96847 Research Project B
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 12 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 96846 Research Project A
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
In a collaborative lab group environment, students identify an individual research question relevant to psychology. Working closely with a supervisor they submit a literature review that justifies the research question and hypotheses. Students present and receive feedback on the thesis background and an appropriate study design to test the hypotheses. The detailed plan from Research Project A is brought to life in Research Project B. Following ethically approved data collection or study pre-registration, students analyse and interpret the data. After incorporating supervisor and peer feedback, students write up a final thesis in publication-ready journal article format. Students attend a simulated research conference to present their findings.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 008. | Summarise main ideas and empirical evidence from psychology sources and research |
|---|---|
| 009. | Construct a substantive individual research question relevant to the discipline of psychology |
| 010. | Construct arguments clearly and concisely using evidence-based psychological concepts and theories |
| 011. | Design or replicate a research study to confirm or disconfirm a testable hypothesis |
| 012. | Prepare a research proposal or amendment to submit to a designated ethical review process |
| 013. | Interpret statistical analyses related to investigation of an individual research question relevant to the discipline of psychology |
| 015. | Evaluate psychological research for adherence to relevant ethics code for research involving human or nonhuman research participants |
| 028. | Incorporate feedback to revise writing or improve speaking performance |
| 030. | Offer constructive feedback on a communication project |
| 065. | Craft a research report in adherence to the current American Psychological Association (APA) Style guide and formatting requirements |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Research and Communication: Analyse, critique, and communicate advanced theory and research in psychology, including investigation of an individual research question relevant to psychology. (2.2)
- Interpersonal and Teamwork: Develop interpersonal, teamwork, and interview skills appropriate to psychological practice and research. (2.3)
- Values and Ethics: Appraise appropriate values, and ethical standards in psychological research and practice. (4.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
Psychologically and technologically literate
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced) understand psychology and behaviour from an evidence-based perspective, can apply psychological science to real-world problems, and are competent in the design, analysis, critique, and communication of research.
Global citizen
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced) possess respectful attitudes that allow them to contribute meaningfully to society as global citizens who promote and support fairness and social justice, and who are sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
Teaching and learning strategies
Orientation activities
Preparation for the session - You are expected to undertake activities during orientation week. These activities are designed to introduce you to the subject and your peers and will assist you to prepare for the subject's assessment tasks.
Independent learning activities
Relevant readings, videos and activities will be made available online relevant to the topic of the week. This will support your ability to progress successfully throughout the subject and complete assessment items effectively. The online material aims to enhance your understanding of the topic or delve deeper into a more specific area, compare experiences and ideas with others and gain feedback. Information and links to all these learning activities can be accessed via Canvas as well as the subject outline.
Zoom meetings
You are strongly encouraged to attend all scheduled Zoom supervision meetings as they will prepare you for the subject’s assessment tasks. Additionally, they provide opportunities for group activities, discussion, self-assessment, peer review and formative feedback from the subject coordinator and your teaching team. The schedule for this subject’s zoom meetings will be coordinated with your research supervisor.
Feedback
Feedback in this subject takes several forms including self-assessment, peer review, automatic feedback from interactive activities and from the teaching team. Formative feedback throughout the subject aims to increase your performance in summative assessments.
Feedback and changes from previous subject offering
This subject has been revised based on student feedback. We will be collecting further feedback from you in several forms to evaluate the design, relevance and depth of the content and its delivery. We appreciate you taking part in this process to ensure we are delivering subjects that are contemporary and meet your needs.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Progress Report
| Intent: | In this assessment students will gain experience in real world project reporting and planning processes such as reporting ethics status and project progress as well as planning towards project completion |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 012, 015 and 028 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.2 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Length: | N/A |
| Criteria: | Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory |
Assessment task 2: Draft Results Section
| Intent: | The intention of this assessment is for students to demonstrate skills used by psychological scientists for reporting and interpreting data in relation to an individual research question. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 013 and 065 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.2 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Length: | 2000 words |
| Criteria: | Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory |
Assessment task 3: Thesis
| Intent: | In line with APAC pre-professional competencies, this assessment task is designed to provide students an opportunity to communicate the research they have conducted over the course of Research Project A (96846) and Research Project B (96847). In doing so they will demonstrate their competence in conducting and communicating research that addresses a substantive individual research question within the discipline of psychology. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 008, 009, 010, 011, 012, 013 and 065 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.2 |
| Type: | Thesis |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 100% |
| Length: | 8,000 - 10,000 words |
| Criteria: | A detailed description of the thesis format, content and marking criteria are available on canvas |
Assessment task 4: Oral Conference Research Presentation
| Intent: | Psychology researchers will often share their findings and learn about others’ research at conferences. This assessment task is designed to offer an opportunity for students to gain experience engaging in a real-world professional research context where research findings are shared. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 008, 009, 010, 011, 012, 013, 030 and 065 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.2 and 2.3 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Length: | 5 Minutes |
| Criteria: | Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory |
Recommended texts
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association : the official guide to APA style. 7th Edition.
O’Shea, R. & McKenzie, W. (2021). Writing for Psychology. Cengage Learning.
References
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). (2020). Assessment of coursework subjects policy and procedures, UTS.
A comprehensive list of references and other resources are available in this subject in Canvas.
Other resources
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Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
For other resources/information refer to the Faculty of Health website and Canvas.
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Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.