Detailed information for each individual assessment can be found on the iLearn site under Assessment. 

Assessment Submission

All assessment tasks are submitted online via the relevant link in the Assessment section in iLearn. 

Assignment 2 is in the form of a Distributed Digital Essay (see details on iLearn site). Students share the link to their information leaflets through the Blog set up for this purpose to allow peer feedback. 

Assignment 3 is submitted to TURNITIN via the relevant link on iLearn. 

Notes about TURNITIN:

When writing assignments, it is essential that students acknowledge the source of information correctly and adhere to the university's Academic Honesty policy. TURNITIN is an electronic resource which detects material that has been copied from another source. Information about the importance of referencing and how to reference correctly can be found in the IEC referencing guide on the iLearn site. 

Further information about submitting assignments through TURNITIN are provided on iLearn. 

Presentation and other information of Assignments 

• The left hand margin should be at least 3cm wide to allow for comments.
• Use 12pt font size and 1.5 or double line spacing.
• You should keep a copy of your assignment.
• Assignments are to be submitted on the due date via the relevant link on iLearn.
• Assignment marks will be deducted if you submit your assignment late (refer to the ‘late assignments’ section below for more details);
• Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no assignment will be accepted after the date that the assignment has been returned to other students. 
• All failing assignments will be double marked when the failure is due to unsatisfactory content.  Failures that are the result of deductions for lateness or loss of marks for referencing, presentation, or plagiarism may not be double-marked.

Late Assignments

A deduction of 5% of the total possible mark allocated for that assignment will be made for each day or part day that assignment is late, weekends counting as two days. For example, if an assignment is worth 30 marks and you submit it 2 days late, you will have 3 marks (2 x 5% of 30 marks) subtracted from your awarded mark.

Extensions

In extenuating circumstances, students may apply to the unit coordinator for an extension to the assignment due date. Reasons for the extension need to be documented in accordance with the Disruptions to Study policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

The Disruption to Studies Notification must be completed by the student and submitted online through www.ask.mq.edu.au. Refer to the Disruptions to Studies procedures: http://studentadmin.mq.edu.au/disruption%20to%20studies.html

Note that:

• Students MUST notify the unit coordinator prior to submitting their request through ask.mq.edu.au.
• Extension will only be granted in receipt of the completed form submitted through Tracker, plus documentation.
• Emails are not appropriate means of extension requests.
• It is essential that you plan ahead and organise your study time effectively. Poor time management is not grounds for an extension
• In the case of computer malfunctions, a draft of your assignment may be requested. Please ensure that you print out a draft regularly, so that it is available for submission on request.   
• Extensions are usually not granted on the due date.

Students in this unit should read this unit outline carefully at the start of semester.  It contains important information about the unit.  If anything in it is unclear, please consult the Unit Coordinator.

This unit is designed to extend your foundational knowledge and encourage you to think about the various contexts of development for young children, especially early childhood educational settings. 

Classes

The timetable for classes can be found on the University website at: https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2014/

Two voluntary on-campus sessions will be held on Saturday 23 August and Saturday 11 October, 2 - 5pm. 

Teaching and Learning Strategy

This unit has been developed to provide a combination of direct experience, experience in communication of child development issues and concepts, and knowledge of current research in child development.  

• Lectures will be pre-recorded.  The lecture recordings will be available on iLearn. It is essential that you listen to the lectures before attending the associated seminar.
• There is no textbook for this unit.  Essential weekly readings are listed on iLearn. These readings will be available from e-Reserve in the university library or via external websites. Please see the list of other recommended readings as well as the list of websites on the unit website to extend your understanding of unit content. 

Online interaction is an essential part of the unit and is integral to both the learning environment and assessment process. The aim is to create a community of learners by creating a learning environment that takes advantage of and encourages distributed expertise within the environment. Within this learning community, members each have expertise in different areas and each member is responsible for sharing their expertise with others and for seeking out others whose expertise can further their own understanding and knowledge. 

As part of this process, students will be required to use/create their own Twitter account. If you do not already have a Twitter account you will need to create one. The following link explains how to do this:  http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Twitter. Other social media such as Facebook or blogs may also be used.

This unit is focused on building your research skills and social media has an important role to play in providing a community within which you can test out your understanding of the literature. Social media can assist you to explore what other academics and professionals think about the ideas and concepts that you formulate as a result of your academic research.