COIT20249 Assessment Details
Assessment item 3—Report
Due date: 11:55 pm AEST, Friday, Week 9 ASSESSMENT
Weighting: 30% 3
Length: 2500 words +/- 250 words (Note: Failure to submit within this range will result in a penalty of 5 marks)
Objectives
Please refer to the Unit Profile to see how this assessment item relates to the Unit Learning Outcomes.
This assignment is designed to stimulate critical thinking outside of the classroom by requiring students to write a formal academic report. You will need to follow the ARE process described in chapters 2 and 3 of Your Business Degree 2 (prescribed textbook for COIT20249) to analyse the assessment task, research relevant information and evaluate the information you find. This information should be used to write an academic report in which you present your findings or outcomes and make recommendations for future practice Professional writing and writing reports are described in chapters 4 and 5 of Your Business Degree 2. This assessment task will assess your skills in critical thinking, researching information, forming an opinion, academic writing, logical ordering of ideas and your ability to support your arguments with quotes from literature. These objectives will be measured by the ‘closeness of fit’ to meeting the assessment task, assessment requirements and marking criteria
Please note that there is a wealth of material available on the Moodle Unit website that you should use to help you through the process of searching for and gathering relevant information, evaluating that information and writing your report.
General Assessment Criteria
Assessments provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to achieve the required standard. To do this, assessment responses need to be both clear and easy to understand. If not, the University cannot determine that students have demonstrated their knowledge and skills. Assessments will, therefore, be marked accordingly including the potential for 0 (zero) marks where relevant.
The report must focus on the case study scenario given in the Assessment Task section. Any assessment items that do not address the case study scenario may be awarded 0 (zero) marks.

If you use Track Changes when writing your report you must ensure that the submitted document is the final and correct version of the document. That is, if your submitted report contains Track Changes or Comments or any other editing marks it may be awarded 0 (zero) marks. It is your responsibility to submit the final and correct version of your report.
The length of the report must be within the recommended range. If the report exceeds the maximum word count the marker will stop marking after 2750 words.
Moodle auto-submits draft files that are in Moodle at the due date and time. Files that are auto-submitted will not be reverted to draft status except in extenuating circumstances (evidence required). It is your responsibility not to leave draft assessments in Moodle at the due date and time if the files are not ready to be submitted for marking.
Assessment task
Students are required to write an academic report as per the format outlined in chapter 5 of the textbook. The report must follow the CQU APA referencing style. See the American Psychological Association (APA) abridged guide updated Term 2 2016 available from: https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-and-facilities/referencing/cquniversity-referencing-guides. Please note that the prescribed textbook uses APA referencing guidelines. See also the Referencing Style subsection below.
The report is to be based on the following case study scenario about the use of Robotics.
The term Robotics refers to the design, development and use of robots which are automated machines that can accomplish a range of tasks in a variety of scenarios. Robots were first commercialised when they were integrated into factory assembly lines in order to streamline and improve manufacturing productivity. The first popular application of robotics was in the car industry. In the 21st Century, robots have increasingly been used to complete tasks that may be unsafe or tedious for humans this has led to the integration of robots into the mining and transportation industries and the military. The use of robots is expected to double by the year 2020. This will impact on how businesses operate and the economies of countries across the world (New Media Consortium, 2016).
Increasingly robots are also being used in the home. One of the most popular applications is that of the robot vacuum cleaner. Other robots that are increasing in popularity are gutter cleaners and lawn mowers.
There is significant interest in how work environments will be affected by the growing dependence on robots and on how to ensure that they are autonomous, safe, and economical. In Queensland the State Government has introduced a program into State Schools that is designed to teach students coding and robotics from an early age. Referred to as #codingcounts this action plan for education in Queensland is designed to prepare students for jobs of the future (Queensland Government, 2016).
It is argued that outreach programs such as #codingcounts can make students better problem solvers through promoting robotics and programming. It is also felt that interaction with humanoid robots may help learners with learning disabilities to develop better communication strategies and social skills.
Whilst robots can make some work environments safer there are also potential problems. Is it ethically and morally responsible to manufacture robot workers that have the potential to take jobs from human workers? What happens when a robot hurts or injures a human or destroys property? Who is responsible, the manufacturer of the robot, the programmer who wrote the code to operate the robot, or the person who bought it and set it to work? There are also potential security problems. How can you prevent a robot being hacked and having someone take over control of the robot to commit a crime?
