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 staff member on the unit 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.
• 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.

Grades

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.

Family and Children’s Records at IEC

Some assessment tasks require students to submit records about families and about children and their learning. 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.

The following are REQUIRED TEXTS for ECHP421. All students must have a copy of the required texts and bring them to class each week or to the On Campus. You may already have purchased some of these texts for previous units at IEC.

1. ECHP421 Custom etexbook. (2016). Custom etextbook including chapters from a range of publications. Sydney: Pademelon Press. (purchase from www.pademelonpress.com.au)

2. Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority. (2011). Guide to the national quality standard.  Retrieved from http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/NQF03-Guide-to-NQS-130902.pdf

3. Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Belonging, being & becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia.  Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from  http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

4. Fleet, A., & Robertson, J. (Eds.). (2005). Exhibit-On 3 catalogue: Unpacking interpretation. Sydney: Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University.

5. MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children. Choices for theory and practice. Melbourne: Addison Wesley Longman

IN ADDITION TO THESE TEXTS A NUMBER OF REQUIRED READINGS WILL BE PROVIDED TO YOU VIA THE LIBRARY E-RESERVE.  PLEASE SEE THE COMPLETE LIST OF READINGS FOR THE UNIT ON THE ILEARN PAGE. 

The Following are HIGHLY RECOMMENED TEXTS that we feel will support your thinking in this unit.

1. Chng, A. (2015). Documenting children's learning. A research in practice series. Canberra: Early Childhood Australia

2. Fleet, A., & Patterson, C. (2011). Seeing assessment as a stepping stone: Thinking in the context of the EYLF. Deakin West, ACT: Early Childhood Australia Inc.

3. Patterson, C., & Fleet, A. (2011). Planning in the context of the EYLF: Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound. Deakin West, ACT: Early Childhood Australia Inc.

IEC Relevant Documents

The information in this Unit Guide must be read in conjunction with the following documents available for download from iLearn:

• IEC Academic Honesty Handbook
• Unit Readings, Assessments & Study Guide
• IEC Professional Experience Handbook 
• Professional Experience Guide

IEC Electronic Communication

During semester time, staff may contact students using the following ways:

• Dialogue function on iLearn
• Official MQ Student Email Address

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis.

IEC Professional Experience Unit Academic Expectations 

• In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:
  • Internal Students: Attend at least 80% of all tutorials – punctuality is expected. Consistent lateness or absence will jeopardise a passing grade
  • External Students: Attend all on-campus sessions – punctuality is expected. Please note that non-attendance will lead to exclusion from the unit. Students who are unable to attend due to illness or other unavoidable disruption will be supported in their application to withdraw without academic penalty.
• Students are required to contribute to all online and tutorials/workshops tasks
• Students are expected to read weekly readings before completing tasks and attending tutorials/workshops
• Students are expected to listen/attend weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials/workshops
• All assessment tasks must be submitted
• Feedback from Tertiary Supervisors and/or Supervising Teachers is of a general nature. It is incumbent on the student to check the requirements of assessments against the marking criteria and unit outcomes prior to submission.
• In order to meet all expectations for this unit, students must:
• attain an overall minimum of a Pass grade for the written submission components, AND
• attain a ‘Satisfactory’ grade for their Professional Experience Evaluation Report

IEC Professional Experience Unit Placement Expectations 

• Students are required to complete 20 days of Professional Experience at an early childhood centre for children aged birth-5
• To be eligible to commence the block placement component of this unit, students
  • Must have submitted all written assessment tasks and/or associated unit component requirements prior to the commencement of the block
  • Must meet the attendance requirements for the unit
  • Students must be able to present evidence of completion of the following prior to semester census date in order to receive a placement for Professional Experience:
    • A Working with Children Check or State/ Territory equivalent
• Students may not be able to commence their placement until all alleged academic honesty breaches have been investigated and concluded. 
• Students are expected to negotiate with the supervising teacher to complete five (5) observation days at times which do not impact on attendance at tutorials for this or other units.
• Students who are completing a unit offered by another department are expected to inform and negotiate with that unit convener about their professional experience block dates and to discuss how that unit's requirements can be met. For some situations, it may mean that you are enrolled externally for that unit so that your attendance for tutorials for that unit is not impacted. 
• Feedback from Tertiary Supervisors and/or Supervising Teachers is of a general nature. It is incumbent on the student to check the requirements of assessments against the marking criteria and unit outcomes prior to submission.
• In order to meet the Professional Experience placement expectations of this unit, students must:
• attain a ‘Satisfactory’ grade for their Professional Experience Practical Work in their Evaluation Report, AND
• attain a ‘Satisfactory’ grade for their Professional Experience Folder in their Evaluation Report

Withdrawing from this UG Unit 

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice by writing to iec@mq.edu.au before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following semesters and may impact on your progression through the degree.