The Evidence-based Management (EBMa) course provides students enrolled in programs at RSM with competencies centered around evidence that they are expected to develop and maintain throughout their studies and ultimately translate into their working life. EBMa involves the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best available evidence about and within business organisations for decision-making. This course equips students with fundamental knowledge about EBMa and evidence, and how it strengthens decision-making and practice in business and organisations. Students will explore evidence in organisational settings and the integration of evidence with particular decisions and actions in practice. Students will be able to translate principles of best available evidence to management practice and ethical decision-making, and as well to reflect on how to use evidence and their position to improve on their learning experience.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. describe Evidence-based practice (EBP) in management and its basic principles and its core and functional capabilities
2. formulate problems that require decision-making based on evidence-based principles and capabilities (ASK)
3. create search strategies to acquire the best available evidence relevant to a problem (ACQUIRE)
4. ascertain the methodological appropriateness, quality, and trustworthiness of evidence (APPRAISE)
5. integrate different types of relevant evidence to answer questions (AGGREGATE)
6. design and implement evidence-based interventions and solutions to a problem that take into account their social and ethical implications (APPLY)
7. evaluate feedback obtained about interventions to determine needs for further action (ASSESS)
8. generate insights and decision-making awareness through self-reflection (ASSESS).

Research-Led Teaching

Evidence-based Management education is itself research-based. The approach to learning in this course is grounded in cognitive theories of learning which best support the development of critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills. The content is based on robust research, and in turn decision-making skills are developed. Managers and leaders taking this course will be positioned to ask the right questions, think critically, and acquire the best possible information with which to make management decisions. In this course students will learn to think critically about management problems and their solutions in terms of research findings published in academic journals in addition to other sources of evidence.

Field Trips

There are no field trips in this course.

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional class costs expected in this course.

Examination Material or equipment

There will be an in-class paper-based quiz in week 3. All you will need is pencils and an eraser. You may bring a paper-based dictionary, but it must not be annotated in any way [your name in/on the front is permissible]. 

Required Resources

All required resources will be made available on Canvas.

Recommended Resources

Textbook: The textbook for this course is:

Barends, E & Rousseau, D M, 2018, Evidence-based management: How to use evidence to make better organizational decisions, Kogan Page, UK.

A copy of the text book will be held in the ANU library reserve & short loan collection. Please contact the Course Convener if you have difficulty getting access to the book.

Staff Feedback

Feedback: Rubrics are provided for all assessment items so that students can plan their work and can identify areas for improvement. Students may receive feedback in any of the following ways:

1. Written or rubric-based qualitative feedback.
2. Synchronous live feedback to individual learners or consolidated for the whole class;
3. Feedback in numeric, tabular, and graphical formats, and/or comments provided by video or audio recording or in writing; feedback can be to individual learners or consolidated for the whole class;
4. Peer feedback during workshops;
5. Individual feedback can be provided to students in consultation with the teaching team by email or by appointment. If an appointment is required for a telephone, online chat, or in-person meeting, email the tutor, lecturer, or Convenor to make an appointment.

Disagreement and dispute of assessment marks and feedback: ANU has policies and procedures to be followed in respect of disagreement with assessment marks or feedback (see under EDUCATIONAL POLICIES). However, it is suggested that any disagreement with assessment marks and feedback be addressed initially by email to the Convenor, including a clear description of the area(s) of dispute.

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

Important: Updates and announcements for this course will be circulated via emails and/or Canvas site. Students should ensure that their official ANU email address is effective and that they have access to Canvas. Students should check their ANU email address daily during teaching periods.

Student consultation:  

• Consultation requests to students will be circulated by Course Announcements or by email.
• Every effort will be made to respond to student queries as soon as possible, and within 2 business days unless there are special circumstances. The preferred initial method of contact is email, with other forms of communications (such as in-person consultation, online consultation, chat, or phone) used by agreement.

Course Guidance: Detailed guidance on assessment requirements, marking criteria, assessment submission standards, navigating the teaching facilities, and how to study as well as detailed course notes are all available on the Canvas page.

