Science communication and outreach programs employ a range of methods to engage audiences, deliver impact and communicate science. From capacity building programs in the developing world to science puppet shows for early learners, science communicators employ different methods, often to better engage with underserviced audiences, create impact and social change, and explore topics in more intriguing ways. As part of this, they need to be skilled at conceiving ideas, logistics and program planning, ‘selling’ their ideas and securing funding, running events and evaluating their success. In this course, you’ll come up with a novel program idea, trial it, report on your trial and then learn how to win funding for it through grant applications. This course is about creating your own original science communication project. It represents an authentic opportunity to develop real-world skills that allow your ideas to become realities. As you’ll discover in your future science communication careers, if you want to pursue your passions, your goals and your ideas, skills to develop them and just as importantly get them funded are critical. Many past students’ ideas have turned into actual, fully funded, real-world ongoing projects that have had national and global impacts, so don’t underestimate what you might achieve if you make the most of it! If you choose, this can be so much more than just another assignment.

This course is co-taught with undergraduate students but assessed separately.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Critically appraise different formats for communicating science;
2. Examine the process of conceiving, developing, delivering and evaluating science communication programs;
3. Apply this process to create novel science communication programs;
4. Analyse and reflect on science communication programs, including conveying this via various oral and written formats.

Research-Led Teaching

Students will be introduced to a range of research literature concerning the engagement methods they decide to employ and actively critique and reflect on it. During the intensive you will be able to interact with experts in various engagement methods who, in some cases, will use their own or other research to show the efficacy of approaches. In the course of evaluating your event, you will be familiarised with basic research methods and innovative approaches data collection, including examples of their use in the research literature, and apply these to analyse your own event/program - this process gives a basic introduction to the research process when investigating science engagement programs and events.

Additional Course Costs

Students need to cover costs for their Trial event/program, however resources from CPAS will be made available, and strategies for microfunding and partnerships/donations to minimise/eliminate costs will be discussed.

Recommended Resources

COVID_19: The covid pandemic will affect the scope of your event/program, however science communicators around the world are responding to the crisis in hugely creative and innovative ways (you'll meet some of them during the intensive) and while challenging it can also be great for creativity. Please note your project - especially interactions with the public - must comply with guidelines issued by the ANU and Government of the state/territory you are operating in. Wide flexibility will be given to adapt to implications of the pandemic - please contact Graham with any issues you are facing.

For those new to science engagement programs/event https://www.informalscience.org/ is a very helpful, easily searched and pre-digested way to access research papers and evaluation reports on a wide range of events and programs, however please click through the summaries and access the original source material/papers. While the summaries/digests are useful, DO NOT rely on them alone.

Staff Feedback

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

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc
• meetings with convenor

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

In this course, you’ll come up with a novel program idea, trial it, report on your trial and then learn how to win funding for it through grant applications.

Groups: In SCOM6007, you may work in groups with other postgraduate students up a maximum of three people, or you may choose to work alone. Note assessment requirements change for groups, and even if you are in a group some assessment items are still prepared individually - please see the assessment items for details. Groups are expected to create a program/event of a larger scale.

There are undergraduate (SCOM3007) and postgraduate (SCOM6007) versions of this course - note they have different assessment requirements and due dates.

 

This course uses a project-based learning (learning by doing) approach to take you through this process. You’ll:

• Be introduced to a range of science engagement and outreach methods
• Connect with experts in these methods
• Conceive your own event/program, and plan it
• Trial it through an event/program with the intended audience, and manage the project
• Evaluate its impact and how it can be improved
• Go through a grant funding application process

While the overall process may appear daunting, the project-based learning approach will give you the skills and knowledge you need at the appropriate time as we go along.

Note there is some flexibility as to when you submit your Program Plan, and when you run your Trial, to accommodate students with fieldwork and requirements in other courses. See the relevant sections below.

This course is about creating your own original science communication program. It represents an authentic opportunity to develop real-world skills that allow your ideas to become realities. As you’ll discover in your future careers, if you want to pursue your passions, your goals and your IDEAS, skills to develop them and just as importantly get them funded are critical.

 

Many past students’ ideas have turned into actual, fully funded, real-world ongoing projects that have had national and global impacts, so don’t underestimate what you might achieve if you make the most of it! If you choose, this can be so much more than just another assignment.

 

Science engagement and outreach methods vary from year to year but generally include (however students are not limited to):

• Citizen science
• Online events
• Making, tinkering and makerspaces
• Science centre exhibits and interactive exhibitions – from polished to DIY
• Working with researchers and communicating research
• Participatory methods to engage with environmental/societal aspects of science and technology
• Art-science events/displays/performances
• Facilitated discussions/workshops – panel type events, from casual to serious
• Science shows and workshops (not dealt with in detail in this course).

Exact content may vary with availability of guest lecturers/experts in these fields.

Students choose which of these methods to use in their own project, can create fusions or propose their own novel approaches.

 

Students are strongly encouraged to make use of the ANU Makerspace if it is appropriate for their program. i.e. maker workshops, prop or costume building, coding and electronics, etc.

 

Please note throughout the process you should represent yourself as an ANU student, especially when trialing the concept with the public.

 

As this unit requires a lot of creative, individual output, lectures are kept to a minimum, however you can make a time to meet with Graham to discuss your project or email him at any time. This is especially encouraged as you formulate your Project Proposal and plan for your trial.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	4 day intensive	Don't miss this - it sets up the whole rest of your project! The intensive will include: an introduction to engagement methods including expert guest lectures to inform and inspire and pathways into the research literature project design and design thinking process planning projects and working with collaborators - who and how might you work with others to achieve your/shared outcomes? introduction to evaluation - how will you implement your event and measure it's success?
2	Additional engagement methods	Optional: This session will cover the basics of science shows, hands-on workshops and making/tinkering workshops - along with a visit to the ANU Makerspace. NA if you are doing SCOM8004.
3	Concept brief - informal presentation and group discussion	Chance to share ideas and get peer feedback
4	Trial planning, partnering and recap of evaluation methods	Timed in the run-up to your Trial Event.
5	Grant writing and working with funding bodies	Show you the money! Honing your project to woo funding bodies and the fundamentals of grant writing. Timed prior to your Grant Application assessment.
6	ANYTIME - meet with Graham to discussion your unique project	As all projects are unique, meetings are strongly encouraged to workshop your ideas.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Concept Brief	5 %	24/07/2020	01/08/2020	1,2,3
Program Plan	30 %	11/09/2020	18/09/2020	1,2,3
Trialing the Project	0 %	08/10/2020	08/10/2020	1,2,3
Trial Report	50 %	09/10/2020	20/10/2020	1,2,4
Trial / Trial Report - Peer Assessment (Groups only)	0 %	09/10/2020	09/10/2020	1,2,4
Grant Application	15 %	15/10/2020	01/11/2020	2,4

* 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 Academic Integrity . 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.

Assessment Task 1

Concept Brief

This assignment requires you to propose your program idea(s) very briefly.

 

Groups should submit one page (1-2 ideas) per group member; you may work on the ideas together as it is important all group members feel ownership over the ideas - remember you will only pick one to proceed with - and each group member should make equivalent creative contributions. You will all receive the same mark.

If you are still considering several ideas at this stage in development, you may outline two different ideas, but if you’re pretty much decided then this is an opportunity to focus on one and develop it.

 

The brief should give a simple overview of your concept(s), including the:

• aims
• method (workshop, exhibit, etc.)
• research/literature you may make use of (in brief)
• audience
• possible venue
• possible partners
• rationale as to why it is a good concept
• considerations due to covid, if applicable
• key issues you need address before the concept can be fully developed into a Program Plan (see Assignment 2)

 

Note while the brief is not weighted heavily (5%) it is IMPORTANT – the sooner you get serious about your concept, the more time you’ll have to ponder it and make it amazing. Timely implementation is important; this assignment is designed to make sure you formulate an idea early so everything runs smoothly towards preparation of the Program Plan and successful trial.

 

Marking Criteria

To be eligible for a pass on this assignment your brief must:

• Be one single sided A4 page
• Groups should submit one page per group member; each group member should make equivalent creative contributions.

Overall, your brief should ideally:

• Command attention!
• Convince the reader that the program is novel, creative and worthwhile.
• Address the points in the dot point list above, and more
• Be neatly formatted, written in clear and concise language, have excellent spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence/paragraph structure.
• Include diagrams, pictures, tables and/or figures that enhance communication.

Assessment Task 2

Program Plan

This assignment requires you to propose your program idea, method(s) and describe how you will trial it.

Groups should submit one homogeneous, integrated plan - see the Marking Criteria.

NOTE RE TIMING OF TRIALS AND SUBMISSION OF PLANS: National Science Week occurs all over Australia usually in the second week of August (check online for exact dates year to year), with some events either side of the official week. This year the Week is largely happening online or other formats permissible with covid restrictions. If you would like to try and integrate your Trial event with the week, or just want to run your event earlier, you are welcome to submit your Program Plan earlier - but you must have written a plan and got feedback, especially regrading any risks, before implementing your event. Contact Graham in advance if you are planning to do this.

 

The Program Plan is the MOST critical thing to get right as all your future work will lead from it. Taking the time to fully develop a creative, unique, well planned and high-quality idea will give you a much better chance to do well on subsequent assessment pieces and your trial – as well as make everything easier. Laziness, underinvestment or rushing at this stage may well have negative effects down the track.

 

Keep the grant application objectives in mind as you develop your program (see the Grant Application detail at the end of this document), however they don’t have to be explicitly dealt with at this stage. You’ll learn how to tweak your program so it fits funding body objectives later in the course.

 

Your plan should address the following areas:

The program/event:

• Name of your program
• Aims
• Description, including activities/components and how they will achieve your aims
• Partners/collaborators/donors (where relevant) – provisional or locked-in
• The science communication method(s) you will use, including relevant research/literature and how it has informed your design
• Rationale – does it address a pressing need or solve a problem, why did you choose it, what gap/niche does it fill?
• A short statement on your creative process and why your idea is novel.
• Considerations due to covid and/or how you have adapted, if applicable.

 

Trial plan (noting it is a work in progress at this stage, BUT KEY DETAILS SHOULD BE LOCKED IN):

• Implementation plan, including potential or (hopefully) confirmed venues/platforms, target audience, promotional strategy (if relevant), provisional running sheet/timetable, etc. These details will evolve, but you should have the key details locked in.
• A flow chart, gant chart, hierarchical list, or similar identifying the key tasks, the order they need to occur, critical interdependencies between tasks (e.g. venue needs to be confirmed before promo flyer can be made) and the key stakeholders/partners.
• Any major risks and how you will avoid/minimise/manage the risks, including risks due to covid.
• Key aspects to evaluate and how this will allow you to assess program outcomes or make program improvements.
• Budget. The budget for your trial, if any, should be as small as possible. Most materials should be initially sourced for free from CPAS storerooms, ANU Makerspace or similar (students doing the Science Circus may also use resources from “The Cage”). If materials/funds still have be sourced, students are strongly encouraged to source in-kind support (donations/partnerships) or external small funding (e.g. ANU PARSA small grants) wherever possible – this will be duly rewarded when the Trial Report is assessed, and Graham is happy to help here.

Many aspects of the Trial Plan above aim to ensure smooth delivery of the trial. Critically, this includes thinking through the tasks you need to do, the order they need to happen in, and allowing time for subsequent dependent tasks. i.e. what are the critical things that need to happen early, or had to be completed already?

