Course Coordinator:Jenna Campton (jcampton@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Qualitative business research is important in that it can incorporate context into the problem under study. It is a useful approach when little is known about the problem and more information is needed, and produces new knowledge about the phenomenon being explored in a business context. As with quantitative research, qualitative research relies on several methods of data collection and analysis. This course examines the various methods of qualitative research and provides some insights as to the most appropriate method for a given circumstance and context, and provides a practical opportunity to apply some of the methods explored.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. | 2hrs | Week 1 | 11 times |
| Online | |||
| Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops (Recorded). | 2hrs | Week 1 | 11 times |
500 Level (Advanced)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Develop understanding of the steps involved in qualitative research. | Creative and critical thinker |
| 2 | Identify the best methodology for the selected qualitative research question | Creative and critical thinker |
| 3 | Demonstrate qualitative research skills by completing a written report. |
Creative and critical thinker Engaged |
| 4 | Develop ability to apply qualitative research techniques. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
| 5 | Apply appropriate ethical protocols to qualitative research | Ethical |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Enrolled in any honours program or postgraduate coursework program
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Students will be encouraged to actively engage in the workshop discussions and seek formative feedback from the lecturer on a weekly basis.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 50% | 2,000 words. |
Week 7 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Oral and Written Piece | Individual | 50% | 12-15 minutes recorded presentation and written component (1,000 words). |
Week 12 | Online Submission |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Qualitative Research Proposal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | To develop a research proposal providing an appropriate rationale and critique. |
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| Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Students will develop a research proposal. This proposal will include justifying the proposed research, developing research questions, discussing a relevant theory/model/framework, and justifying the research methodology and design. Further details will be available on Canvas. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Qualitative Research Presentation | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | To analyse qualitative data, interpret the results and present the findings. |
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| Product: | Oral and Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Students will present the analysis of qualitative data, justify the process, and interpret the results using academic literature and a relevant theory/model/framework. Further details will be available on Canvas. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Sharon M. Ravitch,Nicole Mittenfelner Carl | 2020 | Qualitative Research | n/a | SAGE Publications, Incorporated |
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
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