SCWK2006: Semester 1, 2021

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Units SCWK2006 Semester 1 2021 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

SCWK2006: Research Skills for Social Change

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Social workers are increasingly required to understand and communicate the research base of their practice, and to become practitioner-researchers in their own right. This unit aims to help students develop an understanding of the ways social workers use research in different practice contexts: assessing community needs, formulating policies, developing new services, evaluating programs, enhancing social work practice, and developing theory. Students are introduced to quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods in social work research, in the context of specific practice fields including mental health, domestic violence, community development, and policy advocacy.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	SCWK2006
Academic unit	Social Work
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	48 credit points including (SCLG1001 and SCLG1002) or (12cp of SCLG1U01) or 12cp of 1000 level units in Diversity Studies.
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Margot Rawsthorne, margot.rawsthorne@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Margot Rawsthorne, margot.rawsthorne@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Meaghan Katrak Harris, meaghan.katrak-harris@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research Plan See canvas site for more details	25%	Week 05	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Online quiz See canvas site for more details	30%	Week 10	Equivalent of 1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflection on the practice of research See canvas site for more details	45%	Week 13	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Quiz: All questions have been designed to assess understanding of the topics covered in the lectures and readings in weeks 1 to 8 inclusive. The best preparation is to attend all lectures, take notes in lectures,complete required readings, attend all tutorials, take notes in tutorials, review notes closely.
Research plan: Students will develop a written proposal for a small-scale research project. The proposal can be on the social policy or social work issue of their choice.
Reflection on the practice of research: Students will submit a written reflection on their experience of developing and implementing a small-scale research project.

Detailed information for each assessment 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
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
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.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Research as social justice practice and for social change.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Questions: what can we ask and how can we try to answer them through research	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Different ways of answering questions (methodology)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Developing a research plan	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	The practice of research	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	The practice of research (participation)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	The practice of research (ethics)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	The practice of research (Indigenous knowledges)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	The practice of research (evaluation)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Making sense of data	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Making sense of data	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Research for social change: maximising research impact	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library Reading List link available on Canvas. See canvas for detailed information on readings.

The required textbook is available as an e-book through the University library.

Required textbook: D'Cruz, H. and Jones, M. (2014) Social Work Research in Practice. 2nd edition. London: Sage.

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the roles of research in social work practice and policy in a variety of contexts
LO2. articulate an understanding of, and rationale for, different approaches to social research design, including quantitative and qualitative approaches
LO3. demonstrate a basic grasp of research design, including matching research questions with appropriate methodologies
LO4. show awareness of ethical, organisational, and political issues in social research.

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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

Changes have been made to ensure this unit builds on Year 1 social work units

Additional information

Consultations can be arranged by email with the Unit of Study coordinator or your tutor.

margot.rawsthorne@sydney.edu.au (Unit of Study coordinator)

meaghan.katrak@sydney.edu.au (tutor)

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

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