PrevNextAssessment 2: Policy Analysis Essay: 1,800 words: 40%
Major Assessment
PrevNextAssessment 2: Policy Analysis Essay: 1,800 words: 40%
Due date: Week 10, Monday November 20 at 12 noon
Assessment Description
For Assessment 2, you need to find two local government health and wellbeing plans or policy documents (the titles will vary) including one non-metropolitan and one metropolitan.Note: the plans must address ageing and/or disability planning.
At the bottom of this page there is a 'submit your query' option where you can upload your plans and/or seek feedback from the teaching team to ensure you choose appropriate policies/plans. You will compare and contrast these two documents and write an 1800 word policy analysis essay that includes:
a brief description of each document (length, visual presentation, content overview, duration: e.g. 2020-2025 or 5 year plan);
a description of the local government area the document refers to (data and descriptions to be drawn from local government and other quality sources: e.g. ABS);
an analysis of each document in line withHealthy by Designprinciples and guidelines inclusions, omissions, other points of note;key recommendations (evidence-based) that will assist in further aligning the policies with aged and disability friendly design; and
at least 8 peer-reviewed scholarly references to support your discussionin addition to any web sources or reportsyou may include
Assessment Instructions
It is strongly advised that you follow the timeline below to complete your assessment task:
In Weeks 2-4:
Go to theAustralian Local Government Association website.Each state and the Northern Territory has a link on this page. Have a look at the website to familiarise yourself with the space that is local government in Australia. Then start to look at some local government sites to get a feel for their diversity. Some sites are far easier to navigate than others; some have much more information and content than others, etc. You should start to see some patterns reflecting their core local community level responsibilities and interests. It is highly recommended that you spend an hour or so just looking as this will provide you with a sense of the space about the local government, i.e. broader context.You will need to choose a metropolitan and a non-metropolitan (rural) local government area with accessible policy documents this may take time to locate!Wikipedia provides a very goodsummary of local government in Australia(not generally a recommended source, but useful in this instance).
You can also use key word to google search council resources. For example,a google search of Victorian Councils turned up this really useful interactive map. You can click on either metropolitan or non-metropolitan local government areas and they open up. Then, once you have the council name, you can search the council website directly to have a look at their plans. This can be repeated for other states and territories who also have interactive maps to help you find what you are looking for. Tip: if the first council website you look at doesn't seem to have up to date or useful plans to analyse, look at some more!
Week 4: you should have identified your local governments and the documents that you plan to analyse (reminder: you can submit them below to get feedback on your choice of plans)
Week 5: read through and start to make notes on each policy.
Weeks 6-7: identify key points as per required assessment tasks.
Weeks 8-10: write up and refine the paper.
Your policy analysis essay should be structured to include the following:
An introduction (approximately 200 words) that:
briefly introduces and describes the two policies that will be analysed in the paper (e.g. name of policy, whether metropolitan or non-metropolitan, the aim/objective, etc.); and
describes how the essay will be organised.
A body section (approximately 1200 words) that:
describes the local government areas the policies refer to (data and descriptions to be drawn from local government and other quality sources: e.g. ABS);
analyses each policy in line with theHealthy by Designprinciples and guidelines as they relate to inclusiveness in planning;compares and contrasts the policies;references research and literature to support the arguments
A conclusion (approximately 400 words) that:
summarises the key ideas identified in the body section; and
makes key recommendations (with supporting evidence) that will assist in further aligning the policies with aged and disability friendly design
Assessment aimsDocumentation is the driver to on-the-ground change in local government areas. Hence policy and document analysis are crucial skills for professionals with an interest in creating more inclusive local environments. Being able to identify how these documents align, or do not align with principles of inclusiveness including those relating to older people and those with disabilities is part of creating societies where everyone is better able to live the kind of life they would choose to lead. Identifying points for change or adjustment are high level skills in this area.
By completing this assessment, you would be meeting the following course objective:
CO 4 -critically assess and evaluate policy and planning for mobility autonomy independence and Quality of Life of aged and disabled persons.
Assessment criteria
Demonstrates ability to compare and contrast appropriate policy documents. Demonstrates ability to analyse and apply inclusion concepts as discussed in the courseDemonstrates ability to provide appropriate evidence-based recommendations that will address gaps or omissions in inclusiveness of planningIntegrates appropriate scholarly literature and course material. Employs appropriate referencing conventions(APA 7 see below)
Expresses ideas clearly, logically and without any errors (spelling, grammar, typos)
Assessment advice and resources
You might like to refer to the OCF advice on the instructions below.
You can use the dialogue tool to get feedback from the teaching team on your choice of policy documents, and you can also attend zoom sessions to unpack assessment tasks with peers and with the teaching team.
UniSA Referencing Guidelines-we are now using APA 7 referencing in this course -you might find this citation generator tool useful
WELF2021_Policy Analysis Essay_adviceAcademic integrity
Each student must complete this assessment independently, and it must be their own original work.Students are not permitted to use Generative AI tools for this assessment.Evidence of the use Generative AI tools in completing the assessment will be treated as academic misconduct in accordance with the universitysAB-69 Academic Integrity Policy.
To better understand Generative AI, and how it may relate to your university studies, please see ourGenerative Artificial Intelligencemodule.
For further guidelines in relation to academic integrity, please see theAcademic Integritymodule.
Academic Literacy Modules (Optional)
University study is not only a process of learning skills and expertise in your degree discipline but also involves learning how to develop essential academic skills and communicate according to academic conventions. The Academic Literacy Modules series is designed to help you acquire and practise skills that will help you improve your performance in assessments, academic reading, writing, speaking and research to maximize your success at university.
The series consists of eight self-paced modules of approximately 90 minutes, each focused on specific academic skills. You may choose to complete only those modules that focus on the topics you feel least confident about or you might set yourself the goal of completing the suite of eight.
The module content and activities are designed to present key ideas and concepts in video form. The related activities help you to explore new ideas and practice academic skills. Each module consists of an introductory video and three parts; each part contains a short video and two activities with the correct responses available upon completion of each activity.
UniSA Online Academic Literacy Modules
Feedback
You can expect to receive feedback from the teaching team approximately two weeks after the due date.
Submit a query: Is my Policy Analysis Essay planning on track? Are my plans/policies appropriate?DialogueMark as doneIf you want some feedback about your choice of policies/plans for the major assessment, submit your questions here and a staff member will get back to you as soon as possible.Type 'Michael Potts' into the 'USERS' box to send your query to the teaching team.
If you want to upload the actual policies/plans, that's okay, or a link is even better, but please be aware that the teaching team cannot read the entire document - so please be very specific with your questions!
You can also use this tool to submit specific questions about assessment tasks relating to the Policy Analysis Essay.
We cannot preview draft papers - but we're very happy to answer specific questions.
The cut off date to submit your query is Friday November 17 at midday, ahead of the essay due date Monday November 20
