Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 8
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
Research thesis describing the background, methods and discussion of research work executed. Students will build upon the research proposal (GEOS6001) developed in their previous semester of studies.
The research PLANNING THESIS is the culminating course activity for individuals in the BRTP program. It is suitable for students seeking to undertake substantial, individual research activity that will provide a solid foundation in research and enhance students' research skills. Upon completion, high achieving students may pursue a research higher degree program or a research-orientated profession. In general, students who undertake research thesis are highly sought after and recognised by potential employers due to their ability to undertake independent, complex, multi-faceted and more research-orientated work.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students entering PLAN4008 will have obtained official permission to enter the fourth year thesis option of the BRTP. Prior or concurrent studies in GEOG6001 Research Philosophy,ﾠDesign and Implementation is compulsory.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
GEOS6001 and Permission of Head of School
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PLAN4004 or 4005 or 4006 or 4007
Course staff
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Students are encouraged to schedule regular meetings with their supervisor to ensure that regular progression is attained. It is the student's responsibility to maintain contact with their research supervisor.
Aims and outcomes
The major aims of the Research Thesis are: ﾠ 1. To enable students with an adequate background in Regional and Town Planning to pursue further study in one specialist topic in more depth. ﾠ 2. To enhance students' capacity for independent research (usually involving primary data collection), and to acquire research skills appropriate to their area of specialisation. ﾠ 3. To develop research capacity sufficient for enrolment in postgraduate research degrees, and for a specialist career.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate mastery and enhanced knowledge in the chosen research field
LO2.
Produce a new body of knowledge and/or improve an existing body of knowledge in a chosen research field
LO3.
Demonstrate enhanced knowledge and skills in data collection, synthesis and analysis
LO4.
Demonstrate the ability to test, validate and evaluate research results
LO5.
Demonstrate enhanced skills in critical thinking and logical analysis
LO6.
Exhibit improved management skills to complete quality research tasks in a timely manner
LO7.
Communicate effectively with expert and non-expert audiences through written, oral and graphical skills
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation |
Honours thesis presentation
|
20% |
26/08/2024 2:00 pm
Digital submission: via Blackboard Presentation: in person to seminar 2-5pm. |
| Thesis |
Planning Thesis
|
80% |
21/10/2024 2:00 pm
Digital submission: via Blackboard |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Honours thesis presentation
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
26/08/2024 2:00 pm
Digital submission: via Blackboard
Presentation: in person to seminar 2-5pm.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Presentation and discussion of developed Research Proposal to the School Thesis seminar - submission electronically by 2pm.
In person presentation to the seminar from 2-5 pm. This assessment is marked on the written submission only.
The proposal should include the following items: (2000 w)
- the background to the intended research;
- the research question, aims and objectives; the research methods;
- the expected outcomes;
- the significance of the research and its contribution to new knowledge;
- the budget for the research (if applicable).
Complex/Authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged.
Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission.
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.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item, or one grade per 24 hours if graded on a scale of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. Where there are more than 7 periods of 24 hours, the penalty is 100%.
Planning Thesis
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Thesis
- Weight
- 80%
- Due date
21/10/2024 2:00 pm
Digital submission: via Blackboard
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
The thesis constitutes 80% of the assessment for PLAN4008. Note that the expected word limit for the final planning thesis is 8,000-12,000 words.
The requirements for the Thesis are a demonstration of research design, methodology and argument as in the Research Proposal developed by the student and agreed by the supervisor.
Complex/Authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied to receive a specific grade in the course. 'Final Thesis' assessment item is designated as a Hurdle in this course. This means a minimum achievement of 50% (a grade of 4) is required for this assessment item in order to pass the course. Meeting the hurdle requirement for a course does not guarantee a passing grade for the course and in order to pass this course, students also need to achieve a minimum grade of 4 overall.Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged.
Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item, or one grade per 24 hours if graded on a scale of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. Where there are more than 7 periods of 24 hours, the penalty is 100%.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Identity verified assessment (IVA) - Thesis Courses
Thesis Courses require students to plan, conduct and report on research in an iterative and cumulative way throughout the duration of the course.
To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations in Thesis Courses students must regularly present and discuss their work with teaching staff over the course of scheduled learning activities including lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, individual and group consultations, and presentations. Students are expected to participate in at least 80% of scheduled learning activities in which the progress of their work is intended to be monitored and reviewed. If participation in such activities falls below 80%, students may be asked to submit process work (including drawings, analysis of research data, drafts of written assessments). If a student is not able to provide evidence of authorship to the satisfaction of the course coordinator, or if their participation falls below 50%, a maximum grade of 3 will be awarded.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Supplementary assessment may be considered in thesis courses in some circumstances, for example if the research is complete and the findings reportable, but the final presentation of the work/dissertation is incomplete. Supplementary assessment will not be considered on the basis of incomplete or unfinished research, or in circumstances where there is no practical supplementary assessment option available.
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.
Additional learning resources information
Refer to the Planning Research Guide (2017) available in the Assessment section.
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 |
Tutorial |
Planning Thesis Supervision - Regular weekly or fortnightly meetings with Advisor to the equivalent of one hour per week. Regular attendance and showing work in progress is a requirement. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Week 6 (26 Aug - 01 Sep) |
Seminar |
Honours Research presentation Students make a presentation of their re-proposal of their research. Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L05, L06, L07 |
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.