PMGT5862: Introduction to Research in Project Studies

Assessment 1- Research Engagement: Discussion Videos, External and In-Class Participation

This is an ongoing individual assessment starting from Week 1 to Week 10, which is worth 5% of the unit final mark.

From Week 1 onwards, students should participate in the subject week by week in both the Canvas discussion videos, in-class discussion sessions and attend at least 1 external research workshop, talk or seminar to demonstrate your research understanding, engagement and progress.

Evaluations will be based on quality and quantity of the video discussions and any post response(s), in-class contributions and evidence of attending relevant external research development sessions.

Canvas video posts will mainly be marked on relevance, frequency, follow-up posting, content contribution, quality and clarity.

Participation in class will be marked on preparedness, relevance, quality and clarity of contributions, ability to articulate and critically discuss key concepts and sources.

To develop their research skills further and engage in a scholarly research network, students are highly encouraged to participate in the research resources offered offered by the School, Faculty or USyd, Library, HDR/SIH or other USyd departments and networks. External research development may include research seminars, talks and workshops. Proof of attendance (e.g. certificate of attendance) is required. These scholarly activities are to be shared as peer-to peer learning and will be assessed as class participation.

Weight: 5% of final mark

Assessment 2- Personal Reflection

This is an ongoing individual assessment from Week 1 to Week 12, which is worth 10% of the unit final mark. 

Students are required to orally and visually (as relevant) update and reflect on their research progress and development in class by answering key reflection questions that will be provided in relevant weeks.

One of the reflections require the student's compulsory attendance and reflections of the Thesis A/B student seminar presentations in Week 12.

Reflective learnings could include insights from the online/in-class discussions, peer-sharing and scholarly research engagement activities as part of the week's reflective task. 

AI tool usage is not permitted for this assessment task.

Weight: 10% of final mark

Assessment 3- Provisional research topic and initial research question, aims and objectives

This is an individual assessment which is worth 5% of the unit final mark.

It is marked relative to the first learning outcome:

LO1- Identify a suitable topic for research on project studies and construct a clear research question and develop research aims and objectives

In this assignment, the students are required to verbally identify and articulate in class and finally submit the research topic, problem statement, main question, aims and objectives template by the end of Week 2. The students will be provided with a list of broad research topics that align with the research themes in the School of Project Management and the research interests of the academic staff in the School of Project Management who could be the potential supervisors for Thesis A and Thesis B.

The research question and aims and objectives should be the starting point for the rest of the research components (Literature Review, poster and proposal) and may be refined after conducting the literature review.

Students need to review at least two relevant peer reviewed journal articles to support the formulation of their research question, aims and objectives. One article should be from one of the following Project Management journals (IJPM/PMJ). Journal articles should be recent (published within the past 5 years) and relevant to the research topic.

International Journal of Project Management

Project Management Journal

Weight: 5% of final mark

Assessment 4- Plan and conduct search technique, evaluate the literature and write the literature review

This is an individual assessment which is worth 20% of the unit final mark

This assessment is marked relative to the second learning outcome:

LO2- Plan and conduct appropriate techniques to search for papers in the project studies literature, review and evaluate the relevant literature, write a related literature review, avoid plagiarism and cite references correctly.

First, the student is expected to evaluate the source information, explain the search strategy that is used, provide evidence of the search functions used, and then write the literature review.   The Literature Review will summarise, critique and synthesise the literature relevant to the student’s topic. The student is expected to draw from an extensive range of sources, emphasising peer-reviewed academic publications (including the key project management journals IJPM and PMJ). The Review should culminate by establishing a gap in the literature, that the student’s research will address, as can be achieved within the scope of a masters program.

The Literature Review will be 2,000 - 3,000 words. Note that the individual assessment tasks are scaffolded to progressively develop the student's research capabilities. While the Literature Review submitted for this assessment may be slightly different to the final version submitted in the full thesis, in terms of formatting and word length, it is expected that students will edit their Literature Review based on assessment feedback, before inclusion in the final proposal.

Literature review will be marked based on the marking criteria in the rubric.

Weight: 20% of final mark

Length: 2,000 - 3,000 words

Assessment 5- Individual proposal poster and presentation

This is an individual assessment which is worth 10% of the unit final mark. It maps to all of the unit learning outcomes (LO1-LO5).

Students are required to submit a poster that summarises their research proposal. All submissions are online via Canvas. In addition, students are required to print out an A3 poster to visually and orally present (pitch) and submit the hardcopy to the Academic Lead during the class in Week 12. Selected students will be required to present their poster in a research forum that will take place in a Research Forum/Expo in Week 13.

The poster will be marked based on the quality and relevance of the layout, content and presentation.

Weight: 10% of final mark

Assessment 6- Individual proposal

This is an individual assessment, which is worth 30% of the unit final mark.

The Research Proposal will summarise, critique and synthesise the literature relevant to the student’s topic. It will then detail how the student will conduct their research, in terms of their data collection method, analysis approach, ethical considerations, and quality criteria relevant to the validity and/or reliability of their research.

Students are expected to draw from an extensive range of sources, emphasising peer-reviewed academic publications including project management journals like the PMJ and IJPM. It is expected that students should only summarise the literature review they conducted and submitted in week 6 - they will need to insert any additional literature added since their submission in week 6. The proposal topic and content progress from the student's submissions for the literature review (Week 6) and poster (Week 12). In some cases, a viva voce Q&A of the student's submissions may be required.

Weight: 30% of final mark

Length: 3,000 - 5,000 words

Assessment 7 - Team Research Project

This is a group assessment, which is worth 20% of the unit final mark.

This assessment is marked relative to the all of the unit learning outcomes (LO1 – LO5). 

In this assignment, teams will apply hands-on research skills over 11 weeks. Teams will receive a short research synopses/brief and are expected to:

1) Discuss, develop and present a mini (mock) research project & plan;

2) Design research methodology and instruments, provide visual and verbal updates in class;

3) Collect data (conduct role plays and simulated data collection, not for publications);

4) Analyse and interpret: Demonstrate analysis and interpretation of data outputs in class;

5) Deliver a team research portfolio presentation. The portfolio is a structured collection designed to demonstrate the team's research skills, progress and contributions. It serves as evidence to showcase the team's research journey including completed tasks in the research process, reflections on their learning process, and future research development directions. 

There are multiple assessable task components comprising visual and verbal presentation of the research study and design; regular verbal standup progress updates in class across the weeks, submitted evidence of research instruments and data collection including mock role-plays to demonstrate active data collection approaches, analysis and interpretation hands-on demonstrations in class and a final research portfolio presentation.

A team credit sheet is required for this assessment task. The detailed schedule of activity deliverables and rubrics criteria will be posted on the Canvas site for this team assessment task.

Weight: 20% of final mark

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Confidential Peer Evaluation:

As part of the assessment process for group work, collaborative and self-peer evaluation tools (e.g., SparkPlus) may be utilised, either confidentially or non-confidentially, to assess contributions and interactions among group members. Based on the outcomes of the peer evaluation process, individual team member marks may be adjusted accordingly.

Reliability of Canvas Marks:

Canvas will be used in this unit for the submission of key assessments; however, it should not be relied upon to determine or predict a student’s final marks. Not all assessment results may be visible to students, and group or team marks may be adjusted for individual members based on peer evaluations.

Mark Moderation:

Statistically defensible moderation may be applied when combining marks from individual assessment components to ensure consistency between markers and alignment of final grades with the unit outcomes.