JSQ213 Informed Decision Making
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: | JSQ213 |
|---|---|
| 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 | $3,912 |
| International unit fee | $5,664 |
Unit Outline: Session 2 2026, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | JSQ213 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
Overview
Effective decision making in the field of intelligence and investigation requires a synthesis of ethics, collaboration, and information and evidence analysis. This unit aims to delve into contemporary ethical, legal, and professional concerns that arise in the practice of intelligence activities. Additionally, it will examine the interdependent nature of intelligence and investigations and potential challenges that may arise in collaborative efforts between organisations. Through hands-on practice, you will develop advanced analytical techniques to interpret and clarify data to produce intelligence products that inform decision making based on information and evidence. Students will also learn about the ethical considerations involved in using generative artificial intelligence in investigative and intelligence work, including the need to critically assess AI-generated information and understand the risks of bias, inaccuracy, and misuse when producing intelligence products.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Critically reflect on issues of ethics, professionalism and bias in intelligence operations.
- Plan cross-organisational approaches to intelligence operations that set the strategic direction of the investigation.
- Critically analyse and synthesise information and intelligence to make judgements on complex problems.
- Discuss implications and propose recommendations in response to intelligence operations.
- Communicate professionally and strategically to interpret and clarify complex information for diverse stakeholders.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- intelligence, law and professional conduct
- politicisation of intelligence
- approaches to collaborative planning and decision making with other organisations and/or agencies and addressing issues that may arise
- advanced analytical techniques for evidence-informed decision making
- data integrity and operational security
- influencing decision making and ensuring completeness in decision making
Learning Approaches
This unit will be offered online in the form of self-contained modules that introduce you to new concepts, provide opportunities for you to apply your knowledge to real world scenarios and to work collaboratively to practice your skills.
The unit adopts reflective and collaborative learning approaches which allow you to work within a community of practice to build your knowledge and practice your skills in applying the investigative skills, the role and operation of intelligence in taking a strategic approach to investigations and the completion of an investigation professionally to support ongoing policy changes in your field.
Your participation in the unit includes:
- Independently working through the learning modules
- Discussing and collaborating with your peers to apply your knowledge to real world scenarios
- Practicing the skills in collaboration with your teams
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
The following types of feedback will assist you to develop the knowledge and skills in this unit:
- Self-feedback in the form of reflective activities
- Peer feedback in the form of group discussion and online collaborative sessions
- Adaptive feedback in the form of online interactive learning activities and quizzes
- Teacher feedback in the online collaborative sessions, discussion boards, and written feedback on assessment
Assessment
Overview
The summative assessment for this unit is constructed around real-world documents and tasks. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that you have both the necessary theoretical understanding and the practical skills required of an effective and proactive employee. Collaborative practice activities will serve as formative assessment, which will provide you with early feedback to assist you with building your knowledge and skills prior to the summative assessment items.
There are two summative tasks:
1. Ethics Briefing - This task connects your learning about ethical, professional and legal dilemmas that arise in intelligence with the skills of communicating professionally and strategically with diverse stakeholders to influence decision making.
2. Intelligence Report - This task brings together the intelligence cycle, with information analysis and collaboration skills to undertake and report on an intelligence investigation.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed in this unit 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 is because the task has been designed for you to demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes of the unit. Go to Learning with generative AI for additional information.
Please note students are only permitted to use Microsoft Copilot as a study aid in their coursework. You can add it to your device, by following these instructions from the QUT Library.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Ethics Briefing
You will take on the role of an intelligence officer to present a briefing to your organisation’s leadership team on current issues in ethics, law and/or professionalism affecting intelligence operations. Include strategies for professional development of staff in your organisation around this issue and other avenues for continued professional development.
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: Intelligence Report
In this assignment, you will plan and report on an intelligence investigation with a team of 4–5 students. You will produce an intelligence report comprised of two parts. You will complete Part A as a team, and complete Part B individually. The two parts of the assignment are listed below:
- Part A: Intelligence operation and collection plan (team)
- Part B: Information analysis and report on investigation results (individual)
This assignment offers a practical exploration of the complex interagency dynamics that characterise the broader intelligence community, emphasising the importance of coordination, information sharing, and analytical rigour.
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
This unit will draw from real world documentation and additional readings and resources provided throughout the modules.
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.JQ20 Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence
- Critically analyse intelligence material to identify patterns and risk, and inform intelligence-led investigations.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, ULO4, Intelligence Report - Employ and evaluate professional communication for reliability, thoroughness and clarity.
Relates to: ULO5, Ethics Briefing, Intelligence Report - Critically reflect on ethics and causes of bias in investigations and intelligence to continuously improve fairness and reliability.
Relates to: ULO1, Ethics Briefing
JQ45 Master of Justice
- Design approaches for working with a plurality of diverse stakeholders and communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Relates to: ULO2, Intelligence Report - Evaluate complex and sensitive problems of justice to inform evidence-based responses.
Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Intelligence Report - Apply a range of communication modes to professionally and strategically interpret and convey critical information to diverse stakeholders.
Relates to: ULO5, Ethics Briefing, Intelligence Report - Examine how ethics, intersectionality and contextual factors converge to impact on and shape social justice issues.
