Sustainability Chllenge

Assessment Requirements
For this assessment, each individual student needs to identify a current sustainability challenge that has
an IS dimension. Students should choose a topic that is of personal interest and/or relevance to them. The
core question that the report/video/presentation needs to answer is: From a scientific perspective, what
do we know about this current sustainability challenge?
Students need to write a well-researched report to include the following:
1- An abstract – up to 150 words.

2- A brief background of the context in which this sustainability challenge exists/evolves.
3- Identification of key stakeholders affected by this challenge, along with their corresponding
perspectives and objectives.
4- A scholarly literature based multidimensional explanation and analysis of the sustainability challenge
and its economic, environmental, and social antecedents/effects. This should be based on scholarly
articles/findings.
5- A scholarly literature based explanation and justification of how IS relates to this sustainability
challenge. This should be based on scholarly articles/findings.
6- Professional report presentation– including language, structure, and referencing.

7- Add a word count on the final page of the report (a 5% penalty of the maximum possible mark applies
if this is not stated).
Students are advised to answer each and every one of these questions in a coherent, professional,
justifiable, and organized manner, and ensure they include the question number for each of their answers.
In marking the assessment, a judgement will be made on various criteria including, clarity, accuracy,
effectiveness, and consistency of the arguments presented, along with the supporting evidence provided
to justify such arguments (refer to detailed rubric on page 4).
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Perspective:
This is an individual assessment. Students are advised to attempt all answers with an academic
perspective, so that they attain maximum benefit from the feedback provided. Students are also
advised to be proactive in reading and researching beyond and in advance of the program topics.
Format Requirements – Report:
 The report should be between 1800 and 2500 words (excluding title page, abstract, and references
page). Students need to state this word count on the final page of the report
[Word Count = _________]. Reports over or under this range, or that do not specify a word count,
will attract a 5% penalty for the report component.
 The report should include a brief conclusion.
 The report should be formatted in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.
 The final page should include the cited references.
 The report must be written in your own words. Excessive quotes, even when referenced, are not
desirable.
 Not complying with the formatting requirements will result in a penalty of 5% per offence.
Format Requirements – Presentation:
 Each student will produce a video presentation of a (minimum 10 to maximum 12 minutes).
Exceeding/not reaching the time allocated will attract a 5% penalty for the presentation
component.
 The presentation could show the students and/or materials relevant to the presentation (with all
sources cited), with narrations from the student.
 The instructor will post presentations on Canvas and share them with the class.
 After the video presentation, the presenter will answer questions from the class and instructor, for
up to 8 minutes.
 Students need to be available at their scheduled timeslot and take part in the presentation, for
them to be eligible to receive marks for the presentation component.
 Presentation videos are due at the same time as the report as noted above – and need to submitted
to Canvas by that time (refer to submission instructions below).
 The presentations will take place on Sunday 1st and Tuesday 3rd of October as noted in the course
schedule. The order, and sequence of the presentations will be randomly generated.
Citation Requirements:
At least twelve references to scholarly sources outside of the course content are required. It is important
that your report is based on information that you have identified through academic and reputable research.
After including references, you may then add your analysis and opinion in the report so long as it is
relevant to the topic you have chosen. An opinion based on research is academically sound – one without
a research basis is simply a guess.
To develop a well-researched response, you are expected to go beyond the prescribed readings and lecture
materials. In doing so, all sources must be fully cited, both in-text and in the references list.
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The paper must include the appropriate in-text citation and full references list on the last page using the
either Harvard or APA style. You can download the interactive guide for Harvard referencing available
in the Resources folder on Canvas.
Any copying or plagiarism from any source will be dealt with very strictly. Plagiarism of any kind will be
treated severely as per the university policy. Please refer to the links provided in the course syllabus,
particularly in the section on ‘Academic Integrity’, for further information on plagiarism.
You should complete all graded assignments in this course yourself, without any use of generative
artificial intelligence (AI). Passing off any AI generated content as your own (e.g., cutting and pasting
content into written assignments, or paraphrasing AI content) constitutes a violation of CMU’s academic
integrity policy. Refer to course syllabus.
Students are therefore required to adequately reference any material they use, not to share their work
with others, and not to leave their work on common storage media that others could retrieve with or
without their knowledge or consent. Students should take full responsibility for their work as copying and
plagiarism attracts severe penalties (refer to the course syllabus and university policy).
Submission Instructions:
The student must submit the report and video presentation to the Canvas by 11:59pm on Thursday 28th
of September, 2023. Your submissions must be titled ResearchReportF23-AndrewID (else a 5% penalty
will apply). For Example: ResearchReportF23-caoun
Late submissions are allowed with a penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark for each day (or part
thereof) you are late, up to a maximum of two days (up to 48 hours – a cutoff date of Saturday, 30th of
September 2023 at 11:59 PM). No submissions will be accepted after such time.
NB: It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they submit working/non‐corrupt files. Students
need to double‐check the files they submit before and after submission. If we cannot access a file, we
cannot mark it – and therefore no marks can be granted for the relevant assessment component.
Seeking Support:
Students are encouraged to raise any questions about the assessment during class time so all students could
benefit from the advice provided in an equitable and transparent manner. It is recommeded that students
meet with the instructor at least once during the preparation of this assessment. Students are also
encouraged to seek the support of university services, e.g. ARC, Library, etc. in relation to generic issues
i.e. language, referencing, searching for articles, argumentation, etc.
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Sustainability in the Digital Age (67‐354)
Individual Research Report
Report and Presentation Grading Rubric
Student Name
Topic
Report Mark
1- Abstract: Clear, Informative, Within World Limit (1 mark)
2- Background: Relevant, Well researched, Coherent (1 mark)
3- Inclusive of Key Stakeholders, Multi-leveled, Relevant, Well researched,
Well Justified (1 mark)
4- Effectively Justified, Relevant, Well Researched, Coherent,
Multidimensional, Current, Substantive, Coherent (9 marks)
5- Effectively Justified, Relevant, Well Researched, Current, Substantive,
Coherent (3 marks)
6- Grammar, expression, structure, syntax, presentation, professionalism,
referencing, within word limit. (1 mark)
7- Add a word count on the final page of the report (a 5% penalty of the
maximum possible mark applies if this is not stated).
8- Submitted to Canvas (Turnitin) and no issues

Yes / No
9- Penalties (as per instructions)
Total Mark (out of 16)
Video & Presentation Mark
Engaging & Interesting (1 mark)
Informative, Substantive, & Professional (2 marks)
Effective Q & A (1 mark)

Penalties (as per instructions)
Total Presentation Mark (out of 4)
Total Assessment Mark (out of 20)
 Students are advised to review the assessment and feedback with a learning perspective focused on
improvement.
 Any questions or issues should be raised with the instructor in person within a week of the assessment return
time.