The population health honours project is intended for students who have completed an undergraduate program with a major in population health or a cognate discipline. This project is taken over the course of the honours study and culminates in the production of a thesis. Honours is a solid foundation in the basics of research and can be an entry into many careers both within and outside of population health.

Learning Outcomes

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

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Plan and engage in an independent and sustained critical investigation of a chosen research topic to generate new knowledge in an area of science.
2. Systematically evaluate relevant theory and concepts in population health, relate these to appropriate methodologies and evidence and draw appropriate conclusions.
3. Analyse and interpret original population health research data with statistical or other evaluative processes where appropriate.
4. Demonstrate sufficient mastery to understand and apply relevant experimental techniques and methods in population health to collect original research data.
5. Communicate and justify complex concepts and results clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences.

Research-Led Teaching

This course provides students with the opportunity to undertake a public health research project on a topic of their choice, by collecting and/or analysing data, and writing up and presenting their research results. Students’ research projects are supervised by one or more specific supervisors and the course convenor facilitates and monitors students’ progress.

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.

Other Information

An Honours year is usually a one year program. The timelines in this outline provide an indication for a student commencing Honours in Semester 1 and submitting in Semester 2.

Population Health Honours can also be taken part-time over three or four semesters. Where student is enrolling in this course over two (or more) consecutive semesters, the final thesis due dates align with the College submissions dates for the last semester of expected enrolment and can be confirmed with the Science College Student Administration Office (science.enquiries@anu.edu.au)

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Overview The Population Health Honours Thesis course is usually taken as a variable unit course over two consecutive semesters. Students enrol in POPH4005 (6 units) in their first semester of enrolment and POPH4005 (24 units) in their second Semester of enrolment. For every 6 units of enrolment, the expectation is that the student would work a minimum of 8-10 hours/week over the course of the semester. A student enrolling in full-time Honours for the first time in Semester 2 is expected to submit their thesis in Semester 1 of the following year. Student who are enrolled part-time or taking a reduced study load should consult the Honours convener for information about the due dates and unit distribution.	This summary provides general information for a student enrolling in this course for the second time. Dates for submitting the thesis are defined based on the semester in which the student will complete their enrolment in the course. The date ranges provided are a general indication only, and should be confirmed with the course convenor at the commencement of the semester, and from the course timetable (available on Wattle). For further details, please refer to the course information and related documents in Wattle, and to the Science Honours Handbook.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Final written thesis and logbook	96 %	24/10/2019	28/11/2019	1,2,3,4,5
Honours research presentation	4 %	01/11/2019	28/11/2019	5

* 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.

Examination(s)

The written thesis and logbook will be assessed by two independant examiners selected by the School in consultation with the supervisory team.

The Honours seminar presentation will be assessed by two independant examiners selected by the Honours course convenor.

Assessment Task 1

Final written thesis and logbook

The written thesis should take the form of an article that has been submitted, or is ready to submit, to a peer-reviewed journal, capped at 5000 words, and formatted based on the discipline and journal. An extra 1000 word limit (20%) is available for qualitative and mixed-methods projects.

The Appendix/Logbook is capped at 5000 words and may contain case or summary data, code and equations, detailed notes on methodology, assessments of data quality, ethics applications, qualitative thematic coding frames, research diary, and data collection instruments. The Appendix should be submitted along with the written research paper and provides the examiner with sufficient detail to demonstrate that the student understands the methodology used in the paper.

For students completing their research projects in Semester 2, this is due by 5pm on Thursday 24th October 2019.

Assessment Task 2

Honours research presentation

Presentation of the Honours project at a public Seminar at the conclusion of the course.

The Research School of Population Health  (RSPH) has a lunchtime seminar series on Thursdays from 12:30pm to 1:30pm at the Bob Douglas Lecture Theatre (Building #62A, M Block extension direct entry on Eggleston Rd); details can be found on the NCEPH website under ‘News & Events’. This is a useful forum for students to attend, and students will be expected to present at this forum as part of their assessment for this task. The presentation will be 10-15 minutes duration, with time for responding to audience questions.

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.

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.

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.

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