You are the ICT Manager of a small Artificial Intelligence company based in Brisbane. Your organisation has interests in the use of robotics for domestic use and in mining, transport and manufacturing industries across Australia. The organisation is already using robotics as a small but growing sideline business. But the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) would like to investigate how to make it a key enabler to achieve competitive advantage against your company’s rivals. Your organisation is now considering further diversification over the next five years, leveraging ICT as a core competency. Its plans include expanding the organisation’s operations within Australia and into the Asian region. The CEO of your organisation is interested in how to leverage the use of robotics as one of the key technologies to be considered as a part of this expansion strategy. However, she is aware of both positive and negative aspects of using robotics in the work and home environments.
The CEO has asked you to research robotic technology and its applications to be considered for the organisation’s five year strategic plan. She wants you to write a report that outlines your findings and make some recommendations on how to leverage the use of robotics to improve your business. It will be presented to the next executive management meeting for consideration.
The report should address the following tasks:
1. Definition/s of robotic technology and the current use of robots. This investigation must consider different types of robots used in various industries and in different parts of the world. As a minimum, consider the industries currently in your organisation’s business scope and the industries the organisation is considering to enter in the next five years when it plans to expand across Australian and into Asia (see case scenario). Your report must identify actual examples and should not just focus on generic uses of robotic technology.
2. Based on the findings from the previous section, propose how robotic technology could be incorporated into your organisation’s operations in the future. Discuss both short term and long term options from both industry and geographical perspectives to implement the strategy in your organisation.
As a part of this analysis, consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of using robotic including various risks for the organisation and with respect to robotic technologies. As the ICT Manager of your organisation, you should focus on security and technology aspects as a priority, and propose potential solutions to overcome any disadvantages/risks identified in your analysis. Additionally, explore the ethical, social and legal considerations that your organisation should consider as a part of the proposed strategy, and discuss some solutions to overcome these issues.
Your analysis and proposed solutions in task 2 should lead to some recommendations at the end of your report. Make sure that the specific recommendations at the end of your report have been evaluated as a part of your report discussion.
The report should be at a strategic level and must not consist of highly technical details as most of your readers are not from an information technology background.
Please note that you will need to make some assumptions about the organisation in order to write this report. These assumptions should match the information in the case study and not contradict with the objectives of the report. They should be incorporated in the introduction of your report when you describe the organisation and outline the problem to be solved. Relevant assumptions should be incorporated when addressing task 2 above. Do not make assumptions that are not relevant or will not be used in your report discussion to avoid loss of marks.
Specifically your report should include the following (word count details are approximate guidelines only):
1. Title page: Unit code and name, assessment number, Report title, assessment due date, word count (actual), student name, student number, email address, campus lecturer/tutor, and Unit Coordinator. If applicable, add extension request ID and the new due date. Must be formatted to a standard required for a professional/business report. Check week 6 materials for example of a professionally formatted title page. Not included in the word count.
2. Executive summary: should include the purpose of the report, the problem including key issues considered and how they were investigated, your findings, and overview of your recommendations. This part must not be longer than one (1) A4 page. Not included in the word count.
3. Table of Contents (ToC): should list the report topics using decimal notation. Needs to include the main headings and subheadings with corresponding page numbers, using a format that makes the hierarchy of topics clear. Because you are including a ToC the report pages should be numbered in the footer as follows: title page has no page number; and main text to have Arabic numerals commencing at 1. Create the ToC using MS Word’s ToC auto-generator rather than manually typing out the ToC. Instructions can be found here https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/Create-a-table-of-contents-or-update-a-table-of-contents-eb275189-b93e-4559-8dd9-c279457bfd72#__create_a_table. Not included in the word count.
4. Introduction: provide a brief description of the organisation as given in the case scenario including any assumptions, a concise overview of the problem you have been asked to research, the main aims/purpose of the report, the objectives to be achieved by writing the report (include the tasks outlined in the case study) and how you investigated the problem. Provide an outline of the sections of the report. Should be approximately 300 words.
5. Body of the report (use appropriate headings in the body of the report.): Define key terms you will use in your report, such as what is meant by ‘robotics’. Present your ideas on the topic and discuss the information you found in your research that was relevant to the report’s objectives. Provide an analysis of the information that you gathered. Ensure that you explore the tasks listed in the case study scenario. In your discussion, examine the issues from a global perspective as well as from the local perspective (of the fictional organisation that is the centre of this report).
Do NOT use generic words such as ‘Body, Body of the Report, Tasks’ as section headings. Create meaningful headings and subheadings that reflect the topic and content of your report. Should be approximately 1600 words.
6. Conclusion: restate the purpose of the report and key issues investigated and the related findings based on your research and analysis. Explain the significance of your findings for addressing the problem stated in the case scenario and any limitations. State how your report has achieved its objectives and any future work to be considered. Should be approximately 300 words.
7. Recommendations: (must be based on your findings and proposed solutions discussed in the body of the report) what would your recommendations be to your CEO and the executive management team in this situation? Provide some guidelines for the organisation with respect to the use of robotics as a future technology in your organisation. Should be approximately 300 words.
8. Reference list. Not counted in the word count.
9. Appendices if necessary. Not counted in the word count.
Note: Additional information regarding this assignment may be placed on the Moodle Unit website as required. Check the Moodle Unit website at least once a week for further information relating to the report. Regular access to the Moodle Unit website is a requirement of this Unit.
Reference List
New Media Consortium. (2016). Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition. Austin, TX: New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2016-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN.pdf
Assessment Requirements
Your response should be structured as a report (chapter 5 of textbook), written in accordance with standard academic writing principles (chapter 4 of textbook). The report must be written using your own words with any in text citations clearly marked (see Referencing Style subsection below). You may discuss the assessment task with other students and the lecturing staff but you must WRITE the report YOURSELF in your own words.
You will need to conduct research to support your arguments using at least ten (10) references. Note that all the references you chose to use should have been evaluated using the Triple-R framework in the research stage of preparing your Report. One of the references could be your set textbook (if you reference the textbook you must include it in the reference list). You must have a minimum of ten (10) references in your reference list. At least six (6) of these references should be from refereed academic journals and books. All sources should be current that is, dated 2012 or later. Minimum requirements relate to a Pass mark. You are encouraged to use more than the minimum requirements for a better quality outcome to your report through improving the quality of your analysis.
The assignment should demonstrate a logical flow of discussion, and be free from typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. It should be prepared in MS-Word (or equivalent) using 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.54 cm.
It is highly recommended that you submit your assignment to the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) AT LEAST ONE WEEK before the due date. The ALC can check your report for correct structure, referencing, paragraphing and some language issues.
Referencing Style
References must be cited (in text) and a reference list provided in accordance with the CQU APA referencing style. See the American Psychological Association (APA) abridged guide updated Term 2 2016 available from: https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-and-facilities/referencing/cquniversity-referencing-guides.
Helpful information on referencing techniques and styles can also be found on CQU’s referencing webpage:
https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-and-facilities/referencing
Marks will be deducted for poor referencing or having less than ten (10) references or going under or over the word length.
Use quotation marks for direct quotes and you must include the author, date and page number(s) with the quote as per the referencing standards.
ALL assignments will be checked for plagiarism (material copied from other students and/or material copied from other sources) using TurnItIn. If you are found to have plagiarised material or if you have used someone else’s words without appropriate referencing, you will be penalised for plagiarism which could result in zero (0) marks for the whole assignment. In some circumstances a more severe penalty may be imposed. Please note that if needed students may be required to explain the report preparation process.
The University’s Academic Misconduct Procedure is available in the policy portal https://www.cqu.edu.au/policy.
Useful information about academic integrity (avoiding plagiarism) can be found in the ALC resources on the Moodle Unit website and at:
https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-and-facilities/referencing
https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-and-facilities/referencing/cquniversity-referencing-guides
Guidelines with respect to self-referencing are available on the COIT20249 Moodle website.
Submission
The report has to be submitted using the COIT20249 Moodle Unit website on or before the due date. The submission link can be accessed through the Assessment block.
Before submitting your assignment you should check it against the detailed assessment criteria in the following table to ensure that you have satisfactorily addressed all the criteria that will be used to mark your report.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your report is submitted for grading. At the due date of the assessment Moodle will auto-submit files that have been uploaded and left as drafts. However, any files uploaded after the due date must be manually submitted. This means that if you have been granted an extension or are uploading a late assessment (after the due date) you must complete the Moodle submission process. Further details on completing the submission process are available via the ‘Moodle Help for Students’ link in the Support block of your Moodle website.
If your report is left as a draft in Moodle after the due date it will accrue a late penalty. Late submissions attract a penalty of 5% per day of the total available mark for the individual assessment item. See the Assessment Policy and Procedure – Higher Education Coursework in the policy portal https://www.cqu.edu.au/policy.
Note: if your Report is auto-submitted the submission will not be reverted to draft unless there are extenuating circumstances. Any request must be supported by evidence.

Marking Criteria
This assessment is criterion referenced which means your work is assessed against the criteria in the marking rubric below.
Criteria Quality
High Distinction
(2.75-3.0 marks) Distinction
(2.25-2.5 marks) Credit
(1.75-2 marks) Pass
(1.25-1.5 marks) Fail
(0-1 marks)
Executive summary The executive summary contained:
- a brief description of the purpose of the report
- the definition of the problem, key issues explored, and how they were investigated
- a summary of what you found and what you concluded
- overview of your recommendations The executive summary contained the proper sections but did not include enough detail. The executive summary had sections which were too brief or missing. Did not include enough detail. The executive summary lacked clarity and has incomplete or missing sections. It did not clearly explain the problem, how it was investigated and your recommendations. Entire sections of the executive summary are missing. There is a lack of detail and the problem is not well explained.
Table of contents Lists the report topics using decimal notation. Includes meaningful main headings and subheadings with corresponding page numbers. Format makes the hierarchy of topics clear. Auto generated using MS Word. A few things missing from the table of contents. Pages are numbered. Some things missing from the table of contents. Pages may not be numbered. Includes the main headings only. Pages may not be numbered. Table of contents missing. Pages not numbered.
Introduction Set the scene for the report; gave some background information for the topic. Included a brief description of the organisation.
Stated the objectives of the investigation. Included the problem you are addressing and the key issues to be explored.
Explained the research method used to gather information.
Outlined the sections of the report. The introduction contained the proper parts but did not include enough detail. The introduction had parts which were too brief or missing. Did not include enough detail. The introduction lacked clarity and had incomplete or missing parts. It did not clearly introduce the report. The introduction was missing or was a repeat of the executive summary. It did not clearly introduce the report.
Body of report:
Selection and sequencing of subject material; including evidence. Selected exact amount of relevant material that supports argument with no contradictions.
Substantial, logical, & concrete development of ideas. Arguments were logical and clear.
Assumptions were made explicit.
Key terms were defined.
Details were germane, original, and convincingly interpreted. Selected large amount of relevant material.
Offered solid development of ideas but less original reasoning.
Assumptions were not always recognised or made explicit.
Contained some appropriate details or examples. Selected adequate amount of material.
Some development of ideas; not much original reasoning.
Assumptions are not always recognised or made explicit.
Contains some appropriate details or examples. Selected adequate amount of material but not all of it is relevant.
Not much development of ideas. Very little original reasoning.
Offered somewhat obvious support that may be too broad.
Details were too general, not interpreted, irrelevant to problem, or inappropriately repetitive. Selected too little material or material that is irrelevant.
No development of ideas or original reasoning.
Offered simplistic, undeveloped, or cryptic support for the ideas.
Inappropriate or off-topic generalisations, faulty assumptions, errors of fact.
Conclusion Problem restated clearly, main points and supporting arguments summarised.
Stated the significance of the findings and that the objectives of the report had been met.
No new material. The conclusion contained the proper parts but did not include enough detail.
No new material. The conclusion had parts which were too brief or missing. Did not include enough detail.
May have included some new material. The conclusion lacked clarity and had incomplete or missing parts. It did not clearly conclude the report.
May have included some new material. The conclusion is missing or was a repeat of the executive summary. It did not clearly conclude the report.
Included new material.
Recommendations Suggested specific actions to address the problem.
Actions were clearly based on the findings of the report.
Correctly formatted recommendations based on report writing guidelines. Most suggested actions were relevant to the problem.
Actions were based on the findings of the report.
Correctly formatted recommendations. Suggested actions were somewhat relevant to the problem.
Not all actions were based on the findings of the report.
Recommendations not presented effectively in line with the report writing guidelines. Suggested some actions. Not all actions were relevant to the problem.
Not all actions were based on the findings of the report.
Descriptions of possible actions but no specific actions proposed or not in line with the report writing guidelines. Recommendations missing or irrelevant to the problem and/or did not relate to the findings.
Not formatted correctly.
Organisation: of ideas/main points; structure of sentences and paragraphs. Organisation fully supported the problem being addressed and the objectives of report.
Sequence of ideas was effective.
Excellent sentence structure. Well-constructed paragraphs; clear linkages between paragraphs. Organisation supported the problem being addressed and the objectives of report.
Sequence of ideas could be improved.
Good sentence structure. Linkages between paragraphs were mostly appropriate. Organisation supported the problem being addressed and the objectives of report.
Sequence of ideas did not always flow in a logical manner.
Some good sentence structure. Linkages between paragraphs could be improved. Some brief, undeveloped paragraphs. Some signs of logical organisation but not effectively addressing the problem.
May have had abrupt or illogical shifts and ineffective flow of ideas.
Some awkward sentences; paragraphs not well linked. Paragraph structure not well integrated; contained extraneous information. Unclear organisation or organisational plan was inappropriate to problem being addressed.
Poorly worded sentences. No linkages between paragraphs.
Showed minimal effort or lack of comprehension of the assignment.
Presentation:
• Title page
• Grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Formatting Title page contained all necessary information: Unit code, assessment number, report title, assessment due date, word count, student name, student number, email address, campus lecturer/tutor, and Unit Coordinator.
Written expression was clear and correct; evidence of thorough proof-reading.
Grammar excellent; correct use of punctuation; minimal or no spelling errors.
Observed professional conventions of written English and report format.
Formatted correctly in MS Word or compatible application using 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.54 cm.
Each page (except Title page) is numbered. Title page contained all necessary information.
A few errors in grammar (wrong verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophe errors, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, split infinitives, etc.). Made occasional problematic word choices or syntax errors.
Grammar strong despite occasional lapses; a few spelling or punctuation errors.
Observed professional conventions of written English and report format; made a few minor or technical errors.
Formatted correctly. Title page contained all necessary information.
Some distracting grammatical errors (wrong verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophe errors, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, split infinitives, etc.). Little evidence of proof-reading.
Grammar could be improved; errors in punctuation and spelling.
Needed to observe professional conventions of written English and report format; made numerous errors.
Some minor formatting errors. Some necessary information was missing from the title page.
Some major grammatical or proofreading errors (wrong verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophe errors, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, split infinitives, sentence fragments, word form errors, etc.). Language frequently weakened by inexact word choices.
Frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Needed to observe professional conventions of written English and report format; made repeated errors.
Major errors in formatting.
Title page missing or missing necessary information.
Numerous grammatical errors which seriously detracted from understanding the writing.
Frequent major errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Evidence of poor planning and/or no serious revision of writing.
Did not meet professional conventions of written English and report format.
Formatted incorrectly.
References (1): Evidence of research and analysis of the references based on the ARE framework.
Selection and use of references based on the Triple R framework. Thorough research indicated; clear well-thought out analysis clearly integrated into discussion.
Analysed and evaluated information in great depth.
Used references to support, extend, and inform, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas.
Combined material from a variety of sources.
Did not overuse quotes. Research was generally thorough; analysis was generally well done; integrated into discussion.
Analysed and evaluated information in considerable depth.
Used references to support, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas.
Combined material from a variety of sources.
Did not overuse quotes. Some evidence of research; basic analysis; some integration into discussion.
Analysed and evaluated information in reasonable depth, some description.
Used references to support, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas.
Combined material from a few sources.
Did not overuse quotes. Basic research; weaknesses evident in analysis.
Little evidence of analysis and evaluation of information; recounted and described. Details were too general, not interpreted, irrelevant to topic, or inappropriately repetitive.
Used relevant references but lacked in variety of references and/or the skilful combination of references.
Combined material from a few sources.
Quotations and paraphrases may be too long or not well integrated into the text. Little or no evidence of research and analysis of information.
Neglected important references.
Simplistic or undeveloped support for the ideas.
Inappropriate or off-topic generalisations, faulty assumptions, errors of fact.
Overused quotations or paraphrasing to substitute writer’s own ideas.
Possibly used source material without acknowledgement.
References (2):
In-text citations and reference list. More than ten current references including more than six academic references; all references conformed to the Triple R framework.
Thorough referencing. Citations and reference list accurate and consistent with APA referencing style. More than ten current references including more than six academic references.
A few inaccuracies with APA referencing style for citations and/or reference list.
All citations/references listed. At least ten current references including at least six academic sources.
Some errors in APA referencing style for citations and/or reference list. Some citations and/or references missing. At least ten current references.
Errors with APA referencing style.
Incomplete reference list. References not cited properly in text. Less than ten references.
Inconsistent with APA referencing style.
Problems with citations and references.
Length Correct length (2250-2750 words) Correct length (2250-2750 words) Correct length (2250-2750 words) Correct length (2250-2750 words) Too long ( 2750 words) or too short ( 2250 words). Penalty of 5 marks.
Words in excess of 2750 will NOT be marked.
Comprehension If the content of the report is unable to be read and understood by the marker the report will be given 0 out of 30.