Assignment Task
Overview of Assessment
Across all STEM and Health disciplines, a key skill is to learn how to communicate in diverse ways and to diverse audiences. In this assessment, you will write an ‘expert commentary’ article in the style of the publication, The Conversation. These are short, evidence-based articles, written in a way that is accessible to the general public. In this way, you will develop communication skills that allow you to convey sustainable development concepts in a clear and succinct manner. These skills are highly valuable in many contexts. In this assessment you will demonstrate your understanding of sustainable development in action within the context of a STEM topic, and show consideration of the important role of diversity, equity, inclusion and Reconciliation as pillars of sustainable futures.
Instructions
The following steps will help you get started on your assessment. We will cover some of these activities in the workshops.
1. Familiarise yourself with the writing style
The Conversation’s tagline is ‘academic rigour, journalistic flair’. They publish articles on arts, culture, business, education, health, politics and technology. To prepare to write in the style of The Conversation, read a few articles on a variety of topics:
Environment and Energy articlesHealth and Medicine articles E Science and Technology E
2. Choose a topic
You may want to explore one of the topics that was covered in Module 2. You can also choose your own topic, as long as you are able to meet the requirements of this task.
3. Research
It is expected that you will use credible sources for your article information. Peer reviewed articles should make up a large part of your research, however it may also be relevant to refer to news items, government policies, controversies, court cases, etc.
Suggested places to start.
4. Planning & developing your article
Read the rubric and ensure you understand the assessment criteria (linked below).
Use the list of questions below as a checklist. Check that you have addressed the following questions in your article:
Have you got a short interesting title for the article which will catch the attention of your reader?Have you provided a brief introduction at the start of your article telling the reader what your article is about?What is the focus of your article? Try to stick to just one or two topics.Have you used sections/paragraphs to break
up your article into more specific points? Sub- headings are helpful here.Have you provided scientific evidence
(and links to the research and/or data) to support your article?Have you provided images, graphs and/or simple tables to illustrate the main points you are making?Have you provided a short final summary statement at the end of your article
highlighting the key point and perhaps asking a related question that merits future exploration? Have you considered your audience? That is,
have you explained things in a way that can be
Assessment
You are required to write an article in the style of The Conversation. You will choose a topic related to sustainable development about which you are passionate. In the article, you will explain how your topic relates to one (or more) UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The article should describe how sustainable development and STEM can drive better outcomes in the area you are writing about. Consider how equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation are related to the topic chosen.
The main text only – the article title, figure and table headings will not be included in the word count.The use of subtitles, charts and figures to structure and illustrate your points is strongly encouraged.As The Conversation is written for a general audience, you must explain any STEM or Health specific language (where used) and any STEM/Health related concepts that a general public may not be familiar with.
