Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Teacher Caroline Moir caroline.moir@mq.edu.au Contact via Email Macquarie University International College Contact Staff Member Can Yalcinkaya can.yalcinkaya@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 3
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit is designed to support students in their transition to university by enabling them to understand and achieve standards of performance required in an academic environment. The unit provides a three-level focus which is initiated by supporting the development of academic practices, behaviours and values. Secondly, it fosters a level of familiarity with the disciplinary language, texts and conventions used when studying in programs offered by the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Human Sciences. Finally, it raises an awareness of the diverse perspectives offered by disciplines and the different contributions they can make to solving problems and addressing issues of concern in contemporary society. Learning and assessment activities are designed to build the capacity for independent and collaborative approaches to learning. Students are guided to develop their capacity for reading, thinking and expressing ideas effectively and critically.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Plan and produce texts to reflect academic and disciplinary standards.
Engage in independent and collaborative learning activities.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass

In order to pass this unit a student must obtain a mark of 50 or more for the unit (i.e. obtain a passing grade P/ CR/ D/ HD).

For further details about grading, please refer to Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy.

Grading

The College will award common result grades as specified in Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy.

Students will receive criteria and standards for specific assessment tasks, which will be aligned with the grading descriptors given in Schedule 1.

The attainment (or otherwise) of learning outcomes for a unit of study will be reported by grade and mark which will correspond to the Schedule 1 and be as outlined below.

Grade		Mark Range	Outcome	Description
HD	High Distinction	85-100	Pass	Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality, insight or creativity 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 program.
D	Distinction	75-84	Pass	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 or creativity in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the program and the audience.
CR	Credit	65-74	Pass	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 program.
P	Pass	50-64	Pass	Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the program; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the program. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes.
F	Fail	0-49	Fail	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 program.
FA			Did Not Attend	Student has failed the compulsory attendance component of assessment

Final Grades not receiving a mark because the student has withdrawn after the Census Date, not submitted or completed one or more components of the assessment, has been awarded a supplementary assessment or because of an unresolved matter such as allegations of academic misconduct are outlined in Schedule 1.

Where to find information about assessment

General assessment information including the number and nature of assessments, due dates and weightings has been provided in this unit guide.

Specific assessment information including assignment instructions, questions, marking criteria and rubrics as well as examples of relevant and related assessment tasks and responses will be available in the Assessment section on iLearn. For units that have final examinations, students may access past final exam papers using MultiSearch.

Student Responsibilities

As per the Assessment Policy, students are responsible for their learning and are expected to:

actively engage with assessment tasks, including carefully reading the guidance provided, understanding criteria, spending sufficient time on the task and submitting work on time;
read, reflect and act on feedback provided;
actively engage in activities designed to develop assessment literacy, including taking the initiative where appropriate (e.g. seeking clarification or advice, negotiating learning contracts, developing grading criteria and rubrics);
provide constructive feedback on assessment processes and tasks through student feedback mechanisms (e.g. student surveys, suggestions for future offerings, student representation on committees);
ensure that their work is their own; and
be familiar with University policy and College procedures and act in accordance with those policy and procedures.

Submission of Assessment Tasks

Assessments must be submitted in accordance with instructions provided in this unit guide. Assessment tasks which have not been submitted as required will not be marked; they will be considered a non-submission and zero marks will be awarded for the task.

Extensions & Late Submissions

Extensions will only be granted as a result of a Disruptions to Studies Notification for which special consideration has been awarded. To apply for an extension of time for submission of an assessment item, students must submit their Disruptions to Studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au.

Late submissions without an approved extension are possible but will be penalised at 20% per 24 hour period or thereof up to 4 days (weekend inclusive).

Example: An assignment is due at 5:00 pm on a Friday and is marked out of 100 marks.

If a student submits at 5:02 pm on the Friday and no Disruptions to Studies or special consideration is granted, a penalty of 20% of the total marks possible (20 marks) will be deducted from their result.
If the student submits the assignment on Sunday and no Disruptions to Studies or special consideration is granted, then a penalty of 40% (40 marks) will be deducted and so on.
If a student submits an assessment task 5 or more days after the due date and no Disruptions to Studies or special consideration is granted, a record or submission will be made but the student will receive zero marks for the assessment task.

Retention of Originals

It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted. Students must produce these documents upon request. Copies should be retained until the end of the grade appeal period each term.

In the event that a student is asked to produce another copy of work submitted and is unable to do so, they may be awarded zero (0) for that particular assessment task.

Requests for original documentation will be sent to the applicant’s student email address within six (6) months of notification by the student. Students must retain all original documentation for the duration of this six (6) month period and must supply original documents to the University within ten (10) working days of such a request being made.

Final Examinations

Final examinations will typically take place or be due in Week 6 or Monday of Week 7. For unit specific details please refer to Assessment section of this unit guide.

All students must be available up until and including Monday of Week 7 to undertake final examinations.

The University will publish College Final Examination Timetable at least 4 weeks before the commencement of the final examination period and students will be able to access their final examination schedule in Week 3 of the Term.

Final Examination Requirements

As per Schedule 4 of the Assessment Policy, students will be responsible for:

checking the final examination timetable
knowing the examination location (including seat number allocation) and arriving at allocated examination venue on time.
knowing the structure and format of the examination
adhering to the final examination timetable
ensuring they are available for the full duration of the final examination period and supplementary examination period.

Details of the structure and format of the final examination paper will be made available to students prior to the start of the final examination period. This detail will include:

a copy of the examination coversheet, giving the conditions under which the examination will be held
information on the types of questions the examination will contain, and
an indication of the unit content the paper may examine.

Students must follow directions given by the Final Examination Supervisor.

Students will be required to present their Macquarie University Campus Card as photographic proof of identity for the duration of the final examination.

Students are not permitted to:

enter a final examination venue once one hour from the time of commencement (excluding any reading time) has elapsed
leave a final examination venue before one hour from the time of commencement (excluding any reading time) has elapsed
leave a final examination venue during the last 15 minutes of the examination
be readmitted to a final examination venue unless they were under approved supervision during the full period of their absence
obtain, or attempt to obtain, assistance in undertaking or completing the final examination script
receive, or attempt to receive, assistance in undertaking or completing the final examination script (Unless an application for reasonable adjustment has been approved)
communicate in any way with another student once they have entered the final examination venue

Missed assessments and examinations

The University recognises that students may experience unexpected events and circumstances that adversely affect their academic performance in assessment activities, for example illness.

In order to support students who have experienced a serious and unavoidable disruption, the University will provide affected students with an additional opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes of a unit. An additional opportunity provided under such circumstances is referred to as special consideration.

In order to be eligible for special consideration students must submit Disruption to Studies Notification via ask.mq.edu.au within five (5) working days of the commencement of the disruption and attach appropriate supporting evidence.

Where special consideration is granted the student will be given and an additional opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes of a unit in the form of a alternative or supplementary assessment task or extension.

Please refer to the Disruption to Studies Policy or the Disruptions to Studies section under Policies and Procedures below.

Supplementary Examinations

The supplementary examination period will span across Week 7 of the Term and Week 1 of the subsequent teaching term. Students who have lodged a Disruptions to Studies must be available to undertake examinations during the supplementary examination period.

Results for supplementary exams may not be available for up to two weeks following the supplementary examination. Students in their final term of study who undertake supplementary final exams should note that formal completion of their Program will not be possible until supplementary results are released and this may impact on their ability to enrol in subsequent programs of study on time.

Accessing your Results

Students will be able to view their results for internal assessments via the Grades section in iLearn.

Grades (e.g. HD, D, CR, P, F) for all assessment tasks will be released to students once marking has concluded. Marks for individual assessments may be released as well.

