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Industry and community projects
4000 level projects
Overview
4000 level Industry and Community Project Units (ICPUs) are available for students enrolled in a Bachelor of Advanced Studies. These are 12 credit point projects that students will need to access through two co-requisite 6 credit point faculty-based shell units (Projects A and B).
The projects will run across two consecutive teaching sessions - the February intensive period (Project A) followed by semester 1 (Project B), or the July intensive period (Project A) followed by semester 2 (Project B) students must commit to and be able to attend the two consecutive teaching session.
These projects will be designed around broad themes and students will interact with multiple industry and community partners who will set the project scope, as well as provide students with advice and resources. Within the context of the project, students will develop a range of personal and professional skills and strategies for effective collaboration and complex problem solving.
How it works
2022 projects will be delivered in-person on campus, with online learning options for those unable to come onto campus. If you have any questions about a specific project please email the relevant project supervisor, for any other questions please contact pvceducation.enquiries@sydney.edu.au
Project teams, comprised of around five 4000 level students from multiple disciplines, will develop and submit a full research proposal at the end of Project A identifying the problem or opportunity they wish to explore, aims, objectives, approach and expected outcomes.
The teams will then complete their research projects in Project B and the outcome will be presented in a final report to a panel of external partners.
These outputs will be assessed and contribute to a total group-based mark of 60%. The remaining 40% of the mark will be based on individual performance, participation in project teams and communities of practice and two individual statements. This collaborative framework is designed to allow students to graduate from the University with a personal and professional network.
The intensive portion (part A) of these projects will run for four weeks over the intensive period with classes scheduled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30am - 1 pm with optional consultation sessions from 2pm - 4pm on each of the days as required. The semester portion (part B) of these projects will run for 3 hours a week as timetabled. Students will be expected to complete additional work outside of scheduled class times.
| Delivery Mode | Project registration opens |
Project registration closes |
Project dates |
Attendance |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project part A: February intensive | In person (with online options for those unable to come onto campus) |
29 November 2021 |
16 January 2022 |
17 January - 11 February 2022 |
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 4pm |
Project part B: Semester one |
In person (with online options for those unable to come onto campus) |
24 January 2022 |
20 February 2022 |
21 February – 29 May 2022 |
3 hours of class a week |
| Project part A: July intensive | In person (with online options for those unable to come onto campus) |
9 May 2022 |
19 June 2022 |
20 June – 15 July 2022 |
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9.30am - 1pm |
| Project part B: Semester Two | In person (with online options for those unable to come onto campus) |
20 June 2022 |
31 July 2022 |
1 August – 6 November 2022 |
3 hours of class a week |
2022 project and partners
CBHS Health Fund and WPP AUNZ - Future Thinking for Better Australian Lifestyles
What do you want your life to be like in the future? Do you love traveling? Could you be on the move permanently? Do you love sport? Who should pay for your health, your lifestyle? What do you love about your home? How can you optimise your future living arrangements? How can you continually benefit from technology, and not be left behind? How can the environment and spaces you love now remain accessible to you in the future? What needs to change? Australians are among those countries with the highest average life expectancy and highest average incomes. However, an ageing population puts standards of living at risk and threatens to exacerbate existing inequities. Current generations can make their futures something to look forward to. This is your opportunity for plotting and imagining the world you want to be in for your future. In this project, student teams representing unique mixes of disciplines will provide novel perspectives on these issues. Industry partners, as well as other experts and industry personnel will provide the context and offer advice and feedback at several points during the project.
Project Supervisor: Jennifer Fletcher – jennifer.fletcher@sydney.edu.au
KPMG and NSW Department of Primary Industries - Rethinking Food Systems for Better Health and Sustainability
Food is central to family, cultural and community identity. It is essential to sustain life and food-related activities, provide income and livelihoods for billions of people on earth. With the continuing rise in global food production and manufacturing to meet increasing demand and the additional impact on ecosystems and climate, there is a pressing need to rethink our food systems. In this project, student teams representing unique mixes of disciplines will explore questions such as: How can we transform food systems so it can meet the changing needs of consumers in a more sustainable way? What role can consumers, producers, manufacturers, industry leaders and government play to achieve ambitious targets? How can we rewrite the narrative of food production and supply to reflect a progressive industry that will engage a diverse future workforce and facilitate a more holistic approach to solving complex issues within the sector? Through collaborative research into these areas, students will provide solutions on how we can rethink food systems for better health and sustainability.
Project Supervisor: Rosalind Deaker – Rosalind.deaker@sydney.edu.au
Amazon Web Services, Jacobs Engineering Group and North Sydney Council - Building Cities of the Future
The “smart cities” concept where interconnected devices and interactive technologies operate seamlessly, enabling people to live, work and play anytime, anywhere has emerged as one promising solution. The challenge will be in delivering services not as isolated technology solutions, but as human-centric integrations that produce sustainable outcomes and reflect our multi-dimensional society. Do we allow the cities of the future to be shaped by a business-as-usual inertia of the past and present, or do we move beyond ideas and aspirations by embracing new living models, more equitable social and economic contracts, sustainable urban designs, and innovative technologies? What are our responsibilities as citizens, communities, industries, and governments in enabling the desired cities of the future to become a reality? This project challenges you to be creative and build credible cities for the future, and to design a roadmap to help citizens navigate the journey from where there are today to the future state.
