15632 IPPG Research Project B

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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Design, Architecture and Building: Institute for Public Policy and Governance
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 12 credit points of completed study in spk(s): STM91196 24cp Core subjects (Applied Policy) MAppPol

Description

This is one of the two smaller research projects for the Master of Applied Policy (C04323). In this subject, students undertake a process of preparing a research proposal in order to conduct and complete a research essay, addressing a topic of relevance to governance and public policy. A key part of the final research proposal is determining the study questions for the completion of the research essay. This subject enables students to diversify their research interests in public policy and governance by conducting a smaller research project in a favoured policy area.

Students put forward a research design and associated data gathering methodologies in order to address the study questions. They review the literature to link their work to current material on the topic, including readings derived from any of the subjects undertaken as foundation and elective subjects. In this process, they work with a supervisor, who supports them in carrying out the reading, research and writing necessary to plan and prepare for the research project.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1.	Formulate, design and carry out research in public policy and governance context
2.	Discover, appraise and adapt insights from a research supervisor throughout the research process
3.	Examine, prioritise and synthesise current literature pertaining to the chosen topic.
4.	Select, interpret and extend insights from the literature to inform their research design

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

Ability to reflect on personal views and values and understand how they might affect professional judgement and practice. (A.3)
Ability to present, and invite feedback on, complex arguments and ideas. (C.1)
Ability to question, challenge and develop new perspectives on current local domestic and international practice. (I.1)
Demonstrated understanding of the principles and practices of policymakers across different national and sectoral contexts. (P.1)
Ability to critically engage with diverse bodies of knowledge regarding national and sectoral contexts using scholarly attribution practices. (R.1)
Ability to apply conceptual and theoretical frameworks to local supra-and subnational policy making practice. (R.4)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building graduate attribute categories where:

C = communication and group work

A = attitudes and values

P = practical and professional

R = research and critique

I = innovation and creativity

This subject encourages student learning to develop these graduate attributes. The course content, learning strategies and assessment structure is explicitly designed with these attributes in mind.

Teaching and learning strategies

The teaching and learning approaches used for this research subject are based on adult education and practitioner researcher principles and include the following:

Preliminary consultation with the subject coordinator at the outset of the individual research journey in order to help them define the scope and purpose of their proposed research, and a supervisor allocated;
Introductory consultation with subject coordinator at which research in a governance and public policy context is framed and contextualised, the ethics of research and other key aspects of conducting original research are discussed;
Linkage is made with their research supervisors, who provide mentoring, administrative and expert support throughout the research process.

In order to achieve success in this subject, students are required to engage initially with the subject coordinator and then the supervisor throughout the research process; to undertake wide reading and show evidence of that reading in all or their research documentation; to complete the research ethics approval process; and to ensure that they complete all assessment tasks in a scholarly and timely way.

The Introductory consultation is the single opportunity for the research student to gain an overall perspective on the subject and its interlinkages with coursework subjects. A Subject Description is provided to all students via Canvas prior to the consultation. In addition to explaining the assessments in detail, it provides students with clear guidance for the conduct of their research, drawing strongly upon completed dissertations of graduated IPPG students to highlight key points. Please see the excerpt examples of completed dissertations in additional information below.

Feedback is provided through individual consultations with Supervisor and is also availabe from the Subject Coordinator at times agreed between you. It is the student's responsibility to record feedback received during meetings. The REVIEW criteria-based assessment system is adopted in the marking of subjects to give students feedback about their development of these graduate attribute categories over time throughout their course of study. REVIEW also enables students to self-assess to encourage a self-reflective approach to their work. Formative assessment feedback will be provided online via ReView after completion of Assessment 1. Summative feedback will be provided after marking Assessment 2. All assessments are to be submitted through Turnitin plagiarism detection software.

Content (topics)

This is a capstone subject, and it is focused on enabling students to engage in original and applied research in a local government context and present their work in the form of a research report of between 14,000 and 16,000 words. In addition, they have the opportunity to work with an academic supervisor and learn about the research and writing process, including completing a research ethics approval process.

