Unit Outline

Research is the fundamental part of any profession. You will be proposing and completing your research project over TWO interconnected units (CSA745 and CSA746). In discussion with the Course Coordinator, you will be appointed a research supervisor(s). Throughout the semester, you are required to set up regular meetings with your supervisor(s) who will provide direction and check your progress. A critical aspect of this process is obtaining a balance between taking responsibility for your own research and accepting the guidance of your supervisor. You should listen to their advice when it is offered. On the other hand, you should not sit back and wait for the supervisor to tell you what to do and how to write the literature review or conduct a research project. You must take responsibility for its planning and execution, using your supervisor as a sounding board rather than as the director of the project. The first of the two research units in the Master of Pharmaceutical program is CSA745. In CSA745, you are required to: 1. Draft and submit a literature review on your selected research topic by critically organising, integrating and evaluating research material already published in peer-reviewed journals and books; 2. Draft and submit a research methodology describing various steps (from materials and equipment to data collection and analysis) involved in conducting your research project and 3. Orally present your research topic/findings.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Critically appraise available literature and identify existing gaps and weaknesses in existing literature to formulate a suitable research question
2.	Propose an appropriate methodology to answer the formulated research
3.	Carry out a research project with appropriate supervision to answer the formulated research question
4.	Draft a manuscript for a relevant research and/or professional journal in a format required by the chosen journal as per 'Instruction to Authors guidelines' of that journal
5.	Present a coherent knowledge and ideas with intellectual independence to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CSA741 AND CSA742 AND CSA743 AND CSA744

Alterations as a result of student feedback

No alterations have been made as a result of student feedback.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Additional Tasks relating to this unit are undertaken in CSA746	See the MyLO site for the due date	65 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Literature Review	Week 9	15 %	LO1, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Research Methodology	Week 14	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO5
Assessment Task 4:	Oral Presentation	Week 15	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Additional Tasks relating to this unit are undertaken in CSA746

Task Description:

NOTE - ADDITIONAL TASKS THAT ARE RELATED TO THIS UNIT ARE UNDERTAKEN IN CSA746

Task Length:

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

65 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	X	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Literature Review

Task Description:

You are required to submit a written draft of Literature Review to the course coordinator.
Examples of Literature Review are uploaded on MyLo.
It is your responsibility that Literature Review draft is reviewed at least one time by your supervisor(s) before it is submitted to the course co-ordinator. You are expected to submit the completed draft (Microsoft Word document) to your supervisors electronically (via email) AT LEAST 2 weeks prior to the final submission date for their constructive feedback.
Do not submit your literature review to your supervisors if it does not include one of the following: introduction/critical evaluation of exiting literature, tables and/or figures, hypothesis (if there is any), rationale, aims/objectives and references.
Please note, your supervisors are NOT ALLOWED to EDIT the submitted work (NO TRACK CHANGES). They are instead expected to provide constructive feedback using the “New Comment” option available in the “Review” tab of Microsoft Word document. Your supervisors can refuse to provide feedback if 1) you fail to submit the first draft at least 2 weeks before the submission date and 2) your first draft does not include all the required information (abstract, introduction, critical evaluation of exiting literature, tables and/or figures, hypothesis (if there is any), rationale, aims/objectives and references).

Task Length:

3000 words

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Further details and assessment criteria will be available on MyLO.	LO1, LO5

Assessment Task 3: Research Methodology

Task Description:

You are required to submit a written draft of Research Methodology to the course coordinator.
Examples of Research Methodology are uploaded on MyLo.
It is your responsibility that Research Methodology draft is reviewed at least one time by your supervisor(s) before it is submitted to the course co-ordinator.
You are expected to submit the completed draft (Microsoft Word document) to your supervisors electronically (via email) AT LEAST 2 weeks prior to the final submission date.
Note, your supervisors are NOT ALLOWED to EDIT the submitted work (NO TRACK CHANGES). They are instead expected to provide constructive feedback using the “New Comment” option available in the “Review” tab of Microsoft Word document. Your supervisors can refuse to provide feedback if 1) you fail to submit the first draft at least 2 weeks before the submission date and 2) your first draft does not include all the required information that your supervisor(s) had discussed with you during various supervisory meetings.
Your Research Methodology draft should describe the methods that are going to be used in your project to investigate a research problem (that you have described in your Literature Review draft) and (if applicable) the rationale for the application of specific methods/techniques that are used (or going to be used in your project) to generate, collect and analyse scientific information. The Research Methodology draft should answer two main questions: How will the data collected or generated? And, how will it be analysed? The writing should be direct and precise, and should be written in future tense.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 14

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Further details and assessment criteria will be available on MyLO.	LO1, LO2, LO5

Assessment Task 4: Oral Presentation

Task Description:

Oral Presentation should include the title of your project, name of your supervisors, introduction (background information of your research project), aims, hypothesis to be tested (if any), rational, proposed methodology, your progress on the research project so far, acknowledgement – 15 to 20 slides (maximum).
You are required to submit the complete oral presentation (PowerPoint slides) to your supervisors at least one week before the due date. Your supervisors will go through your submitted work for one time only. Supervisors are not allowed to edit your work. You can practice a mock presentation in the presence of your supervisors for no more than one time.

Due Date - End of Semester Examination Period

Task Length:

20 minutes

Due Date:

Week 15

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Refer the Assessment Criteria Rubric for further information.	LO1, LO2, LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.