Course Outline
SCI700 Research/Industry Dissertation 1
Course Coordinator:Anthony Bedford (abedford@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
2026Trimester 2
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.
What is this course about?
Description
In this course, you will embark on an industry-driven group project or pursue individual research (subject to approval). Under the guidance of academic and industry experts (if applicable), you'll master and apply specialised knowledge to deliver impactful projects. Whether in a team or as an individual researcher, this course enhances your employability, paving your way to professional practice or pioneering research.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Workshop to debrief on project progress | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Online | |||
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Workshop to debrief on project progress | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Course Topics
Topics covered will vary depending on student work. All work will include a detailed write-up as well as reflection
What level is this course?
700 Level (Specialised)
What is the unit value of this course?
24 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| 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 | Identify and apply specific discipline knowledge to plan, conduct and report project activities | Creative and critical thinker |
| 2 | Apply advanced research and technical skills to conduct project activities | Empowered |
| 3 | Report on project activities and outcomes using advanced written and verbal communication. | Engaged |
| 4 | Critically reflect and evaluate on your performance and the development of any outcomes | Creative and critical thinker |
| 5 | Demonstrate personal and professional responsibility for own learning and work outcomes | Engaged |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
Completed 84 credits which must include PRM701 and (BUS703 or BUS512 or BUS514 or BUS515 or HLT701 or PUB708)
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
Not applicable
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
Microcredential Information
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
Each week students will provide updates on their project or research progress and discuss learnings. Attendance and participation in class, in team meetings and with clients will be critical to your ability to pass this course. In addition, task 1 and 2 activities will provide guidance on work to be completed in the final Task 3.
Assessment tasks
| 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 | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | Individual or Group | 30% | For Project Pathway: 2000 words (+/- 10%) For Research Pathway: 3000 words (+/- 10%) |
Week 4 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Oral and Written Piece | Individual or Group | 20% | 500 words (+/- 10%) |
Week 7 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Oral and Written Piece | Individual or Group | 50% | Up to 15 min presentation. Project approximately 3000 words. Research 3000-4000 words. |
Week 12 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Professional Development Bootcamp and Research/Project Proposal | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | This task has several goals: Understand and cultivate a framework of personal governance, teamwork, collaboration, professional accountability, and identity that mirrors real-world workplace practices. For Research Pathway: Establish a foundational governance blueprint that clearly defines the research boundaries, objectives, and methodology, including the completion of the literature review. For Project Pathway: This task compels students to critically evaluate the core business problem and articulate a compelling value proposition alongside tangible deliverables. Aligns expectations and secures formal stakeholder sign-off, ensuring the planned work is technically feasible and structured for successful execution within the project timeframe. |
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| Product: | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | The Project Pathway requires attending professional development workshops in the form of an intensive “bootcamp” to prepare students for real world professional practice and engagement with external clients in a project setting. After bootcamp, all project teams must submit a Team Agreement document that sets the project team’s structure and agreed internal governance model for team performance within the project. The final tangible deliverable will be a project proposal that critically evaluates the core business problem and articulates a compelling value proposition alongside tangible deliverables. The proposal aligns project expectations and secures formal stakeholder sign-off, ensuring the planned work is technically feasible and structured for successful execution within the project timeframe. Within the Research Pathway, bootcamp is to support student professional development skills. Research students must submit a research planning document that identifies the tasks and activities required to complete a research proposal, including a research alignment table, highlighting the primary research question, research objectives, and methodology. This will include work required to initiate a Human Research Ethics Approval process where applicable. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Research/Project Defence Preparation and Peer Review | ||||||||||
| Goal: | Practice and demonstrate critical thinking, reflection, and analysis through an interview and peer review process. Students will also be able to practice verbal and written communication that will support their final task assessment. |
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| Product: | Oral and Written Piece | |||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||
| Format: | Using templates and instructions provided, students will be required to submit a document that outlines their understanding of a project/research proposal, with a set of questions and feedback that will be asked during class as a practice to orally defend their project proposal or research. Refer to Canvas for more details. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Outcome Presentation and Deliverables | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | Effectively communicate the project/research scope, significance, and tangible value. This culminating task requires students to critically evaluate their methodology and articulate their professional growth, serving as the showcase of their applied expertise. Additional for Project: Demonstrates group and individual engagement against project and client activities. Technical and documented achievements translated into actionable, evidence-based recommendations that client decision-makers can validate and potentially adopt. |
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| Product: | Oral and Written Piece | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | The oral presentation is either live in person, or via a negotiated online platform with all students visible on camera for assessment security. Presentation is given as a group for the group project work, or individually for research projects, although grades will be provided individually. Students should discuss and evaluate the outcomes achieved against those planned at the outset of the project/research identified in the proposal, following the recommended template structure. The presentation is an opportunity to share the work and outcomes with your peers, academics and clients or stakeholders, and will be delivered twice. Presentations will be held over weeks 12 within class time/or negotiated time, and exam week is recommended for client presentations. The presentation file will be uploaded after the presentation is completed, and for project teams, must include a presentation script or speaker notes which demonstrates how the oral content was planned for delivery among team members. A final report in word/pdf format, leveraging work done in the proposal stage. Project teams must also receive confirmation from their Project clients that the final project outputs and documentation was received as part of project closure. More details will be provided on Canvas. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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Directed study hours
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.
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
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.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
Specific requirements
Not applicable
How are risks managed in this course?
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
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.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
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
Assessment: Submission penalties
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
Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: