The Evidence-based Management (EBM) course aims at providing students enrolled in programs at RSM with different levels of competencies centered around evidence and that they are expected to develop and maintain throughout their studies and ultimately translate into their working life.  EBM involves the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best available evidence about and within business organisations for decision-making. This course is divided into two sequential modules. The first module will equip students with knowledge about EBM and how it strengthens decision-making and practice in business and organisation. In module two, students will learn how to appraise evidence quality before applying it to support decisions and actions. Students will thus be able to not only translate principles from best evidence to management practice and ethical decision-making, but also to reflect on how to use evidence and their position to improve on their learning experience.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Describe Evidence-based practice (EBP) in Management and its basic principles and its core and functional capabilities. 
2. Identify problems that require decision-making based on knowledge of research fundamentals and EBP principles and capabilities (ASK)  
3. Establish the search strategy to acquire the best available evidence relevant to the problem (ACQUIRE) 
4. Ascertain the methodological appropriateness, quality, and trustworthiness of evidence (APPRAISE) 
5.  Integrate different types of relevant evidence towards finding solutions to the problem (AGGREGATE) 
6. Generate and implement best solutions to the problem with due consideration of their social and ethical implications (APPLY)
7. Evaluate feedback obtained on applied solutions for necessary adjustment (ASSESS)
8. Generate insights and decision-making awareness through self-reflection (ASSESS)

Research-Led Teaching

Research-led teaching will be demonstrated by building upon the broad and multi-disciplinary base of the recommended text. Teaching will include providing access to supplementary research from relevant academic articles chosen against the weekly topics. Lectures and activities will present vocational problems that will be explored using a variety of theoretical approaches to foster critical thinking and applied learning. The assessment tasks require both a sound understanding of theories and concepts, analysis of the key topics and subsequent synthesis of material. Submission of all assessment tasks is required to demonstrate both conceptual and vocational competence.

Field Trips

No field trips in this course.

Additional Course Costs

No additional costs.

Examination Material or equipment

There are no examinations for this course

Required Resources

Prescribed text Book: Barends, E., & Rousseau, D. (2018). Evidence-Based Management: How to use evidence to make better organisational decisions, Kogan Page.

Also available in the library on special reserve on a 2-hour loan schedule.

Recommended Resources

Helpful websites and Blogs:

1. Center for Evidence-Based Management - www.cebma.org
2. Science for Work - http://.scienceforwork.com
3. Future Work Centre - www.futureworkcentre.com

Podcasts:

1. Evidence Talks

OLI e-modules on Evidence-Based Management - https://oli.cmu.edu/courses/evidence-based-practice-in-management-and-consulting/

• 6 e-modules

Books:

Information on very useful additional books will provided during the course.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Seminar 1 - Week 1: Topic 1: An introduction to Evidence-Based Practice in Management--How the world deceives us and what we can do about it!
2	Seminar 2 - Week 2: Topic 2: Asking questions to identify problems and solutions--Are we asking the right questions? How can we identify them?
3	Seminar 3 - Week 3: Topic 3: Acquiring and appraising evidence from professsionals	DUE: Self-reflection Part A (Not marked): 2019-08-09, 23:59.
4	Seminar 4 - Week 4: Topic 4: Scientific evidence and how to acquire it	DUE: Formative Problem Definition Report, Friday 16 Aug
5	Seminar 5 - Week 5: Topic 5: The critical appraisal of scientific evidence
6	Seminar 6 - Week 6: Topic 6: Conducting a CAT
7	Teaching Break	Two week teaching break
8	Seminar 7 - Week 7: Topic 7: Acquiring and appraising organisational evidence
9	Seminar 8 - Week 8: Topic 8: Acquiring and appraising evidence from stakeholders
10	Seminar 9 - Week 9: Topic 9: Aggregating evidence
11	Seminar 10 - Week 10: Topic 10: Applying evidence
12	Seminar 11 - Week 11: Topic 11: Assessing the outcome of a decision	DUE: CAT Application Report (2019-10-18; 23:59)
13	Seminar 12 - Week 12: Topic 12: EBM within an organisation	DUE: Self-reflective assessment (PART B), (2019-10-24; 23:59)

Tutorial Registration

Not relevant

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Problem definition report	30 %	16/08/2019	30/08/2019	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
CAT Application Report	45 %	18/10/2019	08/11/2019	2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Self-reflective assessment (PART B)	25 %	24/10/2019	28/11/2019	8

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Engagement in class is key to this course and students are expected to participate in class discussions throughout the course.

Examination(s)

This course has no examinations

Assessment Task 1

Problem definition report

Assessment Type: Individual compulsory

Problem Definition Report

For this report, please select a topic that is of interest to you and an organisation of your choice. Ideally the report will provide some useful insights and recommendations to the organization.

This topic will form the basis of the CAT Application Report that contributes to the summative assessment for this course. Remember you can change the topic for the final CAT Application Report, though this is not recommended since you will be duplicating work if you change your topic--so choose your topic wisely.

Instructions: Identify a complex organisational issue or problem. Write a report of no more than 500 words describing the problem in the following terms:

1. Define the problem including brief background and context

2. Justify the problem. Why is it relevant/important to the organisation?

3. Formulate questions about the causes of the problem that are best answered using scientific evidence

4. Formulate questions about potential solutions to the problem that are best answered using scientific evidence

This will be discussed in class in Week 2, along with the marking criteria, which will be made available on Wattle.

