Outline

Overview

There is often no single, one-size-fits-all solution to problems. This is because our complex world is dynamic and interdependent, where multiple stakeholders with competing interests are deeply and widely interconnected. We need to make decisions in this complex, rapidly changing context with incomplete information. Solving complex problems requires not only innovative thinking, but also a multidisciplinary perspective that draws on higher-order thinking. Guided by complex systems theory and higher-level analytical approaches, we engage in the process of enquiry to grasp the complexity of some of the world’s wickedest problems. We draw on strategic thinking, systems thinking, design thinking, and other higher-order thinking skills to help in the understanding and solutioning of complex problems. In cross-disciplinary teams, we devise different ways of insightfully tackling major issues and proposing innovative and practical approaches for positive social change.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Accounting
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	must be in the Dalyell stream
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Please note that where this unit of study is on offer in either the Intensive January or the Intensive February session, the classes for these sessions commence prior to semester one
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Praveena Chandra, praveena.chandra@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Praveena Chandra, praveena.chandra@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 19 January 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Briefing Paper Written Task	10%	Week 01 Due date: 16 Jan 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 26 Jan 2024	600 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Literature Review Written Task	20%	Week 01 Due date: 19 Jan 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 29 Jan 2024	800 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Ideas Paper and Pitch Written analysis and pitch	50%	Week 03 Due date: 02 Feb 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 12 Feb 2024	2000 words and 3 min pitch
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Stakeholder Interview Conducting interview/survey and written task	20%	Week 03 Due date: 29 Jan 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 08 Feb 2024	800 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Briefing Paper (Individual assignment)

This is a 600 words written task. Check CANVAS for more details.

Literature Review (Individual assignment)

This is a 800 word written task. Check CANVAS for more details.

Stakeholder Interview (Individual assignment)

Check CANVAS for more details.

Ideas Paper and Pitch (Group assignment)

This is a 2000-word assignment along with a 3 minute pitch. Check CANVAS for more details.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Ongoing	Module 1: Understanding Complex Problems 1) Introduction 2) Enquiry Approach 3) Complex Problems Overview	Block teaching (8 hr)
	Module 2: Analysing Complex Problems 1) Levels of Analysis 2) Systems Thinking 3) Approaches to Problem Solving 4) Human Centered Solutions 5) Stakeholder perspective	Block teaching (8 hr)
	Module 3: Making sense of Complexity 1) Ideation 2) Different perspectives in solutioning 3) Solution assessment	Block teaching (8 hr)
	Module 4: Looking beyond solutions 1) Risk assessment 2) Anticipating Change 3) Real World Impact	Block teaching (8 hr)
	Module 5: Closing the loop 1) Team Presentations	Block teaching (8 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Teams will be formed in the first day of classes. It is important that you attend this class so you do not miss the opportunity to start working with a team from week 1.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Explain the unique characteristics and challenges of complex problems.
LO2. Craft a clear problem statement.
LO3. Analyse a complex problem with a multidisciplinary and multidimensional perspective.
LO4. Evaluate alternative courses of action and propose complex problem solutions that synthesise multiple dimensions and perspectives.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The following changes have been made: 1. The weightage of the group assignment has been increased to 50%. Since teamwork is a big part of this unit of study, the increase in the weightage is reasonable. 2. The weightage of the individual assignment Briefing paper, has been reduced to 10%. 3. A new individual assignment, Literature Review, of weightage 20% has been created. 4. A new individual assignment, Stakeholder Interview, of weight 20% has been created. 5. All other assignments from previous semester have been removed. These changes have been made based on the observations from previous cohorts and informal discussions with students.

Additional information

Business School Policies

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BUDL3901: Unravelling Complex Problems

Intensive January, 2024 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect