Public Relations

Understanding how to approach your assessment

Understanding your assessment and improving your performance

This assessment guide is to be read in conjunction with the AMB263 Introduction to Public Relations unit outline, and the relevant tutorial material overviewing the assessment.This document provides detailed information for AMB263 Introduction to Public Relations assessment items. Please note it is very important that you understand the requirements of each assessment item. If you do not, please arrange a time to meet with your tutor or see Bree Devin, your lecturer and unit coordinator, so your queries can be answered.

The assessment in this unit aims to support your achievement of the learning objectives for both Discipline Knowledge and Other Graduate Capabilities. Assessment is designed to allow you to:
• Receive feedback on your learning as you progress toward the development of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes (formative assessment); and
• Demonstrate your learning in order to achieve a final grade (summative assessment).

Criterion-referenced assessment

Assessment in AMB263 Introduction to Public Relations is based on criterion-referenced assessment (CRA). Criterion-referenced assessment builds your understanding of assessment practices and allows you to demonstrate your application of knowledge and skills at your desired level or grade.

Criteria for AMB263

Your performance in your assignments will be measured against five key criteria, which were selected to achieve Faculty Assurances of Learning and unit objectives. They will also guide your progress as you build graduate skills and capabilities in areas that are central to the practice of public relations. These criteria will be used as the basis of assessment in all units in the public relations major, although not all criteria will be assessed in all units. The five criteria are:

1.   Knowledge and Technological Skills
2.   Higher Order Thinking
3.   Professional Communication
4.   Teamwork and Self
5.   Social, Ethical and Global Understanding

Understanding how this works for you

Criteria and performance standards provide you with information, which you can use to demonstrate your skills to the grade you wish to achieve in this unit. In tutorials and lectures, we will help you understand the differences in each performance standard and encourage you to achieve your best. We will also help you understand how to evaluate your work. Building your skills in ‘self assessment’ will help you improve your performance as you move through your course at QUT, and then into the workplace.

Presentation of work

All material within this unit must be professionally presented. Your written tone should be appropriate for a formal report or essay, and you should not use contractions (e.g. don’t, can’t etc.) or colloquialisms. You must carefully proofread your work, and structure your content using appropriate headings. To pass each assignment, you must complete and submit all required elements. Use the pre-submission checklists in this document to guide you.

Referencing

The referencing format for this unit is APA. Details about APA style are available on the library website: http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/cite/qutcite.jsp#apa Your paper will be marked carefully to this style.

Submitting your assignments

The exam will be conducted online.The written assignments in this unit (Assignment 2: Report, and Assignment 3: Essay) should be submitted via online submission on Blackboard. This may require you to upload your assignment through SafeAssign.

Penalty for late submission

If you submit an assignment late you will get 0% or a 1 grade unless you have an extension approved. You should submit an uncompleted paper on the due date so you are eligible for part marks.

Please note that you must upload your assignment by 11.59pm on the due date. After this time, the upload link will become unavailable, and you will be required to email your assignment directly to your tutor. Any assignments submitted after this time will be deemed a late submission.

If you are having technical difficulties, please email both your tutor and unit co-ordinator prior to the submission deadline. Be sure to attach a copy of your completed assignment to the email.

Penalty for length variations

The report and essay have set word limits of 1500 and 2500 words respectively. In AMB263, everything from the first word in your introduction to the last work in the conclusion is included in the word count. So this includes all headings, in-text citations, tables, etc.

If your work varies from this limit by more than 10%, you will receive a zero for the technical elements criteria of your assignment.

Assignment   Minimum
(-10%)   Set amount   Maximum (+10%)
Report   1350   1500   1650
Essay   2250   2500   2750

Assessment Item 3
Assessment Name: Essay
Description: Using the three concepts identified below, write an essay in which you discuss these concepts and show how they link to relevant Grunig and Hunt’s public relations model/s. You will need to find a real-world example to demonstrate each concept in practice and draw on ethical frameworks to analyse the organisation’s behaviour in each example.
Length/Duration: 2,500 words
Formative or Summative: Summative
Weighting: 50%
Relates to learning outcomes: Unit objectives: 1, 4 and AOL goals: KS (1.1), HO (2.1), PC (3.1) and SE (5.1)
Internal or External: Internal
Group or Individual: Individual
Due Date: Online by 11.59p.m. on Saturday 1 November (Central Examination Period) via Blackboard

What do I do?

1.   Use the three concepts as the focus in the essay:
•   Traditional media
•   Social media
•   Stakeholder engagement

2.   For each of the three concepts, provide:
a.   An overview of each concept, providing insights relating to their application, individually, and ideally in relation to each other. You should also outline the relevance of the concept to contemporary public relations practice. You must use reference sources beyond the textbook to support your discussion in this section.
b.   An analysis and justification as to which of Grunig and Hunt’s four models relate to this concept (you can describe more than one).
c.   An example of a real world application of each concept – find an example of each concept as it was applied in contemporary public relations practice. You must find a different example for each concept. Show how each concept applies to your chosen example, overviewing the links between characteristics of the concept, the relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s, the real world application, and result.
d.   Reflect on any ethical considerations (challenges or benefits) related to the organisation’s behaviour in practice. You must use the ethical frameworks specified in the lecture.

3. Present your ideas in a formal essay.

For more details, refer to the CRA sheet.
AMB263 Assessment 3 essay checklist

You will be marked on your ability to demonstrate the following, so please use this checklist to make sure you have addressed these requirements. You will be assessed on how well:

Knowledge of concept (out of 25 marks):
Done?
   You describe each concept.
   You overview and identify the key characteristics of each concept.
   You draw conclusions about the implications of the combination of all the concepts for public relations practice.
   You support your discussion by references to the textbook and other sources.

Application of models (out of 25 marks):

 You identify the relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s for each concept.
 Your provide justification for your decision, drawing on the textbook and other sources.

Application to example (out of 30 marks):

   You identify appropriate examples of each of your three concepts in practice.
   You state which concept is being demonstrated in each real-world example/situation.
   You clearly identify and discuss the links between the key characteristics of each concept identified in the previous section and your practical examples.
   You clearly identify and discuss the links between the relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s and your practical examples.
   You provide justification for your decisions.

Ethical understanding (out of 10 marks):

 You identify and discuss ethical issues in your practical examples.
 You apply ethical framework/s to your organisation’s behaviour.

Technical elements (punctuation, grammar, referencing, structure) (out of 10 marks):

   Your assignment follows the essay format requirements.
   Your assignment avoids technical and referencing errors.
   Your assignment demonstrates academic integrity (including adhering to the word limit).

Knowledge and Technological Skills (KS): 1.1 Demonstrate and apply integrated discipline (including technical) knowledge across the broad field of business with depth in one or more core business disciplines
Grade   7   6   5   4   3-1
Marks    21.5-25    19-21.5   16.5-18.5    12.5-16    0-12
Knowledge of concepts   You provide an in-depth review of each concept, overviewing their key characteristics. You provide a wide range of detailed, accurate insights into the implications of these concepts for public relations in contemporary practice with a diverse range of sources to support these. You clearly make links between the concepts.   You provide an accurate description of each concept. You overview most key characteristic of each concept. You provide some detailed and accurate insights into the implications of these concepts for public relations in contemporary practice with a diverse range of sources to support these. You make some links between the concepts.   You provide an accurate description of each concept. You overview some key characteristics of each theory. You include mostly-correct insights into how these concepts relate to public relations contemporary practice. You include some additional sources to support these. You attempt to make links between the concepts.   You provide a mostly-accurate description of each concept with key characteristics acknowledged. You attempt to identify links between the public relations concepts and practice. You include few additional sources to support these beyond the readings.    You do not make an appropriate selection of concepts;
AND/OR
You do not provide an accurate description of each concept, their key characteristics, or identify the links to public relations practice;
AND/OR
You do not include references to sources beyond readings.
Marks    21.5-25    19-21.5   16.5-18.5    12.5-16    0-12
Application of models   You provide a comprehensive and sophisticated analysis of all the Grunig and Hunt model/s relevant to each concept. You provide strong justification for your decisions.   You provide an analysis of all the Grunig and Hunt model/s relevant to each concept. You provide clear justification for your decisions.   You provide an analysis of most the Grunig and Hunt model/s relevant to each concept. You provide some justification for your decisions.   You outline relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s for each concept, but offer little justification for your choice.   You do not identify relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s for each concept.
AND/OR
You do not offer justification for your decision.
Higher Order Thinking (HO): 2.1 Investigate real world business issues and situations through the effective analysis, evaluation and synthesis of theory and practice
Grade   7   6   5   4   3-1
Marks   25.5 – 30    22.5 – 25    19.5 – 22     15 – 19    0 – 14.5
Application to examples   You source three ‘real world’, relevant examples which reflect the three concepts overviewed. You provide a comprehensive and sophisticated analysis of the links between the concepts, relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s and your practical examples, and provide strong justification for your decisions.    You source three ‘real world’, relevant examples which reflect the three concepts overviewed. You discuss the links between the concepts, relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s and your practical examples, with clear justification for your decisions.   You source three ‘real world’, relevant examples which reflect the three concepts overviewed. You describe the links between concepts, relevant Grunig and Hunt model/s and your practical examples, with some justification for your decisions.   Your ‘real world’ examples are not all relevant to the three concepts overviewed. You state which concept and Grunig and Hunt model is being demonstrated in each situation, but with limited justification for your decisions or inaccurate assumptions.   You do not clearly identify three different examples of your concepts in practice;
AND/OR
You have not selected contemporary public relations examples;
AND/OR
You do not offer justification for your choices.
Social, Ethical and Global Understanding (SE): 5.1 Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices in analysing and responding to business issues
Grade   7   6   5   4   2-1
Marks   8.5 – 10   7.5 – 8   6.5 – 7    5 – 6   0-4.5
Understanding of ethical issues   You provide a comprehensive discussion of ethical issues in all of your practical examples and provide a sophisticated application of one or more of the ethical framework/s covered in this unit to the organisation’s behaviour in each situation.   You clearly identify ethical issues in all of your practical examples and closely apply one or more of the ethical framework/s covered in this unit to the organisation’s behaviour in each situation.   You identify ethical issues in all of your practical examples and show to a limited extent how one or more of the ethical framework/s covered in this unit could be applied to the organisation’s behaviour in each situation.   You identify ethical issues in all of your practical examples and link one or more relevant ethical framework from those covered in this unit to the organisation’s behaviour in each situation.   You do not identify ethical issues in some of your practical examples.
AND/OR
You do not use one of the ethical frameworks specified.
Professional Communication (PC): 3.1 Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts
Grade   7   6   5   4   2-1
Marks   8.5 – 10   7.5 – 8   6.5 – 7    5 – 6   0-4.5
Technical elements (punctuation, grammar, referencing, structure)   Assignment follows the essay format requirements for this unit with no more than two errors (including referencing errors) on any one page.    Assignment follows the essay format requirements for this unit and contains no more than three technical errors (including referencing errors) on any one page.    Assignment follows most of the essay format requirements for this unit and contains no more than four technical errors (including referencing errors) on any one page.   Assignment follows some of the essay format requirements for this unit and contains more than four technical errors (including referencing errors) on any one page.        Assignment does not follow essay format requirements for this unit (including word limit).
AND/OR
   APA referencing is not used, or is used incorrectly.
AND/OR
   Assignment does not demonstrate academic integrity.

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