Full assignment instructions

This Unit Guide provides a brief description only of each required assessment piece. Full instruuctions are provided on the iLearn site.

Presentation and submission Guidelines

All assessments (with the exception of assignments 3a and b) will be submitted via the identified link on the ECED832 iLearn site. The submission is via TURNITIN, which permits online assessment as well as the detection of material copied from other sources. Please ensure that all material is written and referenced according to standard academic conventions.

With the exception of assignment 3a, assignments are due before midnight on the specified date.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK THAT YOUR SUBMISSION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND TAKE ANY MEASURES TO ENSURE THAT YOUR ASSIGNMENT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE TURNITIN SITE BY THE DUE TIME AND DATE. YOU MUST ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME FOR YOUR ONLINE SUBMISSION TO BE PROCESSED, AS LATE SUBMISSIONS DUE TO LAST MINUTE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WILL INCUR LATENESS PENALTIES.  

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 ‘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;

For each assignment, the online submission instructions page will ask you to acknowledge that you have complied with the academic honesty declarations as required by Macquarie University and the Faculty of Human Sciences. By submitting your assignment electronically, you are declaring that you have read and agreed to the statements on this declaration.

All written submissions are to be legible and professionally presented. Please follow the guidelines below:

• Please type all assignments using 12 point font and 1.5 or double-space the lines.
• Allow a right-hand margin of at least 4cm in all assignments. This allows us to attach electronic comments, and you to read your feedback comments easily.
• Use APA referencing style to acknowledge your sources and support your ideas with in-text referencing (See IEC referencing guide for more information).
• Include a full reference list of all works that are cited within your assignment

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 = 2 marks) subtracted from your awarded mark.

Extension requests

In extenuating circumstances, students may apply to the unit convener for an extension to the assignment due date. Reasons must be documented through the special consideration form accessible through ask.mq.edu.au and supported (e.g., a doctor’s certificate in the case of illness).

Note that:

• Students MUST communicate with the Unit Convener prior to submitting their request through ask.mq.edu.au. Please do this via the dialogue communication tool on the iLearn site.
• Extension will only be granted in receipt of the completed form submitted through ask.mq.edu.au, plus documentation.
• 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 cannot submit an assignment once assessed work is returned to other students.

Assignment Resubmission

Resubmission of an unsatisfactory assignment is not permitted in this unit.

Referencing your sources

The Institute of Early Childhood requires that students use the APA 6^th edition referencing style in all assignments. As a Masters level unit, correct referencing is expected, and marks will be deducted for pervasive errors. The IEC referencing guide attached to the unit iLearn site, and the library has links to APA referencing guides.

Academic honesty and plagiarism

Macquarie University has high standards in regards to the academic honesty of both staff and students. In particular, students are advised to ensure that the work that they submit is solely their own, and that supporting material is clearly and correctly referenced.

The University defines plagiarism as follows:  “Using the work or ideas of another person and presenting this as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source of the work or ideas. This includes, but is not limited to, any of the following acts:

a) copying out part(s) of any document or audio-visual material or computer code or website content without indicating their origins b) using or extracting another person's concepts, experimental results, or conclusions c) summarising another person's work without correctly referencing its source d) submitting substantially the same final version of any material as another student in an assignment where there was collaborative preparatory work e) use of others (paid or otherwise) to conceive, research or write material submitted for assessment f) submitting the same or substantially the same piece of work for two different tasks (self-plagiarism).” (Glossary; www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html)

Plagiarism is considered a serious offence at IEC and across the University, and carries significant penalties. Students must consult the full university policy on academic honesty, which is available at http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

IEC has an APA referencing guide which outlines information on plagiarism and how to avoid it.  It is attached to the unit website.

ECED832 is delivered as in External Mode. 

The unit content, delivered via unit readings and assignment tasks is supported by:

Individual consultations with the unit convener

Consultation day - on-campus session 1 - 18^th April, and

Compulsory on-campus session 2 - 30^th May.

There are two on-campus days provided to support your learning:

A consultation day to discuss issues related to your inquiry project will be held on Saturday 18^th April. Students must choose from the following engagement options:

Option 1: Attend for a morning, afternoon or full day seminar during which you will discuss your planned project with the unit convener and your peers, OR

Option 2: Arrange a phone or Skype consultation with the convener, during which we will discuss your project.

While physical attendance at the April consultation day is not compulsory, attendance is strongly advised, as student feedback showed that this was a very valuable and created a sense of support and collegiality. Those who cannot attend must ensure that they are available during that whole day so that a consultation can be arranged.

A compulsory on-campus day will be held on Saturday 30^th May, during which you will present your Assignment 3 progress report and provide verbal and written feedback to your peers.   The convener will be available for individual consultations during this time. Students must be available on this day, or risk forfeiting assignment 3 marks. 

Please contact the convener before census date if you foresee any difficulties with either of these on-campus sessions.

