School of Humanities and Communication Arts

Unit Learning Guide

Communication Research

Unit Number: / 101041
Teaching Period: / SPRING 2012
Unit Weighting: / 10 credit points
Unit Level: / Level 1
Unit Co-ordinator: / Raymond Archee
Teaching Staff: / Raymond Archee, Myra Gurney, Navin Doloswala
First Point of Contact: / Raymond Archee

0413 149 824

Student Consultation

Face-to-face consultations can be arranged by email. Email teaching staff above for an appointment time.

General Student consultation times are: Ray Archee: 1-3 Mon; 3-4 Wed

Student Communication

Students must use their UWS student e-mail address in all correspondence with the Unit Coordinator and Tutors.

Attendance Requirements

Attendance is expected at all the tutorials in which you are registered. Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of classes.

Records will be taken for verification purposes.

Lectures and tutorials are an essential part of your learning.

Students have the responsibility to keep up with the unit content by attendance at lectures and tutorials.

No accommodation will be made or consideration will be given to students who do not attend regularly except in the case of illness or misadventure.

Non-attendance due to illness or misadventure or other, legitimate reasons should be documented and submitted to the Unit Coordinator.

Essential Equipment and/or Resources

Students need to have access to a computer where the Internet can be used to logon to E-learning at UWS and the vUWS website for this unit. It would be useful to have Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded from the link at E-learning at UWS Additionally. a portable HD is recommended, or at least two USB drives need to be used for saving and moving data to and from School computers. A private copy of the basic SPSS for Windows program would also be beneficial.

There are computer labs for student use on each campus as well as provisions for students to access online materials at each of the campus libraries.

Student Feedback on Unit Surveys

Student Feedback on Unit Surveys will be distributed in Week 13

Changes and Improvements to the Unit as a Result of Student Feedback

The University values student feedback in order to improve the quality of its educational programs. As a result of student feedback, the following changes and improvements to this unit have recently been made:

•Research Proposal and Research Report requirements have been simplified

•New Flash tutorials for SPSS teaching and learning have been created

•Data set for practice and analysis has been updated

•New material has been added which uses applied research to illustrate relevant research concepts

•Coordinator has instigated independent evaluation procedures of the unit

Expectations of Student Conduct

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of classes. Students are advised to submit a doctor’s certificate to cover any absence from class and contact the unit coordinator by email.

Students are expected to spend the equivalent of eight (8) hours out of class time per week on reading and completing activities and tasks for this unit. This does not include preparation of assessments. Participation in this unit requires that students will come to class having read the Web-based readings, Captivate tutorials and examples. Assessment also requires completion of weekly exercises. All assessment items and tutorial exercises are available on the unit’s vUWS site.

Students should be familiar with the University of Western Sydney’s O H, S & R Policy which can be viewed at

The University of Western Sydney Occupational Health, Safety and Risk policy states that it is the responsibility of employees, students, contractors, visitors and others to ensure this policy is carried out and to regard accident prevention and safe working as a collective and individual responsibility.

Unit Details

Position of this Unit in the Course

This unit is a 1st year unit and forms part of the key program. It is an introduction to both the rationale and software used in mainstream empirical research. It introduces students to the reasoning, tools, critical appraisal, writing genres and ethical constraints of research in the Communication field.

UWS Graduate Attributes

1.Commands multiple skills and literacies to enable adaptable lifelong learning

2.Demonstrate knowledge of indigenous Australia through cultural competency and professional capacity

3.Demonstrates comprehensive, coherent and connected knowledge

4.Applies knowledge through intellectual inquiry in professional or applied contexts

5.Brings knowledge to life through responsible engagement and appreciation of diversity in an evolving world

Course Graduate Attributes:Bachelor of Communication

The UWS Bachelor of Communication attributes are:

Commands a full range of skills and literacies independently and collaboratively by means of self-directed study across communication and media generally and in the context of vocational specialization.
Demonstrate an understanding of and sensitivity to cultural and intercultural issues, especially those of Indigenous Australian
Demonstrates comprehensive, coherent and connected knowledge of systems and technologies through contemporary and emergent communication.
Applies knowledge through intellectual inquiry in the professional or applied environment of Communication industries and practice.
Brings knowledge to life through ethical as well as responsible engagement and appreciation of diversity in an evolving world.

