Word limits and penalties

Word limits are maximum word counts. Students are strongly encouraged to stay within word limits.

1. The following are not included in word counts:
   1. 1. Bibliographic references (whether in text, footnotes, endnotes or a bibliography);
      2. Appendices - but the content of appendices will not be marked.
2. The content of tables are included in the word count.
3. Discursive footnotes are not permitted.

A penalty of 5% of the available marks will be applied to submissions that go above the word limit.

Legal obligations

Where can I go for further information on the Deed Poll? 

Under the University’s Intellectual Property Policy 2016, you must be given a reasonable opportunity to review the Deed Poll before responding to the offer to undertake the project. You may choose to access legal advice including through the Students' Representative Council. Please consider the acknowledgments in the Deed Poll carefully and ask your Project Supervisor for more information if required. The University cannot give legal advice, but can provide you with further information about the relevant Industry partner or instructions about how to sign. 

Are students permitted to use the Partner's intellectual property? 

Yes. The Partners have provided a licence to each student and the University to use any documents, information, plans and reports relating to the business of the Partner, that have been provided to the University or students in connection with a Project. These documents and information are to be used strictly for the purposes of the Project and must be kept confidential. The Partner has reciprocal obligations to the University. 

Do students retain their intellectual property rights?

Yes. Students provide a perpetual license to the University, via the Deed Poll, for the purposes of the unit of study, by which it may be extended under specific conditions to the Partner. Ownership of the students' work and related intellectual property is not transferred to the University or Partner. Importantly, students may share ownership of intellectual property that is generated collaboratively in the course of the unit of study. However, students should not enforce their intellectual property rights in any way that impedes the interests of other students. For example, prevent them from submitting collaborative work for assessment.

Do students have confidentiality obligations? 

Yes. The University and our partners have mutually agreed to keep each other's confidential information confidential.  Students have also undertaken by Deed to keep confidential information provided by the partner confidential.   

Do Partners receive copies of students' work? 

A copy of your presentation and/or your final report may be provided to the Partner on some Projects.  Please ask your Project Supervisor for further details.

Important ICPU arrangements

• Groupwork Simple extensions: Students should apply for simple extensions for their Individual assessments via https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/simple-extensions.html. For group assessments, individuals students should email their Project Supervisor ensuring that they cc all team members
• Academic appeals: Students should follow the following appeal process in this unit of study: 
  • Students contact their Project Supervisor to discuss their concerns regarding the academic decision and receive a better understanding of why the decision was made. 
  • If students are unhappy with that decision, they contact the Associate Director Interdisciplinary and Engaged Learning (DVC-Education (EEE), Dr Elisabeth Valiente-Riedl, elisabeth.valiente-riedl@sydney.edu.au, to raise their concerns. 
  • If students’ concerns are not resolved, they may contact their faculty or school and follow the appeals process specific to their faculty or school. (https://sydney.edu.au/students/academic-appeals/resolution.html#faculty).
• Student partner contact: Partner engagement is managed by the Project Supervisor in conjunction with the EEE team. Student contact with the partner is to be facilitated by the Project Supervisor at all times. Students must not contact a partner directly without prior permission from their Project Supervisor.
• Student research - ethics approval: There may be limited scope for students to undertake small, negligible-risk primary research in their projects, such as carefully constructed surveys or questionnaires. If students are thinking about conducting research as part of their project work, they must discuss this with their Project Supervisor early in the program. No primary research is permitted without approval from your Project Supervisor.
• Deed Poll requirements: Students registered for a project will need to upload a signed and witnessed Deed Poll to Canvas. This is a compulsory requirement for all students enrolled in this unit. Students must consider the acknowledgments in the deed carefully before submission. Students will be granted access to Canvas the week before teaching starts for their enrolled session and will need to submit the Deed Poll by or on the first day of class.
• Use of student work for education purposes: A copy of students’ presentation and/or final report may be provided to the partner on some projects. Students can ask the Project Supervisor for further details. Submitted assignments may be used to evaluate assessment models and course design in accordance with the University’s Coursework Policy 2021. De-identified assignments may also be shared with future students as examples of completed work, or as a basis for developing past students’ work in future iterations of projects.
• ICPU website information: https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/industry-and-community-projects.html.