Advantages
This skills-focused assessment enhances student employability by encouraging the application of theory beyond the classroom, as well as developing discipline specific skills in policy that many employers are seeking. By engaging with this assessment, students develop vocationally specific forms of written communication skills beyond those acquired through engagement with more traditional academic forms of written assessment such as a research essay . This assessment is well suited to the HaSS disciplines of Governance and Public Policy, International Relations, Social and Public Policy, or any other disciplines in which students are likely to enter public, government sectors or graduate programs.
Challenges
Staff may be required to invest additional time in ensuring that students understand what may be an unfamiliar task. It helps to provide students with clear explanations and examples of the task through exemplars as well as a dedicated discussion of the marking criteria.
Tips for implementation
As this is an authentic, industry-focused assessment, course staff may find it useful to liaise with an industry stakeholder who has the relevant industry experience in the type of policy area/s being addressed
Learning outcomes
1. demonstrate knowledge of contemporary Australian foreign policy.
3. evaluate the effectiveness of Australian foreign policy practices and strategies
4. apply knowledge of foreign policy issues to current events.
How it supports academic integrity
This assessment requires that students choose a contemporary and distinct policy issue and critique it in concert with the course content. This level of specificity may serve to prevent misconduct such as plagiarism, and will allow outsourced material to be readily identified (where in-class attendance is central to a thorough comprehension of threshold concepts). The specific format of the brief, following a distinct template students are required to adhere to, also makes the assessment more challenging to generate through AI.