This course allows a special topic of study for individuals or small groups of students who wish to gain particular or additional knowledge in a topic in environment and society not covered in other courses taught in the School or elsewhere in the University. Depending on the topic, students may be required to develop a guided reading program, and/or to take part in selected lectures, workshops, tutorials, seminars, discussion groups, field trips and other activities.

 

This course is available as a variable unit course 6 - 12 units.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Pursue a sustained guided investigation of a topic relevant to the environment, society and/or sustainability.
2. Systematically identify relevant theory and concepts, relate these to appropriate methodology and/or evidence, analyse data using appropriate methods and tools, and draw appropriate evidence-based conclusions.
3. Work constructively with active researchers and practitioners on real research problems.
4. Critically evaluate their own work and results as well as published research.
5. Communicate research concepts and results effectively in appropriate formats.

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.

Additional Course Costs

Students wishing to undertake field and laboratory work to support their project may incur small additional costs relating the travel expenses and equipment.

Examination Material or equipment

Not applicable

Required Resources

Enrolled students who wish to include field and/or laboratory activity within their project must contact the relevant staff below to confirm that the activity is supportable by the School:

• Field work - Matthew Northfield (fieldwork.fses@anu.edu.au)
• Laboratory work - James Latimer (labs.fses@anu.edu.au)

Recommended Resources

A series of resources will be available on the course Wattle site.

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). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Enrolment:

• Enrolment to this course is at the discretion of the Associate Director (Education), Fenner School, subject to the availability of a suitable supervisor. Students should click here to submit an application to apply to add the course. This form should be completed in consultation with the proposed supervisor.

Assessment:

• 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. 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	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 student should: Maintain a close dialogue and constructive working relationship with your supervisor(s); Plan your research program with your supervisor(s); Consider advice seriously. If advice is not taken, the supervisor should be informed and given the reasons for the decision; Consult regularly with your supervisor. Students should prepare in advance for consultations, by determining the help they require and the areas in which advice would be useful; Complete the formal requirements for the course; Complete, to the best of your ability, a well written, thorough and competent project. 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.	The nature, weightings and deadlines of assessment items will be customised in negotiation with each student. An example of typical assessment is: 6-unit Research plan (15%) Oral Presentation (15%) A summary paper(s), 5000 words in total (70%) 12-unit Research plan (15%) Oral Presentation (15%) A summary paper(s), 8000 words in total (70%) Other types of assessment may include, but are not limited to: Literature Review Multimedia Presentations (including podcast production) Oral Presentation

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Research Plan*	15 %	1,2,5
Oral Presentation*	15 %	1,2,3,4,5
Research Paper	70 %	1,2,3,4,5

* 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 Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

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 Skills 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.

Examination(s)

There is no formal examination associated with this course.

Assessment Task 1

Research Plan*

Students will negotiate a Research Plan with their supervisor. These will describe the objectives of the research to be undertaken, the material and methods required for the analysis, and provide an estimated time line for the research which will include the delivery of Oral Presentation (Assessment Task 2) and submission of the Research Paper (Assessment Task 3). Research Plan will be submitted to the supervisor for assessment within the first 2-3 weeks of the session, and the supervisor will provide feedback 1 week later.

*Sample only: students will negotiate their own assessment plan with their supervisor.

Assessment Task 2

Oral Presentation*

Presentations must be at least 15 minutes (10 min presentation + 5 min questions) and at most 30 min (25 min + 5 mins) in duration.  These are typically due in the last 2-3 weeks of the session and feedback with be provided within 1 week of delivery. 

In consultation with the student’s supervisor delivery of the presentation can be scheduled to be part of the School’s regular seminar programs, planned by the supervisor to coincide with smaller ad hoc meetings/gatherings, or more formally arranged by the course convenor with fellow students as a standalone workshop.

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*Sample only: students will negotiate their own assessment plan with their supervisor.

Assessment Task 3

Research Paper

Research papers are to follow as close as possible to the structure of peer reviewer articles in the student or supervisors area of expertise.

At the bare research papers will have section headings as follows:

1. Introduction - description of the issue being tackled, demonstrated understanding of the relevant literature, and a clear statement of the objectives of the research. It is recommended that the final paragraph should read "In this paper we . . . "
2. Material and Methods - what are the data sources, experimental data and apparatus used, and/or methods of processing and analysis? Must demonstrate a critical assessment of the appropriateness of the material and methods used (e.g. was the sample size sufficient? were the correct statistical methods used?)
3. Results and Discussion (or Discussion as a separate section) - description of the findings of the research illustrated by figures and tables of publication quality.
4. Conclusions (and were appropriate "Recommendations") - what can you conclude from your results? Do they match up with your research objectives (as stated in the Introduction)?

Recommended that these are submitted 3 weeks ahead of the end of session to allow marking by the supervisor(s) and (if agreed at the start of the session) independent reviewer.

*Sample only: students will negotiate their own assessment plan with their supervisor.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

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

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

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned via the course Wattle site.

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

In exceptional circumstances the Convenor will allow an assignment to be resubmitted, but this must be negotiated with the Supervisor before being progressed to the Convenor for endorsement.

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 Access 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