Relates to: ULO1, Ethics Briefing
Unit Outline: Session 4 2026, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | JSQ213 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
Overview
Effective decision making in the field of intelligence and investigation requires a synthesis of ethics, collaboration, and information and evidence analysis. This unit aims to delve into contemporary ethical, legal, and professional concerns that arise in the practice of intelligence activities. Additionally, it will examine the interdependent nature of intelligence and investigations and potential challenges that may arise in collaborative efforts between organisations. Through hands-on practice, you will develop advanced analytical techniques to interpret and clarify data to produce intelligence products that inform decision making based on information and evidence. Students will also learn about the ethical considerations involved in using generative artificial intelligence in investigative and intelligence work, including the need to critically assess AI-generated information and understand the risks of bias, inaccuracy, and misuse when producing intelligence products.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Critically reflect on issues of ethics, professionalism and bias in intelligence operations.
- Plan cross-organisational approaches to intelligence operations that set the strategic direction of the investigation.
- Critically analyse and synthesise information and intelligence to make judgements on complex problems.
- Discuss implications and propose recommendations in response to intelligence operations.
- Communicate professionally and strategically to interpret and clarify complex information for diverse stakeholders.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- intelligence, law and professional conduct
- politicisation of intelligence
- approaches to collaborative planning and decision making with other organisations and/or agencies and addressing issues that may arise
- advanced analytical techniques for evidence-informed decision making
- data integrity and operational security
- influencing decision making and ensuring completeness in decision making
Learning Approaches
This unit will be offered online in the form of self-contained modules that introduce you to new concepts, provide opportunities for you to apply your knowledge to real world scenarios and to work collaboratively to practice your skills.
The unit adopts reflective and collaborative learning approaches which allow you to work within a community of practice to build your knowledge and practice your skills in applying the investigative skills, the role and operation of intelligence in taking a strategic approach to investigations and the completion of an investigation professionally to support ongoing policy changes in your field.
Your participation in the unit includes:
- Independently working through the learning modules
- Discussing and collaborating with your peers to apply your knowledge to real world scenarios
- Practicing the skills in collaboration with your teams
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
The following types of feedback will assist you to develop the knowledge and skills in this unit:
- Self-feedback in the form of reflective activities
- Peer feedback in the form of group discussion and online collaborative sessions
- Adaptive feedback in the form of online interactive learning activities and quizzes
- Teacher feedback in the online collaborative sessions, discussion boards, and written feedback on assessment
Assessment
Overview
The summative assessment for this unit is constructed around real-world documents and tasks. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that you have both the necessary theoretical understanding and the practical skills required of an effective and proactive employee. Collaborative practice activities will serve as formative assessment, which will provide you with early feedback to assist you with building your knowledge and skills prior to the summative assessment items.
There are two summative tasks:
1. Ethics Briefing - This task connects your learning about ethical, professional and legal dilemmas that arise in intelligence with the skills of communicating professionally and strategically with diverse stakeholders to influence decision making.
2. Intelligence Report - This task brings together the intelligence cycle, with information analysis and collaboration skills to undertake and report on an intelligence investigation.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed in this unit 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 is because the task has been designed for you to demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes of the unit. Go to Learning with generative AI for additional information.
Please note students are only permitted to use Microsoft Copilot as a study aid in their coursework. You can add it to your device, by following these instructions from the QUT Library.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Ethics Briefing
You will take on the role of an intelligence officer to present a briefing to your organisation’s leadership team on current issues in ethics, law and/or professionalism affecting intelligence operations. Include strategies for professional development of staff in your organisation around this issue and other avenues for continued professional development.
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: Intelligence Report
In this assignment, you will plan and report on an intelligence investigation with a team of 4–5 students. You will produce an intelligence report comprised of two parts. You will complete Part A as a team, and complete Part B individually. The two parts of the assignment are listed below:
- Part A: Intelligence operation and collection plan (team)
- Part B: Information analysis and report on investigation results (individual)
This assignment offers a practical exploration of the complex interagency dynamics that characterise the broader intelligence community, emphasising the importance of coordination, information sharing, and analytical rigour.
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
This unit will draw from real world documentation and additional readings and resources provided throughout the modules.
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.JQ20 Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence
- Critically analyse intelligence material to identify patterns and risk, and inform intelligence-led investigations.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, ULO4, Intelligence Report - Employ and evaluate professional communication for reliability, thoroughness and clarity.
Relates to: ULO5, Ethics Briefing, Intelligence Report - Critically reflect on ethics and causes of bias in investigations and intelligence to continuously improve fairness and reliability.
Relates to: ULO1, Ethics Briefing
JQ45 Master of Justice
- Design approaches for working with a plurality of diverse stakeholders and communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Relates to: ULO2, Intelligence Report - Evaluate complex and sensitive problems of justice to inform evidence-based responses.
Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Intelligence Report - Apply a range of communication modes to professionally and strategically interpret and convey critical information to diverse stakeholders.
Relates to: ULO5, Ethics Briefing, Intelligence Report - Examine how ethics, intersectionality and contextual factors converge to impact on and shape social justice issues.
Relates to: ULO1, Ethics Briefing