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Unit of study_

BHSC4012: Honours B: Applied Research Skills

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

Honours students undertake a supervised research project in a health discipline area within the Faculty. Students will contribute to designing and/or implementing an approved research project and submit a thesis describing the project and its implications. In designing the methodology the student will work closely with academic staff/mentor who will supervise their research activities. Students will meet regularly with their supervisor; attend seminars and workshops that contribute to the research process and their thesis.

Unit details and rules

Unit code BHSC4012
Academic unit Health Sciences
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
BHSC3021
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Margaret McGrath, margaret.mcgrath@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Paulo Ferreira, paulo.ferreira@sydney.edu.au
Lynn Monrouxe, lynn.monrouxe@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Skills workshop (EP, OT & PT)
Group video presentation
50% Week 07 30 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4
Assignment hurdle task Reflective report (EP, OT & PT)
Report
50% Week 08 2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO3 LO2
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Assessment Item 1: Skills workshop: Groups of 3 students will prepare and facilitate a 30 minute video presentation, focussing on teaching other students a research method/ skill that they need for their project.

Assessment Item 2: Reflective report: Present a reflective report on your research project to date.

Please see the unit of study Canvas site for details and assessment criteria.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard.

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 02 Week 1 Introduction to unit (compulsory attendance) (MMCG) Introduction to quantitative data analysis (PF) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Wednesday: Introduction to qualitative analysis (LM) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 03 Monday: Displaying data and descriptive statistics (PF) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Wednesday: Qualitative data coding (LM) Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Friday: Approaches to data analysis when conducting systematic and scoping reviews (LM) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 04 Monday:Analysing data: Hypothesis testing Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Wednesday: Using NVivo (LM) - Prior to attending the Using NVivo session, please download NVIVO https://softserv.usyd.edu.au/data/NVivo/ ) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Friday: Data analysis and presentation of findings for systematic/scoping reviews (LM) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 05 Monday: Analysing Data: Reliability and association (PF) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Wednesday: Exploring relationships in qualitative data (LM) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 06 Monday: Analysing Data Exploring differences (PF) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Wed: Review (compulsory attendance for all students) Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

All students are required to attend the first (introduction) and final (review) seminars. A lot of topics will be covered during the semester, so some may be very relevant to your study while others may not be. Although you are encouraged to attend all sessions, you are asked to discuss the topics with your supervisor(s) and agree on what sessions you plan to attend. In addition to the workshops, students will meet regularly with their supervisors and attend for data collection and analyses as required.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Please see the Canvas site for details.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate a thorough understanding of the analysis methods appropriate for the honours study
  • LO2. implement the appropriate analysis methods required to complete the honours study
  • LO3. demonstrate and reflect on progress with their research project
  • LO4. demonstrate understanding of the research process.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes Competency standards
LO1
Professional capabilities for medical radiation practice - MRPBA
Domain 4.1.b. Find, critically appraise, interpret and apply best available research evidence to inform clinical reasoning and professional decision-making.
LO2
Professional capabilities for medical radiation practice - MRPBA
Domain 4.1.b. Find, critically appraise, interpret and apply best available research evidence to inform clinical reasoning and professional decision-making.
LO3
Professional capabilities for medical radiation practice - MRPBA
Domain 4.1.a. Identify the challenge or question and the information that is needed to respond.
Domain 4.1.c. Provide evidence-informed patient/client-centred care by carefully considering the purpose of the proposed examination/treatment, reviewing existing protocols and methods, reflecting on clinical challenges or experiences and integrating knowledge and findings into practice.
LO4
Professional capabilities for medical radiation practice - MRPBA
Domain 4.1.d. Recognise opportunities to contribute to the development of new knowledge through research and enquiry.
Domain 5.4.b. Report on all incidents (including radiation and radioactivity incidents) as needed.

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

We noted that comments from students last year indicated that finding group members for the presentation was difficult; as a result, we plan to allocate time in class this year for this. Also, comments indicated that greater clarity regarding the reflection task is needed. We revised the task description and marking criteria to provide more details as well as provided a model report as a reference.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.