ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION AND EXTENSION GUIDELINES

Whilst students are not required to pass each component of the assessment in order to pass the course, students are required to complete and submit each component.

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:

• Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 3cm in all assignments.

• Please use 12 point font and 1.5 spacing.

   

  When preparing your assignments, it is essential that you note that:

• Students must retain a copy of all assignments before submission, and retain the copy until your final grade for the unit has been received;

• Assignment marks will be deducted if you submit your assignment late (refer to the disruption to study policy for further 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; No failed assignment may be re-submitted.

• Assignments will not necessarily be marked by your tutor.

Submission of Assignments:

Assignments must be submitted by midnight on the due date.  The same due date applies to students enrolled both internally and externally in the unit. 

All assignments submitted must be accompanied by a completed Faculty of Human Sciences or COE Coversheet.

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 20 marks and you submit it 2 days late, you will have 2 marks (2 x 5% of 20 marks) subtracted from your awarded mark.

Extensions:

In extenuating circumstances, students may apply to the University for Disruption to Study.  Please see the policy section of this Unit Outline for further details.

Note that:

• Students are advised to speak with the unit coordinator prior to submitting their request through ask.mq.edu.au

• 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.

 To extend and broaden your knowledge and gather information for this unit you will need to read widely. Students are encouraged to engage with current issues through the media and use the unit web page discussion board to post relevant articles for discussion. 

There is no set text  book for this unit.  Each module contains links to relevant readings that will be made available through the unit webpage.  These readings will complement the lectures and are considered essential reading for the unit.   More readings are provided in the first module with less emphasis on prescribed readings in modules two and three. This is designed so that students will develop their own reading list, focussing on the area or issues that they will be investigating in Assignment 2.  Part A of Assignment 2 requires students to develop an annotated bibliography to demonstrate their wider reading in this unit.  Students should make good use of the library databases and journals in order to access recent literature related to their area of interest. Web sites are also a useful point of contact for information relating to current social policy issues but as has been discussed in the past, care must be taken to critically analyse the information presented at it is usually not peer reviewed.  

Required Reading

As there are so many significant changes currently happening in the socio-political landscape of early childhood, students are urged to visit the following websites regularly to keep abreast of policy changes and up-coming consultations.

Department of Education

http://education.gov.au/

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)

http://acecqa.gov.au

My Child Website

http://www.mychild.gov.au/

NSW Department of Education and Communities

http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/what-we-offer/regulation-and-accreditation/early-childhood-education-care

NSW Family and Community Services

www.community.nsw.gov.au

UNIT OVERVIEW

ECH 453 is presented as a series of lectures, readings, study tasks and an on-campus sessions built around three modules.  Each module builds on knowledge gained from previous management units and aims to integrate theory, research and practice focusing on the professional role of early childhood teachers in the local, national and international context.

Module 1:             An introduction to social policy in the context of early childhood education

Throughout previous management studies, students have examined aspects of government policy in relation to children's services.  This module begins by introducing students to the role of government in the broader social policy context and then goes on to examine the impact of such policy on the experiences of young children. Within this, students consider current issues and perspectives in early childhood education and discuss the impact of policy decisions at all levels of provision.  Students are exposed to a range of contemporary social policy issues and are required to identify an area of interest for deeper examination throughout the semester.

Module 2:             Policy Issues: National and International

This module introduces students to some of the major policy initiatives both within Australia and Internationally.  It considers influences on social policy that affect early childhood settings and schools, focusing particularly on research, ideology and social and economic trends.  The module will introduce students to critical reading of government policy and explore ways of influencing policy decisions.   This module will equip students with a broader understanding of trends in early childhood policy.

Module 3:             Advocacy leadership in early childhood

This module builds on the previous two.  Using knowledge of the social policy arena and the skills of critical examination and communication, this module extends to the functional roles of early childhood teachers as advocates and leaders. It considers the many constructions of leadership in early childhood and the multiplicity of ways that early childhood teachers can act as advocates for children and their families.   A broad range of leadership skills are considered including coaching, mentoring, community engagement and career progression with a focus on effective advocacy.

The knowledge gained from these three modules culminates in a major piece of work where students design and deliver an advocacy campaign based around an issue of particular interest to them.

Unit  Schedule 2014