Policy Brief ECON4011_1A 2023/24
Assignment Information
Course Code ECON4011
Course Title Environmental Economics
Course Coordinator Paulina Navrouzoglou
Weighting 60%
Question release date 09 October 2023 13:00 pm
Submission date: 22 November 2023 12:00 pm
Grades and Feedback to be released on: TBC
Word limit / duration 1000 words (no leeway; excluding
references, bibliography, graphs and
tables)
Action to be taken if word limit is exceeded Beyond the word limit nothing will be
marked
1. QUESTION/DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY
After listening to your podcast, the policymaker asks you (individually) to write a Policy
Brief aiming to help formulate policy to tackle the problem. You should decide the
specific format of the Policy Brief, but the main elements should be an introduction,
evaluation criteria and policy options, policy recommendation and implication. The aim of
this assignment is to practice problem-solving and clear and concise arguing, as well as
written communication and persuasion skills.
The two course assessments (podcast and policy brief) are designed to be scaffolded.
Please check the principles of assessment design in the Course Information document. It
is expected that the topic of the podcast is the outcome of an effective group dialogue. If
you have however a strong interest in working on a different topic than the podcast’s,
you must first discuss your ideas with the Course Coordinator. Overwise, your policy
brief will be considered irrelevant.
Keep in mind that policymakers are busy people and non-specialists in your area; the
Policy Brief should not be longer than 1000 words and be easy to follow. FAO provides
guidance on how to write an effective policy brief, including examples of Policy Briefs
from different organizations. Examples of environmental topics can be found on OECD
webpage.
2. ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
Coursework Rubric (draft)
Please find below the list of assessment criteria together with a broad description of the
characteristics that would be expected for each level of performance. The final rubric will
be provided after the formative activity on Monday 16 October (please see below).
Criteria Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Weak
Introduction
Aim: Convince the
reader that the Policy
Brief is worth reading
Demonstrates a deep and
critical understanding of the
policy issue. Addresses the
importance of the problem
using a compelling context.
Demonstrates a good
understanding of the policy issue.
There may be some minor gaps in
evidence or some evidence that is
not fully credible.
Demonstrates a general
understanding of the context of the
problem. There are some gaps in
the context of the problem or some
evidence that is not fully credible.
Demonstrates a basic
understanding of the
problem. There are
significant gaps in the
context of the problem or
some evidence that is not
credible.
Demonstrates a limited
understanding of the policy
issue. There are major
gaps in the context of the
problem or some evidence
that is not credible.
Use of evidence (data,
statistics, previous
research) and
concepts/ideas
discussed in class
Aim: Contributes to the
credibility of the speaker,
persuasiveness, and
shows how serious the
problem is
Presents well-argued and
supported arguments with
evidence drawn from wide
range of credible sources. It
is clear how arguments are
built upon knowledge gained
in class.
Present well-argued and supported
arguments with evidence drawn
from various credible sources.
There may be some minor gaps in
the evidence or some evidence that
is not fully credible.
Presents generally clear
arguments, but there are some
significant gaps in the evidence or
some evidence that is not fully
credible.
Presents somewhat clear
and supported arguments,
but there are significant
gaps in the evidence or
some evidence that is not
credible.
Presents unclear or poorly
supported arguments, with
little or no evidence.
Evaluation of policy
options (analysis)
Aim: Contributes to
persuasiveness
Evaluation
criteria/benchmarks are
meaningful, well-explained
and applied providing an
insightful analysis and
evaluation of different policy
options.
Evaluation criteria/benchmarks are
clearly explained and applied
providing insightful analysis and
evaluation of different policy
options. There may be some minor
gaps in the analysis or evaluation.
Evaluation criteria/
benchmarks may lack depth or
clarity. There are some significant
gaps in the analysis or evaluation.
The analysis or evaluation
is basic. There are
significant gaps in the
analysis or evaluation.
The analysis is minimal or
non-existent. There are
major gaps in the analysis
or evaluation.
Persuasiveness of
policy
recommendation
Aim: Contributes to
persuasiveness
The recommendation is well_xFFFE_grounded, creative, and
original. Convinces the reader
to accept the solution posed
without a need to assume
anything or do additional
research to understand how
to promote it.