• Refer to the Study Guide near the top of the page for an overview of learning through this course,
• Then read, watch, or listen to the other resources it identifies for more details, including in the Getting Started block of the Canvas page.

Personal portfolio: You may benefit from a range of learning tools. Consider keeping a personal journal throughout the course to record the thoughts, issues and dilemmas that arise for you. Such a journal may be electronic or maintained in any other format that suits you; and ePortfolio tool is provided to you for the purpose and is accessed through the right-hand column of the Canvas page. The journal is used to record insights gathered from course reading and other sources, as well as for noting personal reflections as the course proceeds. Students may reflect on their skills, resources, capabilities, thinking and learning styles as well as the course content and how it relates to their previous life experiences, and consider how they will prepare themselves for working in a management role deploying the skills and knowledge gained in this course.

Submission size: A maximum submission size is specified for assessment items. The specified sizes are adequate to cover the requirements to a high standard and they encourage focused and business-like writing and presentation. Note that words, slides, pages, or time in excess of the specified maximum submission size will not be marked.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Use of AI is rapidly growing in business, in particular the use of Large Language Models, of which there are many proprietary brands. In this course students may choose to use or to not use AI tools, but in any case where AI tools are used the student must accurately cite and reference the particular tools and must also advise in an appendix how they used the tool.Guidance on how to do this appropriately is provided in the Getting Started block on the Canvas page; the ANU provides further guidance at the following link: ANU Libguide https://libguides.anu.edu.au/generative-ai. As part of handling a potential breach of academic integrity, students are reminded that they may be requested to meet with the Convenor to discuss any assessment submission, including responding to questions on the content of submissions and on their understanding of the course concepts assessed by the submission.

Assessment submission standards: Detailed advice on assessment submission standards, including detailed guidance on what is counted towards submission size, is provided on the Canvas page.

Procedure for extensions: The procedure for obtaining an extension of time for an assessment item is advised in the section on LATE SUBMISSION.

Scaling: Your final mark for the course will be based on the raw marks allocated for each of your assessment items. However, your final mark might not be the same number as produced by that formula, as marks may be scaled. Any scaling applied will preserve the rank order of raw marks (ithat is, if your raw mark exceeds that of another student, then your scaled mark will exceed the scaled mark of that student), and may be either up or down.

Applicable timezone: The Australian National University is situated in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory and all references to times and dates refer to time in the Australian Capital Territory. Be aware that the Australian Capital Territory observes Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time in summer months; the effect of this is to shift the time by one hour from Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) to Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time (AEDT). This shift is taken into account in setting times for submission of assessment items or other activities so the set time will be as specified, but AEST or AEDT will apply depending on the time of year.

Support: The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these services is available online from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife/

