LME3701/101/3/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/3/2024

LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

LME3701

Semesters 1 and 2

Department of Criminal & Procedural Law

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

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CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 4
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ................................................................................... 5
2.1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Outcomes .................................................................................................................. 6
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................ 6
4 CONTACTING THE UNIVERSITY VIA EMAIL .......................................................... 7
4.1 Lecturer(s) ................................................................................................................. 7
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................ 8
4.3 College of Law Information Centre ............................................................................. 8
4.4 University ................................................................................................................... 8
5 RESOURCES .......................................................................................................... 10
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ................................................................................................... 10
5.2 Recommended book(s)............................................................................................ 10
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) .............................................................................. 10
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ........................................................................... 11
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme .......................................................... 12
6.2 Companies falsely advertising Unisa services ......................................................... 12
7 STUDY PLAN .......................................................................................................... 13
8 PRACTICAL WORK ................................................................................................ 13
9 ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 13
9.1 Assessment criteria ................................................................................................. 13
9.2 Assessment plan ..................................................................................................... 15
9.3 Assessment due dates............................................................................................. 15
9.4 Submission of assessments..................................................................................... 15
9.5 The assessments..................................................................................................... 17
9.6 Other assessment methods ..................................................................................... 17
9.7 The examination ...................................................................................................... 17
9.7.1 Invigilation/proctoring ............................................................................................... 17
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ..................................................................................... 18
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................ 18
10.2 Cheating .................................................................................................................. 18

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10.3 Academic matters .................................................................................................... 19

10.4 Administrative matters ............................................................................................. 19
11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES............................................................... 20
12 IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................ 20

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Dear Student

1 INTRODUCTION

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education

institution. The comprehensiveness of our curricula encapsulates a range of offerings,
from strictly vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's
"openness" and its distance eLearning character result in many students registering at
Unisa who may not have had an opportunity to enrol in higher education. Our ODeL
character implies that our programmes are carefully planned and structured to ensure
success for students ranging from the under-prepared but with potential to the
sufficiently prepared.

Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involves multiple modes of delivery ranging
from blended learning to fully online. As a default position, all post graduate
programmes are offered fully online with no printed study materials, while
undergraduate programmes are offered in a blended mode of delivery where printed
study materials are augmented with online teaching and learning via the learner
management system – myUnisa. In some instances, undergraduate programmes are
offered fully online as well.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the
University. Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures combined with a
clear appreciation of our location on the African continent, Unisa's graduates have
distinctive graduate qualities which include

• independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil
and serve in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and
global communities
• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with
its histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts
• the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its
ever-increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews
• how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and
creatively to solve real-life problems
• an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future
potential

Whether a module is offered either as blended (meaning that we use a combination of

printed and online material to engage with you) or online (all information is available
via the internet), we use myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that
is used to administer, document and deliver educational material to you and support
engagement with you. Look out for information from your lecturer as well as other
Unisa platforms to determine how to access the virtual myUnisa module site.

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Information on the tools that will be available to engage with the lecturer and fellow
students to support your learning will also be communicated via various platforms. You
are encouraged to log into the module site on myUnisa regularly (that is, at least twice
per week).

2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this module is to provide a professional development curriculum in the

sub-field of academic legal research. Specifically, it equips students with the value,
knowledge, and skills vital to apply legal research skills, methodologies, techniques
and technologies, which contribute to the design and production of evidence-based
research knowledge, in a variety of legal professional capacities. It incorporates an
African epistemology and the indigenisation of research processes by recognising that
the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 is the basis for all legal action
and that the Bill of Rights advocates principles of Ubuntu, fairness, openness,
responsiveness, social responsibility, and humanisation of law.

LME3701 serves as a foundation for RRLLB81 at the fourth year of the Bachelor of
Laws. A student who has been accredited with this module will be able to compile,
analyse, criticise and evaluate evidence-based knowledge and plan the production of
research products such as research proposals or research reports.

Throughout this module, you will find a range of assignments that have been set to
develop your knowledge of legal research methodology with the above purpose in
mind. Ultimately, you will be expected to display summative knowledge of the study
material in the portfolio examination where you will be required to produce a
RESEARCH PROPOSAL.

You will find that this module is different from previous once that you’ve encountered
in your first and second year of legal studies. This module does not only require you
to master content, but you will also have to master certain skills such as finding sources
in the library, formatting your Word document to meet the formatting and layout
requirements for a research proposal, writing skills, editing skills and referencing. We
will arrange some library training during which you can be acquainted with finding
sources in the Unisa online library for purposes of writing your research proposal. We
will provide the topic for your proposal in the beginning of the semester. The topic will
be made available on myUnisa.

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2.2 Outcomes

The learning outcomes of each specific learning unit of this module are contained in
the study guide.

Remember that this module is a third-level module, and we therefore expect a higher
level of independent functioning, legal knowledge and critical analysis than in previous
years of study. In this regard, you will have noticed that this is a 12-credit module.
Notional learning hours are the estimated learning time taken by the "average" student
to achieve the specified learning outcomes of the course unit or programme. They are,
therefore, not a precise measure but provide students with an indication of the amount
of study and degree of commitment expected. Notional learning time includes teaching
contact time (lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory practical’s, workshops, fieldwork,
etc.), time spent on preparing and carrying out formative and summative assessments
(written course work, oral presentations, exams, etc.) and time spent on private study,
whether in term time or the vacations. Higher Education uses the 10-hour credit, which
means that each credit awarded equates with ten notional hours of successful learning.

The notional learning time encompasses all time (formal classes, self-study, reading,
searching the internet for information, writing assignments) spent by the learner in
pursuit of achieving the designated learning outcomes. The emphasis is on the term
"notional" because it is well known that the actual time that learners need to achieve
designated learning outcomes varies considerably. It is based on how long it would
take an average full-time student entering a university and studying that subject, at
that level for the first time would take to gain the knowledge, skills, and understanding
to achieve the learning outcomes. Therefore, it is presumed that an "average" student
will take 120 hours to successfully achieve a 12-credit module. The first assignment in
this module is a multiple-choice assignment that tests your basic knowledge about
research. For the second assignment you will have to submit a draft research proposal
on a topic that will be provided to you. The third assignment will be your final research
proposal. You will submit your third assignment as your portfolio exam.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION

Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has
placed curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda.
Curriculum transformation includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical
renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of teaching and
learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies and philosophies. All of these will
be phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a result of this you will
notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented by Unisa,
together with the way in which the content is conceptualised in your modules. We
encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive
way within the framework of transformation.

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4 CONTACTING THE UNIVERSITY VIA EMAIL

To assist Unisa to safeguard your personal information, please ensure that you only
use your myLife e-mail account when communicating with the university. We will not
be responding to any emails sent from private email addresses.

By using your myLife e-mail account, the university has a reasonable assurance that
we are communicating with you, as your e-mail address contains your student number
and you use your login credentials to access the account.

Unisa may only communicate with a student using a private e-mail address under
the following circumstances:

• New applicants who are enquiring about information for the purpose of
applying for admission.
• New applicants who do not yet have a myLife e-mail account, because they
have been admitted but not yet registered.
• Where a student requires assistance in resolving myLife e-mail account
access problems.

Please be aware that any personal information you publish on public platforms, such
as social media platforms and WhatsApp groups, is not covered by the provisions of
Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. Any personal information published
in the public domain is not considered private and can, therefore be accessed by
external parties with access to such platforms.

4.1 Lecturer(s)

Your lecturer for the 2024 academic year is:

Adv U Poyo Prof L Pienaar

Tel: 012 429 8463 012 429 2805

Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Direct all queries that are not of a purely administrative nature, but which relate to the
content of this module, to your lecturers. Always have your study material at hand
when you have queries concerning this module.

Please note that your lecturer may be working off campus. Meetings may have to take
place via Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or any other such platform.

E-mail is the preferred method of communication. Please indicate clearly in your e-

mail that your e-mail relates to the LME3701 module as we are involved in other
modules as well.

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4.2 Department

If you wish to contact the Department of Criminal and Procedural Law, you can contact
either of the following secretaries in our Department:

Ms Choene Mabotja 012 429 4995

Ms Maggy Moropyane 012 429 4814

Ms Karien Rosin 012 429 8397

4.3 College of Law Information Centre

College-specific queries, please email [email protected] or

[email protected]. The college can also be contacted by phoning 012 429
4718/4860/6166/3253/4428.

Please send all e-mails from your myLife e-mail account. If you send an e-mail
directly to a Unisa e-mail address, include your student number in the subject line
to ensure that your e-mail is correctly routed for an advisor for processing.

4.4 University

To contact the university, please dial 080 000 1870. Remember to keep your student
number at hand when contacting the university. The Unisa Student Communication
Service Centre will be open weekdays from 08:00 – 16:00 (South African Standard
Time).

Please send all e-mails from your myLife e-mail account. If you send an e-mail
directly to a Unisa e-mail address, include your student number in the subject line
to ensure that your e-mail is correctly routed for an advisor for processing.

Please check the list carefully and send an enquiry to one e-mail address only.
This will ensure that there is no confusion as to who must respond, thereby preventing
unnecessary delays in the response or the email portrayed as spam. Students should
only forward enquiries to the Registrar and Deputy Registrar in instances where those
enquiries could not be resolved at other levels.

