Presentation

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COURSEWORK ETHICS APPLICATION FORM (V.04 – 2026)

FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE COURSEWORK UNITS – COURSEWORK ETHICS CLEARANCE APPROVAL

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 All Ethics Applications for coursework research activities must be approved by the Excelsia University

College Research Office before any primary data collection begins.

 This application is completed once per unit by the Unit Coordinator, covering all enrolled students.

 All coursework ethics applications must be submitted two weeks before semester commencement.

 Applications received after this deadline cannot be prioritised by the Research Office.

 Any use of AI tools in data collection, transcription, analysis, or interpretation must be disclosed in this

application.

SECTION 1 — UNIT AND COORDINATOR DETAILS

School/Department Education Program of study Masters of Teaching (Secondary)

Unit Code EDSF509

Unit Name EDSF509 Professional Action Research Project B

Period of research activity Commencement Date: 19th October 2026

Completion Date: 22nd November 2026

Course Coordinator Name Edmund Sosu

Provide a brief summary of the

unit outlining the broad aims

and the purpose of the research activity.

The central focus of the two-unit sequence Action Research Project A and Action Research Project B is on the design, development, implementation, and reporting of an Action Research Project that addresses a professional concern identified by each Master of Teaching and Master of Educational Leadership student. This project will be undertaken in a school or educational setting, where students analyze a specific problem or issue relevant to their profession. Both Master of Teaching and Master of Educational Leadership students are expected to apply various theories, concepts, or models in researching and/or providing a solution to the problem or investigating the issue. In doing so, they are expected to explore strategies which: • encourage ongoing, self-directed professional development. • provide a basis for involvement in school-based research. • build on their own professional knowledge and expertise. • develop critical reflective work practices.

SECTION 2 — ETHICAL ASSURANCES

The survey/interview results data collected will be used only for assessment purposes and will not be used for

external publication or dissemination.

☐ Yes

☐ No

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SECTION 3 — RESEARCH ACTIVITY DETAILS

3.1 Data Collection Methods ☐ Questionnaire / Survey

☐ One-on-one Interview

☐ Focus group interview

☐ Observation

☐ Audio/video recording

☐ Use of AI tools for transcription, coding, or analysis

☐ Other (specify):

3.2 Detailed Description of

Research Procedures

 Describe each procedure

participants will be asked to

complete.

Teacher will complete a questionnaire and open ended question which

will be the data collection process.

 Outline the information to be

collected about each individual.

 Describe how the data will be

analysed to meet the aim/s to

meet the aims of the research

activity.

 If AI tools will be used,

specify:

o tool name

o purpose o data handling and privacy

safeguards

o limitations and human

oversight

1. The study will gather data that will be associated with the engagement, participation, and perceptions of the students about classroom group activities. Survey data will provide quantitative information regarding the interest of students to work in a group, their confidence to provide their ideas, and perceived barriers to participation. Some of the behaviours that will be noted in classroom observations include frequency of participation, cooperating with peers, paying attention during group work and participation in discussions

2. The data obtained will be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The responses to the survey will be analyzed through the descriptive statistics, percentages, and mean scores, and chart analysis to define the trends in the level of engagement and participation of the students. To determine the pattern of interaction, collaboration, and engagement during group activities, the notes of classroom observation will be reviewed.

3.3 Research Location

Describe where the research

activity will take place, such as a

workplace, online environment, or

campus setting.

The study will be conducted in one of the suburban high schools in Australia in Years 10 and 11 in Business and Commerce subjects. The setting of data collection will be in the ordinary classroom throughout the scheduled lessons in which the students will be involved in a set of group activities aimed at letting them engage and learn together.

SECTION 4 — PARTICIPANT DETAILS

4.1 Number and Source of

Participants

State the number of participants

each student must recruit and where

they will be sourced from.

total of 16 teachers will be hired from my placement school.

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4.2 Recruitment Process Describe how participants will be

invited to participate (e.g., email, flyer, verbal invitation).

The participants will be invited to engage in the participation with the help of their classroom teacher during regular Business and Commerce lessons. The students will be given an information sheet of the objective of the study, and the participation will be voluntary. Consents of students will be required on permission since they are minors, before full surveys of students, taking part in observations, or volunteering to take part in interviews.

SECTION 5 – PARTICIPANT INFORMATION AND CONSENT

5.1 Participant Information Sheet Will students provide participants

with a written Participant

Information Sheet? Please use the Excelsia University

College Participant Information

Sheet template.

The sheet must disclose:

 how data will be used, stored,

and destroyed

 any AI tools used in analysis

☐ Yes

☐ No

5.2 Consent Process

Will students obtain written consent

from each participant?

Please use the Excelsia University

College Consent Form

Explicit consent is required for

audio or video recording.

☐ Yes

☐ No

SECTION 6 – RISK ASSESSMENT AND CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

6.1 Risk Identification

Identify any potential risks

(psychological, social, cultural,

professional, privacy-related).

