| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Innovation, Science & Sustainability |
| Unit Title: | Professional Research and Communication |
| Unit ID: | ITECH5500 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | (ITECH5401) |
| ASCED: | 029999 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
The unit aims to prepare postgraduate students to conduct IT research in academic and organisational contexts. Throughout the unit, students will learn about the major research paradigms, the principle of research design, research ethics, and the methods and techniques of data collection and analysis appropriate to IT research and their particular subdiscipline. Research communication skills are addressed in this unit through oral and written communication. Students will be prepared to communicate research effectively and be knowledgeable and critical interpreters of research as a whole. Students will practise and refine their English writing skills and develop a proposal for an organisational IT research project. The emphasis will be on evaluating existing literature related to the organisational IT project, understanding various approaches to solving the problem, and writing and delivering a presentation on the corporate IT project. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | |  | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Critically analyse academic and commercial literature from a wide variety of sources about a particular industry issue |
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| K2. | Compare different research philosophies and paradigms. |
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| K3. | Identify appropriate research philosophies for IT projects, which match organisational approaches. |
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| K4. | Analyse, appraise and write an appropriate research methodology for data collection and analysis appropriate to a particular research design and project |
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| K5. | Explain the ethical and professional issues that may arise in IT research and demonstrate them in practice; |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Utilise effective communication practice in organisations. |
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| S2. | Demonstrate expert English language skills in academic and professional contexts. |
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| S3. | Evaluate the quality and utility of literature sourced. |
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| S4. | Undertake a literature review for an organisational IT research project. |
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| S5. | Critique contemporary IT industry practices/presentations relevant to current research trends, and relate them to professional standards and your own career aspirations |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Compose a research proposal and report on a topic related to an organisational IT research project. |
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| A2. | Present written and oral reports to academic and organisational audiences. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics may include:
1. Problem Statement and its importance in research projects
2. Qualitative Research
3. Quantitative Research
4. Communication practice in organisations.
5. Developing a research proposal.
6. Literature review.
7. Data Collection Techniques
8. Research Ethics
9. Mixed Method Research
10. Writing up academic and organisational IT research.
11. Recent Advances in IT Research
12. IT and related industry activity and research developments in the local community, and around the globe; ACS’s CBOK, SFIA and their relationship with industry; Career pathways. |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students at this level will demonstrate an advanced ability in a range of contexts to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display high level skills in-person and/or online in: • Using and demonstrating a high level of verbal and non-verbal communication • Demonstrating a mastery of listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Demonstrating and showing empathy for others • High order skills in negotiating and conflict resolution skills\\ • Demonstrating mastery of working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery in professional skills and behaviours in leading others. • Creating and sustaining a collegial environment • Demonstrating a high level of self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect and justify decisions • Inspiring and initiating opportunities to lead others • Making informed professional decisions • Demonstrating initiative in new professional situations. | 3 - N/A | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students at this level will demonstrate high level skills in working in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically to generate and consider complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level • Analysing complex and abstract ideas, concepts and information • Communicate alternative perspectives to justify complex ideas • Demonstrate a mastery of challenging conventional thinking to clarify complex concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving to new situations for further learning. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students at this level will demonstrate the ability to work competently across a wide range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Mastering, exploring, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information professionally • Collating, managing complex data, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding professionally to messages in a range of professional digital media • Contributing competently and professionally to digital teams and working groups • Participating at a high level in digital learning opportunities. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 5
sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery of considering and assessing the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting professional ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Demonstrate informed judgment making that considers the impact of devising complex solutions in ambiguous global economic environmental and societal contexts • Professionally committing to the promulgation of social responsibility • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Communicating lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to the diverse professional others • Generating, leading and implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S3, S4, S5 | Class activities, seminars, guided reading, discussion, analysis of research papers, and industry reports. | Exercises/Assignment. | 10% - 20% | | 2. | K4, S1, S2, A1, A2 | Demonstration of advanced professional communication skills via presentation of research proposal and/or project to an audience. | Presentation(s). | 20% - 30% | | 3. | K1, K3, K4, K5, S3, S4, A1 | Analyse, and synthesise subject knowledge and research proposal, research aim, questions, methodology, methods, ethics consideration, proposed analysis and outcomes with application to an industry-based research area of interest. | Research Report(s). | 40% - 50% |
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