Course Title: Apply writing and presentation skills within a justice environment

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term2 2015

Course Code: JUST5726

Course Title: Apply writing and presentation skills within a justice environment

School: 365T Global, Urban and Social Studies

Campus: City Campus

Program: C4323 - Certificate IV in Justice

Course Contact: Irene Pagliarella, Program Manager

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4581

Course Contact Email: irene.pagliarella@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Sandra Reitano

Phone: 9925 2917

Email: Sandra.Reitano@rmit.edu.au

Nominal Hours: 40

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

Nil

Course Description

In this course you will develop the skills and knowledge required to research, analyse and evaluate, document and present information that meets organisational requirements across a range of justice environment contexts.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

VU20870 Apply writing and presentation skills within a justice environment

Element:

1. Plan for writing complex document/s for a justice environment context

Performance Criteria:

1.1 Purpose and objectives, format and specific requirements of document/s are determined
1.2 Function and suitable use of descriptive, analytical, evaluative interpretative and investigative reports is reviewed
1.3 Research information and required resources are delineated
1.4 Appropriate use of language, including grammar and syntax is examined and practised
1.5 Research referencing requirements for range of written materials is examined and practised
 

Element:

2. Research and develop complex document/s for a justice environment context

Performance Criteria:

2.3 Research is conducted and collated
2.4 Document/s is developed in designated format, to discipline standard and suitable for dissemination objectives
2.5 Feedback on suitability of document is obtained according to organisational requirements

Element:

3. Present information in a justice environment context

Performance Criteria:

3.1 Presentation strategies, format and delivery methods that match the requirements of the target audience location, resources and required personnel are determined and practised.
3.2 Presentation is conducted according to determined strategies, format and delivery methods.
3.3 Feedback is sought from key personnel and used to inform future practice.


Learning Outcomes


On successful completion of this course you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate competency in the above elements and the following;


• Conduct research for a report or document
• Effectively use written and oral skills, to industry standard, in the development and presentation of a researched document
• Reference sources of information through in-text referencing and bibliography according to specific citation system
• Understand the knowledge of research and presentation methods
• Understand the knowledge of privacy legislation, regulations and standards


Details of Learning Activities

You will participate in a variety of learning activities (in class and out of class). These may include the following;

  •  class exercises to review discussions/lectures
  • practical demonstrations
  •  analysis/critique of relevant reading material
  •  group projects
  •  peer learning
  •  guest lecture/presentation
  •  peer teaching and class presentations
  •  group discussion
  •  research
  •  independent project based work
  •  group activities/projects
  •  ‘workshopping’ of student projects including peer/lecturer feedback
  •  visits to galleries and events


Teaching Schedule

 Class content

Week One

Leaning Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) Criminal Justice assessment tool administered in Week One.

 

Week Two

Course Guide, essential information and submissions
Learning Style Questionnaire (Felder and Solomon )
Guest Speaker (Library Services).
 

Week Three

Criminal Justice Writing - Formative Task
Basic writing skills and practical exercises

Time Management activity

Week Four

APA Referencing – theory and practice

APA Online Test
 

Week Five

Criminal Justice writing - Formative Task

Essays/Reports/Literature Reviews

Week Six


Research skills – getting started and academic sources
APA Referencing
Criminal Justice Writing Task - Formative Task

Week Seven
Effective Presentation Skills & Activities

Week Eight

APA Referencing
Essay Writing – structure and format

APA Online test

Week Nine


**Mid semester Break – no classes**

Week Ten

Summative Assessment One - 3 x Justice writing tasks due
Forming an argument
Evidence and APA Referencing
 

Week Eleven

APA Referencing

Transitions, linking words and activities
 

Week Twelve

 Presentation workshops (Formative)

Week Thirteen
 

Presentation workshops (Formative)

Week Fourteen

APA Referencing

APA On-line Test

 

Week Fifteen

Essay writing and Editing
 

Week Sixteen

Workshops for Essays and  Portfolio preparation

Week Seventeen


Portfolio preparation and Essay writing

Week Eighteen

Submission of Portfolio

NOTE: While your teacher will cover all the material in this schedule, the order is subject to change depending on class needs and availability of speakers and resources.


Attendance
It is strongly advised that you attend all sessions in order to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring the maximum opportunity to gain the competency.
We expect that students engage in learning through a combination of lectures, individual reading and study, meaningful feedback on written work and structured activities that encourage critical thinking and the development of discipline specific knowledge and practical skills.
Students are active participants and this course prioritises learning by doing. It is essential that students take ownership of their studies and work on developing skills as independent learners in time allocated away from lectures and class time.
As a student you need to demonstrate both knowledge and practical skills relevant to the course content within the classroom environment. Engagement with educators and other students is critical to you maximising learning opportunities and achieving satisfactory results. Participation in classroom discussion and activities will allow educators to apply observational assessment during role-plays, exercises and assignments and provide you with feedback.
You will be required to sign an attendance sheet and if you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to advise your educator and complete any written tasks that may have been allocated.
Students are required to carefully plan and use their time productively and submit assessments as required. All assessments tasks should be researched and drafted well in advance of the set submission dates.
The course will use blended learning techniques, including; lectures, discussions, activities in class and learner directed activities supported by a range of resources available in class and on Blackboard system

Feedback

You will receive verbal and written feedback on your work. This feedback also includes suggestions on how you can proceed to the next stage of developing your projects. Student feedback at RMIT :http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=9pp3ic9obks7 (unresolved)


Student Progress
Monitoring academic progress is an important enabling and proactive strategy to assist you to achieve your learning potential. Student progress policy http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=vj2g89cve4uj1 (unresolved)


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

NONE


References

There is no prescribed text for this course. All required readings and case studies will be available either:
Via My RMIT/Studies Blackboard
Handed out in class as a hard copy
Accessible by CD/DVD
Via the internet/assigned website
Accessible via the RMIT Library


Other Resources

Powerpoint for the lectures will generally be made available AFTER the class, however these are not a replacement for attending lectures. Lectures may have additional information, activities or visual material, which will not be available through Blackboard.


It is essential that you access the Blackboard site at least once a week, as announcements and emails are considered an effective means of communication between educators and students.

GUSS Skills Central (http://Gussskillscentral.edu.au/) is a site developed specifically for students in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT. It provides links to a range of resources for supporting student work on assessments and negotiating university studies more generally.


Overview of Assessment

Assessments may incorporate a variety of methods including role-plays, observations, lectures, tutorials, class discussion, reports, group/individual training workshops, and audio-visual presentations.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Disability Liaison Unit if you would like to find out more.

 

A student charter http://www.rmit.edu.au/about/studentcharter summarises your responsibilities as an RMIT student as well as those of your teachers.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions which are available for review online: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=c15i3ciaq8ca


Assessment Tasks

The assessable tasks are as follows:


Formative Assessment Tasks; a range of justice related writing pieces will be completed.  These writing tasks are to be submitted as part of Summative Assessment One.


There will also be short group oral presentations on criminal justice organisations (Weeks 12 and 13) that the students will have to prove competent in. The presentation is a Formative task.

Summative Assessment Task 1. There will be a three online knowledge tests for the students to successfully complete within a specified time frame. The on-line tests are a Summative task worth 30% of your total grade.
Summative Assessment Task 2. A scaffolded portfolio of writing including the 3 of the following will be submitted;

• A justice case note (Descriptive writing) – 250 words
• A justice court report summary and recommendation (Analytical) – 250 words
• A Witness statement and/or Police report – 250 words (Investigative and Narrative writing)

This task is worth 30% of your total grade.

Summative Assessment Task 3. In addition, students will need to submit an essay of 1000 words on a specific criminal justice topic with a minimum of 3 academic references. This essay needs to demonstrate a level of factual and theoretical knowledge.

This task is worth 40% of your final grade.

Students must achieve competency IN ALL assessment tasks to pass the subject.


Assessment Matrix

This is available via MyRMIT/Studies.
The assessments have been designed to cover all Learning Outcomes and will be graded in accordance with RMIT’s Mark Table which is as follows:

  • CHD Competent with High Distinction
  • CDI Competent with Distinction
  • CC Competent with Credit
  • CAG Competency Achieved - Graded
  • NYC Not Yet Competent
  • DNS Did not Submit for Assessment

Grades which apply to course delivered in accordance with competency-based assessment (not-graded)

  • CA Competency Achieved
  • NYC Not Yet Competent
  • DNS Did Not Submit For Assessment

Assessment Deadlines
Any due date for any assignment is to be considered a deadline. You can submit work at any time prior to the submission date, but it must be into the Administration office by close of business (5pm) of the day the submission is due.


Assessment Format

As a student of the Justice VE program, it is expected that you adhere to the following criteria regarding essays/research/reports;


1. For a CERTIFICATE IV written assessment task/s – no less than 1500 words, 3 academic references and ONE in-text citation per paragraph.
2. A paragraph is usually between 200 – 250 words.
3. A sentence is usually between 20 - 25 words.
4. American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing Style is the EXPECTED referencing style for Criminal Justice (VE).
5. We highly recommend that all students download a copy of the APA Referencing Guide which is available on the Blackboard or purchase a Pocket Guide to APA style from the campus bookshop.
6. APA Referencing system is to be used and all in-text citations must be recorded according to APA standards.
7. An academic reference is a scholarly source (journal articles that are peer reviewed, a published book, an approved government or organisation website etc).
8. Written reports, research projects or essays are to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and familiarity with the prescribed or negotiated topics
9. It is expected that all submitted work will be well written, with clear and consistent grammar, expression and punctuation. It must be well structured and address the issues raised in the chosen topic in a logical ordered and organised manner.
10. Written submissions must demonstrate appropriate preparation, reading and research.
11. Double or 1.5 spacing and a font size of 10-12 must be used in either Arial or Times Roman. Do not submit double paged assessments.
12. All assignments to be submitted via the Drop Box (Building 37, level 2) and submitted via email to the Advanced Diploma email address to verify submission (advdipjusticeassignments@rmit.edu.au). Assessments must be submitted by 5pm (close of business).
13. Written assessments will also be submitted with a Turnitin Report attached (as instructed by your Educator).

Other Information

Please refer to the RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters: rmit.edu.au/students.

Extensions


 All assessment tasks are required to be completed to a satisfactory level. If you are unable to complete any piece of assessment by the due date, you will need to apply for an extension. Special consideration, appeals and discipline :
 In accordance with RMIT policy, you may apply for an extension where there have been unexpected or extenuating circumstances, e.g.

• Hospital admission, serious injury, severe asthma, severe anxiety or depression. This does not include minor illness such as a cold, period pain or hay fever.
• Loss or bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member, family/relationship breakdown.
• Hardship/trauma – e.g. victim of crime, sudden loss of income or employment, severe disruption to domestic arrangements.

You must keep a copy of their assessment until the graded submission has been returned or marks have been posted.

All email communications will be sent to your RMIT student email address.
 An extension of up to seven calendar days may be granted if good reason can be demonstrated. Include supporting evidence (such as medical certificates) with your application.

 

Extensions beyond seven calendar days cannot be granted by Course coordinators or individual educators.

 

Coordinator/Program Manager is not satisfied that the student took reasonable measures to avoid the circumstances that contributed to the student being unable to submit the progressive assessment.

 

Longer extensions


 Extensions of time longer than 7 days can only be granted through special consideration
 Applying for Special Consideration
 If you are seeking an extension of more than seven calendar days (from the original due date) you must lodge an Application for Special Consideration form, preferably prior to, but no later than two working days after the official due date. Late applications will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
 For information about Special Consideration and how to apply, see: http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/specialconsideration


Assignment Submissions:

 

The submission of assessments on the due date is the responsibility solely of the student. Students should not leave assignment preparation until the last minute and must plan their workloads so as to be able to meet advertised or notified deadlines. 


