Industry Research and Consultancy (TOUR7000)

Throughout the semester you will be working in teams of 5-6 students to deliver an industry research project. Your team is required to provide high-quality materials, procedures and practices that represent the professional execution of the project. Working collaboratively, your team is responsible for delivering the project according to the specific requirements outlined by the industry client. 

This task is spread across the semester with key milestones and assessment submissions required as detailed below.

Week 1: you will receive the project tender brief, which will outline the project’s objectives and expectations 

Week 2 and Week 3: industry client meetings will be scheduled to discuss and clarify any project-related matters. It is crucial to establish and maintain a professional client relationship throughout the project duration.

Week 5: Proposal (15%, moderated by individual performance)

All teams submit a maximum 2-page project proposal (excluding references). Your team’s proposal must include the following details:

1. Describing the research problem, and proposing the overall research aim and several objectives

-         Provide an overview of the research problem discussed by the clients.

-         Propose an overall research aim and several relevant research objectives for your project.

2. A brief literature review on key concepts related to the topic.

3. A clear research design that could address your research objectives, including a plan for data collection, sampling strategies that are used for data collection, and brief timeline.

4. Reference list

Note: There is no minimum reference number requirement, but you should have enough references to demonstrate your knowledge of the topic and justify your research design of the report.

Week 12: Report (35%. moderated by individual performance)

All teams submit a 4000-word written report, which includes all the details of the project, including project aim and objectives, literature review, methods (data collection and data analysis), results, discussion with the recommendation for clients, limitation, and conclusion.

It is critical that a concerted effort is made to demonstrate a clear link between the research design, implementation, and data analysis. When preparing your report, ensure it follows a structured format and adheres to the provided sub-headings.

Week 13: Poster presentation (10%)

Each team is required to present a poster related to their project during the seminar in Week 13.

Note: all team members need to be in attendance and participate in this seminar.

Peer Assessment:

Peer assessment will be conducted twice throughout the project.

References should be in APA style (click the hyperlink)

Be very careful to avoid plagiarism. Information on Academic integrity and student conduct is available on the Library web site (click the hyperlink)

Criteria & Marking

A Marking Guide with criteria and weighting is provided on Blackboard under the Assessment tab. 

Submission

You will be submitting your proposal and report through Turnitin. Further details of the Task, and material to support your work, will be available on our course Blackboard site.

Teamwork evaluation and reflection will be assessed at two stages (mid-term review, and final review). Collaborative skills are a basic graduate attribute that all students should enter the workplace with.

The assessment criteria for collaborative skills are:

1. Contribution – team member contributed to the process required to complete the assignment.

2. Knowledge – team member contributed knowledge, opinions, and skills to team discussions and work completion.

3. Collaboration & Communication – team member collaborated and communicated with others in the team and fulfilled their individual roles within the team.

4. Responsibility – team member accepted responsibility for the team’s assignment outcome. 

More details will be provided in the blackboard.

AI statement:

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Translation (MT) technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools. 

PART 1: Online Quiz (25%) (Week 8)

Task Description:

• This is an open book exam. You will have access to your own notes, seminars, course texts, and other materials. 
• This Exam will consist of Single Answer Questions, Multiple Answers Questions, Matching Questions, and Ordering Questions, etc.
• It will cover materials presented in Week 1 to Week 7, including lectures and related chapters from Veal 2018 (or 2011).
• The Exam access will be open during the Lecture Time in Week 8.
• There will be up to 20 questions worth one or two marks each. You will have 30 minutes to complete all questions. The Exam is set to close after 30 minutes regardless of your beginning time. Please begin the Exam on time if you want to use full 30 minutes.
• You will have one attempt ONLY. You will not be able to save your progress and exit once you have started - thus you must complete this assessment in one sitting.
• If you accidentally close the window or lose your internet connection, you will be able to go back into the Exam and continue with your questions in the time remaining. 
• If you experience any technical difficulties, be sure to take screenshots or photographs to show what has happened.

Practice Quiz:

• A Practice Quiz will be available so that you can test the download speed of your device before you do the REAL Exam
• The Practice Quiz is not practice of the context of the REAL Exam, but shows the question types that you can expect

Academic Integrity:

• The normal academic integrity rules apply - check Course Help (Academic Integrity Rules)
• You are NOT permitted to consult any other person – whether directly, online, or through any other means – about any aspect of the quiz questions or answers during the period that this assessment is available.
• If it is found that you have given or sought outside assistance with this examination, then that will be deemed to be cheating.
• This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
• Undertaking this exam deems your commitment to UQ’s academic integrity pledge as summarised in the following declaration:
• “I certify that I have completed this examination in an honest, fair and trustworthy manner, that my submitted answers are entirely my own work, and that I have neither given nor received any unauthorised assistance on this examination”.

Part 2: Post-Quiz Reflection Interview (15%) (Week 9)

This 10-minute Zoom interview follows your 30-minute online quiz on research methods and consultancy project development. Its purpose is to assess your understanding beyond the quiz format, encouraging deeper reflection on key concepts and their practical application.

Before the Interview:

Prepare for Discussion: Consider the key concepts covered in the course materials related to research methods and consultancy project development. Think about how these concepts connect to real-world applications (e.g., your team project).

During the Interview:

You will be asked 2-3 questions designed to gauge your understanding and critical thinking skills. These questions may relate to:

·        Your understanding of different research methodologies and their suitability for various research questions.

·        Your approach to designing a research project, including methodology and data collection.

·        Your ability to develop a feasible and impactful consultancy project, including problem definition, solution development, and stakeholder engagement.

·        Your understanding of ethical considerations in research and consultancy.

Interview Guidelines:

·        Be Punctual: Join the Zoom meeting at your scheduled time.

·        Be Prepared: Have your notes and course materials readily available.

·        Be Concise: Answer the questions thoughtfully and concisely, providing specific examples where appropriate.

·        Be Reflective: Demonstrate your understanding by explaining your reasoning and reflecting on your learning process.

·        Be Honest: If you are unsure about a concept, acknowledge it honestly and explain what you understand.

Assessment:

You will be assessed on Accuracy of Knowledge, Critical Thinking, Communication Skills, and Engagement. This interview is an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding beyond the quiz and to receive feedback on your learning. Please prepare accordingly. A detailed rubric outlining the assessment criteria will be provided separately.