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Part I: IntroductionTopic 1. Introduction: Evidence and Decision-making Decision-making as a cycle of inquiry and learning: Asking, acquiring, appraising, aggregating, and applying evidence and assessing decisions. Critical thinking as accurate description and accurate explanation The role of statistical and causal inference in critical thinking The Bayesian approach to critical thinking Key types of evidence: situation-specific evidence (stakeholders, professional experts and other data from within the organisation and its environment) and generalised evidence (scientific evidence)
2	Part II: Accurately Describing the Situation and Framing QuestionsTopic 2. Asking Appropriate Questions Problem framing and translating problems into answerable questions. Using PICOC and variants. Defining what makes a question useful for inquiry.
3	Topic 3. Describing the Situation 1: Using Professional Expertise to Articulate Prior Knowledge Eliciting, validating, and appraising professional expert opinion. Cognitive biases and strategies for critical reflection.	In-class: Paper-based quiz
4	Topic 4. Describing the Situation 2: Updating Prior Knowledge through Organisational, Industry and Stakeholder Evidence Gathering and using organisational/industry data and stakeholder experience. Understanding the role of descriptive statistics. Visualising and narrating the situation accurately.
5	Topic 5. Describing the Situation 3: Making Inferences about the Real World using Data from a Sample Samples and Populations A very basic introduction to statistical inference	Due: Problem Definition Report
6	Part III: Accurately Explaining the Situation and the Potential Impact of SolutionsTopic 6. Accurately Explaining Cause and Effect in Management Research design for causal inference: Experimental logic and observational alternatives. Confounding, control, and design quality. Causal reasoning in applied problems.
7	Topic 7. Acquiring Scientific Evidence Research hierarchies and how to find trustworthy sources. Systematic vs. opportunistic searching. Building a high-quality evidence base.
8	Topic 8. Appraising Scientific Evidence Research design, quality criteria, and critical reading. Relevance and trustworthiness.
9	Part IV: Decision-making: Aggregating and Applying the Evidence, Assessing ActionsTopic 9. Aggregation and Bayesian Updating Combining evidence from multiple sources. Introduction to Bayesian reasoning. Updating beliefs with new evidence.
10	Topic 10. Applying Evidence and Taking Action Decision-making frameworks. Incorporating feasibility, ethics, and politics. Communicating recommendations clearly.
11	Topic 11. Assessing Decisions: Bayesian Updating through Evaluation of Action Measuring outcomes and assessing effectiveness. Learning from results and closing the loop.	Group CAT presentations (schedule will be finalised in Week 9)
12	Topic 12. Being an Evidence-Based Practitioner Embedding EBM in organizations. Leading a culture of inquiry and evidence use.	Group CAT presentations (schedule will be finalised in Week 9)
13	End of Semester Examination Period	Due: Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) Group Report

Tutorial Registration

To enrol in a Seminar please consult the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
In-class Paper-based Quiz (Individual - 20%)	20 %	*	28/08/2026	1,2
Problem Definition Report (Individual Project - 25%)	25 %	28/08/2026	11/09/2026	1, 2, 3
Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) Presentation (Group Project - 20%)	20 %	16/10/2026	09/12/2026	1,2,3,4,5
Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) Report (Group Project - 35%)	35 %	06/11/2026	09/12/2026	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
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• 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 ‘Canvas’ 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

This course is a foundational element of post-graduate learning in the Research School of Management, and a substantial proportion is delivered through face-to-face teaching on campus. Teaching will be through interactive seminars that include small group work that reinforces learning and provides practice and guidance for assessable tasks. To gain the best and most effective results from these teaching sessions students are expected to study the topic readings prior to sessions. Resources including recorded lectures, core content, academic research articles, and other audio, visual, or textual resources that will be made available online through Canvas.

Examination(s)

There will be an in-class paper-based quiz in week 3.

Assessment Task 1

In-class Paper-based Quiz (Individual - 20%)

Purpose: This closed-book multiple choice quiz will firm up and test knowledge about the basic concepts related to EBM and systematic ways to formulate appropriate questions.

Description: This will be one closed-book, multiple choice, invigilated, in-class paper-based test of about an hour's duration, in Week 3. The test is an individual assessment. More information will be provided on Canvas in Week 1.

Weighting: 20% of the final mark for the course.

Feedback: Up to 10 working days after submission. Feedback for the test will be provided in week 4 or 5.

Assessment Task 2

Problem Definition Report (Individual Project - 25%)

Requirements: Students individually describe a managerial problem, including background and context, justify it with appropriate evidence, and then develop questions to focus further exploration of the problem and possible solutions. Detailed guidance for this piece of assessment will be provided on Canvas in Week 1.

Preparation: The supplied case study will be the default topic for this assessment item. However, students may select an individual topic related to their work, and meetings with the Convenor are provided for students to discuss their proposed topic with the Convenor.

Format & size limit: Information to be provided on Canvas in Week 1.

Submission: Via file submitted on the course Canvas site. Submit the deliverable in a format that preserves ‘tracked changes’ (e.g. MS Word, Apple Pages, or similar) that shows the progression of academic effort and contribution towards completing the task.

Weighting: 25% of total marks for this course.

Due date: 23:59 Friday Week 5

Marking: Details on marking criteria will be provided on Canvas in Week 1.

Feedback: Up to 10 working days after submission, excluding semester breaks.

