GSE898 Research Management (for MPhil and PhD Students)
About this Unit
Semester 1, 2008
Convenor: Prof Richard Cardew
This unit for GSE Higher Degree Research students (MPhil and PhD) introduces environmental research and enables candidates to demonstrate that they have a detailed research proposal capable of being implemented in the minimum time.
The course prepares students for higher degree research by examining the context in which postgraduate student research is conducted and the methodologies of research appropriate to interdisciplinary research. The principal objective is for students to complete a research proposal for a research project that meets the examination requirements of a higher degree and can be completed in the normal minimum period of candidature, ie:
- For masters degrees, 1-2 years of full-time study
- For PhD, 2-4 years of full-time study
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Richard Cardew
Phone: 0405 459 546
Email: rcardew@primusonline.com.au
Post: 61 Barnhill Road, Terrigal, NSW 2260
Classes
Six sessions of about 3 hours will be held on Friday afternoons as per the Schedule below. Additional sessions and/or individual tuition may be offered.
Unit web page
There is no web page for this unit.
Learning Outcomes
On completing the course, students should be able to:
- Know how knowledge is advanced and see themselves as members of the community of scholars
- Present a program to manage the research project
- Have a much faster start than they expected to
- Confidently proceed to produce a high quality thesis
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Six sessions of about 3 hours will be held on Friday mornings commencing at 10:15am Additional sessions and/or individual tuition may be offered. Progress on topics might vary from this timetable.
| Week | Date | Content | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 1 | NO CLASS | |
| 2 | Aug 8 | Introduction. The nature of research, role of the universities and postgraduate students. Government policy. Expectations of examiners. Formulating a topic. Q1 |
Q1 |
| 3 | Aug 15 | NO CLASS | |
| 4 | Aug 22 | Developing a topic. Contemplating method. Research paradigms Q2. Outline of Q4 and introduction to research project management. |
Q2 |
| 5 | Aug 29 | NO CLASS | |
| 6 | Sep 5 | NO CLASS | |
| 7 | Sep 12 | Project management - scale and structure, time management, resources and budgets. Institutional support. Draft chapter outlines. Interdisciplinary comparisons |
Q3 |
| 8 | Sep 19 | NO CLASS | |
| 9 | Sep 26 | Reviewing method: collecting, summarising and analysing evidence (data) | |
| MID-SEMESTER BREAK | |||
| 10 | Oct 3 | NO CLASS | |
| 11 | Oct 10 | Refining method. Risk management. Originality and creativity. Designing work programs | Q5 |
| 12 | Oct 17 | NO CLASS | |
| 13 | Oct 24 | NO CLASS | |
| 14 | Oct 31 | Draft presentations | |
| Nov 24 | Last date for submission of Q4 | Q4 |
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
Assignments and Exercises
To complete this course students must submit and pass each of the following assignments:
- Several questionnaires about their proposed research
- A literature review
- A detailed research proposal following the guidelines in document Q4
- A seminar on their research proposal
- Pass a test on the course material
Questionnaires
The questionnaires are designed to help you develop your research proposal and they will form the basis of discussion in some classes.
Literature review (25% of mark) - Due 8 September 2008
The research proposal (Q4) requires a brief account of the literature upon which the research will be based. Before that is prepared a literature review is required. The literature review should reveal a capacity to critically assess the literature and use it justify your research topic or an aspect of it. That includes engaging with alternate perspectives on your topic. It should draw upon at least 30 items from a range of sources most of which are peer reviewed. The review should arrange this material in an argument that outlines the current state of knowledge, the main areas of debate and the apparent gaps in knowledge, thereby justifying the topic chosen for the thesis. The review should also reveal a capacity to assess the claims and methodologies employed by researchers. It should be tightly written and confined to 6 pages or 2500 words. Being limited to 2500 words it need not be a comprehensive review, but may focus upon one issue or aspect including a methodological element.
Research proposal (50% of mark) - Due 31 October 2008
Requirements for completion of the research proposal are specified in document Q4. A presentation of this proposal will be required on or about 31 October 2008 to an audience of students and staff of GSE.
Test (25% of mark)
This multiple choice and short answer test will draw on research methods literature and include questions on your research proposal.
Operating procedures
- Much of the benefit of the course comes from your contributions and your questions. Attendance at all sessions is expected not only for your benefit but for the benefit of others in the course. Failure to attend without prior consultation removes all grounds for sympathy
- If assignment deadlines cannot be met talk to the unit convenor beforehand.
- Plagiarism is taboo; assignments exhibiting plagiarism may lead to failure in the course.
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
Pursue the reading that you find most helpful.
Listed below are several sources that should be particularly helpful. They are written by people who empathise with the student's perspective. Later editions of some may exist.
Booth W C, Colomb G, Williams J 2003 The craft of research, Chicago University Press, Chicago
Burton S & Steane P 2004 (eds) "Surviving your Thesis" Routledge, London
Collis J and Hussey R 2003 Business Research, a practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students, Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition
Denholm C and Evans T 2006 Doctorates Downunder, keys to successful doctoral study in Australia and New Zealand, Acer Press Victoria
Fairweather P G (editor) 1993 GSE notes for student researchers, Graduate School of the Environment, Macquarie University, Sydney (provided in course notes)
Mullins G & Kiley M 2002 'It's a PhD, not a Nobel Prize': how experienced examiners assess research theses. Studies in Higher Education 27(4):369-386
Phillips E M & Pugh D S 2000 How to get a PhD, Open University Press, 3rd ed
Plagiarism
The University defines plagiarism in its rules: "Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on plagiarism. These can be found in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies or on the web at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/
The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.
The GSE recommends that students familiarise themselves with the information contained on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
University Policy on Grading
Academic Senate has a set of guidelines on the distribution of grades across the range from fail to high distinction. Your final result will include one of these grades plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).
On occasion your raw mark for a unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Under the Senate guidelines, results may be scaled to ensure that there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results.
It is important that you realise that the policy does not require that a minimum number of students are to be failed in any unit. In fact it does something like the opposite, in requiring examiners to explain their actions if more than 20% of students fail in a unit.
The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
For an explanation of the policy see:
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/Guidelines2003.doc or
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/detailedguidelines.doc
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Advice for Students with Disabilities/Health Conditions
The Equity Support Unit (ESU) provides support and assistance to students with a disability/health condition in aiming to ensure that they do not experience disadvantage in reaching their academic potential. Service provision is determined on a case-by-case basis following an assessment of a student's needs and the provision of supporting documentation. Service provision is also dependent on the availability of resources.
To register with ESU, download an Advice of Disability/Health Condition form from http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/academic-index.html. This form must be completed annually, irrespective of whether a disability/health condition is temporary, long-term or permanent. Students wishing to request support services from the ESU should make an appointment to see a Disability Advisor immediately after enrolling at Macquarie University.
Phone: (02) 9850 6494/7497
Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
Email: equity@mq.edu.au
In person: Level 2, Lincoln Building (C8A), Macquarie University
Website: http://www.sss.mq.edu.au/equity