Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- The Environment School
Theory, philosophy & application of research in geography, planning and environmental management with an emphasis on building up the research proposal required for Masters or Doctoral theses.
- To develop an understanding of the nature of scientific and non-scientific research and the necessity for project design, time management and effective communication.
- To develop skills to enable you to identify a significant research or applied problem, and then obtain relevant literature and design a research or project methodology to collect and analyse data for addressing the problem. The research design and implementation stage will involve selection and critical assessment of relevant literature, development of appropriate data collection and analysis strategies, formulation of research objectives and hypotheses, generation of task lists and project timelines, communication skills and identification of limitations and outputs from the research process.
Course requirements
Assumed background
The pre-requisite for GEOS6001 / GEOS7001 is at least three years of undergraduate study, and the completion of a bachelor’s degree or entry into the 4th yearﾠof an honours program / or entry into a graduate program, respectively. If you have any concerns or special needs in relation to this course please see the coordinator. Any student with a disability who may require alternative academic arrangements in the course is encouraged to seek advice at the commencement of semester from a Disability Adviser at Student Services.ﾠStudent Services (http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/) also provide a range of personal counselling services that students may find necessary or desirable.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
Permission of Head of School
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
GEOS6001, ENVM4008 and ERTH6701
Course contact
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
To provide an introduction to the process of research design and implementation leading to the development of a proposal and timeline for completion of your thesis or dissertation.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Explain the nature and basic concepts of research in the context of the main disciplines; earth sciences, environmental management, environmental science, geography and planning.
LO2.
Conduct a literature search using relevant library tools to identify the core areas of knowledge and questions requiring research to answer.
LO3.
Construct a critical review of a published body of research in your discipline area.
LO4.
Construct a research proposal using a recognised research design methodology from the discipline area that you work within.
LO5.
Identify techniques available for the collection of biophysical, social, economic and cultural data and justify their use in certain projects.
LO6.
Translate research objectives or questions into tasks of: data collection, analysis, argument, experiment or project, as is appropriate to your discipline. Develop a plan to undertake the work considering constraints of time, equipment, field conditions and coordination with other researchers or consultants; and present this as a time-line or task-schedule for your project.
LO7.
Produce a standard format research proposal that clearly distinguishes the research findings from existing knowledge and argues for the significance of the research. Present this clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences and readers. The completed research proposal and presentation will guide your research in the following semester(s), through to the presentation of the dissertation.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution | 3MT-style presentation | 20% |
To be delivered in class in Teaching Week 5 |
| Essay/ Critique, Translation/ Interpretation | Literature review | 35% |
To be submitted through Turnitin from the Blackboard site by 2 pm on Friday in Teaching Week 10 |
| Essay/ Critique | Two-page research proposal (EOI-style) | 30% |
To be submitted through Turnitin from the Blackboard site by 2 pm on Friday in Teaching Week 13 |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Seminar notes | 15% |
To be submitted through Turnitin from the Blackboard site by 4 pm on Friday in Teaching Week 13 |
Assessment details
3MT-style presentation
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
To be delivered in class in Teaching Week 5
- Learning outcomes
- L01
Task description
Students are required to present a short presentation to introduce their project topic. The requirement and format of this task will follow those of UQ 3MT presentations
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Literature review
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Translation/ Interpretation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
To be submitted through Turnitin from the Blackboard site by 2 pm on Friday in Teaching Week 10
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L05
Task description
Students are required to develop a critical review of the literature relevant to their research project.
Submission guidelines
Students are required to communicate their research proposal in a compelling two-page document, similar to an ‘Expression of Interest’, used to obtain funding for research project. Details will be provided in class.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Two-page research proposal (EOI-style)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
To be submitted through Turnitin from the Blackboard site by 2 pm on Friday in Teaching Week 13
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Students are required to communicate their research proposal in a compelling two-page document, similar to an ‘Expression of Interest’, used to obtain funding for research project.
Submission guidelines
Submit online via Turnitin through the course Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Seminar notes
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
To be submitted through Turnitin from the Blackboard site by 4 pm on Friday in Teaching Week 13
- Learning outcomes
- L03
Task description
Students are required to attend five research seminars in the first semester. Seminars could be School-based seminars or seminars outside of UQ. Students need to develop a note for each seminar. See Honours Handbook for more information
Submission guidelines
Submit electronically through Turnitin on the course Blackboard site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 0% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 30% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 45% |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 50% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 65% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 75% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 85% |
Additional course grading information
The final grade for the course will typically fall within the above mentioned ranges.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Applications for Extensions
Information on applying for an extension can be found here - my.UQ Applying for an extension
Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.
If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
Please note: While your extension request is being considered, you should work towards completing and submitting your assessment as soon as possible.
If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses. You might need to consider applying for removal of course. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)
For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
Artificial Intelligence Use (AI)
The assessment tasks in this course evaluate students’ abilities, skills, and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
ﾠ
Turnitin
By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.
All students must ensure they receive their Turnitin receipt on submission of any assessments. A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if assessments are missing. Without evidence, the assessment will receive the standard late penalty, or after five days, will receive zero.
In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Workshop |
Weekly meetings (Monday 10am-1pm, Brisbane time) Please refer to the table in Section 4.2. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Additional learning activity information
Refer to week-by-week schedule in the Honours Handbook
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.