Allocation of student time to this unit

ECED 832 is worth four credit points and you would usually be expected to allocate about 12 hours a week in study for a four credit point unit over 15 weeks. This would be a total of 180 hours over the semester. The guide outlined below provides an indication of the time spent on learning experiences.

This estimate is based on average student performance. You may choose to spend more time on the unit, particularly if you are attempting to achieve high grades or if you encounter problems in understanding the material or meeting unit requirements.

Unit web-page

There is a website for this unit. Access to this unit is available online through iLearn (ilearn.mq.edu.au).  You will need to login using your Macquarie ID. This site is an essential unit resource. You are required to check this website at least twice per week for any announcements. In addition, it has the following features and functions:

Study and assignment resources

Assignment submission links: For you to submit your assignment work

Dialogue: for private messages to peers and teaching staff.

Please note that I will respond to dialogue emails in a timely manner. Please be aware that I ahve multiple teaching, research and administrative commitments so it may take me a couple of days to respond. It is unrealistic to expect me to respond after work hours or during weekend. 

Study Resources

There is no required text for this unit. Instead, you will be provided with some research-based literature for weeks 1 to 7, and are then expected to source your own literature to assist with the completion of your assignments.

The required readings are listed in the Weekly content section of this Unit Guide. Information about how to find these readings will be provided in the study resources section of the iLearn site. 

Recommended text (available from the co-op bookshop):

Degotardi, S., & Pearson, E (2014). The relationship worlds of infants and toddlers: Multiple perspectives from early years research and practice. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

There are also many pedagogical or development books about infant and toddlers in the library. The following list contains some research-based literature that pertains specifically to infant-toddler curriculum, pedagogy and development.

Research-based books

Abbott, L., & Langston, A. (2002) Birth to three matters: A framework to support children in their earliest years. London, DfES/Surestart.

Berthelsen, D., Brownlee, J. & Johansson, E. (Eds.) (2009) Participatory learning in the early years: Research and pedagogy, Oxon, UK, Routledge.

Elfer, P., Goldschmied, E., & Selleck, D. (2003). Key persons in the nursery: Building relationships for quality provision. London: David Fulton Publishers.

Gandini, L. & Edwards, C. P. (2001) Bambini: The Italian approach to infant/toddler care, New York, Teachers College Press.

Goouch, K., & Powell, S. (2013). The baby room: Principles, policy and practice. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press

Gopnik, A. (2009) The philosophical baby, New York, NY, Farra, Straus and Giroux.

Johansson, E., & White, E.J (2011). Educational research with our youngest: Voices of infants and toddlers. Dordrecht: Springer

Lamb, M. E., Bornstein, M. & Teti, D. M. (2002) Development in infancy, Mahwah, N.J, Erlbaum.

Nelson, K. (2007) Young minds in social worlds: Experience, meaning, and memory Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.

Rochat, P. (2001) The infant's world, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.

Harrison, L., & Sumsion, J. (2014). Lived spaces of infant-toddler education and care: exploring diverse perspectives on theory, research and practice. Dordrecht, The Nederlands: Springer.

Wittmer, D. (2008) Focusing on peers: The importance of relationships in the early years, Washington, DC, Zero to Three.

Some suggested book chapters (although see above for edited books in infant-toddler ECEC):

Brooker, L. (2009) Just like having a best friend: How babies and toddlers construct relationships with their key workers in nurseries. In Papatheodorou, T. & Moyles, J. (Eds.) Learning together in the early years: Exploring relational pedagogy. Oxon, UK, Routledge.

Degotardi, S. (2015) Expressing, interpreting and exchanging perspectives during infant-toddler social interactions: The significance of acting with others in mind. In L. Harrison and J Sumsion (Eds). Lived spaces of infant-toddler education and care: exploring diverse perspectives on theory, research and practice, pp187-199.. Dordrecht, The Nederlands: Springer.

Degotardi, S. & Pearson, E. (2010) Knowing me, knowing you: The relationship dynamics of infant play. In Ebbeck, M. & Waniganayake, M. (Eds.) Play in early childhood education: Learning in diverse contexts Melbourne, Oxford University Press.

Degotardi, S., Semann, A. & Shepherd, W. (2012 ) Using practitioner inquiry to promote reflexivity and change in early childhood programs. In Whiteman, P. & De Gioia, K. (Eds.) Children and Childhoods. Newcastle, England, Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Hay, D. F., Caplan, M. & Nash, A. (2009). The beginnings of peer relations. In Rubin, K. H., Bukowski, W. M. & Laurson, B. (Eds.) Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups. New York, The Guilford Press.

Singer, E. & De Haan, D. (2007) Social life of young children: Co-contruction of shared meanings and togetherness, humour, and conflicts in child care centres. In Spodek, B. & Saracho, O. N. (Eds.) Contemporary perspectives on research in early childhood social learning. Charlotte, N.C., Information Age Publishers.

Journal Special Issues

Early Years: An International Research Journal, 32 (2): Special issue: Professional issues in work with babies and toddlers

European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19 (2): Special Issue – Birth to three

International Journal of Early Childhood, 10 (1): Special issue on children under 3

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