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Unit of study_

BUSS1321: Business Practicum

Intensive July, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The Undergraduate Business Practicum offers students an opportunity to interact with a sponsor organisation (e.g., corporate, SME, NFP, government) by working collaboratively on a project provided by the sponsor that requires an outcome within a specific timeframe. The project examines the sponsor's current activities, challenges and future aspirations. While undertaking the unit, participants will research the issues presented by the project and determine its scope and key deliverables in consultation with the sponsor. This process enables students to apply theoretical knowledge learned in class, where it is useful, and critically analyse information and data accessed during research to provide possible solutions to the problems and challenges identified. At the end of the period students present their findings to the sponsor and provide written summary (presentation document).

Unit details and rules

Unit code BUSS1321
Academic unit Work Integrated Learning Hub
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
Completion of at least 24 credit points (including BUSS1000 or BUSS1001)
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

A sound understanding of business and strong written and oral communication skills.

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Steven Hitchcock, steven.hitchcock@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment hurdle task Individual Project Proposal
Proposal
15% Week 02
Due date: 29 Jun 2020 at 12:00

Closing date: 13 Jul 2020
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment hurdle task Mid-way Teamwork Reflection
Reflective essay
25% Week 03
Due date: 10 Jul 2020 at 17:00

Closing date: 24 Jul 2020
1200 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment hurdle task group assignment Team Presentation
Final pitch
30% Week 06
Due date: 30 Jul 2020 at 12:00

Closing date: 13 Aug 2020
10 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO3
Assignment hurdle task Individual Report
Written report
30% Week 07
Due date: 03 Aug 2020 at 12:00

Closing date: 17 Aug 2020
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Project proposal: This assessment serves to help you layout (a) the ideas you would like to contribute to the project and (b) the work that would like to contribute to the team. This document is thus you proposing how you will contribute to the project in terms of ideas and in practice. 
  • Mid-way reflection: This task asks you to critically reflect on your experience working on the task to date. It will compare your initial thoughts, expressed in the project proposal with what you have learnt to date about yourself, but also about how well you are contributing to the team and project.
  • Team presentation​: This presentation celebrates your work over the past six weeks. You will ‘pitch’ your proposal to the client and key stakeholders. You will be required to cover your research, ideation, testing, development, and of course your final product. The presentation will be recorded and provided to the client. 
  • Individual Report: This task serves to help you synthesize, summarize, and evaluate your own performance in the project. You will be required to engage in critical reflection, and discuss the key learnings of this project in relation to your career trajectory. 

Detailed information for each assessment including rubrics can be found on Canvas.

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, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Any assessment submitted after the due time and date will incur a late penalty of 5% of the total marks per 24 hour period, or part thereof, late (note that this is applied to the mark gained after the submitted work is marked). Since submission is electronic, weekends and public holidays count as days in the same way as working days. Any assessment submitted after the due time and date will incur a late penalty unless excused by special consideration, special arrangement or disability services adjustment. Any assessment submitted after the “Closing Date” noted in the Unit of Study Outline will not be marked or assessed. https://business.sydney.edu.au/students/policy

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 01 Monday lecture and Tuesday tutorial: Project overview, teamwork, and team working. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Wednesday lecture and Thursday tutorial: Meeting the client, understanding the brief, and initial insights. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 02 Monday lecture and Tuesday tutorial: Philosophy of research, meta-theory, and data collection. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Wednesday lecture and Thursday tutorial: Data collection: following, forgetting, and improvising. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 03 Monday lecture and Tuesday tutorial: Customer journey management, storyboarding, and ideation. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Wednesday lecture and Thursday tutorial: Planning, modelling, and mapping. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 04 Monday lecture and Tuesday tutorial: Testing, feedback, and swallowing frogs. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Wednesday lecture and Thursday tutorial: Revising, reviewing, and killing your darlings. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 05 Monday lecture and Tuesday tutorial: A presentation master class, learning to pitch, and performing. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Wednesday lecture and Thursday tutorial: Developing, designing, and make decisions. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 06 Monday lecture and Tuesday tutorial: Final pitch revision, practice, and refinement. Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO2 LO3
Wednesday lecture and Thursday tutorial: The final pitch Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2

Attendance and class requirements

  • This unit will be delivered wholly online for the July Intensive 2020.
  • As this is an intensive unit, the content is delivered over six weeks rather than 13. This means students have four contact hours a week rather than the usual two contact hours a week.   
  • All lectures will be recorded and made available on Canvas. Thus, real-time attendance of lectures is optional. However, lecture material will be directly used in the following tutorial so you must watch the lecture before you attend the tutorial. Further, it's important to keep in mind that guest speakers will generally visit during lectures so there is an incentive to attend lectures.
  • Due to the nature of this unit of study as a project unit, real-time attendance of tutorials is compulsory. Thus while lecture attendance is optional, you are required to attend 90% tutorials and be an active participant. Tutorials will not be recorded.

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

Readings and videos resources are available on Canvas.

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. apply and illustrate the knowledge and skills developed in business studies within a specific organisational setting
  • LO2. demonstrate contextually relevant written and oral communication skills
  • LO3. identify, research, analyse and evaluate issues facing modern organisations operating in a business environment; apply appropriate models and propose practicable recommendations.

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

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

Adjustments to the unit timeline and assessment structure so as to provide a better student experience in the intensive format.

More information can be found on Canvas.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit.

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit.

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.