 

Marking Criteria

To be eligible for a pass on this assignment your proposal must:

• Be 1000-1500 words long, excluding your final reference list.
• Groups - 2000 words long, excluding your final reference list. Additional words should focus on the engagement methods literature and conceptual aspects, rather than expanding (waffling) on logistical details. The Plan should also be written in one "voice" and read as a homogeneous, integrated document, rather than disjointed sections by individual group members.

 

Overall, your proposal should ideally:

• Convince the reader that the program is highly novel, creative and worthwhile.
• Show clearly and in detail how the aims will be achieved through the program activities.
• Review and synthesise research with a focus on the academic literature, but also experts and/or other credible sources, on your chosen program/method – or other aspects – and show how this has influenced your program design.
• Include a realistic, fully thought-out, concise plan for implementation of the trial.
• Demonstrate you have thought in detail about the steps involved, the sequence they need to occur in, the stakeholders/partners involved, and any major risks – including how you will manage them.
• Identify the key elements of the program you plan to evaluate and show how this will determine whether you are achieving your aims and/or allow you to improve the program.
• Show evidence of thorough background research, use of the academic literature, consultation with peers/experts, and appropriate referencing.
• Be neatly formatted, written in clear and concise language, have excellent spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence/paragraph structure.
• Include diagrams, pictures, tables and/or figures that enhance communication.

Assessment Task 3

Trialing the Project

The trial is an opportunity for you to bring your program idea into reality, see how the audience engage with it, and evaluate. The evaluation should give you both data to see if you are achieving your aims, as well as how you could improve the program. Note, due to some students running trials interstate, simultaneously and/or out of hours, the trial is assessed through the subsequent report - especially the description, photos, evaluation component and evaluation data - rather than by a course convenor actually attending, however the convenor may also attend events.

 

Groups: it is expected that the scale and outcomes of your trial are proportional to the size of your group. This may be achieved through greater time/effort in preparation (e.g. building exhibits, making equipment), a bigger event, or a phased or multifaceted event. Note a Peer Assessment to assess relative input of group members is included in the Trial Report.

 

When. The trial should occur during August-September or early October at the latest (note the report is due early October). You must submit your Program Plan before running the Trial. The latest you can submit the Program Plan is early September (see due dates), but you are welcome to submit it earlier if you would like to run your Trial earlier - contact Graham if you are submitting early so he can give you feedback promptly, however marks will be issued once all Plans are submitted. Students enrolled in SCOM8004 may partner/negotiate with Questacon to see if there is scope to run a trail during Science Circus tours (noting timing is highly ambitious for Tour 3), however this can't be guaranteed.

A representative trial. Your trial event/program may or may not be the exact program you’ve proposed, but does need to be representative of the key features of your program and include the target audience, e.g.:

• Your program is to run a student science show competition where you train multiple schools to do a show then they do a huge gala, but for the trial you just train two schools and have a friendly combined performance.
• You plan an art-science display with 10 different artists, but you only trial three that are central/representative to the overall display.
• You plan on making a set of 10 exhibits/workshop activities on a topic, but only trial two main ones.
• You use a smaller/alternate but representative audience/venue/etc.
• You plan a larger event, but only trial with a small group due to covid restrictions.

 

The specifics of this really depend on your program, so please talk to Graham first if you’re not sure if your trial is representative.

Covid. Restrictions and risks due to the pandemic may affect your project, and we understand that restrictions may change at any time. Please factor covid into your planning and trial elements of your project feasible given the situation. If restrictions change as you are planning/implementing and it negatively affects your project, please contact Graham. Flexibility in requirements will be available.

Phased trials. For some programs, it may be practical and wise to run the trial in two phases, i.e. do a small scale ‘prototype’ trial to get initial feedback (e.g. test some hands-on activities with peers or friends), which then informs the second ‘main event’ trial (e.g. running the activities with a group of primary school students).