Project supervisor: Abe Bakar – abe.bakar@sydney.edu.au
ARE Media - Navigating the Age of Celebrity
As social beings, in the digital age, we have ever-increasing exposure to a wide range of traditional and social media. Glorified or demonised portrayals of celebrities and their lifestyles are the common diet of Australians’ social media feeds. This exposure can consciously and unconsciously affect what we consume as media, fashion, food, and even political and social views. In extreme cases, celebrities have been blamed for the rise of poor body image and eating disorders, substance abuse and drug culture, racism and sexism. Conversely, celebrities can be hailed as positive role models, for modelling excellence in their fields, charitable behaviour, endorsing good behaviours in their fans, raising awareness for important causes and reducing stigma. With successful data companies listed globally among the wealthiest, and with little regulation of online media platforms, there is a perception that the motivation for profits overwhelms the potential for social good. Should social media be more tightly regulated to protect the rights of individual celebrities and their audiences? If so, how and by whom? In this project, you will work in teams to explore how to understand and reshape the socio-scape around media in an increasingly interconnected world. Student teams representing unique mixes of disciplines will provide novel perspectives on these issues, and industry partners and other experts will provide the context and offer advice and feedback at several points during the project.
Project supervisor: Jennifer Fletcher – jennifer.fletcher@sydney.edu.au
KPMG – The Future of Retail
The retail environment has been changing since the mid-90's when e-commerce giants Amazon and eBay launched on the market enabling seamless and globalised provision of retail goods and services. The pandemic saw an acceleration of these changes and predictions indicate that retailers now need to adapt quickly or perish. Increasingly, consumers expect to be able to access products through multiple online channels and are demanding personalised experiences, increased variety, lower prices, aligned values and better convenience. Many retailers already have a well-established online presence while some remain only as brick-and-mortar businesses. With multiple potential business models, how will retail businesses identify the right strategy for them to adapt to this digitally charged and competitive landscape. What will this mean for small retail businesses and local neighbourhood stores? How will retail businesses attract and grow their market to remain profitable? How can the consumer online retail experience be optimised and how does this vary for diverse types of products? What values and assurances are important for consumers across diverse types of businesses and platforms? Are there any new or emerging technologies that could transform the online retail experience?
Project supervisor: Elisabeth Valiente-Riedl - elisabeth.valiente-riedl@sydney.edu.au
NIB and Westmead Health Precinct - Democratising Healthcare
Access to healthcare is a basic human requirement, however, truly affordable, and universal healthcare is yet to emerge. Democratisation of healthcare will be driven through innovative adaptation of disruptive technologies, data sharing and consumerism. If prevention is the best medicine, healthcare systems need to evolve to become more predictive and personalised. In this project, students will explore topics such as, what opportunities are there for big data, AI (Artificial Intelligence), machine learning, IoT, wearable devices and robotics to allow predictive, preventive, and personalised healthcare. How can digital technologies help to prepare and respond to health crises, such as pandemics and chronic non-communicable diseases? Can digital technologies improve accessibility to high quality healthcare in regional and remote communities or in developing countries? Is there scope for business models of the sharing economy to redistribute excess capacity in healthcare systems?
Project supervisor: Chris Ellis - chris.ellis@sydney.edu.au
How to enrol
1. Select a shell unit in Sydney Student
This project is accessed through two co-requisite 6 credit point facility based shell units. You will need to select the two shell units for the project through Sydney Student. If you've already enrolled you can do this by changing your units of study (go to ‘My studies’, ‘Units of study’, then ‘Change your units of study’)
Shell units for BUSI, SCIE, FASS and ADP are available in Table A and/or Table S. Units as follows:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences - FASS4901, FASS4902
Faculty of Science - SCPU4001, SCPU4002
Sydney Business School - BUSS4905, BUSS4906
Sydney School of Architecture - ARCH4108, ARCH4109
2. Register for a project
Once you've successfully enrolled in both shell units, we will email you with instructions on how to register for a project.
Before registering for a semester-long project, check the timetable and make sure you're available for the allocated class times. It will take 7-9 days for your personal timetable to reflect your project registration and the classroom/venue will be communicated by your Project Supervisor upon project start via Canvas.
You will finalise your enrolment in the unit and select your project in Sydney Student (go to 'My studies', 'Enrolment', then 'Project registration'. Places in each project are limited so we encourage you to register early to avoid missing out. You will only see projects that are available for your enrolled shell unit and still have places available. If you cannot see a project when you register, you will need to select a different project. Project availability is subject to change.
Once you enrolled into the two shell units, you will need to upload a signed and witnessed Deed Poll to Canvas. This is a compulsory requirement of your enrolment in this unit. Make sure you consider the acknowledgments in the deed carefully before submission. You will be granted access to Canvas the week before teaching starts for your enrolled session and you will need to submit your Deed Poll before the first day of class for Part A of your chosen project.
If you have any questions about the projects, you can email pvceducation.enquiries@sydney.edu.au.
Last updated: 10 June 2022