Assessment Task 2

CAT Application Report

Assessment Type: Individual compulsory

Purpose: This report involves the use of scientific evidence relating to a complex management problem that exists in an organisation of your choosing. The report will comprise two main parts—a Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) and an implementation plan. It is intended, like business reports in general, to inform managerial decision-making. In writing this report, you will develop the following skills:

• Critical thinking
• Writing skills
• Problem identification and question specification (Asking)
• Acquiring scientific evidence
• Appraising scientific evidence
• Aggregating evidence from scientific sources
• Applying evidence from scientific sources

General Instructions:

1. Identify a complex and real-life people management issue or problem in an organisation of your choice. It is expected that the topic of this Report will be the problem you discussed in your Problem Definition Report. It might be a good idea to discuss any changes with the convenor.
2. Complete Parts A, B & C

PART A: SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE - A CRITICALLY APPRAISED TOPIC (2000 words)

1. Background (based on your Problem definition report)
2. CAT Question (based on your Problem definition report)
3. Inclusion criteria
4. Search strategy
5. Study Selection
6. Data extraction
7. Critical appraisal
8. Results – what was found?
9. Definitions
10. Causal mechanisms
11. Main findings
12. Conclusion
13. Limitations
14. Practical Implications

PART B: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ORGANISATION (500 words)

For the problem or issue you have chosen, based on the CAT apply key lessons in planning the implementation of appropriate action. Write no more than 500 words with the following parts:

1. Recommend action to apply the evidence to the problem.
2. Identify matters to be considered in implementing the recommendations(s).
3. Propose assessment of proposed actions

PART C: REFERENCE LIST (not included in word count)

For more detailed guidance on each section of the CAT report, refer to the Center for Evidence-based Management’s guidelines for doing Critically Appraised Topics:

Barends, E., Rousseau, D.M. & Briner, R.B. (Eds). (2017). CEBMa Guideline for Critically Appraised… Topics Evidence… in Management and Organizations, Version 1.1. Center for Evidence Based Management, Amsterdam… 

Assessment Task 3

Self-reflective assessment (PART B)

Self-reflective Assessment

As part of a more learner-centered instruction, courses in RSM include self-reflective assessments which aim at tracing and gauging meta-cognitive skills… (thinking about thinking) which are a core capability in the EBM course. Meta-cognitive skills help learners realize, develop and reflect on their own approach to their thinking and learning. … 

The Self-Reflective Assessment (SRA) will be done on Wattle in two parts. Part A in week 2. This will not be marked and learners will need to complete this part to record their initial understanding, approach and perception of the course. Part B will be set in week 12 and will be graded. Students should use both their e-portfolio entries and their answers to part A when dealing with questions in part B.

The questions set for both Parts A and B are in the form of Short answer questions (up to 500 words).

The marking criteria for the self-assessment will be discussed in class and made available in on Wattle in Week 2.

E-portfolio in Wattle (not assessed/marked)

The use of the e-portfolio in Wattle as a resource to do the self-reflective assessment.… 

I highly recommend the use of the journaling tool of e-portfolio[1] to record your reflections on the course, its outcomes, topics and topic learning objectives, contents, theories, frameworks, assessments, the challenges and opportunities, the strengths and weaknesses of your approach to study. E-portfolio in that sense serves a repository of all these reflections which will serve as resources or raw materials to do the self-reflective assessment.

Guidance on using e-portfolio

For each topic each week we recommend you initiate an entry in your e-portfolio. The entry can relate to the planning, monitoring, and evaluating of learning of contents, theories, readings, assessments, skills and capabilities aimed at in each topic. Students will then have the option to drag and drop relevant entries from anywhere in their e-portfolio to address the structured questions posed in the online self-reflective assessment on Wattle.

We have developed a set of… Topic learning questions… to assist students use meta-cognition when reflecting and in populating their journal entries. These questions are indicative and help students to understand how they are thinking about the course content and topics, their approach to them, etc. It is recommended that students consider and answer these questions every week to guide learning for every topic.

Planning (before topic):

What are the relevant course learning outcomes (CLOs) and topic learning objectives (TLOs) of the topic?

What do I already know about this topic?

What are the questions that I would like to be clarified around this topic?

Monitoring (during topic):

What are the insights and/or confusions I experienced in this topic?

What are the questions that arose… for me during the topic?

Have I found the material, content and presentation of this topic interesting? Why so? Why not?

Have I been able to extricate broad but important information from all the details in this topic? If not, what should I do in to facilitate learning of the next topic?

Evaluating (after topic)

What was this topic about?

How can I relate ideas and information in this topic to those of previous topics?

What do I need to do to clarify my confusions and answer the questions that arose in this topic?

[1] E-portfolios serve as repositories of all your reflections, achievements, evidence of acquired skills and capabilities that show how you engaged and (re)acted to your studies. The contents of e-portfolios have life-changing potential for students who understand that these instruments are integral to the hiring process of many prospective employers (Accenture, Oracle, Google, etc.). E-portfolios have potential impacts on your future career. In fact, your position vis-à-vis your studies will eventually change for the better: e-portfolios thus validate the works and successes you have achieved and demonstrate you are ready for future employment

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted to the RSM School Office with a completed application form and supporting documentation. The RSM Extension Application Form and further information on this process can be found at https://www.rsm.anu.edu.au/education/education-programs/notices-for-students/extension-application-procedure/

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Please see relevant assessment task details above

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Unless specified otherwise in the assignment requirements, resubmissions are permitted up until the due date and time, but not allowed afterwards

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students