MECO6946: Semester 1, 2023

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Units MECO6946 Semester 1 2023 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

MECO6946: Industry Research Project

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This capstone unit is designed for students completing a second master's degree in the Media and Communications area at Sydney. This unit provides students with the opportunity to apply learning from their degree to the completion of a researched project relevant to their career goals. Working with the coordinator, students choose an academic essay, industry report, media campaign or journalism project. Learning is supported by training in literature reviewing and data collection, research methods, project planning and independent consultations.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	48 credit points from Digital Communication and Cultures or Media Practice or Health Communication or Strategic Public Relations or Publishing degree tables and (MECO6904 or MECO6905 or MECO6928 or MECO6932 or MECO6935 or MECO6947)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Xiang Ren, x.ren@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Sarah Ayoub, sarah.ayoub@sydney.edu.au
	Jennifer Hagedorn, jennifer.hagedorn@sydney.edu.au
	Johannes Scherpenhuizen, jan.scherpenhuizen@sydney.edu.au
	Chunmeizi Su, chunmeizi.su@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Major project Major professional/industry project.	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 06 Jun 2023 at 23:59	3500 word equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflective essay Reflection essay.	20%	Formal exam period Due date: 13 Jun 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Project Presentation Final project presentation. Due in class weeks 12 or 13.	10%	Multiple weeks	3 - 5 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Project proposal presentation Project proposal presentation.	10%	Week 04	3 - 5 mins.
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project proposal report Written project proposal	20%	Week 07 Due date: 06 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1000 words project proposal
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Please note all assignments must be submitted. Failure to submit a assessments can result in automatic failure of unit.

Assessment criteria

High distinction	85 – 100
Distinction	75 – 84
Credit	65 – 74
Pass	50 – 64
Fail	0 – 49

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:

5% per day

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 -02	Researching your topic: the different genres.	Seminar (2 hr)
Week -03	Reviewing literature: researching for sources	Seminar (2 hr)
Week -04	Proposal presentations (in class)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week -05	Develop question: Writing a focused research question, identifying your assumptions, and conceptualising an answer	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to unit	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Targeting your investigation: Industry, text, audience, writing to persuade, methods: qualitative versus quantitative, collecting data	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Analysing data and literature findings: Interpreting data, and ethical frameworks	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	1. Project planning: Self-evaluation and reflection 2. Scheduling consultations and presentations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	One on one consultations and project development	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	One on one consultations and project development	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	One on one consultations and project development	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Project presentations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Project presentations	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. For students unable to attend class due to extuating circumstances (e.g., travel ban), you will be expected to participate in online discussions and activities each week. Please refer to Canvas for specific information. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the Canvas. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience if you are are able to attend class.

Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

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

Readings available for this unit can be accessed on the Library link available on Canvas. Note, as this unit involves an independent project, there are few prescribed readings. However, reading should be conducted on a weekly basis, the equivalent of a chapter or two journal articles or rough equivalent at a minimum in order to successfully engage with the project.

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. Demonstrate an understanding of a particular section of your chosen industry to identify and assess work in the appropriate genre
LO2. Demonstrate the use and value of research and analysis in responding to potential or emerging communication problems and opportunities
LO3. Effectively apply strategic and creative communication skills to complex challenges and opportunities.
LO4. Exercise critical judgement in relation to assessing possible solutions or treatments
LO5. Demonstrate initiative in engaging with industry professionals (where applicable) and apply learning in a practice environment.
LO6. Use information in critical, creative and scholarly thinking.

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.

In response to students, new assessment handbook materials and resources will be made available.

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

Disclaimer

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