Outline

Overview

Teachers use and engage in research in a range of different ways with the aim of informing and improving their practice, from using reseach done by others to inform their decision making, to conducting classroom-based inquiry as professional learning and development. This unit of study is designed to equip you with the understanding and skills required to embed research into your everyday practice as a teacher. You will be encouraged to develop an appreciation of the broad range of research topics in education and their associated forms of systematic inquiry and to develop your capacity to make links between research, policy, teaching and learning. The unit will provide opportunities for you to become more familiar with the relationship between research and practice so that you can locate, critically analyse and use published material to investigate, understand and enrich your own practice and, in the future, exercise leadership in this regard. A series of expert lectures in the production and use of educational research will be complemented by workshops and assessment tasks designed to encourage you to synthesise different kinds and sources of research-based knowledge about students, teachers, schools, classrooms and communities.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Education
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	96 credit points of units, including (EDUF2006 and EDUF2007)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Lina Markauskaite, lina.markauskaite@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Kathryn Bartimote, kathryn.bartimote@sydney.edu.au
	Neriman Coskun, neriman.coskun@sydney.edu.au
	Pat Norman, pat.norman@sydney.edu.au
	Lina Markauskaite, lina.markauskaite@sydney.edu.au
	Aek Phakiti, aek.phakiti@sydney.edu.au
	Julian Wood, julian.wood@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Dominic Hearne, dominic.hearne@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Claudia Alarcon Espinoza, claudia.alarconespinoza@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Assignment 2: An interactive mini-tutorial Develop & facilitate a mini-tutorial on an assigned course theme	25%	Multiple weeks Closing date: 22 Sep 2023	25 minutes (equivalent to 1100 words)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 3: A research literature review on a selected educational issue Review of existing research on a selected educational issue	30%	Please select a valid week from the list below Due date: 04 Sep 2023 at 23:59	1200 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 4: A plan for a classroom research project The final assignment to demonstrate cumulative learning	35%	Week 09 Due date: 03 Oct 2023 at 23:59	1600 words
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Assignment 1: A research design task (weekly) Completion of weekly research design activities in Weeks 1-4 and 6-7.	10%	Weekly	Equivalent to 600 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Assignment 1: A research design task (weekly): In weeks 1-4 and 6-7, you will complete weekly asynchronous activities related to the main aspects of research project design, such as an initial framing of the project, literature review, and methodological design. Timely and satisfactory completion of each week’s activity contributes 2% to your final mark (max. 10% in total).

Assignment 2: An interactive mini-tutorial: In groups of about 2 students, you will design and facilitate an interactive tutorial for your peers in which you will explore deeper one methodological topic. This mini-tutorial will be a part of your weekly face-to-face tutorial session and will be aligned with the week's theme. It is expected to be up to 25 minutes, including any Q&A. Your tutor will assign you a topic and allocate you to a group.

Assignment 3: A literature review on a selected educational issue: For this task, you will choose an educational issue related to your future work as a teacher and write a literature review. This review should be written from a practitioner-researcher perspective. It should critically assess and synthesise what research says about your chosen issue, describe implications for educational practitioners and identify potential avenues for future practitioner research.

Assignment 4: A plan for a practitioner research project: For this task, you will draw on your literature review (Assignment 3) and develop a plan for a small-scale practitioner-driven research project based on a particular issue relevant to your future professional practice. The research project should relate to an aspect of your future professional career as a teacher and should be capable of being implemented in your next professional experience placement.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

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	The requirements and learning outcomes of the unit are met to the highest standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	The requirements and learning outcomes of the unit are met to a high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	The requirements and learning outcomes of the unit are met to a satisfactory standard.
Pass	50 - 64	The requirements and learning outcomes of the unit are met to the minimal standard.
Fail	0 - 49	The requirements and learning outcomes of the unit are not met to the minimal 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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Weekly tasks that contribute to Assignment 1 must be completed in time (0% will be awarded for late weekly submissions). Standard penalties apply for late submissions of all other assignments.

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	Educators and research: Introduction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 01	Asynchronous online Research design task	Online class (2 hr)
Week 02	Educators, ethics and research	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Asynchronous online Research design task	Online class (2 hr)
Week 03	Reading research	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Asynchronous online Research design task	Online class (2 hr)
Week 04	Methodological approaches and research designs in education	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Asynchronous online Research design task	Online class (2 hr)
Week 05	Qualitative research methods and data	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Quantitative research methods and data	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Asynchronous online Research design task	Online class (2 hr)
Week 07	Research paradigms in educational research	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Asynchronous online Research design task	Online class (2 hr)
Week 08	Teacher-researcher: Practitioner research	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90% of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the coordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

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

Textbook: Moriarty, B. (2018). Research skills for teachers: From research question to research design. Allen and Unwin.

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. Read, understand and evaluate the various kinds of educational research that are needed for ongoing professional learning
LO2. Understand how to draw on relevant research to support learning and teaching
LO3. Design practitioner research projects to specific professional contexts
LO4. Use foundational educational data collection and analysis techniques
LO5. Connect theory, research and practice when using and planning research
LO6. Apply research to develop professional identities as educators and life-long learners.

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.

Changes to assessments and activities: 1. Removed weekly asynchronous Single Case Research Design Tutorials and Assessment. 2. The final large assessment project split into two smaller assessments and redesigned. 3. Themes for interactive tutorials made more specific and distinct from the lectures.

Additional information

Demerit for not meeting the word length requirement is 10% of the awarded mark unless otherwhise stated in the description of the assignment.

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

EDUF4044: Reading and Applying Educational Research

Semester 2, 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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect