dissertation

For information only - this document does not form part of the student contract

Section

1

INTRODUCTION / WELCOME

2

MODULE SPECIFICATION

3

THE MODULE TEAM

4

DELIVERY INFORMATION

4.1

Delivery schedule

4.2

Printing policy

4.3

Seminar/Tutorial preparation

4.4

Availability of Course Materials for Timetabled Sessions

4.5

Module specific attendance requirements

5

ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

5.1

The assessment strategy

5.2

Assessment deadlines

5.3

Process for requesting an extension or submitting a claim for Extenuating Circumstances (ECs)

5.4

Formative assessment

5.5

Arrangements for the return of work and feedback

6

GENERAL INFORMATION

6.1

Academic integrity and referencing information

6.2

Further reading

6.3

Access to facilities

6.4

Health and Safety information

6.5

Learning Development Group (LDG)

For information only - this document does not form part of the student contract

1

INTRODUCTION / WELCOME

Welcome to the year-long module of Research Methods. This module is required for students to graduate from the Events Management Program. Students will learn about research, data collection and analysis, writing and develop their critical thinking skills. The module helps students develop a number of practical skills such as time management, communication and teamwork skills (due to interaction with supervisor supervisor) and creativity. To complete this module, students will complete an entire dissertation by themselves, which will be their biggest single assessment to date.

2

MODULE SPECIFICATION

The module specification document can be found under the Key Items Tab on Brightspace.

3

THE MODULE TEAM

The address for the Department within which your module is situated is:

The Sino-British College

1195 Fuxing Middle Rd

XuHui District

Shanghai, 200031

Staff involved in the organisation and delivery of this module are listed below and are also displayed within Brightspace.

Contact Information

Office

Contact Details

Lee Henderson

Module Leader

T612

[email protected]

Joe Chen

Module Tutor

T616

[email protected]

School Administrator

Kelly Li

S601

[email protected]

You can normally expect academic staff to be available in their offices at the times displayed on the notices outside their rooms – you do not need an appointment to meet with staff during these times.

**Some part-time members of staff do not have a fixed office, please contact them by e-mail**

Education Services

The Education Services Team has responsibility for providing a full and responsive administrative service in support of the processes and procedures associated with student and course administration. If you have a problem in accessing systems for results, Brightspace or issues with your module, please contact [email protected]

Module Leader

The Module Leader is responsible for the academic leadership, management and assessment of the module. 

To ensure that the Module Leader and Module Tutors are available to assist you with academic matters (such as clarification on material covered in class, guidance on the interpretation of assessment briefs, associated criteria, and feedback on work submitted), please ensure that all other queries are directed to Programme Leader.

Academic References

Tutors can provide academic references.  Should you wish to request an academic reference, please do so by emailing tutors directly, ensuring that you provide the information required by the institution/company/job role for which you are applying.

4

DELIVERY INFORMATION

4.1

Delivery schedule

The delivery schedule follows the RM PPT and supervisor

4.2

Printing policy

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they access these materials in a timely enough manner in order to support their engagement with the course.

4.3

Seminar/Tutorial preparation

Seminars/tutorials will be student lead. All work done in the tutorial will be based on incrementally developing the student’s assignments for submittal (PR1, Proposal, Dissertation). Students should be expected to bring their laptop and draft assignment work to develop in every tutorial session.

4.4

Availability of Course Materials for Timetabled Sessions

The University will normally make materials required for timetabled sessions prior to the session via the University’s VLE. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they access these materials in a timely enough manner in order to support their engagement with the course.

4.5

Attendance requirements

As a registered student of the University, you are expected to attend your scheduled classes. If you miss classes or are late, your absence will be noted and you may find that you have to explain your poor attendance. Continued poor attendance will lead to exclusion from your course.

For full details on how to register your attendance and report any periods of absence, please refer to your course handbook.

If there are any specific attendance requirements in excess of the University’s usual Attendance Monitoring Policy these should be listed here (e.g. involvement in group work)

5

ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

5.1

The assessment strategy

The assessment strategy is as follows:

· PR1 Form-(no mark awarded)

· Proposal (Extended Abstract) - (20% of final mark)-available for tutor re-assessment-marked by your supervisor.

· Dissertation (80% of final mark)-available for tutor re-assessment-marked by your supervisor.

Honours awards

Non-Honours awards

Pass

40%

40%

Refer

30-39%

30-39%

Module Grading Bands

A

70% +

A

70% +

B

60-69%

B

60-69%

C

50-59%

C

50-59%

D

40-49%

R***

35-49%

R/F**

30-39%

F***

0-49%

F**

0-39%

Award Classification Bands

Distinction

69.5%

Distinction

69.5%

Merit

59.5%

Merit

59.5%

Pass

40%

Pass

50%

5.2

Assessment brief & deadlines

Element of assessment

Submission method

Submission date

Receipt issued

Date work and

feedback returned

PR1 Form

Turnitin

19/10/2020

Yes

- 3 term time weeks after date of submission

Proposal (Extended Abstract)

Turnitin

16/11/2020

Yes

- 3 term time weeks after date of submission

Dissertation

Turnitin

26 /04/2021

Yes

- More than 3 term time weeks after date of submission

It is important that you keep a copy of all of the work you submit for assessment. You are strongly advised to use an electronic storage system as well as a back up.

It is School policy that all assessed work must be submitted electronically via Turnitin, by 15:00 on the published date of submission.

When submitting your assessment via Turnitin, it is important that you name your document in the following way: Module Code_Title of assessment

For example: BME0054_Economic assessment of an SME

Further guidance on submitting assessments through Turnitin, can be found when you log in to Brightspace. From Huddersfield Business School homepage there will be a link to “Brightspace Support”. You then need to select “Assessment” then from the sub menu “How to submit an assignment”.

There will also be a large number of other support materials to include accessing reading lists, using communication tools, navigating a module, E-portfolio and the Brightspace teams contact details for further information.

No hard copies should be submitted unless this is identified as a requirement in the Assessment Brief. Where hard copies are required, please ensure the work submitted is stapled in the top left hand corner, not submitted in folders or ring binders and your student ID number and name are clearly visible on the assessment. Details of where hard copy work would be submitted will be provided by the module tutor.  Electronic submissions should also be submitted via Turnitin before the 15:00 deadline.

If you are not able to submit by the deadline, you must inform your Course Leader. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to ask for an extension or submit an extenuating circumstances form – see Section 5.5 below.

Assessed work which is submitted late but within five working days of the agreed submission date will be accepted and the maximum mark available for that piece of assessment will be capped at the minimum pass mark. Please note that loss of data or printing error are not deemed to be acceptable reasons for the late submission of work.

This does not apply to the submission of assessed work relating to Tutor Reassessment, referral or deferral requirements but does apply to previously agreed extended or renegotiated deadlines. Work submitted later than this without an approved extension will receive a mark of 0%.

Assessment Brief:

Please see appendix A for the assessment details.

Tutor Reassessment

Tutor Reassessment (TR) is where a student is given a single opportunity to re-submit an eligible piece of work and for it to be remarked prior to the meeting of the Course Assessment Board. Tutor reassessment will only be offered if you submit a piece of work for the original assessment and achieve a mark within the specified referral range. The maximum mark for a successful Tutor Re-assessment will be capped at the minimum pass mark. An EC claim cannot be submitted for an assessment that has been offered as a Tutor Reassessment.

The full regulations for tutor reassessment can be found in Section E in the University’s Regulations for Awards (taught courses).

As indicated in section 5.1 of this handbook, the following piece(s) of assessment are eligible for tutor reassessment:

Students will be advised they are eligible for reassessment through email communication from their supervisor and module leader. Students will be able to see feedback from the original submitted assignment on BrightSpace (Turn It In) and alternatively can see their supervisor in their office hours.

5.3

Process for requesting an extension or submitting a claim for Extenuating Circumstances (ECs)

Deadlines for the submission of assessed work are strictly applied.

Extensions

There are procedures in place for you to request a short extension to a deadline but this request has to be made no later than two working days after the published submission date. If you have difficulties such as a short term illness and need to request an extension, you should submit a request to the module leader via email. You have 2 working days from the original assessment date to apply.

Accepted extension grounds include: serious short-term illness (which would result in absence from employment); a long-term health condition worsening; emerging mental health condition; bereavement.

Grounds which are unlikely to be accepted include: wanting more time; minor illness; long-term health conditions for which you are receiving adjustments; holidays; normal financial pressures; transport difficulties; IT difficulties (i.e. IT failure/losing work etc.); multiple deadlines (unless evidenced that deadlines changed at short notice); normal work commitments (evidenced unexpected/unplanned issues can be considered).

Extension requests of up to 2 working days can be considered without evidence.

Requests of 3-10 working days will be considered if there is supporting evidence. Supporting evidence needs to be submitted before any request can be considered.

The maximum extension period that can be granted is normally 10 working days.

Late requests for extensions are not accepted and you run the risk of scoring the minimum pass mark for that piece of work if submitted late but within 5 working days of the original deadline, or 0% if submitted later than this without an approved extension.

Any queries please email [email protected] or visit the Student Guidance & Support area in Brightspace.

Extenuating Circumstances

The University understands that there may be times when your ability to complete a piece of assessed work or to concentrate on your studies may be hindered by factors beyond your control – such as illness or significant personal difficulties. The regulations include a process to allow students who are affected in this way to bring these extenuating circumstances (ECs) to the attention of the relevant people in the School (such as the Course Assessment Board) so that proper account can be taken. Please be aware that a claim for ECs will usually only be accepted where you’ve been able to demonstrate that the circumstances described have had a direct impact on you and were substantial and unexpected - in all other cases students would be expected to negotiate an extension. The regulations for ECs can be found in Section 8 at http://www.hud.ac.uk/registry/regulationsandpolicies/studentregs

Additionally, the University does operate a ‘fit to sit’ policy for examinations – this means that, by attending an examination, a student is declaring that they are fit to undertake that assessment and it is unlikely that a claim for poor performance will be accepted.

When completing an EC form please be careful to include the correct modules and assessments and to be sure that you attach appropriate and acceptable evidence to your claim.

Once completed your claim has to be submitted to the Student Support Team (CS1/10) within 5 working days of the date by which your assessment should have been completed.

Any queries please email [email protected] or visit the Student Guidance & Support area in Brightspace.

5.4

Formative assessment

Opportunities for students to benefit from formative assessment are based on their engagement with the tutorial exercises and supervisor appointments to receive feedback on their research ideas, draft proposal and dissertation, and related areas of needed development.

5.5

Arrangements for the return of work and feedback

You should normally receive feedback on your assessments three teaching (i.e. term time) weeks after the submission date for the assessment. Dates for the return of work and feedback are indicated within Section 5.2 of this handbook. Feedback should help you understand why you received the mark and what you can do to improve your performance in future assessments.

Once available, feedback on work submitted via Turnitin can be accessed from within Brightspace. Details on how to access feedback on work submitted via alternative means will be provided at the relevant point in the year.

Students can access feedback on their summative assessments via BrightSpace and Turn It In (All feedback will be published). Students may also make appointments to see their supervisor in their available office hours.

6

GENERAL INFORMATION

6.1

Academic misconduct and referencing information

The University regards any action by a student that may result in an unfair academic advantage as a serious offence. It is your responsibility to ensure at all times that the assessments you complete are entirely your own work and that you have used the relevant referencing technique correctly and in full. The full set of regulations which govern Academic Misconduct can be found under Section 10 at http://www.hud.ac.uk/registry/regulationsandpolicies/studentregs/

Further information on academic misconduct, including an overview of the support available for referencing, can be found within your course handbook; it is important that you familiarise yourself with this information.

6.2

Further reading

Further reading for the module of Research Methods is endless.

It is suggested for you to access various scholarly publications (academic books and journals) on the e-library and databases available through The University of Huddersfield and The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology web portals.

6.3

Arrangements for borrowing equipment/accessing labs/studios

If you wish to borrow equipment or gain access to specialist facilities please discuss your requirements with your Course Leader or Year Tutor.

6.4

Aspects of Health and Safety specific to the module

An overview of the Health and Safety arrangements in place can be found within your course handbook.

6.5

Student Success Centre

The Student Success Centre offers study skills support to all students within the SBC Business School, covering topics such as reading, research, academic writing (including referencing) and reflective practice.

Unacceptable

Work at this level

-does not address the task set or represents a wholly inadequate attempt

-requires a complete re-write

Unsatisfactory (Refer if required)

Work at this level will demonstrate

-an incomplete answer

-insufficient depth of understanding

-some serious errors and/or major omissions

-a potentially recoverable piece of work

Pass

Work at this level will demonstrate

-limited use of module material

-a basic level of understanding

-a simply descriptive approach

-some errors and omissions

Fair

Work at this level will demonstrate

-generally good use of some of the module material

-reasonable and coherent description of theory

-limited analysis and evaluation

-no major errors

Good

Work at this level will demonstrate

-good use of module material

-ability to compare and contrast material from a variety of relevant sources

-analytical ability underpinning logical argument

-well-structured, clear and consistent presentation, although there may be a few errors

Very Good

Work at this level will demonstrate

-accomplished discussion and application of theory

-clear ability to compare and contrast material from a wide variety of relevant sources

-some synthesis based on critical analysis

-well-structured, clear and coherent presentation, although there may be a few minor errors

Excellent

Work at this level will demonstrate

-a mastery of complex knowledge and ideas

- originality and insight derived from a mature depth of understanding of material that goes well beyond that provided in the module

- creative synthesis arising from critical analysis and evaluation of relevant information

- presentation that is clear, coherent and error free

Outstanding

Work at this level will demonstrate

-a mastery of complex knowledge and ideas

- originality and insight derived from a mature depth of understanding of material that goes well beyond that provided in the module

- creative synthesis arising from critical analysis and evaluation of relevant information

- presentation that is clear, coherent and error free

0-9

10-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-100

Knowledge of Theory, Concepts and Methods

Does not address any relevant theories, concepts or methods

Mentions some terminology relating to relevant theories, concepts or methods

Mentions some terminology relating to relevant theories, concepts or methods wholly inadequate attempt at use or explanation

Mentions some terminology relating to relevant theories, concepts or methods inadequate attempt at use or explanation

Relevant theory, concepts and models used or explained but some aspects may have been missed or misconstrued

Most relevant theories, concepts and models used or explained in an appropriate and straight forward manner with some assumptions and implications recognised

Appropriate selection of relevant theories, concepts and models used or explained insightfully with assumptions, implications and contextualisation recognised

Appropriate selection of relevant theories, concepts and models used or explained insightfully with wide range of assumptions and implications recognised with highly appropriate contextualisation demonstrating excellent understanding

Appropriate selection of relevant theories, concepts and models used or explained innovatively with full range of assumptions and implications recognised with highly appropriate contextualisation demonstrating excellent understanding of complex material

Appropriate selection of relevant theories, concepts and models used or explained innovatively with full range of assumptions and implications recognised with highly appropriate contextualisation demonstrating exceptional understanding of complex material

Scholarship: Evidence of Reading and Research

No evidence presented or what is presented is wholly irrelevant

No evidence presented or what is presented is generally irrelevant

Minimal evidence presented is generally irrelevant or lacking currency

Minimal evidence presented uncritically and lacks evidence of independent research beyond core texts

Evidence of limited but relevant reading which is presented uncritically and tends to use summary description

Evidence of relevant reading which shows clear attempt at independent reading and some attempt at synthesis

Evidence of range of relevant reading generally used critically which shows clear attempt at independent reading and ability to synthesise

Evidence of wide range of relevant reading used critically which shows high degree of independent reading and a strong ability to synthesise

Evidence of the fullest range of relevant reading used critically which shows a very high level of independent reading and an excellent ability to synthesise

Evidence of the fullest range of relevant reading used critically which shows the highest level of independent reading and an outstanding ability to synthesise

Critical Reasoning

No demonstration of critical thought

No demonstration of critical thought

No demonstration of critical thought

No demonstration of critical thought but has potential to be developed

Minimal demonstration of critical thought

Demonstrates critical thought

Often demonstrates critical thought

Consistent application of well integrated critical thought

Consistent application of excellently integrated critical thought

Consistent application of outstandingly integrated critical thought

Use of Evidence: Analysis & Evaluation

Does not analyse or any analysis is irrelevant

Does not analyse or any analysis is irrelevant

Does not analyse but basic concepts are understood

Does not analyse but the potential for analysis is evident. Shows potential to develop arguments.

Demonstrates limited analysis with some development of argument and related evaluation (if applicable)

Demonstrates good ability to analyse and evaluate (if applicable) with arguments developed coherently

Demonstrates very good ability to analyse a range of topics/issues critically. Evaluation is well supported (if applicable). Arguments are well structured and logical.

Demonstrates excellent ability to analyse a range of topics/issues critically and demonstrates ability to question ‘received opinion’. Evaluation is well supported and provides convincing conclusions (if applicable). Arguments are well structured, complex and logical.

Demonstrates excellent ability to analyse a range of topics/issues critically and demonstrates ability to question ‘received opinion’. Evaluation is well supported and provides convincing conclusions (if applicable). Arguments are complex, lucid and persuasive.

Demonstrates outstanding ability to analyse a range of topics/issues critically and demonstrates ability to question ‘received opinion’. Evaluation is well supported and provides convincing conclusions (if applicable). Exceptionally complex, lucid and persuasive arguments.

Clarity of Written Expression

Incoherent and incomprehensible throughout

Largely incomprehensible

Generally comprehensible but language errors generally impede understanding and flow of reading

Language errors often impede understanding and flow of reading

The meaning is clear but contains language errors

Generally fluent and accurate use of grammar and spelling

Consistently fluent and accurate use of grammar and spelling

Consistently fluent and accurate use of grammar and spelling employing appropriate genre

Consistently fluent and accurate use of grammar and spelling employing appropriate genre and excellent expression

Consistently fluent and accurate use of grammar and spelling employing appropriate genre and exceptional expression

Structure

No structure

Structure wholly inappropriate to the task

Structure generally inappropriate to the task

Structure does not meet expectations of the task

Shows sufficient awareness of required general structure

Demonstrates good organisation and awareness of required general structure

Demonstrates consistently logical organisation and awareness of required general structure

Polished and excellently organised; fully meets structural expectations

Polished and excellently organised; fully meets structural expectations and demonstrates a highly imaginative approach

Polished and outstandingly organised; fully meets structural expectations and demonstrates a highly imaginative approach

Presentation of work

Length requirements may not be observed; does not follow academic conventions; language and presentation errors impact on intelligibility

Length requirements may not be observed; does not follow academic conventions; language and presentation errors impact on intelligibility

Length requirements may not be observed; generally does not follow academic conventions; language and/or presentation errors may impact on intelligibility

Length requirement met and academic conventions mostly followed. Minor errors in language or presentation

Length requirement met and academic conventions mostly followed. Possibly very minor errors in language or presentation

Fair standard of presentation; length requirement met and academic conventions followed

Good standards of presentation

Very good standards of presentation

Professional standards of presentation

Highest professional standards of presentation

Originality

No evidence of any attempt at independent thinking

Any attempt at independent thinking is irrelevant

Any attempt at independent thinking is generally irrelevant

Insufficient evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

Limited evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

Some evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

General evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

High level of evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

Strong evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

Outstanding evidence of independent thinking and development of own ideas

0-9

10-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-100