Risk might be teachers personal reputations, and minor privacy related

risk to share the classroom information.

6.2 Risk Mitigation Strategies

Describe how risks will be

minimised.

Risk would be minimized through taking some measures (volunatry

participation)

6.3 Cultural Safety

Describe any cultural

considerations and how cultural

safety will be ensured.

Maintaining respectful communication

SECTION 7 – DATA MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY

How will the identity of

participants be protected

throughout data collection, analysis, and assessment?

The feelings of the participants will be enhanced through the

principle of anonymity and confidentiality during the research. No

names will be used when recording students; pseudonyms or

identification codes will be used in all the data, transcripts, and

reports. Any data obtained will be safely stored and only the

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researcher and Unit Coordinator can access it. No personal details

of the participants or school will be revealed when the research is

evaluated which will guarantee the privacy of the participants and

the ethical nature of the research.

How and where will data be stored

securely including encryption,

password protection, and access controls?

The entire research data will be stored under passwords in digital

files in the computer of the researcher and will be used as backup

in a safe cloud storage facility. Audio recordings, survey responses

and observation notes will only be available to the researcher.

Personal identifiers will be excluded to ensure confidentiality and

all the data will be processed following the ethical research

standards.

Will data be stored following

completion of the research activity?

If yes, specify:

 retention period

 storage location

 destruction method

 responsible party

If cloud storage is used, confirm

compliance with Australian privacy

legislation.

The Unit Coordinator may keep the data in digital form once the

research activity is over. The information will be stored in secure

and password-protected university data storage systems that are

only accessible to the authorised academic personnel. The data will

be stored up to about five years as per policies of university

research data where the data would be safely erased or destroyed to

retain the confidentiality of the participants.

SECTION 8 – DECLARATION BY THE UNIT COORDINATOR

As Unit Coordinator, I agree to: ☐ Commence the activity only after receiving final approval from the

Research Office.

☐ Accept responsibility for monitoring the conduct of the research

activity to ensure compliance with Excelsia policy and the National

Statement (2023–2025).

☐ Immediately notify the Research Office if any change to the research

activity is proposed

☐ Notify the Research Office of any proposed amendments and await

approval before implementing changes.

☐ Report any adverse or unexpected events immediately.

☐ As Unit Coordinator, I confirm that upon the completion of the

students’ research projects, I will finalise the Project Completion Form

and submit it to the Research Office via email to [email protected]

SECTION 9 – RESEARCH OFFICE REVIEW

The Research Office has reviewed

this application and considers the ☐ Yes

☐ No

methodological, technical, and

ethical aspects appropriate.

Review includes:

 methodology

 risk assessment

 data governance

 AI disclosure

Comments

PERMISSION LETTER Date

Recipient

Recipient position in the organisation

Organisation address

Different active learning approaches to enhance Business & Commerce education

engagement.

I am writing to ask for your assistance in my research concerning How different active learning

approaches to enhance Business & Commerce students education engagement. I am a master’s

level coursework student in the School of Education at Excelsia University College, Sydney. From

current research it is not clear Student engagement represents a vital condition which enables

effective learning, but Business & Commerce education faces major obstacles regarding this

matter. Among students in year 10 and year 11 Business & Commerce I noticed limited

participation as well as interaction that decreased notably when teachers used traditional lectures

for delivery and it is expected that my research will be of benefit because it may find out some

practical solution to increase the student’s engagement in class.

As part of my research, I would like to invite your employees to participate in questionnaire. The

data collection survey will be open from 19th October 2026 to 22nd November.

I will be asking questions about students will submit feedback through assessment instruments

before and after implementation of active learning strategies regarding their engagement level

and understanding progression.

I undertake not to commence data collection until you have agreed for your employees to

participate in this study, and you have signed and dated this Permission Letter. Furthermore, I will

not start data collection until I also receive a formal Consent form, signed, and dated by each

participant who has agreed to participate.

If you would like further information about the study, please contact the Course Coordinator

Edmund Sosu by email via [email protected] The ways in which this researcher will

protect the emotional health and safety are detailed in the participant information form.

If you have any concerns about this study, please contact the Excelsia Research Ethics and Integrity

Coordinator at [email protected] @excelsia.edu.au

Thank you for taking the time to consider this request. I believe it is important to develop

research-based interventions to deal with recognised problems and I hope to contribute to

improving the student engagement.

Yours sincerely

Rashedul Haque

Masters of Teaching(Secondary)

Excelsia University College

To be filled out by the person granting permission for the study to be conducted in their

organisation

Please respond by stating either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Your overall responses can be a mix of ‘Yes’ and

‘No’.

1. Do you give permission for this higher degree by coursework candidate to find participants

for their research at your organisation?

2. Do you agree to grant permission for this HDR coursework candidate to interview or survey

the employees of your company who have agreed to participate?

3. Do you agree to arrange for your HR department to send out the survey or the request to

be interviewed, to your employees?

4. Are you happy for the interviews/survey to be conducted in company time?

Name of person granting permission for employees to be involved in this study.