The content of the teaching/learning is geared towards enabling them to achieve these overall objectives, while the specific, substantive content that the student focuses upon is, aside from a necessary focus on local government, determined by the topic of their choice. Undertaking 15632 Research Project B ensures that students are supported in completing the essential early parts of this research process, including:

Discussing, refining and completing their research proposals
Completing the research ethics applications (where necessary) in accordance with University standards
Working on, refining and completing their research design and methodology, including construction of the data-gathering instruments
Completing an advanced draft of their review of the literature in connection with their chosen topic.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Research Proposal and Ethics Application

Intent:

Students draft their research proposals with the support of the subject coordinator and their supervisors. The drafting occurs at the same time as the ethics application process is undertaken. Students are assessed on their final research proposal and ethics application.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2, 3 and 4

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

A.3, C.1, I.1 and R.4

Type:

Project

Groupwork:

Individual

Weight:

10%

Criteria:

Detailed assessment criteria are also provided to students in the separate document entitled "Subject Description".

Criteria 1 - 40%

The research proposal and ethics application provide evidence of the student planning to undertake original, applied research to inform local governance, management and/or leadership practice. This includes:

Clearly outlining the relevance of the issue or problem that is addressed
Framing the overall research objective, research aims and research question(s)
Conducting a beginning review of literature appropriate to the topic
Drawing on the literature to put forward a proposed research design and methodology used, including methods of data gathering and analysis
Applying for, and carrying out the ethical approval process

Criteria 2 - 20%

The research proposal demonstrates the student’s competence in:

identifying and analysing quality reference material about local government from a wide range of sources
acknowledging sources, and carrying out consistent and accurate in-text referencing
constructing a consistent and accurate reference list
structuring complex information, arguments and ideas in written form (structure of writing; readability)

Criteria 3 - 20%

The research proposal demonstrates the student’s application of conceptual and theoretical frameworks derived from the literature when formulating the research questions and designing the research methodology.

Criteria 4 - 20%

There is evidence in the research proposal and the student’s conduct of the ethics application process that he/she considers a public service and/or public value orientation to local government theory and practice.

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Evidence of planning to undertake original, applied research	40	2	A.3
Competent identification and analysis of appropriate reference material and ability to formulate arguments and ideas in written form	20	3	C.1
Application of conceptual and theoretical frameworks	20	4	R.4
Evidence of contribution to public policy governance	20	1	I.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Research Design and Methodology

Intent:

Informed by the current literature on the topic, students describe and justify their selected research design to address the study questions. On the basis of this research design, they draft and complete their data-gathering instruments.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2 and 4

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.1, P.1 and R.1

Type:

Project

Groupwork:

Individual

Weight:

90%

Criteria:

Detailed assessment criteria are also provided to students in the separate document entitled "Subject Description".

Assessment Criteria 1 - CILO R2 - Weighting 40%

The research design and methodology put forward by the student:

establishes the focus and objective of the study, and its links to current understandings, approaches and research in the given area of local government practice
outlines the research approach and methods the student intends to use in order to gather and analyse original data
clearly outlines sampling decisions and the rationale behind them
suggests how findings from the study would be reported and disseminated.

Assessment Criteria 2 - CILO R2 - Weighting 30%

The proposed data-gathering instruments are fit for purpose in terms of the study’s objectives and the proposed research design and methodology.

Assessment Criteria 3 - CILO R1 - Weighting 30%

In putting forward the recommended research design and methodology, including the data-gathering instruments, the student draws on current literature, including research literature, and in a scholarly way:

acknowledges sources with consistent and accurate in-text referencing and a consistent and accurate reference list
shows skill in structuring complex information, arguments and ideas in written form (structure of writing; readability).

Total criteria weighting for Assessment 2 - 100%

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Clarity of research design and methodology	40	1	P.1
Appropriate proposal of proposed data-gathering instruments	30	2	C.1
Acknowledges source driven arguments and ideas with appropriate referencing	30	4	R.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Students must meet attendance requirements and overall must obtain at least 50% of the total marks.

Required texts

There are no textbooks for this subject. Reading widely on the chosen topic, as well as reading relevant research design and methodology literature, is integral to the student being equipped to produce a dissertation of high scholarly standards. Subject guidelines and relevant resources will be made available online to students, as will an online facility for communicating with peers and supervisors.