 

 

The penalty for assignments submitted late will be 5% of the maximum mark per day late or part thereof.

 

 

Weekends and holidays will attract the same penalty as weekdays.

 

 

Assignments that are late by 7 days or more will not be marked and will be awarded zero.

 

 

Cover Sheet for Submissions

 

All assessment items are to be submitted with a University Assessment Coversheet. Students are responsible for ensuring they complete all sections of the Cover Sheet and that they have agreed to the Academic Integrity Declaration.

 

 

Retention of Assessments

 

 

The University is required to retain all essays, assignments, and other assessment materials for a minimum of six months from the date of issue of results.

At the completion of the six-month period, students can collect their assessments by prior arrangement with their Educator in Building 37, level 4, room 13.

In the event that assessment material is not collected within the time period, it will be destroyed. Material that relates to appeals that have not yet been finally determined will not destroyed.

 

 Attendance
 It is strongly advised that you attend all sessions in order to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring the maximum opportunity to gain the competency.

Applying for Special Consideration
 If you are seeking an extension of more than seven calendar days (from the original due date) you must lodge an Application for Special Consideration form, preferably prior to, but no later than two working days after the official due date. Late applications will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. For information about Special Consideration and how to apply, see: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/specialconsideration

Assessment Appeals
 If you believe your assessment result or final result is wrong please contact the course coordinator and provide the reason why you think your result is incorrect. Valid reasons for seeking a review of results include:
 a) You believe an error has occurred in the calculation of the grade; or,
 b) You believe the assessment did not comply with criteria published in the Course Guide; or,
 c) You believe the assessment did not comply with University Policies on Assessment (i.e. an error in process has occurred).
 Full details of the procedure (including appeals procedure) can be located at this RMIT site: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/policies/academic#assessment

Academic Integrity
 Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship through respecting the work of others whilst having the freedom to build new insights, new knowledge and ideas. RMIT University upholds the values of academic integrity as fundamental to the scholarship undertaken by all members of its community. Whenever you refer to another person’s research or ideas (either by directly quoting or paraphrasing them) you must acknowledge your source.
 If you are even in doubt about how to properly cite a reference, consult your lecturer or the academic integrity website: http://www.rmit.edu.au/academicintegrity
 The RMIT library provides tools to assist with your referencing http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library/referencing

Plagiarism and Collusion
 Plagiarism and collusion constitute extremely serious academic misconduct, and are forms of cheating. You are reminded that cheating, whether by fabrication, falsification of data, or plagiarism, is an offence subject to University disciplinary procedures. Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to expulsion from the University. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data, and oral presentations. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited. Plagiarism is not acceptable.
 Examples of plagiarism include:
• Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources, whether published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books, journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without proper citation;
• Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper citation;
• Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences;
• Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging their source;
• Copying designs or works of art and submitting them as your original work;
• Copying a whole or any part of another student’s work; and
• Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you.
• Enabling Plagiarism: the act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own work is also an offence.
 For further information, please see the RMIT Plagiarism Policy –  http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=sg4yfqzod48g1 (unresolved) – and the RMIT Student Conduct Regulations – http://www1.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=r7a7an6qug93

Plagiarism Software
 The originality verification software Turnitin may be used in this course. For details, see: http://www.turnitin.com

Complaints Procedure:
 RMIT University is committed to providing a harmonious study and work environment for all students and staff. The University recognises your right to raise concerns about academic, administrative or support services without recrimination and has policies and procedures to assist in the resolution of complaints.
 Most issues are resolved at the local level and you are encouraged to take steps to resolve your issue locally. The student complaint procedure details steps to take if your problem is not resolved or you believe the response you received is unreasonable.
 Student Complaints Policy: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/policies/studentcomplaintspolicy
 Student complaints Procedure: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=i1lexipvjt22
 Student Complaints Form: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/v4ujvmyojugxz.pdf


 

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