The course will consist of a research project relevant to the student's coursework. It may be conducted in collaboration with an employer or other business or government body or it may be a project that encompasses many disciplines in science and relate to an issue or interest relevant to many areas.

The details of the project will be negotiated between the student and the supervisor/s and be approved by the relevant Associate Dean (Education).

Learning Outcomes

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

The nature of this course means that the learning outcomes are very individual and very specific. However, in general, 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 and evaluation of a chosen science research topic;

2. Systematically identify relevant theory and concepts, relate these to appropriate methodologies and evidence, and draw appropriate conclusions;

3. Engage in systematic discovery and critical review of appropriate and relevant information sources;

4. Appropriately apply statistical or other evaluation processes to original data;

5. Understand and apply ethical standards of conduct in the collection and evaluation of data and other resources;

6. Communicate research concepts and contexts clearly and effectively both in writing and orally. 

Research-Led Teaching

The entire course is devoted to teaching and learning research skills and conducting original research for potential publication. Students will learn core knowledge about conducting research and will implement that.

Staff Feedback

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

• written comments
• verbal comments

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

Please note, research projects are unique to each students. The assessment start and end dates used in the Assessment Summary refer to the official start and end date of the session of enrolment. Individual start and end dates will be confirmed with each student prior to enrolment. Indicative assessment timeframes are provided in the assessment detail. Final dates are to be negotiated with the supervisor and/or course convener within the first 2 weeks of the first enrolment.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Overview: This course can be taken as variable unit course (6-12). 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. Course structure, assessment and deadlines must be defined and communicated to students within the first two weeks of the first enrolment period. This should include the learning outcomes for the course, a copy of the assessment criteria that will be used by the examiners, information on academic and research integrity and a copy of the CHM/CoS statement for students on mark moderation. The supervisor should: Assist in selecting and defining the scope of a suitable topic or problem; and in devising a schedule of work; Ensure the student is appropriately trained to undertake the research, including any safety and ethics requirements; Guide the student in the selection and application of appropriate data collection and analysis procedures and advise on a solution if difficulties arise; Advise on matters of research report content, organisation and writing, including the timely provision of feedback; Meet frequently with the student to discuss and evaluate each stage of the project; Ensure appropriate ethics clearance is gained before the student commences the research work.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Project Report	80 %	01/01/2019	31/03/2019	1,2,3,4,5,6
Seminar	20 %	01/01/2019	31/03/2019	1,2,3,4,5,6

* 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. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

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

To be discussed and confirmed with the supervisor.

There is no assessable participation requirement of this course. However, students are strongly encouraged to attend regular meetings with their supervisor.

Assessment Task 1

Project Report

The major part of the project report will take the form of a scientific research paper, consisting of Abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and references. The report will also include an additional evaluation section in which you will reflect on what you have learnt about doing research (Reflective component).

The research project assesment criterial will incude:

• Logic, rigour, accuracy
• internal consistency: the extent to which ideas are presented consistently and with clear progression from research questions through to conclusions
• the use of information and/or evidence to sustain argument: how and to what degree the information sourced from authorities in a field or from data collected is integrated and used to sustain the argument; clarity and accuracy in presenting data
• demonstration of analytical and critical judgment: the extent of reflective assessment and appraisal of strengths and limitations of previous work and/or own work
• quality of conclusions: clear statement of the meaning and relevance of findings presented through linkage to other research, potential of findings to contribute to the field and identification of further work required to confirm or extend conclusions.

Assessment Task 2

Seminar

The seminar assesment criterial will incude:

• Content: inclusion of enough background to the project to understand its significance, clear presentation of results and key findings and clear understanding of the major issues, ability to answer questions after the seminar
• Delivery: including fluency and clarity, interaction with the audience; use of notes or props, quality of visual backups; for example, consider features of good slides (not too much information, a minimum of words, visually pleasing etc)
• Structure: including consistency of argument from research question to conclusions, choice of material to be presented (not too much information; rather key points), information content appropriate for a general audience, effective use of time.
• Presentation

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

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

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

Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

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