Unit Outline

This flexible 12-week project unit offers honours students the opportunity to design and carry out a focused research task in any area of geographical, geospatial or planning inquiry. Students have the freedom to tailor the project to their interests and career goals. The unit encourages independent study, supported by supervision from a staff member. Students will develop essential research skills, refine their critical thinking, and gain practical experience in areas that align with their academic and professional aspirations.

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	Apply advanced research skills in a chosen area of geographical, geospatial or planning inquiry.
2	Plan, execute, and manage a self-directed research project or activity.
3	Communicate research findings effectively using discipline-specific mediums.
4	Comply with regulatory frameworks and professional ethics.

Alterations 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:	Project/Product Plan	Week 3	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	24-hour article critique	Week 4	20 %	LO1, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Project Output	Week 12	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Project/Product Plan

Task Description:

You will present your project or product plan in a 10-minute timeslot to your fellow honours candidates and the honours coordinator. After your presentation, a recording of your presentation will be available online for one week, giving staff and other students the chance to ask you questions about your work. You will be responsible for responding to any questions during this time.

In your presentation, make sure to cover the following:

Objectives or Aims: Clearly explain what your project is trying to achieve and the goals you’ve set.
Proposed Activities: Describe the tasks or steps you plan to take to complete your project.

Methods: Explain the tools, methodologies, or approaches you’ll be using to achieve your objectives.
Means of Production and Output: Outline the resources you'll use, how you’ll produce your work, and what the final outcome will be.

This task is designed to help you communicate your ideas clearly and engage in a conversation about your project with your peers and and researchers in geography, planning and geospatial science. The task will also help you to reflect on feedback that could improve your project efficiency and outcomes.

Task Length:

10-minute seminar presentation

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Exhibit clarity of objectives and aims	LO1, LO2
2	Design coherent and feasible project activities	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Justify choice of appropriate methods and/or tools used to deliver your project	LO1, LO2, LO4
4	Respond to, and incorporate feedback that enhances the project design or potential outcomes	LO2, LO3, LO4
5	Use professional presentation skills to communicate planned activities	LO3

Assessment Task 2: 24-hour article critique

Task Description:

You will critically analyse a journal article provided by the honours coordinator. The article will be relevant to the fields of geography, planning, or geospatial science. You are expected to read the article thoroughly and develop a clear understanding of its core arguments, methodologies, results, and contributions to the field. You will then attend a viva examination at the end of the selected 24-hour period during which your supervisor and the Honours coordinator will assess your understanding of the article, including its strengths, limitations, and the broader implications of the research. You are expected to demonstrate your ability to engage with scholarly material, identify key issues, and articulate well-reasoned conclusions.

Task Length:

20-30 minutes

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Summarises the research question, objectives, and key findings in your own words	LO1, LO4
2	Logically structured critique using discipline-specific approaches	LO1, LO3, LO4
3	Show critical reasoning and evidence in your evaluation of the article premise, assumptions and findings	LO1, LO3, LO4
4	Evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and overall validity of the research	LO1
5	Justify and contextualise your findings using other relevant academic literature and defensible theory	LO1, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Project Output

Task Description:

For your major assessment task, you will submit a project output that is directly relevant to your work in geography, planning, or spatial sciences. You have the flexibility to choose the genre and format of your work—such as a fa methods review, a scientific technical report or a mock journal article, among other possibilities.

In your submission, you must:

Identify and justify the format chosen - clearly explain why you have chosen this particular format for your output and how it aligns with the goals of your project.

Follow relevant guidelines or norms - providing evidence of any standards, guidelines, or norms you’ve followed in producing your work, such as ethics review panel requirements, journal submission guidelines, or discipline-specific conventions.

This task allows you to tailor your output to your specific interests while demonstrating your ability to adhere to professional expectations in your chosen field.

Task Length:

5000 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Critically reflects on the methodologies, choices, or limitations of the project, with solutions or alternatives considered where relevant.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Justifies use of chosen production and communication modality	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Final output exhibits adherence to relevant guidelines and norms associated with the task objective	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Augments own words and findings with relevant and appropriately-cited reference materials	LO1, LO3, LO4
5	Coherently and logically structures work in a manner that clearly communicates ideas, methods, and findings,	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

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.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

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.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

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.