In today's globalized world, fostering inclusive and equitable cultures in workplaces and educational institutions is more critical than ever. The Australian National University (ANU) recognizes the significance of creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is committed to becoming a national leader in this area. This course is designed to review the latest research on institutional equity, diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI), enabling students to familiarize themselves with best practices in addressing any remaining barriers.

The course is based on sociological concepts of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, social closure and intersectionality, which serve as the foundation for this research. Additionally, the course teaches students quantitative methods to advance inclusion and diversity, with two distinct streams available: the beginner stream and the application stream for students with prior exposure to computational and statistical methods.

The main objective of this course is to enable participants to learn, consolidate and apply a range of quantitative methods, including the use of appropriate software. The unit adopts a student-centred approach, with teaching and learning centred around a research project designed and completed throughout the course. By the end of the semester, students will have acquired the practical skills and theoretical knowledge necessary to advance EDI practices in diverse institutional settings.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. critically engage with the leading methodologies used in studies of equity, diversity and inclusion;
2. understand the study design and ethical considerations in research on equity, diversity and inclusion;
3. design a small EDI project using appropriate methodologies and computational approaches;
4. utilise appropriate computational software to complete an EDI research project; and
5. collect primary data or analyse secondary data and present the project's findings to non-technical audiences.

Research-Led Teaching

With the support of an instructor, students complete an independently designed research project based on publicly available or self-generated data. Students identify or collect data and propose an EDI-related project on which they receive feedback and guidance. As the last step, students will perform data analyses and write a report.

Examination Material or equipment

This course does not involve a formal exam. However, students will complete 2 quizzes, each within a 7 day-time window. Once closed, the quizzes will not be opened, so students who do not wish to forego quiz credit are advised to set up reminders not to forget about quiz availability periods.

Required Resources

Students will need a personal computer with suitable open-source (R) or ANU-licenced (Stata) software to participate in weekly workshops.  All required readings and activities for this course will be provided in the course Wattle site.

Recommended Resources

The course Wattle site will list recommended resources.

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

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.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	1: Why research equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI)? On course structure and its objectives.	Workshop 1: Do quantitative EDI studies follow specific presentation formats? Replication as a learning tool.
2	2: Conceptual foundations: a sociologically critical approach to the Theory of Social Change	Workshop 2: Conceptualisation and operationalisation in EDI studies - measurement
3	3: Are prediction and causality possible in EDI research? Capturing intersectionality and other complex concepts.	Workshop 3: Bivariate and multivariate models for matrix data.
4	4: Collecting data on EDI - primary versus secondary data - data as matrices or text	Workshop 4: Introduction to Natural Language Processing: Part 1
5	5: Textual and network data - EDI examples of textual and network data analysis	Workshop 5: Introduction to Natural Language Processing: Part 2
6	6: Dealing with uncertainty, probability, error and missing data	Workshop 6: What to do about sampling, missing data and when data is and is not good enough.
7	7: Experimental EDI research - designs and challenges	Workshop 7: Can we conduct our own EDI experiments?
8	8: Social Networks Modelling in EDI	Workshop 8: Off-campus research project focus time - individual or teamwork
9	9: Ethics and research governance - merit, justice, beneficence and respect in EDI	Workshop 9: Transforming variables for confidentiality + research project focus time
10	10: More on uncertainty in EDI studies - statistical versus substantive significance	Workshop 10: Drawing clear conclusions from complex models + research project focus time
11	11: Reporting in EDI studies - combining text, visual and tabular data	Workshop 11: Practicum in combining text, visual and tabular data + research project focus time
12	12: Limitations of EDI research - how and why acknowledge	Workshop 12: What non-technical audiences need + research project focus time

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	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Assessment Task 1: Research Project Proposal	20 %	29/03/2024	2,3,4
Assessment Task 2: Quiz 1	10 %	28/03/2024	1,2
Assessment Task 3: Quiz 2	10 %	30/05/2024	1,2
Assessment Task 4: Research Project Report	40 %	31/05/2024	1,2,4,5
Assessment Task 5: Workshop participation	20 %	*	1,4,5

* 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 ‘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

See Assessment Task 5

Examination(s)

There is no formal exam.

Assessment Task 1

Assessment Task 1: Research Project Proposal

Detailed guidelines will be provided in Wattle. The project can be designed individually or with two other students (a group of three). The proposal word limit is 1100 words with 10% leeway. Assessment criteria are in the Wattle rubric, accessible through the assignment submission link. Written feedback will be uploaded to Wattle. The estimated return date is approximately two weeks for submissions received on time. Students submitting group proposals must include individual sheets showing their contributions in the overall work breakdown. Sheet templates will be provided in Wattle. Each group member submits a group work proposal through the Wattle submission link to receive credit.

Assessment Task 2

Assessment Task 2: Quiz 1

Quizzes cover lectures, readings and workshop activities. They are open for seven days, and students are given one hour for quiz completion. Questions are in multiple-choice format. Answers are released to students after seven days, so quizzes cannot be reopened. Quiz 1 covers material up to its opening date.

Assessment Task 3

Assessment Task 3: Quiz 2

Quizzes cover lectures, readings and workshop activities. They are open for seven days, and students are given one hour for quiz completion. Questions are in multiple-choice format. Answers are released to students after seven days, so quizzes cannot be reopened. Quiz 2 covers material covered since the opening of Quiz 1.

Assessment Task 4

Assessment Task 4: Research Project Report

Detailed guidelines will be provided in Wattle. The report must be submitted by the same group if the proposal was submitted as a group project. The proposal word limit is 3,100 words with 10% leeway. Assessment criteria are in the Wattle rubric, accessible through the assignment submission link. Written feedback will be uploaded to Wattle. The grades will be released with course results. Students submitting group reports must include individual sheets showing their contributions to the overall work breakdown. Sheet templates will be provided in Wattle. To receive credit. Each group member submits a group work proposal through the Wattle submission link.

Assessment Task 5

Assessment Task 5: Workshop participation

Workshop participation comprises on-campus peer interactions, including group work, problem-solving and activity completion. Students can miss two workshops and still receive maximum participation credit. At the end of each workshop, participants submit the outcome of their in-class activity through the Wattle link for credit. These submissions can be identical for groups who worked together but must be uploaded individually.

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

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

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• 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.

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

Students will not usually be able to resubmit their assignments.

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 all ANU students