in the production of a research report appropriate for an e-portfolio.


Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment •
2 - Presentation • • •
3 - Portfolio • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Written Assessment • • • • • •
2 - Presentation • • • • • •
3 - Portfolio • • • • • •