Final results for the unit will be released at 00:01 on Friday of Week 7. Students will be able to view their final result for the unit via eStudent.

Calculating your GPA

A Grade Point Average (GPA) is a calculation that reflects the overall grades of a student in a coursework program. Please refer to the GPA Calculator.

Obtaining Feedback

Teaching staff will provide students with feedback about their academic progress and performance in assessment tasks or a unit of study. Where relevant, other staff such as Senior Teachers, Program Managers and members of the Student Administration and Services Team will provide feedback and advice to students about their performance in a program of study. Feedback may be provided to individual students, a group of students or a whole class and it may be written or verbal in nature.

Some examples of feedback include:

Teaching staff member reviewing a draft submission and giving a student advice on how to improve their work before making a final submission
Teaching staff member telling a class that they need to improve their editing of grammar in their recently submitted assignment.
Teaching staff member discussing progress of an individual student before census date to allow the student to decide whether they should remain enrolled in the unit.
Online feedback via announcements or forums, an online marking rubric or various iLearn activities employed in a unit
Written marks and comments on a marking sheet or essay.
Recorded voice comment provided in response to an essay submitted online.
Student Services officer telling a student that they should consider withdrawing from a unit because they have missed too many classes to be able to catch up.

It is a student’s responsibility to act promptly on feedback and advice provided.

If you are unsure how feedback has been or will be provided, or you feel that feedback provided is not sufficient, you must approach relevant teaching or administrative staff and request additional feedback in a timely manner during the term. Students may seek general feedback about performance in a unit up to 6 months following results release.

Contacting Teaching Staff Obtaining Help

Students may contact teaching staff at any time during the term by using the contact details provided in this guide. Students should expect a response within 1-2 business days. Teaching staff are unable to accept assessment submissions via email, all assessments must be submitted as outlined in the unit guide.

For all university related correspondence, students must use their official Macquarie University student email account which may be accessed via the Macquarie University Student Porta l. Inquiries from personal email accounts will not be attended to.

Academic Honesty

Using the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting them as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source is called Plagiarism.

Macquarie University promotes awareness of information ethics through its Academic Honesty Policy. This means that:

all academic work claimed as original must be the work of the person making the claim
all academic collaborations of any kind must be acknowledged
academic work must not be falsified in any way
when the ideas of others are used, these ideas must be acknowledged appropriately.

All breaches of the Academic Honesty Policy are serious and penalties apply. Students should be aware that they may fail an assessment task, a unit or even be excluded from the University for breaching the Academic Honesty Policy.

Turnitin

To uphold principles of Academic Honesty, Macquarie University employs online anti-plagiarism Software called Turnitin. Turnitin compares electronically submitted papers to a database of academic publications, internet sources and other student papers that have been submitted to the system to identify matching text. It then produces an Originality Report which identifies text taken from other sources, and generates a similarity percentage. Teaching staff will use the report to judge whether plagiarism has occurred and whether penalties should apply for breaches of the Academic Honesty Policy.

All text based assessments must be submitted through Turnitin as per instructions provided in the unit guide. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. No hard copies of assessments will be accepted and only Turnitin records will be taken as records of submission.

Multiple submissions may be possible via Turnitin prior to the final due date and time of an assessment task and originality reports may be made available to students to view and check their work.

There is no set percentage which indicates whether plagiarism has occurred; all identified matching text should be reconsidered carefully. If plagiarism has occurred or is suspected and resubmission is possible prior to the due date, students are advised to edit their work before making a final submission. Help may be sought from teaching staff. Students may also access research resources provided by the library or Learning Skills.

Students should note that the system will not immediately produce the similarity score on a second or subsequent submission - it will take 24-36 hours for the report to be generated. This may be after the due date so students should plan any resubmissions carefully.

Please refer to these instructions on how to submit your assignment through Turnitin and access similarity reports and feedback provided by teaching staff.

Should you have questions about Turnitin or experience issues submitting through the system, you must inform your teacher immediately. If the issue is technical in nature may also lodge a OneHelp Ticket, refer to the IT help page.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Due
Integrative Summary	25%	Week 2 Thursday 10am
Grammar Assessment	20%	Week 3 Thursday 10am
Persuasive Essay	40%	Week 5 Thursday 10am
News Page	15%	Week 6 Thursday 10am

Integrative Summary

Due: Week 2 Thursday 10am
Weighting: 25%

The Integrative Summary will describe and discuss two sources relevant to the assigned social issue. It will summarise and integrate the salient arguments and supporting evidence to present the key knowledge relevant to the issue.

Students must submit their work via Turnitin in iLearn.

The similarity report must be less than or equal to 8%. If the student's similarity report is higher than 8%, the student may be asked to resubmit his/her work by 10am Week 3 Monday. Anyone who will be asked to resubmit his/her work will receive an email from their teachers by 12pm (noon) Week 2 Thursday. It is essential for students to check their Macquarie University student email regularly.

Late submissions will be penalized by 20% per day. Please refer to late submissions section.

Feedback will be provided via Grademark.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Plan and produce texts to reflect academic and disciplinary standards.
Engage in independent and collaborative learning activities.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

Grammar Assessment

Due: Week 3 Thursday 10am
Weighting: 20%

The Grammar assessment will assess students’ understanding of the basic grammatical resources required to package ideas as clauses and connect them logically to one another in order to soundly construct texts. The assessment will require students to analyse a series of clauses, breaking them down into their functional constituents. It is an individual assessment task.

This assessment task is an online quiz and will be opened after the third lesson in Week 3 and be available until Week 3 Thursday 10pm in iLearn.

Only one attempt is allowed to take the quiz, and the students will receive feedback after the quiz is closed via Grademark and in class.

There are 20 short answer questions in the quiz and the duration of the assessment task is one (1) hour.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.

Persuasive Essay

Due: Week 5 Thursday 10am
Weighting: 40%

The Persuasive essay will identify a recommendation in response to the social issue and develop a thesis to argue for this recommendation. The essay outlines the key arguments supporting a central thesis, referencing relevant evidence to support each argument before reiterating and reinforcing the thesis through a summary of salient arguments. In the essay students are required to reference at least five (5) sources and demonstrate the ability to synthesise information and views from a variety of perspectives to produce a coherent, well-supported recommendation.

The essay must be submitted via Turnitin in iLearn.

There will no re-submission in this assessment task.

If the student's work has a higher than 8% similarity, the submission will be investigated, and in the case of plagiarism, the Macquarie University International College will refer to Academic Honesty Policy.

Late submissions will be penalized by 20% per day. Please refer to late submissions section.

Feedback will be provided via Grademark and in-class.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Plan and produce texts to reflect academic and disciplinary standards.
Engage in independent and collaborative learning activities.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

News Page

Due: Week 6 Thursday 10am
Weighting: 15%

The News Page assessment will require students to rewrite some aspects of the research issue that were written up in the essay into a News Page for a public audience. The News Page, while still formal and making reference to the literature, will use more reporting style language than the essay (which was written for an academic audience).

The news page must be submitted via Turnitin in iLearn.

There will no re-submission in this assessment task.

Late submissions will be penalized by 20% per day. Please refer to late submissions section.

Feedback will be provided via Grademark.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Plan and produce texts to reflect academic and disciplinary standards.
Engage in independent and collaborative learning activities.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

Delivery and Resources

Term Dates & College Calendar

Details of key dates during the term can be found on the Important Dates calendar.

Enrolment and Timetables

General timetable information is available via Macquarie University's Timetable page.

Students will be able to enrol in units and register for classes via eStudent and also view their personal timetable. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that classes they have registered for do not clash.

Students are only permitted to attend classes in which they have registered via eStudent, unless they have written approval from the Students Services and Administration Manager. To seek approval, students must email muic@mq.edu.au or speak to a member of the Student Services and Administration Team at E3A Level 2 Reception. Approval will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Swapping groups is not possible after the enrolment period has concluded. The last day to do so is Tuesday of Week 1 and this must be finalised by the student in eStudent by the end of the day.

Attendance Requirements – All Students

All students are expected to attend 100% of scheduled class time.

Attendance will be monitored in each lesson & students will be able to see their current attendance percentage to date and potential attendance percentage for each unit they have enrolled in via iLearn.

Current attendance Percentage will reflect the percentage of classes a student has attended so far (based only on the lessons held to date).
Potential Attendance Percentage will reflect the percentage of classes a student can potentially attended by the end of the term, taking into consideration lessons attended and assuming the student also attends all future lessons scheduled (based only on the total number of lessons in the Term).

Where a student is present for a part of a lesson (for example arrives late, leaves early, leaves the class frequently or for lengthy periods, engages in inappropriate or unrelated activities or does not participate actively in the majority of the lesson) the teacher reserves the right to mark a student absent for that part of the lesson.

In cases of unavoidable non-attendance due to illness or circumstances beyond their control, students should lodge a Disruption to Studies Notification via ask.mq.edu.au within 5 working days and supply relevant supporting documentation, even if they have not missed a formal assessment task. This will ensure that that appropriate records of unavoidable absences can be kept.

Public Holidays and Make-up Lessons

If any scheduled class falls on a public holiday a make-up lesson may be scheduled on an alternate day. Attendance will be taken for any scheduled make-up lessons. Where a make-up lesson is scheduled, students will be informed in class and via iLearn.

If appropriate, teaching staff may instead organise an online make-up lesson requiring students to complete additional activities outside of class. Students will be informed of any such arrangements in class and/or via iLearn.

Technology Used and Required

Access to internet (Available on Campus using Macquarie OneNet and in designated E3A Self-Access Computer Laboratories)
iLab - iLab is Macquarie University's personal computer laboratory on the Internet, enabling students to use the Microsoft Windows applications they require to do their university work from anywhere, anytime, on anything.
Access to iLearn
Access to Macquarie University Library catalogue (MultiSearch)
Access to Microsoft Office Suite (available in E3A Self-Access Computer Laboratories and via iLab)

iLearn

iLearn is Macquarie's online learning management system and a principal teaching and learning resource which will be used throughout the term. Students must access iLearn at least 3 times per week to access important information including:

Announcements and News Forums - Teaching staff will communicate to the class using iLearn announcements. Announcements may also be emailed to students’ Macquarie University email address but students should check the News Forum regularly.
Attendance – current and potential attendance percentage for the Term.
Unit Guide and staff contact details
Set unit readings available through MultiSerach (library).
Lesson materials and recordings where available
Learning and teaching activities and resources, questions and solutions
Assessment instructions, questions, marking criteria and sample tasks
Assessment submission links such as Turnitin
Links to support materials and services available at the University
Evaluation Surveys for the unit

For any resource related iLearn questions contact your teacher. For any technical or support issues using iLearn, please contact the IT helpdesk (Ph. 02 9850 4357) or lodge a ticket using OneHelp.

Useful Study Resources

StudyWise is an iLearn resource created by Learning Skills, which is specifically designed to help you to manage your studies, strengthen your study techniques, write effective assignments and improve your English language proficiency. Once you enrol in StudyWISE, you can access it from your iLearn course list under the category "Student Support".

InfoWise will help you improve your research skills by teaching you how to use MultiSearch, decode citations, identifying key search terms and use advanced search techniques.

Lib Guides provide students with links to electronic sources and websites that are good starting points for research in different fields or disciplines.

