In this course you will investigate a substantive research question relevant to the discipline of psychology that is agreed with your project supervisor and approved by the program convener.

You will develop and write up the research individually and will collect data collaboratively and participate in group supervision. You will be required to conceptualise the project within an intellectual framework and to communicate it clearly to others, using standard psychological style and presentation.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Plan and execute a substantive research project, drawing on relevant theory and research.
2. Demonstrate sufficient mastery to investigate the question critically and ethically, using appropriate methods.
3. Analyse and interpret the findings using statistics or other evaluative processes.
4. Communicate the research and its findings clearly and appropriately.

Research-Led Teaching

The research project provides students with experience in designing, implementing, and writing up a research project. It fosters skills in working collaboratively as a team, and in undertaking and evaluating research. All research supervisors will inform their contribution to student learning through their own research experience, and through supervision of topics within their expertise.

Required Resources

Students will be provided with recommended readings as appropriate to their research project.

Recommended Resources

Supervisors will provide students with recommended readings and texts to support their research project. It is recommended all students have access to the American Psychological Association (APA) Style 7th Edition Manual

Recommended student system requirements 

ANU courses commonly use a number of online resources and activities including:

• video material, similar to YouTube, for lectures and other instruction
• two-way video conferencing for interactive learning
• email and other messaging tools for communication
• interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities
• print and photo/scan for handwritten work
• home-based assessment.

To fully participate in ANU learning, students need:

• A computer or laptop. Mobile devices may work well but in some situations a computer/laptop may be more appropriate.
• Webcam
• Speakers and a microphone (e.g. headset)
• Reliable, stable internet connection. Broadband recommended. If using a mobile network or wi-fi then check performance is adequate.
• Suitable location with minimal interruptions and adequate privacy for classes and assessments.
• Printing, and photo/scanning equipment

For more information please see https://www.anu.edu.au/students/systems/recommended-student-system-requirements

Staff Feedback

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

• Verbal feedback on strengths and areas for improvement based on discussions and activities undertaken during group research supervision or other research project activities (including the Research Presentation at the Clinical Forum)
• Written feedback on strengths and areas for improvement on two copies of the abstract and introduction in each student's written report, and two copies of the team's method and results. No feedback will be provided on the discussion.
• A mark, and written and verbal feedback for the Group Research Proposal Presentation and Research Project Report.

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

Students must be available to present as part of their team for the two oral presentations undertaken as part of the research project. If there are exceptional circumstances and a student is unable to present on the day of a scheduled oral presentation (either the Group Research Proposal Presentation or the Research Presentation at the Clinical Forum) but meets criteria for an extension, an alternative date will be scheduled for the student to complete their component of the presentation.

Referencing Requirements

Psychology uses the referencing style endorsed by the American Psychological Association:

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

In addition to student feedback provided through ANU Student Experience of Learning Support (SELS) surveys, students may also be invited to provide course-specific feedback through a feedback survey developed by the lecturers within the Master of Professional Psychology program.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Overview: PSYC8412 Professional Psychology Research Project course is taken as a variable unit course over two consecutive semesters. Students enrol in PSYC8412 (6 units) in their first semester of enrolment and PSYC8412 (12 units) in their second Semester of enrolment. For every 6 units of enrolment, the expectation is that the student would work a minimum of 10-12 hours/week over the course of the semester. A student enrolling this course for the first time in Semester 1 is expected to submit their research project report in Semester 2 of the same year. Group Research Supervision Meetings commence in Week One and are ongoing throughout Semester 1 and Semester 2.	Students will meet regularly with their research team, including their supervisor, throughout the year. A schedule will be agreed at the beginning of Semester 1 and will be amended in accordance with project demands throughout its duration.
2	April Completion of Research Integrity Training	Students to access this via Wattle and provide proof of completion
3	11/5 Research Proposal Presentation	Group Research Proposal Presentation (hurdle) due 1pm
4	28/10 Research Project Report Submission	Research Project Report (100%) due 5pm
5	Date TBC (November) Group Research Presentation	Each group will present a research presentation at the Clinical Forum (scheduled in November each year)

Tutorial Registration

Students will participate in regular group research supervision throughout the course of the research project

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Group Research Proposal Presentation	0 %	11/05/2021	18/05/2021	1, 2, 3, 4
Research Project Report	100 %	28/10/2021	01/12/2021	1, 2, 3, 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 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

Students are expected to contribute to all aspects of the research project, including attending and preparing for all group research supervision meetings. Students will not be provided with individual research supervision, with the exception of the provision of feedback on the report. A schedule of group supervision will be agreed at the commencement of Semester 1. Detailed information about the research project and report, including supervisor and student responsibilities, will be available on Wattle. Students also complete research integrity training, and each research team will also present at the Clinical Forum which is scheduled in November each year (date, time and location will be confirmed later in the year). All students enrolled in the course will also meet as one group throughout the year to discuss progress across projects, seek feedback from students, and resolve any issues or concerns.

Examination(s)

Not applicable.

Assessment Task 1

Group Research Proposal Presentation

Each research team will provide a 30 minute presentation (20 minute presentation, 10 minutes Q&A) in Semester 1 in order to gain feedback on their research project from peers (e.g., other students in the Master of Professional Psychology program), supervisors and staff. Each group will receive feedback about whether the course requirements have been satisfied, and the aim is for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the research topic being investigated and gain feedback of study design to enhance the project.

 

Teams should include information on project background, research aims, proposed methodology, ethical or other considerations, data analysis plans, timelines and references. Powerpoint slides should accompany the presentation and be submitted by COB May 10 in Wattle. Detailed information about the assessment task and a marking guide will be available on Wattle.

Assessment Task 2

Research Project Report

Students will each submit a research project report in the form of a manuscript of a minimum of 5000 words. Each student will write an abstract, introduction and discussion, and each team will write a method and results section for inclusion in each student's submission. Supervisors will provide feedback to students on all parts of the research project except the discussion. The research project should be written with a selected journal target, and the author guidelines for the journal included in the Appendix. Detailed assessment information and a marking guide will be provided on Wattle.

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/s. 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

Not applicable.

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 electronically through the course Wattle site approximately two weeks after the due date.

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

Failure to submit a research report of a high standard which meets requirements for a passing grade (50%) will result in a student receiving feedback on the area/s requiring remediation and one opportunity for resubmission of the assignment to address these issues. This opportunity is provided only in circumstances where a genuine attempt to address the assignment requirements was determined to be made in the first submission. If the resubmission satisfactorily addresses the issues identified, a grade of 50% will be awarded for the task. The need to re-submit the same report twice due to inadequate performance will result in overall failure of the assessment piece, and thus the course, which will need to be repeated in a future offering.

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