Tourism

The assignment requires students to conduct a research project in a group of 3 or 4 students

on the perceived impacts of tourism using the techniques discussed in lectures and

workshops.

You will play the role as a group of consultants who have been commissioned to work on a

project to assess the perceived impact of tourism. You can investigate the impact of an event

(e.g., Commonwealth Games, Schoolies), a new development (e.g., Queens Wharf Project),

a type of transportation (e.g., air travel, cruise travel), a form of travel (e.g., volunteer tourism)

or other issues pertinent to the industry (e.g. overtourism, climate change, sustainable tourism,

wildlife tourism etc.).

The project involves a review of industry reports, news articles and academic literature to

identify the potential impacts of tourism, followed by selecting appropriate methods to

investigate the impact. Your team will collect empirical data (interview or survey questionnaire)

in Week 8, analyse the data and report the results. Based on the project outcomes,

recommendations will be provided to manage the impact and promote sustainable tourism

development.

This assessment is evaluated based on FOUR components:

1. Group research proposal (5%) – Due in Week 6, 3 Sep Friday, 16:00

2. Group written report (30%) – Due in Week 12, 15 Oct Friday, 16:00

3. Peer evaluation survey (5%) – Due in Week 13, 18 Oct Monday, 16:00

4. Individual reflection on group communication (5%) – Due in Week 14, 25 Oct Monday,

16:00

GROUP RESEARCH PROPOSAL

You are required to complete a brief research proposal in Week 6. The proposal provides an

opportunity for your team to receive early and formative feedback on your project and research

instruments (questionnaire/interview guide). The proposal is also a requirement by Griffith

University Research Ethics Office to ensure that your project falls within the scope of the

course ethical clearance. The proposal is graded and compulsory.

Proposal Submission

The proposal must be submitted electronically using SafeAssign submission point. Only one

submission is required for each group. E-cover sheet is not required for the proposal.

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GROUP WRITTEN REPORT

The report should include the following headings:

1. Introduction: This section provides background information relevant to the project,

explains the research objectives, establishes the importance of the project, and provides

a brief outline of the report. You are encouraged to refer to industry reports, statistics, new

articles and online resources to build the case for your project.

2. Literature Review: For this section, you will need to find academic journal articles and

write a review summarising what has been found in previous studies. A minimum of 5

academic references are expected in this section, and those aspiring to achieve high

grades would be advised to look more broadly (e.g. at least 10 academic references).

3. Methods: In this section, you should outline and justify the research method you would

use to assess the impacts of tourism. Discuss the population of interest and sampling

strategy. Report your data collection plan and research instrument. You should then

collect some data. This does not need to be a large sample (10 questionnaires for each

group member or 12 interviews for the whole group) and it is fine to use a convenient

sample including your friends and family. You should also report how you analyse the data

in this section.

4. Results: This section presents the results using basic statistics, interview quotes, tables

and/or graphs as appropriate. Start the section by reporting the sample

profiles/demographics. Make appropriate comparisons in graphs and tables. Provide brief

interpretations for your graphs/tables/quotes.

5. Discussion: In this section, you should summarise the key results and compare the

results to the literature. Discuss the implications of the project – why this type of research

is important and how can the government/industry/community/tourist use your results.

Based on the project outcomes, provide recommendations for impact management and

sustainable tourism development. Discuss the limitations of the study and close the report

with a concluding remark.

6. References: APA 6 or 7 style

7. Appendices: Questionnaire or interview questions and a link to your data file/folder

(including signed consent forms if applicable) on group Teams channel.

The length of the report should be around 3500-4000 words. A 10% penalty will apply to

reports that exceed or are significantly under the stipulated length (excluding title page, table

of content, reference list and appendices).

You must submit a link to your data file/folder in the appendix section of your group report.

This is a compulsory requirement for ethical research conduct. Your report will not be

marked if the link is not provided or inaccessible.

Group Report E-Cover Sheet

Each group member must complete an electronic cover sheet. If the cover page is not

completed, your assignment mark will be withheld until the completion of the cover page. There

is no mark allocated for the cover sheet.

Group Report Submission

The group report must be submitted electronically using SafeAssign submission points (see

the assignment folder). Submit your draft report at the draft submission point. This draft

submission does not count towards your final marks and will not be marked. You will receive

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a report indicating the proportion of text-matching within your assignment. Reports with high

similarity index may indicate academic misconduct and should be revised before submission.

There is no “acceptable” level of plagiarism. Some matching issues identified by SafeAssign

are legitimate and will attract no penalty, while other assignments may receive a zero matching

report and still represent serious academic misconduct. The key to avoiding any academic

integrity concerns is to not plagiarise and always reference correctly. Please ensure you

submit your FINAL report to the FINAL submission point. Only one submission is required

for each group.

***University policies apply for plagiarism and late submissions

Return of Marked Assessment and Release of Marks

The report will be marked according to the marking criteria listed at the end of this document.

The marked reports and feedback will be available via SafeAssign submission point TWO

weeks after the submission of report. Marks for all assessment items will be recorded in the

Marks Centre and made available to students through My Marks on Learning@Griffith.

PEER EVALUATION AND INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION ON GROUP COMMUNICATION

You must work in a group of 3 to 4. The same word count and expectations will apply

regardless of group size. By Week 4, you should complete the online group sign-on. You

should inform your tutor of any changes in your group. No changes are permissible after Week

6.

To facilitate your group work experience, you are required to use group Teams channel for all

group work communication, including during workshops and save all files and documents in

the channel. By doing so, all members will have access to the documents and materials and

will be able to work on the report simultaneously. All communication in this channel will serve

as an important supporting evidence to resolve group conflicts and disputes.

The group collaboration and performance of individual group members will be assessed. All

students are required to complete a peer evaluation survey (5%) to review the performance

of the group members and submit a 250-word individual reflection (5%) on group

communication. More information about the submission of peer evaluation and individual

reflection will be made available on the course site.

MARKING CRITERIA

The following criteria form the basis of the marking sheet for the written assignment:

1. Quality of research proposal

2. Understanding of the context and importance of impacts (5 marks)

3. Understanding of the impacts of tourism and related theories (5 marks)

4. Understanding of methods for assessing impacts (5 marks)

5. Ability to implement methods (5 marks)

6. Understanding of implications of impact assessment research (5 marks)

7. Referencing and overall presentation of the report (5 marks)

8. Peer Evaluation (5 marks)

9. Individual Reflection on Group Communication (5 marks)

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Criteria Assignment task Excellent (5) Very Good (4) Good (3) Satisfactory (2) Unsatisfactory (1) Unsatisfactory (0) 1. Quality of Research Proposal

PROPOSAL – Complete a research proposal.

Outstanding effort in completing all required sections and excellent understanding of ethical research conduct.

Very good effort in completing all required sections and thorough understanding of ethical research conduct with minor errors.

Good effort in completing most required sections and adequate understanding of ethical research conduct with some errors.

Some sections are incomplete (e.g. research instrument is missing). Limited understanding of ethical research conduct.

Minimal effort. Most sections are incomplete. Inadequate understanding of ethical research conduct.

No submission.

2. Demonstrates an understanding of the context and importance of the impacts of tourism

INTRODUCTION – Begin their assignment with appropriate introduction.

Introduction is thorough and complete.

Introduction is mostly complete with minor issues.

Introduction is adequate with some issues or missing information.

Introduction is limited. Introduction is inadequate.

Introduction is absent.

3. Demonstrates an understanding of the social, environmental and/or economic impacts of tourism

LITERATURE REVEIW – Conduct literature review and discuss related theories and potential impacts of the tourism activity under examination.

Demonstrates outstanding understanding of impacts and theories. Literature Review is thorough and complete.

Demonstrates thorough understanding of impacts and theories. Literature Review is mostly complete.

Demonstrates adequate understanding of impacts and/or theories. Literature Review is adequate.

Demonstrates surface understanding of impacts. Minimal reference was made to theories. Literature Review is superficial.

Demonstrates little understanding of impacts or theories. Literature Review lacks many important details.

Literature Review is absent.

4. Demonstrates an understanding of methods for assessing tourism impacts

METHOD – Identify and apply appropriate methods for assessing impacts.

Demonstrates outstanding understanding of the methods.

Demonstrates thorough understanding of the methods.

Demonstrates adequate understanding of the methods.

Demonstrates surface understanding of the methods.

Demonstrates little understanding of the methods.

Method is absent.

5. Demonstrates an ability to implement the methods for assessing tourism impacts

RESULT – Analyse and report results.

Analysis and reporting demonstrate thorough and complete understanding.

Analysis and reporting demonstrate very good understanding.

Analysis and reporting are good.

Analysis and reporting are limited.

Analysis and reporting demonstrate little understanding and is very superficial.

Result is absent.

6. Demonstrates an understanding of the implications of impact assessment

DISCUSSION – Discuss how the outcomes of tourism impact assessment would help to achieve sustainable tourism development.

Demonstrates outstanding understanding of implications. Discussion and recommendations are outstanding.

Demonstrates thorough understanding of implications. Discussion and recommendations are mostly complete.

Demonstrates adequate understanding of implications. Discussion and recommendations are adequate.

Demonstrates surface understanding of implications. Discussion and recommendations are limited.

Demonstrates little understanding of implications. Discussion and recommendations are absent or very limited.

Discussion and recommendation are absent.

7. Referencing and Overall Presentation

Accurately cite an appropriate range of literature. The quality and relevance of the references matter. Present the report in a professional and consistent manner.

Reference list is highly appropriate. Style is consistent and correct. Appropriate style and formatting, excellent written expression, no spelling or grammatical errors.

Reference list is mostly appropriate. Style is mostly consistent and correct. Appropriate style and formatting, very good written expression, very few spelling or grammatical errors.

Reference list is adequate. Style is mostly consistent and correct. Adequate style and formatting, adequate written expression, limited spelling or grammatical errors.

Reference list is limited. Style is somewhat incorrect and/or inconsistent. Inconsistent style and formatting, limited written expression, a number of spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Reference list is weak and limited. Style is incorrect and/ or inconsistent. Inappropriate style and formatting, poor written expression, many spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Reference list is absent.

9. Reflection on Group Communication

REFLECTION – Submit a 250-word reflection on group communication.

Reflective piece is insightful and includes critical observations. It also includes both looking in and looking out components and is supported throughout by specific and relevant examples as well as focussing on the required perspectives.

Reflective piece includes both looking in and looking out components and is supported by specific and relevant examples as well as focussing on the required perspectives.

Reflective piece contains only one of looking in and looking out components and/or is supported by only 1-2 specific and relevant examples. There is only minimal focus on the required perspectives.

Reflective piece is descriptive and not supported by specific examples.

Reflective piece is inadequate.

No submission.