 

Representative audience. Trials of your project should be completed with a representative audience – as close to your ideal target audience as possible. While classmates may attend, don’t relying on them for a major segment of the audience – if this is a risk then make sure you have a promo plan in place. If you are struggling to find a representative audience, please let us know as we have contacts, and note partnerships can be an excellent and efficient way to access guaranteed audiences.

 

TIP: Get in contact early with schools, Scout groups, Rotary, Questacon (pending opening/restrictions due to covid) or other organisations that you want to trial your project with. These are excellent partners because they guarantee you a good audience without the need for promotions, removing a huge risk from your program.

 

Evaluation. Your evaluation should do two things: (1) assess the audience’s experience of your program/event and whether you met you aims, and (2) give you information to further develop your program. The evaluation doesn’t need to be lengthy (e.g. could be an A4 page survey), but it does need to give you data to assess these aspects. You need to decide what method(s) of data collection (e.g. a short interview, survey, informal methods, observation, a combination, etc.) best suits your needs and program. When designing your evaluation, think how you’ll analyse the results. Some common and novel evaluation methods will be covered in class. Science Week also have acccessible resources at https://www.scienceweek.net.au/evaluation/ .

 

The minimum requirements for the 6007 trial are:

• The trial must meaningfully represent the key elements of your program/event (but not necceserily all elements).
• You must run a trial with a representative (public) audience, i.e. an audience that is similar to or the same as your intended/target audience. If you run a phased trial, the ‘main event’ must be with a representative audience, but the audience for your ‘prototype trial’ is at your discretion.
• You must evaluate the trial.

 

Just like in the real world, exceeding the minimum requirements will be noted.

 

Note: while conducting trials you should represent yourself as a student of The Australian National University. See the introduction for more details. Graham can also arrange ANU public liability insurance certificates if required.

 

Sessions will cover aspects such as project management and other organisational tools to deliver smooth well organised programs, however if you have not run events/programs before you are advised to also talk through your plan with Graham. You may also want to refer to advice on the National Science Week website about running events.

Please note the due date of this assessment task is variable. The dates in the assessment summary are an indication only of the period in which the trial should be conducted. Please check with the the course convener if you have any concerns.

Assessment Task 4

Trial Report

In this assignment, you need to report on exactly what you trailed and how it went, including description, results and analysis of your evaluation.

 

Groups: Each group member should submit their own report, drawing on common evaluation and other data. You may do basic data processing, photo collation, general discussion, etc. in your group, but you are required to work independently on the self-reflection, interpretation of data, background research and other aspects of your report. The analysis and thinking should be your own.

 

1.    Description. You should include a description and photos of your trial with all the main details (e.g. what, where, audience, etc.). It should have enough details that someone who didn’t attend the event has a very clear idea of what happened and would be able to clearly imagine the whole event, setting, who came, what happened and what the audience did, audience engagement/disengagement, any major highlights or key features, and any other relevant details. Pictures tell a thousand words, but don't count towards the word count - so make the most of them.

 

2.    Self-reflection. You should also give a self-reflection of how things went from your point of view. This may include, but should not be limited by, aspects such as:

• Did you program work as you intended?
• Were there any surprises, either good or bad?
• What were the strengths and weaknesses?
• How were the relationships and interactions with partners?
• What was the audiences’ response?
• What did you learn?
• What might you do differently next time, and which elements worked well as they are?
• How does your experience/outcomes compare to findings in the literature?

 

You should synthesise, integrate and interpret content from the self-reflection, rather than just provide a list like the above dot points. The reflection should compare your insights with research on comparable programs from the literature.

 

3.    Evaluation results and analysis. The report should include the results of your evaluation (see previous page) including key demographic details of your sample and a summary of your results. You should also analyse and interpret the results and draw conclusions from them, i.e. what does the data mean in the context of your program? The analysis should also compare your findings with research on comparable programs from the literature.

