MPH5244 - Assessment 2a: Report Proposal - Oral Presentation

Assessment overview

This assessment task requires you to give an oral presentation of a research proposal on occupational physical hazard/s within a particular workplace environment. Your chosen topic is to be compatible with one or more of the learning outcomes below. You are required to prepare the presentation, using a maximum of 5 slides + 1 slide of references, and present 'live' during the in person (face to face) block days.

Your presentation will be followed by an online 5 minute Q&A discussion session with your peers and the Unit Coordinator.

You should use the questions, discussion and feedback you receive from your presentation to refine your research for Assessment 2b: Written Report.

Learning Outcomes

The purpose of this assessment task is for you to:

2. identify common occupational physical hazards and related risks and tools for risk quantification;
3. apply the principles of the 'hierarchy of controls' to the control of physical hazards, including communicating effectively to workers about the risks;
4. conduct a simple ergonomic assessment using a systems approach to consider risks to workers from equipment, tools, environment and work design factors; and
5. interpret the assessment results and develop and effectively communicate appropriate recommendations for risk

Assessment details

Definitions

A proposal is a formal plan or idea for possible action (such as a project), which is put forward for consideration.

An oral presentation is a structured talk on a set topic given to a listening audience, which is followed by questions from the audience, which the presenter(s) is/are expected to answer. An oral presentation may be accompanied by audiovisual aids such as PowerPoint slides, models, videos or other tools.

Requirements

You are required to give a 5 minute oral presentation for a proposal for the following:

identification, assessment and analysis of the properties and effects of selected occupational ergonomic or physical hazard/s within a particular work environment;

a simple ergonomic assessment using a systems approach and relevant tools to consider related risks to workers; an evidence based analysis and discussion of your assessment results; and,

recommendations for controls including implementation and communication strategies.

An appropriate topic will often be in the form of a problem or question you wish to consider, for example, “Could the company I work for improve its ergonomic practices?” "How could we reduce neck and shoulder injuries in ultrasonographers?" "How could we reduce common musculoskeletal injuries associated with manual handling practices in a manufacturing industry?" "Ergonomic assessment and control of hazards associated with working in a confined space in an airplane/ship".

The problem may be a local problem in your workplace or community, or a more general one. You should obtain and read background material on your topic (you may obtain this from library database or relevant organisational website searching, media, or the web etc).

As part of this assessment you will:

1. Prepare a 5 minute oral presentation of your proposal and present 'live' during the Block
2. Answer questions during a discussion following your presentation with your peers and teaching
3. Provide constructive feedback to your peers on their topic proposals and Your feedback should be respectful, positive, constructively critical, balanced, and impersonal.

You should use a maximum of five slides for your presentation plus one slide setting out your references.

You will use these discussions, and the feedback you received on your topic proposal, to develop Assessment 2b: Written report.

Important information

You should start to thinking about this assessment from the first week of the unit and before attending the Block Days, as you will have to begin to develop ideas and strategies on how you would obtain more information on the subject (including access to the worksite) to develop and undertake your report, and be ready to submit your slides prior to the Block Days, and then present your slides 'live' during the Block Days, followed by questions and answers.

You should review the Assessment 2b: Written report - INFORMATION book for full details about what is required for your final report.

Your proposal should be based on peer-reviewed scientific literature that you have sourced for yourself through literature and database searches; that is, scientific journal articles, papers, books and so on. You can also reference published government reports and publications, institutional reports and regulatory standards, and other similar official materials. Do not use general websites for information.

All work that includes the intellectual property (authored material) of others (including books, journal articles, magazines, news articles, images, tables, websites, social media, etc.) must be given appropriate attribution.

You must cite all of your sources using the Vancouver referencing style.

Please note that attendance at the Block Days is a hurdle requirement. You are expected to attend all the Block Days in person and to participate in the Question and Answer segment.

Questions to consider when approaching readings

The amount of reading that you are expected to do at university can be daunting. However, with some preparation and using critical reading techniques, you can learn to read effectively and efficiently. Answering the following questions of the readings will help you learn to read more effectively.

What is the main theme or point of the piece?

What aspects does the writer focus upon, and why?

What explanations or supportive evidence are drawn upon? What assumptions are being made?

Do you find any of the ideas or information confusing or intriguing?

What conclusions might you draw from the piece, and are they necessarily the same as the writer's conclusions?

For further information, see Monash University: Reading and note making, and in particular Developing your critical reading skills.

Additional information and resources

The following resources will assist you with this assessment.

Monash University resources

LearnHQ. This excellent Monash website provides an extensions range of resources to help your learning experience and skills, and provides information and links to:

understanding assignments, with examples finding and evaluating information

critical thinking and planning writing like a pro

time management

academic integrity and referencing.

Library guides

Library assignments and research. This library guide is the home page for graduate research skills, and outlines the Library's services, resources and research training activities for graduate research students.

The Library Subject Guides Home page has a range of resources to assist you, including:

Finding and reviewing literature. This library guide provides information and links for how to begin your search for literature on your topic, including developing a search strategy, finding previous research, and how to keep track of your research.

Other Library Subject Guides provide information and links for research communication skills, including aspects of thesis and other writing, and contacts for graduate student writing groups that you can join.

Endnote

Endnote is a database tool that stores the bibliographic details of your literature, and automatically creates citations, references and bibliographies for your work. Click on this link for more information about Endnote, including how to download the software, which is free for Monash staff and students.