Research Proposal
Assessment Title
Research Proposal
Task Description
Overview:
This assignment requires you to
follow a systematic approach in order to eventually develop a viable research
proposal of high academic standards. The assignment must be developed via a
randomly formed group. It comprises 80% of the total mark of this unit. You
must achieve a minimum score of 50% of the available marks of this assignment
task to pass this unit. The assignment consists of four deliverables or parts:
1. Part 2A, 10%: Oral presentations of the outline research proposal, due in week 8
2.
Part 2B, 20%: Group interviews of draft research proposal, due in week 10
3.
Part 2C, 40%: Final Research Proposal, due in week 12
4.
Part 2D, 10%: Group Member Performance Evaluation, due in week 12
Group forming
Your tutor will form your group in
week five. Each group will comprise 3-4 students and this range may vary
depending on the number of students enroled in each class or setting. Each
group member must enrol in their group online by end of week 5 to avoid mark
deduction. Your group leader will initially be assigned by the tutor. The group
must then confirm or defer the assignment of the group leader and negotiate
group rules by completing a group charter template. Your group must meet on a
regular basis and keep a record of minutes of meetings until the end of the
term. Your group must use ASANA for team communication and task management. Any
dysfunctional member should be given a warning by the group leader and an
opportunity to improve. In case of no improvement, the member must be reported
to the tutor as well as the unit coordinator.
Tasks:
Part 2A: Group Presentations (10%)
This is the first deliverable of your
group that will be due in week 7. The task requires your group to develop and
present the outline of your intended research project. The presentation must
essentially outline the what, why and how of the group research project. Your
group should prioritize projects initiated in assignment 1 and eventually agree
upon the group research topic for further adoption in assignment 2. Your
presentation should include the following components.
1.
A description of the group research
topic
2.
Background of the research project.
3.
Evidence of the research gap or
problem and its significance.
4.
Research questions or hypothesis(es)
5.
Research methodology
6.
Expected research findings and their
implication.
7.
A list of key scholarly recent
studies relating to your topic.
Presentations will take place during
tutorial sessions in week 7 for on-campus students and via Zoom for online
students. Each group will present its project to the respective tutor and
peers. Each group will have strict 10 minutes of presentation time plus 5
minutes of Q&A and feedback time (10+5=15 mins). Each group member is required
to present part of the work and be ready to answer any question by the tutor
relating to the presentation. Exceeding the time limits for presentation will
encounter mark deductions; therefore, you are encouraged to have adequate
rehearsal in advance.
Important Note: Group members who are not available during for presentations will
receive zero marks. A group member who fails to complete ALL
the compulsory group activities will not be allowed to present and
will receive zero marks for this part.
Part 2B: Oral examination - Group
Interviews (20%)
This part involves an oral
examination of each group member to explain the content of draft detailed
research proposal. The draft proposal must be submitted in Moodle two business
days prior to the scheduled interviews using the given template for Part 2C. Do
not include the ‘Project Management Section’ and ‘Appendices’ in the draft
submission. Interviews will be conducted during tutorials or via Zoom. The
questions will be raised around the development of the draft detailed research
proposal. Each group must attend ‘one to one’ interview with their
respective tutor during the tutorial in Week 10. Interviews via Zoom will be
arranged with online students as well as on-campus groups who could not
complete the interviews during the scheduled tutorial. During interviews, the
tutor will ask a few questions to each group member to verify the level of
their contribution in the project, identify any error or misunderstanding,
detect misconceptions and probe the depth of understanding of research project
substance and process. Each member will receive an individual mark based on
their answers to the tutor’s questions during the interview. The tutor will
also give constructive feedback on the draft in order to amend or improve the final
proposal.
Part 2C: Final Detailed Research
Proposal (40%)
Developing a final detailed research
proposal is the third and most important deliverable of the assignment. You
should think of this proposal as a document that should be detailed enough so anyone
else can use your plan to execute the project. You must consider the given
feedback on previous assessment tasks to improve your research proposal. In
developing your proposal, you must adopt the supplied template which has
sufficient guidelines to complete each section.
Important Note: You must familiarise yourself with the assessment criteria of this
part as it is linked with Part 2D so each group member may receive a different
mark to reflect their actual performance in undertaking the group work.
Part 2D: Group Member Performance
Evaluation (10%)
Evaluation of group members is the
fourth and last deliverable of the assignment. In week 12, you will receive an
email from the Unit Coordinator inviting you to respond to a compulsory
survey. You must respond by the given deadline, mentioned in that
email. The survey includes five closed-ended questions and one open-ended
question. The survey aims to evaluate the performance of each group member
regarding leadership, attendance of group meetings, timely action, cooperation,
quality of contribution, etc. You must self-rate your performance and rate each
member of your group against the given criteria. You must also
provide a short feedback of not less than 30 words about the level of
contribution, the reliability of contributions and performance of each group
member by answering the sixth question.
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