Unit Learning Outcomes

The Unit’s Learning Outcomes specifically support the above Course Attributes: 1, 3, 4, 5.

At the successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1.Critically review research literature, use argument and logic, and write a basic survey;

2.Use the basic functions of SPSS - data entry, variable setup, data analysis, and interpretation of results;

3.Write a social research report - Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References, Appendices;

4.Demonstrate an understanding of research ethics.

Student Workload

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of classes. Students are advised to submit a doctor’s certificate to cover any absence from class and contact the unit coordinator by email.

Students should be familiar with the University of Western Sydney’s O H, S & R Policy which can be viewed at

Schedule Learning and Teaching Activities:

Date / Semester Week / Topic / Weekly Activities
30 July 2012 / 1 / What is communication research? What is SPSS? Using the library’s journal databases. / Discussing Learning Guide. Examining the different genres of communication research. Opening SPSS for Windows.
6 August 2012 / 2 / Research Basics: ethics of research / Why is ethics so important to researchers? The UWS Human Ethics Process.
13 August 2012 / 3 / Research Methods: surveys and interviews. SPSS previewed. / How do you write a good questionnaire? The kissing survey. Evaluating social science.YouTube tutorials perused.
20 August 2012 / 4 / Research Criticism: structure of the research report / Examination of the parts of the research report. Writing an Introduction, incl. a good literature review
27 August 2012 / 5 / Research Basics: argument and logic / Classifying, writing, and evaluating an argument. Writing the Method section.
3 September 2012 / 6 / Research Methods: media research / Examination of media and content analysis.
Writing the Results section.
10 September 2012 / 7 / Research Criticism: evaluating communication research / How do you criticise communication research?Writing the Conclusions or Discussion section.
17 September 2012 / 8 / Introduction to SPSS analysis / Inputting the kissing survey data. Labelling variables. Running a SPSS job
24 September 2012 / 9 / Intra-Session Break
1 October 2012 / 10 / Public holiday on Monday 1 October
8 October 2012 / 11 / Intermediate SPSS procedures / Analysing the kissing survey. Using tables and graphs.
15 October 2012 / 12 / Understanding statistical tests / Understanding means, correlations, t-tests, ANOVA.
22 October 2012 / 13 / Qualitative methods / How are qualitative methods the same/different?
29 October2012 / 14 / Internet research / How is Internet research different? New content, old methods?
5 November 2012 / 15 / STUVAC

Assessments

Assessment Requirements

Assessment component / Length (eg number of words in written assignments)
Duration (eg duration of oral presentations, quizzes)
Other parameters (eg how group-work will be assessed) / Percentage of total assessment for the unit for this piece of assessment
1. / Research Proposal / 20%
2. / Research Report / 40%
3. / Exercise Portfolio / 40%
TOTAL / 100%

Final marks and grades are subject to confirmation by the School and College Assessment Committee, which may scale, modify or otherwise amend the marks and grades for the unit, as may be required by University policies.

An overall mark of at least 50% is required to pass the unit. Students who fail to submit one or more assignments will be receive an AF fail grade. Final marks and grades are subject to confirmation by the School and College Assessment Committee which may scale, modify or otherwise amend the marks and grades for the unit, as may be required by University policies.

