Outline

Overview

The Business Practicum offers students an opportunity to interact with a sponsor organisation (eg corporate, SME, NFP, government) while working on a project provided by it that requires a specific outcome by the end of the semester. The project examines the sponsor's current activities, challenges and future aspirations. While undertaking the unit, participants research the issues presented by the project and determine its scope and key deliverables in consultation with the sponsor. This process enables students to apply theoretical knowledge learned in class, where it is useful, and critically analyse data found during research to provide possible solutions to the problems identified. The final stage is communicating the key outcomes via a written report to the sponsor at the end of the project. Additionally, for the duration of the project, students are expected to reflect on how they have developed as an individual and as part of a team as a means of developing a professional identity that highlights their distinctive self and to consider their own personal employment strategies while building professional networks.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Work Integrated Learning Hub
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	BUSS6104
Assumed knowledge ?	A sound understanding of business and strong written and oral communication skills
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Gaia Grant, gaia.grant@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Assignment 1: Individual Performance Report Reflection & review of individual performance	30%	Week 04 Due date: 19 Mar 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 29 Mar 2023	1250 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 2: Project Proposal for Industry Partner Group research report with individual presentation component	40%	Week 11 Due date: 14 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 17 May 2023	20 mins PPT pres / 3,000 word script
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Assignment 3: Participation and In-class Activities Participation, regular log entries & meeting reports from class exercises	30%	Week 13 Due date: 28 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 02 Jun 2023	Ongoing
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

ASSIGNMENT 1: Individual Performance Report
In this assessment you are required to critically reflect on your experience working on the task to date, which is designed to simulate a standard work performance review. You will compare initial expectations and goals with what you have learnt about yourself in the process of the project work, evaluating how well you are contributing to the team and project. As a part of this reflection, you must engage critically with an academic framework to inform your analysis.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Industry Partner Project Report & Presentation
At the end of the semester your group will be required to create a professional business report outlining the process and findings of the research project. Each group member will be responsible for contributing to the production of a specific section of the report then for presenting this sectiont. Note that while this is a group presentation with a group grade for the report overall, you will also be graded individually for your specific contributions and your individual presentation skills.

ASSIGNMENT 3: Participation & In-class Activities
As this unit is designed as an interactive learning experience, active attendance and participation in at least 80% of seminars and workshops is required. This involves camera-on participation for online sessions, along with participating in group discussions and responding to questions asked in regular log entries. It also involves active contributions to the group project processes such as coordinating meetings and producing meeting reports. This approach is based on standard business practices. Full participation will help to ensure you have all the information you need to complete the project successfully, that you have the opportunity to practice using the models and tools introduced with adequate guidance, and that you contribute to the team effort appropriately.

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT & to the 4 mode model A. TEAM PREPARATION FOR THE PROJECT - Project overview & teamwork strategies. (Note: Each week includes an interactive seminar (1 hr) + team workshop (2 hr) – online and face-to face options are available for the workshop)	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 02	B. CLIENT PREPARATION FOR THE PROJECT - Meeting the client, understanding the brief, and initial insights.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 03	C. RESEARCH PREPARATION FOR THE PROJECT - The philosophy of research and data collection.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	MODE 1. IDENTIFY CHALLENGES (DISCOVER): Collecting data to identify core challenges.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	MODE 2. CLARIFY CHALLENGES (DEFINE): Managing the client journey - client brief, storyboarding, & ideation. Client Project Progress Check-in 1 - skeleton draft & Gantt chart must be ready (allocation of resources, project timings etc)	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 06	MODE 3. DESIGN SOLUTIONS (DEVELOP): (a) PLAN APPROACH - Planning, modelling, and mapping.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 07	MODE 3. (b) TESTING - Prototyping & feedback.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 08	MODE 3. (c) REFINING - Revising & reviewing.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 09	MODE 4. PRESENT SOLUTIONS (DELIVER): (a) PREPARING TO PRESENT: Presentation master class - learning to pitch and perform. Client Sponsor Project Check-in 2 (Q&A on progress, obstacles, clarifications).	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 10	MODE 4. (b) FINALISING PRESENTATION - Developing, designing, & making final decisions.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 11	MODE 4. (c) PRACTISING THE PITCH - Final pitch revision, practice, and refinement.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	WRAP UP & EVALUATION	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 13	FINAL PITCH PRESENTATIONS	Workshop (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance and participation in at least 80% of seminars (lectures) and workshops (tutorial) classes is required. Students will be asked to complete a make-up exercise where there is an unavoidable clash with a class or a valid reason for non-attendance. This alternative arrangement can only be granted by the Unit Coordinator.

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.

Required readings

Please see the Reading List provided in Canvas.

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. Contextualize your academic disciplinary learning within real-world industry settings.
LO2. Identify, research, analyse, and critique issues facing modern organisations operating in a business environment.
LO3. Collaborate effectively with peers.
LO4. Articulate different perspectives on their experience in order to improve practice.
LO5. Demonstrate contextually relevant written and oral communication skills.

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.

A new unit code and title is being used for the first time. Updates to assessments are based on student feedback to support learning and include: a consolidated Individual Performance Report assignment, a 'pitch' presentation based on the Executive Summary section of the Project Report, and new online participation log check-ins.

Additional information

It is recommended you check the Learning Activities and Assessment requirements carefully before the unit commences to ensure you are able to commit to the specific unit requirements.

Business School Policies

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Some site visits to the industry partner office for briefing and/or final pitch sessions may be required.

Work, health and safety

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

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BWIL6300: Business Consulting Practicum

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - 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

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect