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
• IEC Professional Experience Handbook
• Professional Experience Guide

Detailed information for each individual assessment can be found on the ECHP324 iLearn site under Assessment.

All assessments must be submitted and Professional Experience completed satisfactorily in order to be considered for a passing grade in this unit.

It is expected that students will select literature appropriate to the primary school context and age of children. Texts from previous Professional Experience units are not to be used in this 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.

Draft Submissions & Turnitin Originality Reports

• Students may use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing. This option is available in this unit for Assessment 1 only.
• Students are strongly encouraged to upload a draft copy of the first 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 in the first assessment prior to their final submission on the due date.
• Generally, one Originality Report is generated every 24 hours up to the due date.
• Originality Reports will not be available for assessments 2 and 3.

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

• Students are responsible for ensuring that the intended assessment has been submitted through TURNITIN successfully.
• Students are responsible for the content that is submitted for the assessment and will be marked on what has been received.
• Students retain a copy of all assignments before submission, and retain the copy until the final grade for the unit has been received.
• Marks will be deducted if you submit your assessment late (refer to the ‘late assessments’ section below for more details).
• 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.
• There are changes to requirements for becoming a teacher in the primary school setting. From 2016 students will be required to complete a literacy and numeracy test prior to completing the final placement. Further information can be found: http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/future-returning-teachers/become-a-teacher/literacy-and-numeracy-tests/. Students are strongly encouraged to complete this test as soon as possible in their program. In response to this requirement, in this unit students are expected to demonstrate a professional standard of English expression in all assessable work which includes correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. Students who fail to meet this criterion will receive a failing grade overall for the particular assessment. Students who are concerned about their literacy skills are strongly urged to seek support via the library http://www.mq.edu.au/on_campus/library/research/researching_your_assignment/#S tudy%20and%20Writing%20Skills and also assistance with study and writing skills: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/learning_skills

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 the 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 supporting 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.

Professional Experience Unit Placement Expectations

• Students are required to complete 20 days of Professional Experience at a school on a specified grade.
• 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 participation requirements for the unit.

• Students must be able to present evidence of the following prior to semester census date (26 August 2016. Further information see: http://www.mq.edu.au/study/postgraduate-study/fees-and-costs/census-dates) in order to receive a placement for Professional Experience. Students may need to withdraw from this unit if this has not been obtained in time: 

  • A Working with Children Check or State/ Territory equivalent
  • Anaphylaxis certificate for training (practical and on line training)
  • Child Protection certificate from online training.

• 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 that 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.

• 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 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 emailing iec@mq.edu.au to obtain an appointment with an academic adviser before withdrawing. This unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following semesters and may impact on your progression through the degree.

Family and Children’s Records

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, adhere 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 Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html for further information). 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 school. Use only the first name for children, parents and staff. Do not record details that enable identification of the site, and of the adults or children.

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.

Required text

Perrin, R. (2015). Pocket guide to APA style (5th ed.). Wadsworth: 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.

Grades will be awarded at the completion of the unit according to the following criteria.

HD           High Distinction  85-100% 

Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application as appropriate to the discipline.

D             Distinction  75-84%

Provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience.

Cr            Credit  65-74%

Provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; convincing argumentation with appropriate coherent justification; communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.

P              Pass  50-64%

Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes.

F              Fail  0-49%

Does not provide evidence of attainment of learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; missing, undeveloped, inappropriate or confusing argumentation; incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline.

It is the responsibility of individual students to be aware of pre and co requisites throughout their program. If you are considering withdrawing from this unit please seek academic advice as this may impact on your progression throughout the degree.

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 Academic Unit Coordinator. 

Students having difficulty at any time throughout the semester for example, with unit content, assessment queries or placement concerns are urged to contact the Academic Unit Coordinator EARLY to discuss issues.

This unit aims to build on previous experiences and extend on teaching skills by providing students with further experiences in K-6 classrooms. ECHP 324 aims to assist students in extending their understanding of approaches to curriculum planning and the documentation of children's learning in the school environment. The unit focuses on essential skills for curriculum decision-making and enables students to develop their knowledge of anti bias issues within the classroom setting.

This unit does not directly teach curriculum content (http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/k-6/). Students are expected to use syllabuses (http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au) for KLAs in line with their school placement.

It is expected that students have a working knowledge of KLAs for Kindergarten to Year 6 from completion of prior units and from personal study.

Classes

The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2016/

• 1 hour lectures will be held Friday mornings from 10am –11am in E7B T3. 
• 2 hour tutorials will be held weekly for internal students. Tutorials are timetabled on Fridays.
• Those students enrolled in the Friday tutorial which follows the lecture are expected to attend the lecture. It is expected that students attending the later tutorial will either attend the lecture or listen on line prior to coming to class. For external students it is expected that students listen weekly online.
• Students are not able to swap between tutorials throughout the semester. Tutorial groups are established in the first two weeks of semester and students must remain in this tutorial until the end of semester.
• External students are to attend the compulsory on campus day, Saturday 17 September from 9.00am – 5.00pm.
• In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:
  • Internal students must attend at least 80% of all tutorials
  • External students must attend all of the compulsory on-campus session on Saturday 17 September. Students will be required to complete tasks which will be marked as S/U. Therefore non attendance will impact on progression throughout the unit.

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Unit expectations

In this unit students are required to:

• come to tutorials prepared having read the weekly readings and listened to the lecture (internal students)
• complete weekly tasks available on line. Come to on campus prepared; having read the weekly readings and listened to the lectures (external students)
  • read  widely and give thoughtful consideration to the ideas encountered
  • participate fully in tutorials discussions and activities
  • submit all assessments
  • undertake 20 days of Professional Experience (5 observation days and 15 teaching days) and fulfil all Professional Experience requirements
  • submit the Professional Experience Evaluation form on completion of placement.

Professional Experience

Students will be expected to complete three weeks of Professional Experience from Monday 17th October - Friday 4th November 2016. Prior to this, students are expected to negotiate with the cooperating teacher to complete five (5) observation days. Attendance is compulsory. Students will be assessed as satisfactory or unsatisfactory against the Professional Experience Evaluation form. 

Support for External Students

External students are strongly advised to make use of the support services available.   

• Students are able to download the lecture from the iLearn website (via Echo). Students need to set aside time weekly to work through the tasks on iLearn and listen to the lecture. It is important to also read as widely as possible.
• Weekly tasks: External students will be expected to access and complete tutorial tasks listed under Learning Modules via the iLearn website.
• Compulsory on-campus session: The compulsory on-campus session is scheduled for Saturday 17^th September from 9.00am – 5.00pm. Students will participate in tasks which will be graded as S/U for the unit. Students will have the opportunity to discuss the unit content and weekly tasks provided on iLearn. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss issues associated with Professional Experience

Points for clarification with the unit outline

• Assessment 3 is attached to Professional Experience. Submission is not possible until the placement is completed.