JSB172 Professional Academic Skills


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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:JSB172
Credit points:12
Equivalent:JSB132, JSB012, JSB104
Coordinator:Michael Flood | m.flood@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

Professionals in many fields including Justice are required to have outstanding academic literacy and professional skills, particularly the ability to source, understand and analyse written sources and synthesise evidence into professional written formats. This unit gives students a thorough grounding in the core academic and professional literacies required during their studies and into their graduate careers.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Demonstrate proficiency in academic literacies, including finding and citing appropriate sources of information and correctly applying required referencing conventions (CLO 3.2, 4.1)
  2. Communicate effectively in written genres for professional audiences (CLO 3.1)
  3. Performs professional tasks in response to the workplace parameters, direction and guidance including conforming with workplace related templates and restrictions, within a specific professional identity (CLO 5.3)
  4. Analyse and critique research that informs contemporary criminal justice issues to propose an evidence-based response within a professional context (CLO 4.2, 4.3)

Content

This unit will introduce students to basic research skills they will use in their day-to-day work as professionals working in criminal and social justice professions. It will also make students proficient in a range of skills they will need to complete their degrees. The unit will therefore work through the following broad content areas:

  • finding and acknowledging scholarly sources: searching databases and referencing
  • writing about sources: academic writing
  • strategically reading and assessing sources through critical thinking and analysis
  • synthesising sources: the Briefing Note and Workplace Report
  • working as a justice professional: managing time, communication, and teamwork.

Learning Approaches

This unit is offered internally and online using a blended approach involving a combination of lectures and tutorials available in face-to-face and online learning modes

One-hour face-to-face lectures will be conducted in weeks 1 to 13. Lectures will involve direct instruction from the unit coordinators and addresses by guest lecturers. These lectures will be recorded using Echo 360. Lectures will include some activities and application of practical skills, but this will be the focus of the tutorials for the unit. Internal students are expected to attend lectures and online students are encouraged to listen to the lecture recording at a later date (recordings are made available within a few hours of the end of the lecture).

Lectures are supplemented by weekly one-hour face-to-face tutorials conducted in weeks 2 to 13 for internal students. Tutorials will be run as workshops where students will engage in practical tasks associated with each of the topics that will work closely with assessment requirements. Online students are encouraged to attend weekly online tutorials through Canvas Collaborate where possible.

Dates and times of lectures and online tutorials are outlined on the JSB172 Canvas site. Lectures and tutorials are supplemented by weekly readings to support the learning of key academic skills.

The unit coordinators communicate with students using Canvas notices. All students are expected to maintain regular contact with the Canvas site for the unit and to check their email daily to ensure they are aware of important information concerning the unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Students in this unit are provided with individual feedback on all assessment items via Turnitin. All assessment is summative and contributes to the students' final grade in the unit. General feedback (including comments about what was done well and what required improvement) about each assessment item is also provided to all students under the 'Feedback' section on the Canvas site. If students need further explanation regarding their assessment, we encourage them to seek further feedback directly from their tutors. General formative feedback on progress and skills will also form part of the tutorial activities.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit targets professional research and work practice as a future practitioner working in criminal and social justice. Therefore, assessment is designed to put these research and workplace skills into practice to ensure students' capacity to do this in real world workplaces. It is expected that all assessment will show engagement with current literature in this area. Students need to refer to the Canvas site for the unit for more detailed information about all assessment items for this unit. All assessment in this unit is to be submitted electronically only, as per the guidelines on the unit Canvas site.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Briefing Note

You are required to write a Briefing Note to underpin the need for research in an area outlined in Lecture 1. The Briefing Note must conform to the professional template provided to you and draw on at least five scholarly, peer-reviewed sources which inform the research area, correctly cited using QUT APA referencing system. This assessment task helps you prepare for Assessment Task 2 (the Workplace Report).

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: 40
Length: 750 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 6
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3

Assessment: Workplace Report

Continuing from Assessment task 1, you will research and write a Workplace Report in response to the problem outlined in the Briefing Note. The Workplace Report must conform to the template provided to you and must correctly cite at least ten scholarly sources, including those used in the Briefing Note.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: 60
Length: 1500 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

All learning resources will be made available to students through QUT Readings.

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Cottrell, S. (2019). The study skills handbook. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Risk Assessment Statement

Students are advised that some content in Justice units may be confronting. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.