 

Evaluation instruments, such as a sample survey or list of interview questions (if relevant), should be provided as an appendix and do not count towards the word limit.

 

4.     Conclusions and recommendations. This final section should bring together all three previous sections, particularly the self-reflection and evaluation, to determine what you achieved and how to improve your program. What new insights are evident when the self-reflection and evaluation are taken together? Combine your own insights and analysis of the evaluation data to provide well-reasoned evidence-based recommendations to improve your program.

 

Marking Criteria

To be eligible for a pass on this assignment your report must:

• Be 1500-2000 words long, excluding your final reference list and survey instrument (if applicable).
• Include a description with photos, self-reflection, evaluation, and conclusions and recommendations.

 

Overall, your report should ideally:

• Give a detailed, clear, vivid, easily interpreted description of the trial event/program, including photos and key metrics (dates, times, attendance, etc.), which is almost as good as being there in person. Note assessment of the program/event itself is a large part of how marks are allocated.
• Include photos of key aspects of the program – such as people completing activities, design features of exhibits, etc. – meaningfully captioned and annotated where suitable.
• Include a deep, honest and insightful self-reflection, which critiques (good and bad) key aspects and includes insights that only you as the program designer could fully identify.
• Report your evaluation data in a clear, detailed and precise manner consistent with academic conventions and standards, using elements (e.g. tables, diagrams, graphs) that summarise and organise the data so accurate, in-depth interpretation is straightforward.
• Analyse the evaluation data using techniques appropriate for the chosen method (e.g. basic statistical analysis of survey data) and interpret and extrapolate what the findings mean.
• Synthesise the description of the event, your self-reflection and the evaluation findings to give a holistic evidence-based analysis of the event that leads logically and clearly to an assessment of your impact and practical recommendations to improve your event logistics, impact and audience experience.
• Show evidence of thorough background research, use of the academic literature, consultation with peers/experts, and appropriate referencing.
• Be neatly formatted, written in clear and concise language, have excellent spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence/paragraph structure.
• Include diagrams, tables and/or figures that enhance communication, in particular illustrative images in the description and tables and diagrams in the evaluation section.

Assessment Task 5

Trial / Trial Report - Peer Assessment (Groups only)

For group members, your Trial Report will be given a mark, which may be modified based on the peer assessment. Individuals do not need to submit a Peer Assessment.

Please submit a table/list giving each group member - including yourself - a score reflecting the effort put into planning, preparing for and implementing the Trial. Use full names and also include the name of your project. For scoring, give 100 for an appropriate amount of effort, above 100 for an extraordinary effort, and below 100 for inadequate effort.

Please make sure the total adds up to n x 100, e.g. if there are 3 people in your group it should add to 300 (for example, 90, 100, 110). Note equal effort does not necessarily mean doing the same kind of work, it is up to you to divide the necessary tasks evenly. Then you will be able to estimate how much effort each person put into the tasks allocated to them.

You must justify any mark less than 100 - include a brief comment.

An individual mark will be calculated for each group member by multiplying your Report mark by the average of you Peer Assessment mark. e.g. if you and all other group members give you 100, your mark will be unchanged, if they give you 80 it will be scaled down by 20%, etc.

Marking Criteria

To be eligible for a pass on this assignment your assessment must:

• Give scores to all group members
• Include full names and your project name

Assessment Task 6

Grant Application

This assignment requires you to submit a grant application to try and win funding for your program. In many cases, the program proposed in the grant application will be a more ambitious, unconstrained (including by covid), larger scale version than the trial and this is encouraged – so think big, but keep in mind it does need to be realistic/practical (even if you don’t have to implement it).

 

Groups: Each group member should submit their own grant application. You may discuss it generally as a group, but it is expected that you will work independently.

