JSB235 Investigations Uncovered
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | JSB235 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | 72cp of completed study |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $2,174 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $1,020 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,456 |
| International unit fee | $5,592 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | JSB235 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | 72cp of completed study |
| Coordinator: | Brenna Mathieson | brenna.mathieson@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit equips you with the fundamental skills needed to plan an investigation, collect evidence, identify witnesses and suspects, and draft a professional report summarising the investigation’s findings among other key investigative skills. Professionals in the justice field often interact with clients and others, gathering information as part of their routine duties. Their roles might also necessitate them to carry out complex investigations and compile a report detailing their findings. The expertise needed to conduct a thorough and ethical investigation is quite specialised and could lead to the investigator testifying in court. Moreover, the range of potential investigations are extensive. While many might link investigations to alleged violations of criminal laws, they can also pertain to non-adherence to workplace policies such as health and safety incidents or negative workplace behaviour.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Interpret relevant legislation, organisational and government policies and guidelines to inform ethical investigations.
- Create ethical investigation plans for analysing incidents, drawing on industry standard processes and procedures and theoretical principles.
- Gather, manage and evaluate evidence collected and make judgements about the value, weight and reliability of evidence.
- Analyse investigative cases to identify strengths and weaknesses and propose innovative solutions.
- Write professional investigation reports that make conclusions and recommendations informed by evidence using appropriate discipline specific language.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- The role of investigators
- How to conduct ethical and culturally competent investigations
- Identification of offences and ancillary laws and policy
- Elements of an offence
- Development of investigation plans
- Techniques for obtaining information including physical, documentary and electronic information
- Record keeping during investigations and storing evidence
- Interviewing people with relevant information and recording their accounts including witnesses, experts and persons of interest
- Compiling investigative reports including the investigation methodology and conclusions established in the investigation.
- Ethical considerations including dealing with confidential and sensitive matters, working with culturally sensitive matters and culturally diverse stakeholders and colleagues, maintaining workplace health and safety, and safeguarding the rights for all involved persons
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn by engaging in the following:
- online and/or face-to-face delivery
- lectures - live and pre-recorded (including industry guest lectures)
- tutorials
- readings and video resources.
This unit will employ problem-solving tasks and case-based learning activities. You will have the opportunity to actively engage with your peers and teachers as part of an online learning community.
The unit is divided into four modules, which has a focus on the application of principles to real-world situations using authentic government, reports and research papers.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- generic comments posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas website
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- comments about summative assessment work included on criteria sheets with your grade.
Assessment
Overview
In this unit there are two assessments:
1. Investigation Plan - This task draws on the frameworks and principles of an investigation to plan an effective and ethical investigation.
2. Investigation Report - This task brings together the frameworks and principles from the unit with problem solving and analysis skills to understand and critically analyse an investigation and communicate this through a report.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Investigation Plan
You are taking on the role of an investigator and are required to gather the relevant facts of a case for potential investigation. As part of this process, you will need to identify and interpret relevant legislation, policy and guidelines. You will draw on this to create an investigation plan, which will inform your final investigation report. This plan will provide the initial outline for your investigation report, detailing the steps in the review and investigation process. This plan needs to be clear and succinct, informing the officer in charge of how the investigation will proceed and within what timeframe.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed to help you study and find out more about the topic; noting AI-generated content may not be accurate, reliable, or may display bias. Any content generated may not be copied and included in your final submission.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Investigation Report
Building on your investigation plan, you will review a case that is under investigation and critically analyse the facts of the case. You will need to review the investigation progress and evaluate the weight of the evidence, noting among other aspects, whether the evidence has been ethically collected and what is missing in order to draw conclusions and make recommendations.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed to help you study and find out more about the topic; noting AI-generated content may not be accurate, reliable, or may display bias. Any content generated may not be copied and included in your final submission.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
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.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. Resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
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.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.JS34 Bachelor of Justice
- Apply social and criminal justice principles to explain justice issues and contexts.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO4, Investigation Plan, Investigation Report - Collect and analyse evidence to inform decisions and recommendations in justice systems.
Relates to: ULO3, Investigation Report - Apply culturally safe and inclusive approaches to work with diverse communities and people as a Justice professional.