Alignment of Teaching Activities with Unit Learning Outcomes

Course Attributes / Learning Outcome / Learning Activities / Assessment Activities
1, 3, 4 / Critically review research literature, use argument and logic, and write a basic survey / Tutorials/Online demonstrations / Proposal and weekly exercises
3, 4 / Use the basic functions of SPSS - data entry, variable setup, data analysis, and interpretation of results / Tutorials /Online Flash demonstrations / Portfolio exercises, research report
1, 3, 4 / Write a social research report - Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References, Appendices / Tutorials/ Online Flash examples / Submission of proposal and research report
2, 5 / Demonstrate an understanding of research ethics. / Tutorials/ Practice using NEAF website / Submit ethics application

Submission of Assessment Tasks

Assignments submitted electronically and in hard copy must be accompanied by a copy of the Assignment Cover Sheet. Note that, in some case, the tutor may not be the marker for the given assignment.

1.All assignments are due in class or in assignment boxes by the dates advised unless advised otherwise by the
unit coordinator.

2.Assignments will only be accepted electronically as evidence of submission but will not be marked until a hard
copy of the assignment has been received.

3.Students are required to keep an electronic copy of all written work submitted and to be able to produce this if
requested by the tutor or unit coordinator. USB flash drives are not recommended for back-up of data. A
portable hard drive is the only reliable back-up facility.

Return of Assessment Material

Your tutor will return assignments in class as soon as they are marked. If there are no classes (in the case of an end of session assignment), work may be collected from the unit coordinator at the commencement of the following semester. Any work not collected within 3 months will be forwarded to Records Management for destruction. Students are advised to submit copies of written work, and retain original files for reference. Alternatively, an appropriately sized, self-addressed, stamped envelope can be attached to your assignment and your marked assignment will be returned to you via post after the finalisation of grades for the unit.

Resubmission

Resubmission can take place at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator where there are extenuating circumstances.

Late Submission

Work submitted late without prior consultation with the Unit Coordinator will not be accepted.

A student who submits a late assessment without approval for an extension will be penalised by 10% per day up to 10 days, i.e. marks equal to 10% of the assignment’s weight will be deducted as a ‘flat rate’ from the mark awarded. For example, for an assignment that has a possible highest mark of 50, the student’s awarded mark will have 5 marks deducted for each late day. Saturday and Sunday each count as one day.

Assessments will not be accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students who submitted the task on time.

Extension of Due Date

If students need to apply for a short extension of time to complete an assessment item, they should complete the Application for Extension of Time for Assignment form available on the Unit’s website (vUWS) or from the School Office. This form needs to be submitted before the due date of the assignment. Students should complete Sections A and C, then submit the form to their Unit Co-ordinator/Advisor, who will complete Section B. If the extension is approved, the student should leave Sections A and B with the Unit Co-ordinator/Advisor, and attach Section C to their assignment when they submit it.

An application for an extension does not automatically mean that an extension will be approved

Special Consideration for the whole or part of teaching session

For special consideration for part or the whole of the teaching session, the application should be submitted to the Unit Coordinator as soon as the student is aware that he/she has extenuating circumstances that will affect studies for the session. Application for Special Consideration is available on UWS Website

Special Consideration for one assessment task

Where special consideration is sought for circumstances involving more than three consecutive days or more than five days within a teaching period, students should complete a Special Consideration Application, available from the UWS website or a Student Centre.

Applications for Special Consideration to request accommodations in the nature or date of submission of a specific assessment task must be submitted to the Unit Coordinator (with a copy to the lecturer, where applicable) no later than 5.00pm on the 2nd working day after the due date of the assessment (working days are defined as Monday to Friday, not including public holidays).

An application for Special Consideration does not automatically mean that it will be granted.

Assessment 1: Research Proposal

Due Date

Wed 5 Sept, 2012,by 3pm, in class or in unit assignment box in Building BB.

Aims/Objectives

•To learn and practise skills of professional communication research design

•To review academic databases, select relevant articles and summarise and evaluate findings

Assessment Description

You will be asked to select a topic of interest for later investigation via a research report. Identify and review similar research papers found in the literature in the field using the academic databases and summarise your findings and proposed method in a research proposal.

Assessment Requirements

You need to identify a research project - read what the literature says, design a research instrument and propose to undertake the study. If you are using human participants, surveys can only be done with friends and family. Web research using content analysis is an easy alternative for highly controversial topics.

