PLEASE REFER TO INFORMATION ON iLEARN FOR FULL DETAILS OF ASSESSMENT TASKS AND MARKING CRITERIA

All assessment tasks for this unit are submitted online.

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 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.

Unit 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.

Students in this unit should read this unit guide carefully at the start of semester.  It contains important information about the unit.  If anything in it is unclear, please consult the Unit Coordinator.

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, Assessment details

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.

Learning and Teaching Methods

The unit is offered in external mode. A compulsory on campus day will be held on Tuesday 19 April. Content in this unit will be delivered using a combination of pre-recorded lectures, required readings and individual study tasks.

IEC Unit Expectations 

• In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:
  • External Students: Attend all on-campus sessions – punctuality is expected.
• Students are required to contribute to all online and tutorials tasks
• Students are expected to read weekly readings before completing tasks and attending tutorials
• Students are expected to listen to weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials
• All assessment tasks must be submitted

Required Readings:

Week 1: Historical and contemporary approaches; Theoretical Approaches

Tovey, H. (2014). Outdoor play and the early years tradition. In T. Maynard & J. Waters (Eds), Exploring outdoor play in the early years (Chapter, 1, pp. 16-28). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Sandseter, E.B.H., Little, H. & Wyver, S. (2012). Do theory and pedagogy have an impact on provisions for outdoor learning? A comparison of approaches in Australia and Norway. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 12(3), 167-182. doi: 10.1080/14729679.2012.699800

Week 2: Contemporary issues

Waller, T., Sandseter, E.B.H., Wyver, S., Ärlemalm‐Hagsérd, E., & Maynard, T. (2010). The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play? European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 18(4), 437-443. doi: 10.1080/1350293X.2010.525917

Week 3: Regulatory context of outdoor learning environments

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2011). Guide to the National Quality Standard. http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/NQF03-Guide-to-NQS-130902.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations [DEEWR]. (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra: DEEWR. http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Cummins, E & Reedy, A. (2015). Getting the balance right. Risk management for play. Melbourne: Play Australia. (Part B, excerpts)

Week 4: Natural playspaces

Dowdell, K., Gray, T., & Malone, K. (2011). Nature and its influence on children’s outdoor play. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 15(2), 24-35.

Week 5: Playing outside; Outdoor environments for infants and toddlers

Little, H., & Wyver, S. (2008). Outdoor play: Does avoiding the risks reduce the benefits? Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 33(2), 33-40.

Huggins, V., & Wickett, K. (2011). Crawling and toddling in the outdoors: very young children’s learning. In S. Waite (Ed), Children learning outside the classroom. From birth to eleven (Chapter 2, pp. 20-34). London: Sage.

Week 6: Managing risk in play

Cummins, E & Reedy, A. (2015). Getting the balance right. Risk management for play. Melbourne: Play Australia. (Part A, excerpts)

Week 7: Thinking outdoors

Petriwskyj, A. (2013). Science. In D. Pendergast & S. Garvis (Eds), Teaching early years: curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (Chapter 7, pp. 107-124). Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Luken, E., Carr, V., & Brown, R. (2011). Playscapes: Designs for play, exploration and science inquiry. Children, Youth and Environments, 21(2), 325-337. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.21.2.0325

Week 8: Sustainable practice and environmental responsibility

Elliott, S. (2014). Sustainability and the Early Years Learning Framework (Chapter 3). Sydney: Pademelon Press.  

Week 9: Creative play

TBC 

Week 10: Physically active play

Archer, C., & Siraj, I. (2015). Encouraging physical development through movement play (Chapter 3). London: Sage.

Week 11: Environments beyond the gate

Elliott, S., & Chancellor, B. (2014). From forest preschool to Bush Kinder: An inspirational approach to preschool provision in Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 39(4), 45-53.

Week 12: Relationships based learning and teaching

Lofdahl, A. (2010). Who gets to play? Peer groups, power and play in early childhood settings. In L. Brooker & S Edwards (Eds.) Engaging play (Chapter 9, pp.-122- 135). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

Week 13: Supporting participation and inclusion

Jeavons, M. (2008). Making natural playspaces more accessible to children with disabilities. In S. Elliott (Ed.), The outdoor playspace naturally for children birth to five years (Chapter 6). Sydney: Pademelon Press.