Relates to: ULO4, Investigation Report - Communicate justice and social issues in respectful, professional and ethical ways with other professionals and stakeholders.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO5, Investigation Plan, Investigation Report
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Online
| Unit code: | JSB235 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | 72cp of completed study |
Overview
This unit equips you with the fundamental skills needed to plan an investigation, collect evidence, identify witnesses and suspects, and draft a professional report summarising the investigation’s findings among other key investigative skills. Professionals in the justice field often interact with clients and others, gathering information as part of their routine duties. Their roles might also necessitate them to carry out complex investigations and compile a report detailing their findings. The expertise needed to conduct a thorough and ethical investigation is quite specialised and could lead to the investigator testifying in court. Moreover, the range of potential investigations are extensive. While many might link investigations to alleged violations of criminal laws, they can also pertain to non-adherence to workplace policies such as health and safety incidents or negative workplace behaviour.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Interpret relevant legislation, organisational and government policies and guidelines to inform ethical investigations.
- Create ethical investigation plans for analysing incidents, drawing on industry standard processes and procedures and theoretical principles.
- Gather, manage and evaluate evidence collected and make judgements about the value, weight and reliability of evidence.
- Analyse investigative cases to identify strengths and weaknesses and propose innovative solutions.
- Write professional investigation reports that make conclusions and recommendations informed by evidence using appropriate discipline specific language.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- The role of investigators
- How to conduct ethical and culturally competent investigations
- Identification of offences and ancillary laws and policy
- Elements of an offence
- Development of investigation plans
- Techniques for obtaining information including physical, documentary and electronic information
- Record keeping during investigations and storing evidence
- Interviewing people with relevant information and recording their accounts including witnesses, experts and persons of interest
- Compiling investigative reports including the investigation methodology and conclusions established in the investigation.
- Ethical considerations including dealing with confidential and sensitive matters, working with culturally sensitive matters and culturally diverse stakeholders and colleagues, maintaining workplace health and safety, and safeguarding the rights for all involved persons
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will learn by engaging in the following:
- online and/or face-to-face delivery
- lectures - live and pre-recorded (including industry guest lectures)
- tutorials
- readings and video resources.
This unit will employ problem-solving tasks and case-based learning activities. You will have the opportunity to actively engage with your peers and teachers as part of an online learning community.
The unit is divided into four modules, which has a focus on the application of principles to real-world situations using authentic government, reports and research papers.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- generic comments posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas website
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- comments about summative assessment work included on criteria sheets with your grade.
Assessment
Overview
In this unit there are two assessments:
1. Investigation Plan - This task draws on the frameworks and principles of an investigation to plan an effective and ethical investigation.
2. Investigation Report - This task brings together the frameworks and principles from the unit with problem solving and analysis skills to understand and critically analyse an investigation and communicate this through a report.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Investigation Plan
You are taking on the role of an investigator and are required to gather the relevant facts of a case for potential investigation. As part of this process, you will need to identify and interpret relevant legislation, policy and guidelines. You will draw on this to create an investigation plan, which will inform your final investigation report. This plan will provide the initial outline for your investigation report, detailing the steps in the review and investigation process. This plan needs to be clear and succinct, informing the officer in charge of how the investigation will proceed and within what timeframe.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed to help you study and find out more about the topic; noting AI-generated content may not be accurate, reliable, or may display bias. Any content generated may not be copied and included in your final submission.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Investigation Report
Building on your investigation plan, you will review a case that is under investigation and critically analyse the facts of the case. You will need to review the investigation progress and evaluate the weight of the evidence, noting among other aspects, whether the evidence has been ethically collected and what is missing in order to draw conclusions and make recommendations.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed to help you study and find out more about the topic; noting AI-generated content may not be accurate, reliable, or may display bias. Any content generated may not be copied and included in your final submission.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
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.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. Resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
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.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.JS34 Bachelor of Justice
- Apply social and criminal justice principles to explain justice issues and contexts.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO4, Investigation Plan, Investigation Report - Collect and analyse evidence to inform decisions and recommendations in justice systems.
Relates to: ULO3, Investigation Report - Apply culturally safe and inclusive approaches to work with diverse communities and people as a Justice professional.
Relates to: ULO4, Investigation Report - Communicate justice and social issues in respectful, professional and ethical ways with other professionals and stakeholders.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO5, Investigation Plan, Investigation Report