MultiSerach will connect you to Macquarie University Library and allow you to search library resources, databases, unit readings and past exam papers

Academic Language and Learning Workshops are designed to help you with Study Skills, Assignment Writing, Referencing and Academic Language

Research resources provide information about:

Unit Schedule

Weekly outline WACH100

Wk /Session	TOPIC	Required reading	Associated Tasks	Assessment Task
1.1	Introduction to course Language and audience Reading for academic purposes Role of annotation and summaries	Brick, Chapters 1, 2 and 8	Assign topics Using the 4S system Critical notetaking	Complete the academic integrity module.
1.2	Developing effective reading skills Review critical reading skills Choosing appropriate readings Introduction to APA Understanding academic questions Deconstructing an integrated summary Grammar – independent/dependent clauses	Brick Chapters 8, 9 and 11.	Writing APA style citations
1.3	Summary – writing workshop Construct annotation from notes. Peer and tutor review. Attempt online grammar quiz.
For next week	Read first piece of assigned topic material and take notes Continue trying grammar quizzes			Pre-census feedback
2.1	Academic integrity and voice Academic honesty, what is it? Direct, external and internal voice. References and citations Understanding turnitin Identifying and using reporting verbs	Brick Chapter 3 and 6	More referencing and citation practice Identifying verbs Identifying dependent clauses
2.2	Summarising multiple sources Referencing evidence Descriptive/Evaluative language Synthesising information via deconstruction of integrative summary	Butt et al Chapters 1, 2 and 3	Evaluating and integrating evidence Understanding similarity reports
2.3	Integrated summary soft submission - writing workshop with peer and tutor review			Integrated Summary due Thursday, 10 am
For next week	Read second piece of material provided for your topic Continue grammar quizzes
3.1	Expressing voice Your voice vs the voice of others Writing data commentaries Grammar focus on sentence structure.	Continue with Butt et al Chapters 1, 2 and 3.	Review identifying verbs. Produce dependent and independent clauses.
3.2	Grammar to empower Run on sentences and fragments Participants, processes and constituency Nominal groups	As above	Review constituency Practice spotting run on sentences and fragments.
3.3	Research skills including searching databases Practice writing data commentaries Grammar workshop/continue with quizzes in class			Grammar Quiz to be completed by Thursday, 10 am
	For next week, research and summarise two more academic sources for your topic
4.1	Writing essays Purpose and audience of essays Essay Structure Deconstructing model essay Writing effective introductions Topic sentences Thematic progression	Brick Chapters 10 and 14	Examining thesis statements Developing effective paragraphs Writing clear sentences
4.2	Developing an effective argument Paragraph structure Theme choices Thematic progression Linking strategies (transitions)	As above	Structuring effective introductions and body paragraphs. Writing for clarity
4.3	Persuasive Essay – writing workshop
For next week	Continue working on your persuasive essay. Research and summarise the fifth article for your topic
5.1	Developing authoritative voice Developing a cohesive and coherent argument Exploring nominal groups and ‘academic’ type verb groups. Review synthesising information	Brick Chapters 17 and 18	Identifying nominal groups in academic texts Identifying features creating a coherent argument and essay Review paragraph structure
5.2	Expressing judgement Hedging and its uses Expressing attitudes Expressing identity and using pronouns Objective voice Differences between essays and reports	Brick Chapters 10, 13 and 18	Identifying hedging, judgement and author’s identity.
5.3	Persuasive essay. Soft submission. Peer and tutor feedback			Persuasive Essay due Thursday, 10am
	For next week pick two sources you will use in your newspage and reread them.
6.1	Writing for a popular audience Importance of audience to writing style Purpose and audience of news report pages Structure and language of news report pages Deconstruction of a news report	Brick Chapters 12 & 16	Review of evidence integration within a news report. Identify discourse markers in news articles Identify large nominal groups
6.2	Academic presentations and unit summary Speaking vs writing Effective academic speaking. Review sentence structure Academic voice	As above	Draft a single presentation slide for individual topic in newspage style.
6.3	News Page soft submission peer and tutor review			News Page Due Thurs, 10 am

Learning and Teaching Activities

Lessons

Lessons will include a mixture of learning and teaching activities. New content and topics will be presented in lessons, and students will be given problems, practice questions and other interactive activities to apply the knowledge and the skills gained in the lesson. Students will be required to take notes, complete set class tasks and engage in discussion and individual and group activities. In class, specific time may be dedicated to work on assessment tasks and students will be given guidance and feedback to complete these. Certain lessons may be dedicated to independent research and reading related to the unit whether in the classroom or a computer lab.

Active Participation

Students will be required to not only attend but also actively participate in lessons. Active participation entails: - active engagement in class activities - contribution to class discussions by asking and answering questions - coming to class prepared and having completed required pre-readings and activities - completion of set class and homework activities - collaboration with other students - adhering to Macquarie University Student Codes of Conduct.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/

Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Academic Honesty

Using the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting them as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source is called Plagiarism.

Macquarie University promotes awareness of information ethics through its Academic Honesty Policy. This means that:

all academic work claimed as original must be the work of the person making the claim
all academic collaborations of any kind must be acknowledged
academic work must not be falsified in any way
when the ideas of others are used, these ideas must be acknowledged appropriately.

Assessment Policy

Students should familiarise themselves with their responsibilities under the Assessment Policy, and notably Schedule 4 (Final Examination Requirements).

Disruptions to studies

The Disruption to Studies Policy applies only to serious and unavoidable disruptions that arise after a study period has commenced. Students with a pre-existing disability/health condition or prolonged adverse circumstances may be eligible for ongoing assistance and support. Such support may be sought through Campus Wellbeing and Support Services.

The University classifies a disruption as serious and unavoidable if it:

could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student; and
was beyond the student's control; and
caused substantial disruption to the student’s capacity for effective study and/or completion of required work; and
occurred during an event critical study period and was at least three (3) consecutive days duration, and / or
prevented completion of a final examination.

To be eligible for Special Consideration, a student must notify the University of a serious and unavoidable disruption within five (5) working days of the commencement of the disruption (Disruption to Studies notification). All Disruption to Studies notifications are to be made online via the University’s Ask MQ system. A Disruption to Studies notification must be supported by documentary evidence.

Students should note that in cases of medical disruptions they must see a registered healthcare professional and present a Professional Authority Form. Medical certificates will not be accepted. Overseas students may use their OSHC insurance for the purpose of seeing a registered healthcare professional.

In submitting a Disruption to Studies notification, a student is acknowledging that they may be required to undertake additional work. The time and date, deadline or format of any required extra assessable work as a result of a disruption to studies notification is not negotiable and in submitting a disruption to studies notification, a student is agreeing to make themselves available to complete any extra work as required. This means that as a result of special consideration being awarded, a student may be required to complete a different type of assessment for example an exam instead of a presentation or vice versa.

The student will retain all original documentation submitted regarding the disruption, and must understand that this may be requested by the University at any time. In this event, students will be provided 10 business days to submit the original documentation.

Please refer to the Disruption to Studies Policy for further details.

Final Examination Script Viewings

A student may request to view their final examination script once results have been released but scripts remain the property of Macquarie University.

Students should view their final examination paper prior to submitting a grade appeal, if this is relevant to their case. The viewing will be conducted in a secure location under supervision.

To request a final examination script viewing, please lodge a ticket via ask.mq.edu.au.

Grade Appeals

A student who has been awarded a final grade for a unit has the right to appeal that grade as outlined in the Grade Appeal Policy. Grade appeals apply to the final mark and grade a student receives for a unit of study. They do not apply to results received for individual assessment tasks.

Grade appeals must be submitted via ask.mq.edu.au within 20 working days from the published result date for the relevant unit. Before submitting a Grade Appeal, please ensure that you read the Grade Appeal Policy and note valid grounds for appeals.