Signature of person granting permission and date of signing.

Official position (company title) within the organisation of the person giving permission.

Official organisation email address of person giving permission. Please print.

___________________________________________________________________________

Official organisation telephone number of person granting permission. Please print.

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM

Title of project: Different active learning approaches to enhance Business & Commerce education

engagement

Name of student conducting this research project: Rashedul Haque , Masters of Teaching

(Secondary) Excelsia University College

What is the purpose of the research?

This is an invitation to participate in a study being conducted by a student of Excelsia University

College. The purpose of the research is to The research analyzes different active learning approaches

to enhance Business & Commerce education engagement. The study investigates three active learning

components including case studies with real-world examples together with digital simulations and

group work to understand student performance and classroom involvement. This study implements

the described teaching methods to discover practical and evidence-based methods which suit specific

student learning approaches and fulfill curriculum requirements. The research results will guide my

professional teaching practice to develop interactive classes with student-centered instruction

following the guidelines of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST 3.4 & 4.2).

Who is eligible to participate in this study?

You are eligible to participate in this study if you meet the following criteria:

1. Are aged 18 years or over

2. Are currently working as a teacher.

3. Are fluent in English

4.Experience in Business & Commerce teaching

5. Are willing and able to consent to participate in a study involved in participating in

quentionnaire.

6. Do not feel that your participation or responses have been or will be influenced by your

relationship to any of the researchers or supervisors.

(No interviews, audio recordings or transcription will occur in this study)

What is expected of you in this study?

If you volunteer to be involved in this study you will be asked to complete questionnaire which will

be multiple choice based it will take around 20 minutes to complete.

Where and when will the interviews/survey take place?

The questionnaire will occur at a mutually convenient time to both researcher and participant. The

venue and time will be chosen to minimise all emotional and physical risks to both researcher and

participants. You are free to stop the completing these questionaries any time you wish. If you

have felt any emotional distress at the time or later, you might like to contact lifeline:13 11 14 nad

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36

How will your information be used and distributed?

Your de-identified questionnaire content, along with other participants’ q questionnaire data will

be explored for themes that relate to different teaching approaches. Initially the study findings will

be reported via course work assessment only (not in any book, journal or thesis paper). It is

anticipated that the findings of the study will provide the solution for teachers to learn and

implement different teaching approached to increase student engagement in classroom activities.

Confidentiality is must so all the question will be coded no personal information will be written

their ( names or any identifying details ).The raw data from the study will be stored in a locked

filing cabinet in the Excelsia Research Office, for not less than 7 years. The identity of participants

will not be revealed. For the sake of confidentiality, the researchers will not include participants’

names or any identifying information in any publications or thesis and every response will be

coded to ensure confidentiality. Access to all data will be restricted to the researchers

participating in the study. No copy of the raw data or survey data will be given to your

organisation, except for published articles/theses in which the data has been de-identified.

Ethical Conduct

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the way this research has been conducted, you

can contact the Excelsia Ethics and Integrity Coordinator at [email protected]

Thank you for your assistance and support of this research.

Rashedul Haque

[email protected]

PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM

Project Title: Different active learning approaches to enhance Business & Commerce education

engagement

Coursework Project Researcher name: Rashedul Haque

Coursework Coordinator name: Edmund Sosu

Number and name of Coursework unit: EDSF 509- Professional Action Research Project B

I have received the Participant Information Form about the study titled Different active learning

approaches to enhance Business & Commerce education engagement and have been able to talk

about this with the researcher. I have also had all my questions about the study addressed by the

researcher (Rashedul Haque [email protected]) and/or the Ethics and

Integrity Coordinator at [email protected]. I know that I will not be paid for my

participation.

I understand that to be involved in this study I am agreeing to :

 20 minutes for completing questionnaires hard copy will be provided must be completed in

a school environment.

 talk about my perceptions and experiences of providing support in Business and

commerce .

I understand that, despite consenting to participate in this study, I remain free to withdraw from

the study and can request that my information also be removed from the study. To withdraw my

information, I email Rashedul Haque at [email protected] to indicate my

desire to withdraw from the study. My refusal to participate or withdraw consent will not affect

my relationship with the researchers of the study or any other member of Excelsia University

College.

The identity of participants will not be revealed and will remain totally confidential at all times. I

agree for de-identified information to be used.

I understand that the researchers conducting this study has my protection, interests and safety as

their first priority at all times. I am satisfied that the following means to avoid emotional or

physical harms are sufficient

My signature below indicates:

1. I have read the information provided about this study and had my questions answered by

the researchers.

2. I clearly understand the procedures and process.

3. Participation is voluntary.

4. All data will be anonymous and remain confidential.

5. Support services available (lifeline, Beyond Blue)

6. Stop and withdraw any time during the process.

Study Titled: Different active learning approaches to enhance Business & Commerce education

engagement

Participant Details:

Participant Name:

Participant Role:

Participant email address:

Signature :

Date: