Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Research for Social Work Practice 

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

HWSS2253

City Campus

Undergraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2025

Course Coordinator: Dr Haidee Hicks

Course Coordinator Phone: N/A

Course Coordinator Email: haidee.hicks@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: N/A

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Requisite Courses 

Successful completion of: 

  • HUSO2166 Foundations of Social Research  
  • HWSS1137 Social Work Field Education 1 

Note: it is a condition of enrolment at RMIT that you accept responsibility for ensuring that you have completed the prerequisite/s and agree to concurrently enrol in co-requisite courses before enrolling in a course. 

For your information go to RMIT Course Requisites webpage. 

Recommended Concurrent Study 

You should ideally undertake HWSS1144 Program Management and Evaluation, POLI1038 Influencing Policy, and HWSS1139 Community Work at the same time as this course as these courses contain areas of knowledge and skills which complement research in practice.  

Alternatively, you may be able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge before you start this course.  


Course Description

This course requires you to conduct independent research related to social work practice under supervision. You will design and develop a research question, complete a literature review, write a project methodology and design a research project or, alternately, develop an ethics proposal.  

The course will combine independent research with small and large group work in tutorials to develop knowledge and skills in topic selection, project design and writing a research proposal or developing an ethics proposal for an applied social work industry related project. Engagement with contemporary industry contexts and policy and practice issues will be encouraged as sites of research focus. Knowledge and skills developed in this course will be applied in your final social work field Industry Partnered Learning (IPL)education placement. 

If you are enrolled in this course as a component of your Bachelor Honours Program, your overall mark will contribute to the calculation of the weighted average mark (WAM).  

See the WAM information web page for more information. 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes 

This course contributes to the following BH105 and BH106 program learning outcomes:  

  • Apply a body of interdisciplinary knowledge, values and skills in working with and for society’s most vulnerable and marginalised individuals, families, groups and communities  
  • Demonstrate creativity, critical thinking and practical reasoning when identifying and solving problems in diverse contexts within the discipline of social work  
  • Use appropriate research methods to independently design and execute a capstone project 


Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 

  1. Critically analyse the ways in which social research   informs professional practice in the human services
  2. Analyse the scope and diversity of social work research and articulate the contribution to professional practice and impact in policy and practice contexts
  3. Review, analyse and synthesise existing research literature to inform scholarship and professional practice
  4. Design and plan an applied social research proposal or ethics research proposal which privileges participatory, inclusive and anti-oppressive methodologies 


Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in independent project-based learning in a range of learning activities such as workshops and tutorials, lectures, small and large group work class discussion, and individual activities.   

Delivery may be face-to-face, online or a mix of both. 


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. 

Weekly learning resources will be available on Canvas.  

There are services and resources available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the RMIT student website. 


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and your development against the program learning outcomes. 

Assessment Tasks 

Assessment Task 1: Annotated bibliography on topic of interest

Weighting 15%  

(CLO1, CLO2, CLO3) 

Assessment Task 2: Literature review  

Weighting 35%  

(CLO2, CLO3) 

Assessment Task 3: Research Proposal or Ethics Proposal  

Weighting 50%  

(CLO3, CLO4) 

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.