Students are expected to seek feedback on individual assessment tasks prior to the award of a final grade. Students also have the right to request generic feedback from the teaching staff on their overall performance in the unit, including in a final examination. This can be done at any time in the six month period starting from the day on which the final grade of the relevant unit is published.

Course Progression

The College closely monitors Foundation students' academic progress as per the Progression Policy for Programs delivered by Macquarie University International College.

To maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, a student must successfully complete (pass) 50% or more of their enrolled units in a Term of study. To successfully complete a unit, students must obtain a passing grade and meet any other requirements to pass listed in the unit guide.

Students who fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress will be classified as "at risk" and will be notified in writing. At-risk students may be required to undergo academic counselling, undertake certain initiatives or have conditions placed upon their enrolment to help them make satisfactory progress.

Students must also pass 50% or more of the units in 2 or more terms in order to meet Minimum Rate of Progress (MRP) requirements. A student is deemed not to be making Minimum Rate of Progress if they fail more than 50% of their enrolled units in two consecutive Terms of study, or if they have failed more than 50% of their units after studying two or more terms.

Any domestic student who has been identified as not meeting Minimum Rate of Progress requirements will be issued with an Intention to Exclude letter and may subsequently be excluded from the program.

Any international student who has been identified as not meeting MRP will be issued with an Intention to Report letter and may subsequently be reported to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) for not meeting visa requirement and be subject to exclusion from the program. International students must comply with the MUIC Progress Policy in order to meet the conditions of their visa.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Plan and produce texts to reflect academic and disciplinary standards.

Assessment tasks

Integrative Summary
Grammar Assessment
Persuasive Essay

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Engage in independent and collaborative learning activities.

Assessment tasks

Integrative Summary
Grammar Assessment
News Page

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Plan and produce texts to reflect academic and disciplinary standards.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

Assessment task

Persuasive Essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Engage in independent and collaborative learning activities.

Assessment tasks

Integrative Summary
Grammar Assessment
Persuasive Essay
News Page

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

Assessment tasks

Integrative Summary
News Page

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Express ideas using appropriate language, grammar and text structure for academic and professional purposes in written and/or oral texts.
Apply reasoning to support a position or argument from your reading after gathering specific information and ideas from academic sources and; and critically evaluate them.
Apply academic referencing conventions accurately and appropriately.
Analyse the purpose, language and features of academic, disciplinary and professional genres.
Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

Assessment task

Persuasive Essay

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

Grammar Assessment
News Page

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

Use discipline specific terminology to communicate concepts and ideas relevant to this unit

Assessment task

News Page

Changes from Previous Offering

Students will attend 3 classes per week - 2 x 3 hours and 1 x 2 hours.

Course Contact Hours

Weekly face to face contact for this unit will be 8 hours (48 hours per term).

There will be 3 lessons per week consisting of 2x3=6 hour lessons and 1x2=2 hour lesson.

Unit Specific Texts and Materials

The following texts have been prescribed for this unit.

Prescribed Texts:

Brick, J, 2011, Academic culture: A student’s guide to studying at university, 2nd ed., MacMillan, Sydney.

Recommended Texts:

Butt, D., Fahey, R., Feez, S., & Spinks S. 2012, Using Functional Grammar: an Explorer’s Guide, Palgrave Macmillan, (third edition).

iGE Grammar App for iPhone, iPad and Android (Available from the App store).

Collins COBUILD English Grammar HarperCollins, 2011.

Additional reading materials will be provided to the students throughout the semester. This will be provided in hard copy or placed on iLearn.

Texts will be available for purchase from the Co-Op Bookshop located in the Campus Hub Building C10A, Level One, Phone: 8986 4000.

All students should ensure that they have access to the prescribed text(s) from the start of the Term as failure to do so could jeopardise their academic progress in this unit.

Other editions or formats of the above resource(s) may be acceptable, but you must students must consult teaching staff prior to purchasing these.