Suggested headings – Introduction, Proposed Method, References, Appendices. The Introduction should include a lengthy (at least 50% of words) literature review of significant recent research in the area. A demonstration Ethics application MUST be included as Appendix 1. A draft survey or observational instrument should be included as Appendix 2.

The proposal should include:

•Relevant Title

•Introduction Section including Overview, Literature Review, Need for Investigation, Aims and Justification steps

•Proposed Method Section

•Reference list, alphabetised in APA format with hanging indents

•Ethics application, abbreviated or via NEAF website

•Appendix with draft survey

Length should be around 1500 words, excluding survey, ethics application and references.

A minimum of 8 scholarly References (not Internet sources).

Assessment Criteria

The Research Proposal is the first half of an entire report. Students should make sure to focus on topics that are researchable, and have been researched by others. Strange, unusual or off-beat topics may seem attractive, but students will find them challenging to research because of the lack of previous study in that area. The Ethics application is mandatory, and needs careful attention and perseverance.

The review of previous literature is more than a collection of summaries of other research in the field. Good literature reviews are critical, exhaustive and argumentative. Students will be instructed on how to construct a good survey, and how to avoid unhelpful questions. The survey itself is a limiting factor in what a student can achieve in their research aspirations. Thus pilot studies, peer reviews and instructor advice needs to be undertaken and acted upon.

Students whose proposals fail to meet minimum standards will be permitted to resubmit to receive a Pass grade.

Marking Criteria

Marking Criteria for Assignment 1: Research Proposal
(learning outcomes 1, 3 & 4)
Low scores R to P / Average scores P+ to C / High scores D to H

Organisation: The proposal should be well researched and organised into a logical and coherent structure which is interesting and relevant to an academic audience. The proposal should observe APA referencing, and professional presentation in terms of fonts, headings, and numbering..

Material is not particularly well organised, and is not linked and difficult to follow.
Poor or inadequate use of suggested structure appropriately
Proposed research topic poorly chosen
Has areas which are unclear and require further explanation and are not well integrated.
Little or no use of relevant additional academic sources.
Cursory or missing reference to points of main reading. Basic or no evidence of understanding main theme or question being addressed
Small number, poorly chosen or missing reference list
Poor or missing survey
Poor or missing ethics application

Proposal is generally clear and well organised with a clear opening which addresses the question and uses the suggested structure.
Well chosen, if unoriginal research topic
A few minor points may be confusing or not relevant.
Adequate understanding of the field of research displayed through references.
Good opening and conclusion which allows audience to understand theme of proposal.
Adequate draft survey
Adequate ethics application

Proposal is clear, logical and organised.
Research topic is novel and engaging
Student demonstrates a high level of understanding of the main arguments and themes within a field of research.
Excellent choice and number/variety of reference material which is used to support the proposal presented.
Material is integrated and main themes are thoroughly discussed with evidence from reading and additional sources.
Excellent draft survey
Excellent ethics application

Content: Appropriate, interesting content that is well researched and appropriate for the audience. It should describe an existing academic field of research and attempt to extend that research.

Cursory or missing reference to points of main readings.
Basic or no evidence of understanding main theme or question.
Material is poorly chosen, too simple or too difficult for the audience, irrelevant or shows only a basic understanding of the subject matter.
Material is a series of non integrated points

Content attempts to engage with research question
Supporting material is mostly relevant and drawn from popular or average level academic sources
Material chosen is interesting and appropriate for the audience
Some insights drawn which reflect a reasonable understanding of the subject matter.

Excellent choice of background academic material from a variety of academic sources which are used to support the argument presented.
Main themes clearly discussed supported by evidence from the reading and additional academic sources.
Support material chosen is of a high level, is well chosen for the academic audience.
Insights drawn are linked to main themes and reflect a sophisticated level of understanding of the subject matter.

Assessment 2: Research Report