COMM2000 Creating Social Change Assessment Handbook Summer Term, 2025 | UNSW

Centre for Social Impact 

The Centre for Social Impact (CSI) is a national research and education centre dedicated to catalysing social change for a better world. CSI is built on the foundation of four of Australia's leading universities: UNSW Sydney, The University of Western Australia, Flinders University and Swinburne University of Technology. Our research develops and brings together knowledge to understand current social challenges and opportunities; our postgraduate and undergraduate education develops social impact leaders; and we aim to catalyse change by drawing on these foundations and translating knowledge, creating leaders, developing usable resources, and reaching across traditional divides to facilitate collaborations.

Assessment Preparation and Submission 

Unless otherwise stipulated in the specific details for each of your Assessments, please prepare and submit your Assessments under the following. 

Assessment Length 

The length of each assignment is detailed in the table above and in the detailed description for each assignment on the following pages.

A buffer of +/- 10% applies to each assignment word count, time/ length. 

What is included in the word count for a written assignment? 

• Executive Summary (if required), all text, tables, figures, diagrams and charts, appendices, and table of contents (if required) 

What is excluded from the word count? 

• Reference list or Bibliography 

Any text (including appendices) that goes beyond the word count will not be read in grading the Assessment. 

Assessment Format 

Times New Roman, 12pt font and 1.5 line spacing are recommended. 

Diagrams and Tables 

Students are encouraged to include diagrams and tables in their assessments where appropriate. 

Referencing Style 

Harvard In Text Referencing is required for all your assessments. 

There is software available to you to make referencing easier: 

• Word has a built-in referencing tool
• As a UNSW student, you also have free access to using and downloading EndNote on your computers. 

Assessment Submission 

All assessment submissions must be in English using only references written in English.

Assessment tasks should be submitted through the designated submission link on the course Moodle site. 

All written assignments are required to be submitted via Turnitin. Please note, all written assignment submissions MUST be uploaded as Word Documents. Submissions in any other format will not be accepted. 

You can submit a draft version of your Assessment before the due date. This enables you to view the Turnitin similarity report on your work and decide whether it complies with the guidelines regarding referencing, academic integrity and plagiarism, before you submit your final version for marking.

It is your responsibility to ensure you submit the correct assignment under the correct link. After the due date and time have passed, you cannot resubmit. What is in the submission link at the due time will be considered the final submission without exception. Please take care uploading your assignments. 

Full information about how to prepare assignments for electronic submission can be found in the Turnitin Student Guide. 

In the unlikely event that a problem should occur when submitting assignments online, students should make sure to send their assignment to the lecturer in charge before the deadline and resubmit using Turnitin as soon as the problem is rectified. Assignments not submitted through Turnitin will not be marked. Please note Moodle logs histories may be used to verify attempts to submit.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism 

Students need to familiarise themselves with appropriate referencing standards as well as what constitutes plagiarism and breaches of academic integrity (see here for further details). 

If you are unsure, help is available here. If you would like further and personalised guidance with regards to the University requirements and policy around referencing, you can also book a meeting with the Learning Centre, which will be able to provide you with the necessary guidance. 

Instances of plagiarism or academic integrity breaches will be referred to the Student Integrity Officer for review and educational action as appropriate. 

Feedback 

Feedback is provided on all assignments to understand what was done well and what could have been done better, and therefore, to learn. Unless it is the final assessment of the term, feedback on the written assessment will be provided within two weeks of submission, as well as continuously throughout the term during the tutorials or online. Students are reminded to keep a copy of all work submitted.

Assessment 1: Critical Analysis Video and Reflection

Task Summary: 

Produce a video analysing a social problem and write a personal reflection on why you have chosen the social problem. 

Task Description: 

Choose one Wicked Problem, as defined in the course. Describe the environment in which the problem exists and explain the connections between the elements that promote and inhibit its solution. Think of and describe the kind of impact that global politics, cultural practices, and different regulations have on this problem. Explain how the problem looks at a local or regional level and how it affects specific communities and populations. Identify and analyse past efforts to address the problem. Did these efforts follow a top-down, bottom-up, or combined approach? Remember to rely on information from academic sources, organisations and government reports, media, etc. You can also use case studies to illustrate and help to understand the situation. 

Purpose

Wicked Problems require innovative and sustainable solutions. Developing this assessment will allow you to train skills highly valued in the government, business and not-for-profit sectors. You will need to use: 

• Critical thinking to cut through the noise and identify core issues
• Systems thinking to connect the dots and understand complex relationships. 
• Communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to engage stakeholders and drive informed decision-making 

Instructions

This assessment has two components:

 A. Video task: In the real world, you need to be able to communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely. Often, you will be facing non-expert audiences with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding; thus, your delivery must be engaging. 

For the first part of this assessment, you will create a 5-minute video that brings your analysis of a Wicked Problem to life. There is no established format for the video. You can do something creative, like using friends and family as actors pretending to be a panel of experts, create a slideshow presentation, or use animation. The most important part is that you have fun and feel comfortable with the format you choose. 

B. Reflective writing: After finishing your video, you will write a 500-word reflection piece focusing on your journey while investigating your chosen Wicked Problem. The reflection should be personal and written in the first person. It isn't about explaining how you produced the video; it's about carefully exploring your feelings and thoughts while researching and developing the task. For example, 

• Reflect on why you chose this Wicked Problem and why it is interesting for you.
• Describe what new thoughts and ideas you generated while doing the video. For example, how does the problem impact you? Or how you could use this in your future? 
• Has this activity affected the way you look at the problem?
• Are there any actions you could take in your daily life to contribute to the solution of this problem?

You can find additional resources to support your understanding and development of reflective writing in Moodle. 

Use of evidence/research and referencing:

Your research for this assessment must draw on academic sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles and course reading materials (min 5 required) and high-quality archival sources (min 3 required) such as media, official reports, websites, documented personal accounts, or publications from relevant organisations. Other materials from the course are also allowed. 

Submission 

Video submission: The video component MUST be in MP4 format and uploaded to OneDrive as per the video submission instructions on Moodle under Assessment 1. 

Written reflection: Via Moodle course site. Please note, your reflection submission MUST be uploaded as a Word Document. Submissions in any other format will not be accepted. 

Grading and Feedback 

Marks will be available on Moodle. Please reflect on the feedback provided. General cohort-wide feedback points will be provided in the lecture.

Assessment 2: Multiple Choice Quiz

Task Summary

Students test their foundational knowledge via an online quiz. 

Task description

During week 3 you will be asked to complete a multiple-choice quiz on Moodle consisting of 20 questions. This quiz will make up 5% of your final grade. 

Quiz answer protocols

• The quiz will open at 9.00 am on Thursday, 23rd January (Week 3) and close at 5.00 pm on Sunday, 26th January (Week 3).
• You will only be able to attempt the quiz ONCE and will have 60 minutes to complete it once you begin. There will not be an opportunity to complete the quiz once it has closed.
• Your answers will automatically be submitted at the close of the quiz. 

Q&A

Please feel free to post your assessment questions on the Question and Answer forum (Q&A) on Moodle. 

Feedback & marks

Marks will be available on Moodle after the quiz is closed at 5.00 pm on Sunday, 26th January (Week 3).

Assessment 4: Participation and Engagement

Task Summary

Students are assessed on their preparation for and active engagement in all class activities and online discussion forums (10% for class participation, 5% for contributions to online discussion forums). 

Task Description

During class, you need to be an active participant in discussions and during activities. 

Each week outside of class, you will be required to: 

• Write 1 post (100 words) responding to the weekly discussion question. This post should reflect thoughtful engagement with the topic and be submitted in the tutorial discussion forum.
• Write 2 replies (50 words each) to posts made by your classmates. Your replies should be constructive and add value to the discussion. 

All posts (your original post and replies) must be submitted by Friday, 5:00 PM. After 5:00 PM Friday, the discussion forums will automatically lock. No late submissions will be accepted. 

Discussion protocols: 

Participants should: 

• Communicate respectfully with others at all times
• conduct themselves with integrity, especially concerning academic honesty and confidentiality
• ensure their contributions are relevant to the learning activity and/or the discussion forum question 

Guidelines: 

• Value interacting with your classmates as a central ingredient in your learning in the course.
• View the discussions as a two-way process in which you balance a focus on contributing your ideas and experience with a focus on understanding and learning from the views and perspectives of your student colleagues.
• Respect, acknowledge and appreciate the views of other participants, and use questions and active listening to show a keen interest in understanding their perspectives, before expressing your views. 
• Be aware of the group dynamics during a discussion and how you are contributing to this. Ideally, no one will be dominating the discussion.