The recommendation is well grounded. There may be some
reliance on existing policy
proposals. Convinces the reader of
most aspects of the solution posed
but may not all. The reader must
make a few assumptions or do
some additional research to
understand how to promote it.
The recommendation is generally
grounded. Convinces the reader of
some aspects of the solution pose.
The reader must make
assumptions and do additional
research to understand how to
promote it.
The recommendation is
somewhat grounded, but it
is insecure. It does not
convince the reader about
the feasibility or
effectiveness of the
solution posed.
The recommendation is
poorly argued and
supported. It does not
convince the reader to
accept the solution posed.
Presentation
Aim: Contributes to clear
and effective
communication
The brief is well-written and
professionally presented, with
proper and creative
formatting, structure, heading
and visuals and a logical flow
of information. It is a pleasure
to read.
The brief is well-written and
presented. It may have minor
presentation issues.
The brief is generally well-written.
The presentation or clarity could be
improved in some places.
The brief is somewhat
clear. The presentation and
clarity need improvement
in several places.
The brief is poorly written
and unprofessional making
it difficult to follow the
argument.
3. FEEDBACK METHOD
Beyond the feedback which will be provided routinely in the class during the preparation
of the policy brief, there will be also a dedicated formative activity. During this class
activity, you will have the opportunity to express your own perspectives and feedback on
a complete rubric draft and participate in the creation of the final rubric. Once the final
rubric is agreed upon, the rubric will be used to assess a podcast example. This activity
will take place on Monday 16 October, before the policy brief training session. To
prepare for this class activity, you must review the coursework brief, including the rubric
draft, in advance, as per the Teaching and Learning Plan.
This activity aims to clarify the expectations for the assessment, check your
understanding of the components of the assessment and give you the opportunity to take
ownership of your own learning and define your own standards.
4. SUBMISSION
Submit your coursework using the named submission link in the Assessment Section
of your Course Moodle page. Take care to submit by the deadline or you may face
lateness penalties.
Document creation
Please name files in the following way: GroupNo_CourseCode_QuestionNo. e.g.
Group3_ACCFIN4099_1. If there is no question choice, use 1 as the default and
submit the file to Moodle.
5. STUDENT CONDUCT
Referencing and bibliography
For information, please go to the University Library webpage.
Plagiarism
For advice and more information, please go to:
Student Learning Development web pages
University Plagiarism Statement
If you make use of AI at any point in your research or writing process, no matter at what
stage, you must acknowledge the use of that source/platform as you would any other piece
of evidence/material in your submission.
Turnitin
Your coursework will be processed through Turnitin for similarity checking. You can submit
a draft of your coursework to Turnitin before submitting your final copy. You will find
information about using Turnitin in the Student Information Point Moodle [USIP].
6. GENERATIVE AI
Generative AI offers many new opportunities for learning and the development of academic
skills although, like any technology, it must be used judiciously. Students should consider
the data protection and privacy issues that can be caused by using AI. Consider how your
personal information will be used before signing up to AI tools and ensure you read any data
protection policies before interacting with AI. You should not feel pressured into using AI
tools if you are uncomfortable with data protection or privacy issues. Bear in mind that
responses to AI queries can be biased due to the inherent biases present in their training
data. This can lead to unfair and discriminatory responses.
Copying (including paraphrasing) AI responses to queries would be considered as
plagiarism, as it would be for copying the response from any internet search.
Further information can be found here.
7. EXTENSIONS AND NON-SUBMISSION WITH GOOD CAUSE
Extension of up to 5 days
If you experience extenuating circumstances which prevent you from completing your
assessment by the deadline, you can request an extension of up to 5 days via Moodle.
Good cause for non-submission, late submission and extension of more than
5 days
We understand that during your studies, events that you cannot control (e.g., death of a
family member, personal circumstances, physical and mental ill health, etc.) may impact
your ability to perform well in or complete assessments.
If you are experiencing such circumstances, you can submit a good cause claim in
MyCampus.
You have five working days from the assessment deadline date to submit your good cause
claim. If you are prevented from submitting your claim within five days for good reason, you
must detail this in your claim. You will receive an acknowledgement on MyCampus when
you submit. After you have submitted your claim, you have five working days to retract it.
If you have any questions, please contact your subject team:
[email protected]