JSQ210 Managing Complex and Sensitive Investigations

Unit Outline: Session 1 2024, QUT Online, Online

Overview

This unit will introduce the knowledge and skills required for managing complex and sensitive investigations. It will consider the reason for investigations, their role in resolving public and private sector issues and the scope of the investigator’s role in the broader question of regulation, conflict resolution and issue determination. This unit also introduces the investigative process, the professional issues that arise in investigations and the writing of investigative reports.  

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Plan investigations into complex and sensitive scenarios that incorporates the elements of the investigative cycle.
2. Justify investigative planning decisions drawing on professional and academic literature.
3. Critique investigative reports to evaluate the validity and thoroughness of the conclusions.
4. Articulate evidence-based recommendations for management responses, regulatory action or policy improvements in response to investigative data.

Content

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 collaborative and reflective learning approaches which allow you to work within a community of practice to build your knowledge and practice your skills in applying the investigative procedural knowledge and skills and reaching conclusions.  

Your participation in the unit includes:  

• Independently working through the learning modules  
• Discussing and collaborating with your teams 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 investigator. 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. Investigative Plan - This task connects the early stages of the investigative cycle with a real-world scenario to plan a complex investigation.

2. Brief Management - This task draws together skills for reporting and developing recommendations to critically evaluate briefs and identify broad themes arising from the briefs that need a policy or managerial response. It requires analytical and creative thinking to propose relevant recommendations.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Investigative Plan

You will produce an investigative plan in response to a given scenario. Your plan will follow the investigative cycle including the flexibility to accommodate unforeseen developments. You will justify your planning decisions while drawing on the unit and wider literature.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions. 

Assessment: Brief Management

You will critique investigative reports to evaluate the validity and thoroughness of the conclusions. Based on these reports, you will make recommendations for management responses, regulatory action or policy improvement.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions. 

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

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

JQ20 Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence

1. Evaluate complex and sensitive investigations to recommend fair and evidence-based resolutions.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO4, Investigative Plan, Brief Management
2. Employ and evaluate professional communication for reliability, thoroughness and clarity.
   Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Brief Management