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TELEPHONE
TYPE OF QUERY EMAIL ADDRESS
NUMBER
ICT
myUnisa [email protected] 012 429 3111 (Option 2)
myLife [email protected] 012 429 3111 (Option 2)
STUDENT ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONS
General applications and
[email protected]
registration queries
College of Law [email protected]
International students [email protected]
Exemptions [email protected]
Access and matriculation
[email protected]
exemption
Re-admissions [email protected]
STUDENT ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION
General assignment enquiries [email protected]
General exam queries [email protected] 012 429 8641
Aegrotat exams [email protected] 012 429 8641
Exam arrangements for [email protected]
012 429 8641
students with disabilities
Exam admission [email protected] 012 429 8641
International students [email protected] + 27 12 429 2268
Remarks [email protected] 012 429 8641
Purchase of an exam script [email protected] 012 429 8641
FINANCE
Student account enquiries [email protected] 012 429 2441/4299
STUDENT FUNDING
General student funding
[email protected] 012 441 5600
enquiries
STUDY MATERIAL
Despatch enquiries [email protected]

Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa

website: http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Please include the student number in all correspondence.

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5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

There are no prescribed books for this module. Everything you need for this module
will be made available on myUnisa under official study material, additional resources
and the announcements.

5.2 Recommended book(s)

There are no recommended books for this module.

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

There are no e-reserves for this module.

5.4 Library services and resources
The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library
has created numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za
Recommended guides:
• For brief information on the library, go
to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance
• For more detailed library information, go
to http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-
Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Research-support
• For research support and services such as the Information Search Librarian's
Literature Search Request (on your research topic) service,
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Research-support.
• For library training for undergraduate
students, visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Training
• Lending
Services https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• Services for Postgraduate students
- https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-
Postgraduates
• Support and Services for students with disabilities
- https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-
with-special-needs
• Library Technology Support -https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport

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• Finding and using library resources and tools -

http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases – https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-

[email protected]
• General library-related queries: [email protected]
• Queries related to library fines and payments: [email protected]
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: [email protected]
• Literature Search Service: [email protected]
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa:
www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies
through Unisa.

If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use
the following contact details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)

• E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar,
how to access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to
submit assessment and how to participate in forum activities via the following link:

https://dtls-qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information,
notices and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take
up to 24 hours for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do
this immediately after registering at Unisa, by following this link:
[email protected]

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain the official primary e-mail
address on record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-
mail account.

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6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful.
This is also true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a
dedicated open distance and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-
face/contact institutions. It is a mega university, and all our programmes are offered
through either blended learning or fully online learning. It is for this reason that we
thought it necessary to offer first-time students additional/extended support to help
them seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey with little difficulty
and few barriers. We therefore offer a specialised student support programme to
students enrolling at Unisa for the first time – this is Unisa’s First-Year Experience
(FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with prompt and helpful information about
services that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following
FYE services are currently offered:

• FYE website: All the guides and resources you need in order to navigate
through your first year at Unisa can be accessed using the following link:
www.unisa.ac.za/FYE

• FYE e-mails: You will receive regular e-mails to help you stay focused and
motivated.

• FYE broadcasts: You will receive e-mails with links to broadcasts on various
topics related to your first-year studies (e.g. videos on how to submit
assessments online).

• FYE mailbox: For assistance with queries related to your first year of study,
send an e-mail to [email protected]

6.2 Companies falsely advertising Unisa services

Some companies and social media pages have been falsely advertising Unisa online
information and various services to assist Unisa students. In the process, companies
either solicit money fraudulently from students or make money through online
advertising with no benefit to students.

These companies are in no way associated or related to Unisa.

We request that students only use official Unisa sites and platforms as any other
platforms will provide you with incorrect information and/or act illegally which will be
harmful to your studies.

Unisa will always use official communication channels (eg Unisa website, myUnisa,
Unisa social media platforms, myLife e-mail) to communicate with students.

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Please use the following Unisa platforms for official Unisa information:

• www.unisa.ac.za
• https://my.unisa.ac.za
• https://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfSouthAfrica
• https://twitter.com/unisa
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/unisa

7 STUDY PLAN
The module consists of two compulsory assignments and one portfolio exam.
Assignment 1 is a multiple-choice assignment testing your basic knowledge about
research. Assignment 2 is your draft research proposal and assignment 3 is your
portfolio exam comprising your final research proposal.

You must allocate sufficient time for this module as it is different to any module that
you have encountered at Unisa previously. This is a research module. This means that
you will have to allow time to:

a) Familiarise yourself with the CLAW referencing style that you will have to apply in
your research proposal as set out in Tutorial Letter 302 (available on myUnisa).

b) Familiarise yourself with the content and use of the Unisa online library as you will
have to use it to obtain your sources for drafting the research proposal.

c) Master the use of certain functionalities in MS Word that you will use as you draft
your proposal, for example, inserting footnotes, numbering of headings, setting the
font size and style etc.

d) Writing your research proposal according to the prescribed style and format
required by CLAW.

8 PRACTICAL WORK
There is no practical work required for this module.z

9 ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

You will be provided with a research topic for the semester.

You must produce a draft research proposal on the research topic for purposes of
Assignment 02. You have to produce a final research proposal on the same research
topic for purposes of Assignment 03. The proposal will be marked using a rubric that
will be made available to you during the semester.

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Your draft research proposal (Assignment 02) must be fully referenced in accordance
with the OSCOLA referencing style and must include the following:

➢ Prescribed title/cover page as per section D of the study guide (also available
under additional resources on myUnisa)

➢ Working title (on your title/cover page)

➢ Content page (table of contents)

➢ Academic honesty declaration as per section D of the study guide (also

available under additional resources on myUnisa)

Your draft research proposal (Assignment 02) must contain the following 11 headings:

1. Introduction. See learning unit 3.

2. Problem statement. See learning unit 4.

3. Hypothesis. See learning unit 5.

4. Points of departure and assumptions. See learning unit 6.

5. Conceptualisation of central research themes. See learning unit 7.

6. Proposed chapter outlay. See learning unit 8.

7. Projected time scale. See learning unit 9.

8. Description of proposed research method. See learning unit 10.

9. Preparatory study and research. See learning unit 11. Indicate at least 10
sources that you have already consulted and give a brief explanation / description
/ summary of each.

10. Conclusion. See LLBALLF Tutorial Letter 301/4/2024.

11. Bibliography. See LLBALLF Tutorial Letter 301/4/2024.

Information about the requirements for the final research proposal will be made
available after submission of the draft research proposal. At this point, it suffices to
indicate that he final research proposal is an improved and fleshed out version of the
draft research proposal on the same topic. Note, however, that the mark that you get
for your draft proposal (assignment 2) is not an indication of the mark that you will get
for your final research proposal (assignment 3) as assignment 3 is your portfolio exam
and will be marked afresh. We expect you to have mastered certain skills by the time
you submit your portfolio exam.

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9.2 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit 2 formative and 1

summative assessments.
• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be
made available to you via the myModules site for your module.
• Due dates for assessments, as well as the actual assessments are available
on the myModules site for this module.
• To gain admission to the examination, you will be required to submit 1
assignment. Note, however, that since this is a research module, submission
of assignment 2 (draft research proposal) is essential in order for you to
receive feedback on it to prepare for your portfolio exam
• To gain admission to the examination, you need to obtain a year mark average
of 40% for the assignments.
• The assignment weighting for the module is 40%.
• You will receive examination information via the myModules sites. Please
watch out for announcements on how examinations for the modules for which
you are registered will be conducted.
• The examination will count 60% towards the final module mark.
• Please note that this is an off-timetable module since the exam is submitted
by way of a portfolio. The exam due date will not be reflected on the exam
timetable. The exam due date and time will thus be communicated to you on
the myModules site.

9.3 Assessment due dates

• There are no assessment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assessment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing
page for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you
upon registration.
• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the
module.
• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the
due dates for the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is

moving towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all
your study material, assessments and engagements with your lecturer and
fellow students will take place online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site,
where learning material will be available online and where assessments should
be completed. This is an online system that is used to administer, document,

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and deliver educational material to students and support engagement between

academics and students.

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the

myModules 2024 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are
registered for.

• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is

necessary to ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the
myModules learning management system. Please access the announcements
on your myModules site regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post
important information to be shared with you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for,
you will see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome
message you will see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need
to complete. Some assessments may be multiple choice, some tests, others
written assessments, some forum discussions, and so on. All assessments
must be completed on the assessment shells available on the respective
module platforms.

• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you
need to complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell
(Assessment 1, Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the
assessment will open for you. When the assessment is open, access the quiz
online and complete it within the time available to you. Quiz assessment
questions are not included in this tutorial letter (Tutorial Letter 101) and are only
made available online. You must therefore access the quiz online and complete
it online where the quiz has been created.

• It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell
phone find it difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small
screen and often struggle to navigate between questions and successfully
complete the quizzes. In addition, cell phones are more vulnerable to dropped
internet connections than other devices. If at all possible, please do not use
a cell phone for this assessment type.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment
must be submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer
to complete the assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant
assessment shell on myModules. You will then be able to upload your written
assessment on the myModules site of the modules that you are registered for.
Before you finalise the upload, double check that you have selected the correct
file for upload. Remember, no marks can be allocated for incorrectly submitted
assessments.

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9.5 The assessments

As indicated in section 9.2, you need to complete 2 formative and 1 summertive

assessments for this module. Details on the assessments appear above.

There are no assignments included in this tutorial letter. Assignments and due dates
will be made available to you on myModules for this module. We envisage that the due
dates will be available to you soon after registration.

9.6 Other assessment methods

We confirm that the exam in this module will be in the form of a portfolio exam. The
portfolio exam due date will not appear on the exam timetable but will be
communicated to you on the myModules site. Assignment 3 will be submitted as your
portfolio exam.

9.7 The examination

Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made
available to you online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared
with you by your lecturer and e-tutors (where relevant) and for communication from
the university.

9.7.1 Invigilation/proctoring

Since 2020 Unisa conducts all its assessments online. Given stringent requirements
from professional bodies and increased solicitations of Unisa’s students by third parties
to unlawfully assist them with the completion of assignments and examinations, the
University is obliged to assure its assessment integrity through the utilisation of various
proctoring tools: Turnitin, Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools
will authenticate the student’s identity and flag suspicious behaviour to assure
credibility of students’ responses during assessments. The description below is for
your benefit as you may encounter any or all of these in your registered modules:

Turnitin is a plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students’

submissions against internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying
academic fraud and ghost writing. Students are expected to submit typed responses
for utilisation of the Turnitin software.

The Moodle Proctoring tool is a facial recognition software that authenticates

students’ identity during their Quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a
student’s mobile or laptop camera. Students must ensure their camera is activated
in their browser settings prior to their assessments.

The Invigilator “mobile application-based service does verification” of the identity

of an assessment participant. The Invigilator Mobile Application detects student
dishonesty-by-proxy and ensures that the assessment participant is the registered
student. This invigilation tool requires students to download the app from their Play

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Store (Google, Huawei and Apple) on their mobile devices (camera enabled) prior to
their assessment.

IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during assessment and
provides for both manual and automated facial verification. It has the ability to record
and review a student’s assessment session. It flags suspicious behaviour by the
students for review by an academic administrator. IRIS software requires installation
on students’ laptop devices that are enabled with a webcam.

Students who are identified and flagged for suspicious dishonest behaviour arising
from the invigilation and proctoring reports are referred to the disciplinary office for
formal proceeding.

Please note:

Students must refer to their module assessment information on their myModule sites
to determine which proctoring or invigilation tool will be utilised for their formative and
summative assessments.

10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
10.1 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting
them as your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of
academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic
information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.

10.2 Cheating

Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of

another student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your
work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to
disseminate assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, this forms part of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract
cheating).

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For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:

https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-
rules

10.3 Academic matters

All module content-related enquiries must first be addressed to the relevant module
lecturers. As already indicated above, all such enquiries must be made from your
[email protected] email account. Where your module lecturer(s) is unable to assist,
such enquiries can be escalated to the Chair of the Department in which your module
is located. The Chair of the Department is the one with the power to resolve issues, is
authorised to make such interventions, and has the final say in matters relating to the
administration of a module. Such escalation must be done via the departmental
administrative staff.

Contact information for all the departmental administrative staff in the department is
captured below.

Name Email address

Prof A Saurombe [email protected]
Head of Department
Ms M Moropyane [email protected]
Departmental secretary
Ms C Mabotja [email protected]
Departmental secretary
Mrs K Rosin [email protected]
Departmental secretary

10.4 Administrative matters

The contact information for all administrative departments is included in this Tutorial
Letter. Please address any administrative issues (for example, registration issues,
finance-related issues, graduation issues, auditing of a qualification, etc) with the
relevant support department and not the college.

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11 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD)
provides an opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with
disabilities.

If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional
time for assessments, you are invited to contact Unathi Poyo [email protected] to
discuss the assistance that you need.

12 IN CLOSING
We hope that you will find this module interesting and that you will find yourself
equipped with new skills at the end of the semester!
Please remember to consult LLBALLF Tutorial Letter 301/4/2024 and 302/4/2024
that contains the new referencing style (OSCOLA) that CLAW will be using from 2021.
The information in this tutorial letter replaces Section C of the LME3701 study guide
as from 2021 in as far as the referencing is concerned. Wishing you all the best with
your studies!
Kind regards
Adv U Poyo & Prof L Pienaar

©
Unisa 2023

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