Students’ engagement in this unit is assessed formally through three assignments. Students are required to complete all three assessment tasks to be eligible to achieve a pass grade in the unit.

IEC Assessment Presentation & Submission Guidelines

 Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:

• Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 2cm in all assignments.
• Please type all assignments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing.
• All assessments must be submitted through turnitin in .doc or .pdf format for submission.
• It is the onus of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through turnitin.
• Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOT required for this unit.

 Draft Submissions & Turnitin Originality Reports

• Students may use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit.
• Students are strongly encouraged to upload a draft copy of each assessment to Turnitin at least one week prior to the due date to obtain an Originality Report.
• The Originality Report provides students with a similarity index that may indicate if plagiarism has occurred. Students will be able to make amendments to their drafts prior to their final submission on the due date.
• Generally, one Originality Report is generated every 24 hours up to the due date.

 When preparing your assignments, it is essential that:

• Students must retain a copy of all assignments before submission, and retain the copy until your final grade for the subject has been received;
• Marks will be deducted if you submit your assessment late (refer to the ‘late assessments’ section below for more details);
• Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no assessment will be accepted after the date that the assessment has been returned to other students.
• If an assessment is considered to be below passing standard, another academic staff member will provide a second opinion. No failed assessment may be re-submitted.

 Final Submissions

• Students are responsible for checking that their submission has been successful and has been submitted by the due date and time.
• Late submissions due to last minute technical difficulties will incur a lateness penalty.

 Late Assessments:

A deduction of 5% of the total possible mark allocated for that assessment would be made for each day or part day that assessment is late, weekends counting as two days. For example, if an assessment 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 unit coordinator for an extension to the assessment due date. Reasons for the extension need to be documented through the Disruption to Studies form accessible through ask.mq.edu.au under "Disruption" and supported (e.g., a Professional Authority Form must be used in the case of illness). Note that:

• Students MUST speak with the unit coordinator prior to submitting their request through https://ask.mq.edu.au
• Extensions will only be granted in receipt of the completed form submitted through ask.mq.edu.au 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 malfunction, 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.

IEC Academic Honesty Guidelines:  

All assignments should cite and provide full bibliographical details of all material that you have used to inform or support your ideas. At the Institute of Early Childhood, students are required to use the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing procedures. Full details about how to cite and reference correctly can be found in Perrin (2015) and in the IEC Academic Honesty Handbook.

The following guide can be purchased from the Co-op Bookshop. This is a required text:

Perrin, R. (2015). Pocket guide to APA style (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Submissions of Documents from Early Childhood Centres

Some assessment tasks require students to submit documents from early childhood centres. It is expected that the records submitted are original, authentic, adheres to the ethical practices of the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics (2006) and is the work of the student. Issues with the authenticity of such records will be investigated for possible forgery (see Fabrication in the IEC Academic Honesty Handbook). Please note that submitted records can only be used once for assessment purposes.

Confidentiality

Students must respect the need for sensitivity and confidentially and ensure that privacy obligations are met. There should be nothing in assessment submissions that identifies a centre or school. Use only the first name for children, families and staff. Do not record details that enable identification of the site, and of the adults or children.

Grades

Marking rubrics being used with the assignments in this Unit are located on iLearn.

The final grade a student receives signifies their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes for the unit. The number assigned to a grade (Standard Numerical Grade or SNG) reflects the extent to which student attainment matches the grade descriptors.

Your raw mark for the unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Results may be scaled to ensure there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results. The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw score mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.

IMPORTANT ACADEMIC ADVICE

• This Unit is a compulsory Unit for students enrolled in the Master of Educational Leadership (Early Childhood). The policy content covered in this Unit is subject to change each year depending on government priorities.
• If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice before doing so as this may result in extending the duration of your studies. Please write to pg.educ_iec@mq.edu.au to seek an appointment with an early childhood academic adviser.

IEC ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Specific individual questions or concerns relating to this unit can be directed to the unit convener either through email or via the iLearn dialogue function. General questions that other students may also be interested in can be posted on the general or weekly discussion forums on the unit’s iLearn page (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au). 

DELIVERY

Schedule of classes

This Unit is delivered completely online and taken as an external studies Unit. There is a voluntary on-campus date reserved for this Unit to facilitate face-to-face networking and typically those who have attended in previous years have found this session valuable.

RESOURCES

Required texts:

Waniganayake, M., Cheeseman, S., Fenech, M. Hadley, F., & Shepherd, W. (2012). Leadership: Contexts and complexities in early childhood. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

This text can be purchased from the Co-op Bookshop on campus through http://www.coop.com.au

Required readings:

Some weeks require readings beyond the Unit texts. You will find these readings in their respective topic on iLearn.

You are expected to read these publications and systematically take notes while reflecting on the content presented. These readings will inform weekly lectures and tutorials, and the on-campus sessions. Students will need to demonstrate learning from these readings in each of their assignments. It is therefore essential that students develop regular study habits in setting aside time each week to familiarise themselves with lecture content and the set readings. 

Additional resources:

Students are expected to read widely and to draw on additional readings and materials to complete assessment tasks. A list of recommended readings and useful websites are also provided through iLearn.