 

This written application should ‘sell’ your project to a grant assessment panel – your aim is to win the grant! Sessions will cover strategies for honing your project to better align with a funding body’s objectives, one key to winning grants. You should use evidence from your Trial and insights from your Trial Report to support your grant application.

 

The written grant application is based on the application format used in the National Science Week (NSWk) national grants round. Like most program grant applications, you will need to mount an argument for how your program helps achieve some or all of the objectives set out by the funding body. The objectives are based on those used for NSWk, as below:

• To draw the nation’s attention towards the sciences;
• To spark broad interest in the sciences;
• To help move those who are simply interested in the sciences to become engaged;
• To provide an opportunity for all Australians to participate in science events and activities;
• To foster partnerships between the community, research organisations and industry; and
• To trial new and innovative science communication activities.

 

You will also need to convince the grant assessor that you have the credibility, track record, promotional skills/plan, and individual skills/capacity to implement the grant successfully, i.e. why should they trust you with their money. This includes how you will ensure there will be an audience.

 

As you persuasively argue the case for your program, you should use evidence from credible sources (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, UN, etc.) or other official publications (e.g. government policy documents, reports from peak bodies, etc.) to strengthen you case. Rather than having lots and lots of statistics or report findings, try to use fewer, but powerful, examples to simply but compellingly support your argument – is there one or two key stats that sum up the need for your program? In some cases, it is appropriate to use the academic literature, however a grant application of this type is different to a piece of academic writing or, in some aspects, a research grant. If using the literature, you need to mention the author but typically don’t use academic referencing style or include a bibliography.

 

You also need to include a budget that itemises all the costs involved in the program, including in-kind support. A template will be provided for you to complete. The budget should break down complex costs and indicate what they are for if it’s not obvious, e.g. 300kg of cornflour for slime pool, $300 (300 packets x 1kg x $1 each).

 

You should show all in-kind support, e.g. if you have negotiated a venue for free, got a discount on certain items, or are contributing your time free of charge. In-kind support from other organisations should only be listed if your trial indicated this was viable. The in-kind section is important to a grant assessor as it shows you are co-investing in the project – this means the funding body is getting better overall value for money.

 

Carefully check your budget includes everything mentioned in the grant, and nothing not mentioned in the grant – the application and budget should be consistent.

 

A form for the grant application and template for the budget will be provided on Wattle.

 

Marking Criteria

To be eligible for a pass your grant must:

• Submit a grant application and budget using the form/template provided.
• Not exceed the word limits in the grant application form.

 

Overall, your report should ideally:

• Present a highly novel, well-thought out concept in a convincing, appealing manner with all the key details and no ambiguity or inconsistencies.
• Creatively and strategically scale up the approaches you trailed.
• Demonstrate your passion for the project and your personal commitment to the objectives, while remaining professional, believable, credible and avoiding baseless hype.
• Convince the reader using compelling evidence and clear logical argument that the program is value for money, worthwhile, addresses a pressing need or fills a critical gap – that it is necessary.
• Clearly show how your program elements/activities will achieve outcomes, and how these contribute towards some or all of the objectives of the funding body, using memorable, innovative and detailed examples.
• Strengthen your arguments through strategic, persuasive and straightforward yet convincing use of statistics, report findings and other evidence from credible sources, including the academic literature if appropriate, and acknowledge these sources.
• Include a detailed, clearly formatted budget including in-kind support that list all costs for the program, with cost items broken down and itemised where relevant. Show evidence that the costs have been researched, that amounts are justifiable/evidenced, and that claims of external in-kind support are supported by your experience during the trial.
• Be neatly formatted, written in clear and concise language, have excellent spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence/paragraph structure.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to 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 be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, 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 Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

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

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission permitted. 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.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned via Wattle or in some cases may be emailed. The return timelines for some pieces are ambitious - Graham will do his very best - to allow you to get going on your projects and incorporate feedback into subsequent assignments.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted 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

Not permitted

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