IMPORTANT -- Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Students are welcome to use generative AI tools (e.g. GPT-4, DALL-E, Copilot) and other tools (e.g. Grammarly) to support their learning in a way that is consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI. The writing needs to be your own. As such, please be aware of the following additional conditions for this assessment task:

• Clearly acknowledge the use of Artificial Intelligence in the relevant parts of the assessment task

Assessment Task 3

Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) Presentation (Group Project - 20%)

Requirements: Students as a group prepare and present their CAT report (assessment task 3) in an online presentation. Detailed guidance for this piece of assessment will be provided on the Canvas page.

Preparation: Groups will be self-selected. Each group member will present the work they have worked on, or some portion of the group report, as agreed upon by the group.

Format & size limit: The presentations will be online. The PowerPoint slides will be submitted on Canvas in the week before the presentations. A detailed brief on the timing, structure and format of the presentation will be available in Week 2 on Canvas. The presentation schedule will be available in Week 9. Members of each group will each present their work and then respond to questions in a discussion session with the marker (15 minutes in total). Note that discussion sessions will be video-recorded in order to enable later validation and verification of assessment if required, in accordance with point 7 of the ANU Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy.

Note also that, as advised in the section on "Submission size" below, words, slides, pages, or time in excess of the specified maximum submission size will not be marked.

Marking: Marks will be individually allocated based on the quality of individual contribution to group work. Details on marking criteria will be provided on Canvas in Week 2.

Weighting: 20% of the total mark

Due date: PPT files will be due on the Friday of week 10. Online presentation sessions will be scheduled during Weeks 11 & 12. Students will book their time slot for their discussion session during the previous week; note that presentation sessions may not be rescheduled unless supported by the necessary documentation for an Extenuating Circumstances Application.

Feedback: With the release of the final results.

IMPORTANT -- Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Students are welcome to use generative AI tools (e.g. GPT-4, DALL-E, Copilot) and other tools (e.g. Grammarly) to support their learning in a way that is consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI. The writing needs to be your own. As such, please be aware of the following additional condition for this assessment task:

• Clearly acknowledge the use of Artificial Intelligence in the relevant parts of the assessment task

Assessment Task 4

Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) Report (Group Project - 35%)

Requirements: Students as a group prepare a business report to apply scientific evidence to a research question that has been developed in response to the previously defined management problem, including a revised version of the problem definition. Detailed guidance for this piece of assessment will be provided on the Canvas page in Week 2.

Preparation: Groups will be self-selected. The group would need to combine forces to refine the problem definition from each of their own individual problem definitions, in light of the feedback received.

Format & size limit: A detailed brief on the structure and format of this written report will be available in Week 2 on Canvas. Word limit: 1200 (+10%) words. Though there will be no penalty for going over the limit, the portion in excess of the limit will not be read or marked.

Submission: Via file submitted on the course Canvas site. Submit the deliverable in a format that preserves ‘tracked changes’ (e.g. MS Word, Apple Pages, or similar) that shows the progression of academic effort and contribution towards completing the task.

Weighting: 35% of the final mark.

Marking: Marks will be individually allocated based on the quality of individual contribution to group work. Details on marking criteria will be provided on Canvas in Week 2.

Due date: 23:59 Friday Week 13 (Exam period) - 6th Nov 2026

Feedback: With the release of the final results.

IMPORTANT -- Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Students are welcome to use generative AI tools (e.g. GPT-4, DALL-E, Copilot) and other tools (e.g. Grammarly) to support their learning in a way that is consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI. The writing needs to be your own. Please be aware of this important condition: You must clearly acknowledge the use of Artificial Intelligence in the relevant parts of the assessment task.

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

Use of Turnitin: Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Lodgement: 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.

Identification: On all assignments you should only give your student number as identification; your name should not be included anywhere in the file.

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 include the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Requests for Assessment Adjustment (Assessment Extension and Extenuating Circumstances Application) should be submitted via ANUHub.

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. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

All assignments will be marked and/or returned according to the timeline specified under ASSESSMENT SUMMARY.

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 applicable to this course.

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 Accessibility 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 supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students