Grading                                                             

Students will receive a Standardised Numerical Grade (SNG) reflects the extent to which student attainment matches the descriptors as per the Macquarie University Grading Policy.. This unit will use the following grades which will be aligned  with the listed numerical range:

• HD - High Distinction (85-100)
• D  - Distinction (75-84)
• Cr - Credit (65-74)
• P - Pass (50-64)
• F - Fail (0-49)

Requirements to Pass 

In order to pass this unit a student must: 

• Pass the final examination or final assessment task
• Achieve a Standard Numerical Grade (SNG) of 50 or more in the unit
• Attend at least 80% of scheduled classes
• Attempt all assessment tasks in unit

For further details about grading, please refer to the Grading Policy. 

Submission of Assessment Tasks 

Assessments must be submitted following instructions provided in class. 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.

Turnitin

Turnitin compares electronically submitted papers to a database of academic publications, internet sources and other papers that have been submitted into the system to identify matching text. It then produces an Originality Report which identifies text taken from other sources,and generates a similarity percentage to judge whether plagiarism has occurred (see Academic Honesty section below). 

Multiple submissions may be possible via Turnitin prior to the due date of an assessment and originality reports may be made available to students. In such cases they should be used to check work for plagiarism prior to a final submission.  

Where there is a requirement for assessment tasks to be submitted through Turnitin,it is the student's responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. Hard copies will not be accepted unless indicated otherwise by a teaching staff member. Records in Turnitin will be taken as records of submission. For assistance submitting through Turnitin, you may approach your teacher, lodge a OneHelp Ticket, refer to the IT help page or seek assistance from Student Connect. 

Students should note that for a first time submission the Originality Report will be available immediately post submission but for any subsequent submissions it will take 24 hours for the report to be generated. This may be after the due date so students should plan their submission carefully. 

Missed Assessments

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. 

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.

Serious and Unavoidable Disruption 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. 

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 assessible 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.

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

Extensions & Late Submissions

To apply for an extension of time for submission of an assessment item, students must submit a Disruptions to Studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au.

Late submissions without an approved extension are possible but will be penalised at 20% per day up to 4 days (weekend inclusive). If a student submits an assessment task 5 or more days after the due date without grounds for special consideration (See Disruptions to Studies Policy) a record or submission will be made but the student will receive zero marks for the assessment task. 

Final Assessment Tasks

Final assessments will typically take place in Week 6 or Monday of Week 7. All students enrolled in a teaching session are expected to ensure they are available up until and including Monday of Week 7 to complete assessment tasks. Passing the final assessment task is a requirement to pass this unit. 

Details of teaching session dates can be found on the Important Dates calendar. Due dates for assessments will be available in the unit guide. 

Conduct During Assessments

Students must adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Honesty Policy at all times. 

Students will be provided with instructions relating to conduct during in-class assessment tasks.

Retention of Originals

It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted and produce another copy of all work submitted if requested.  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.

The University may request and retain the originals of any documentation or evidence submitted to support notifications of disruptions to studies. 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.

Contacting Teaching Staff and Obtaining Help and Feedback

Students may contact teaching staff at any time during the term by using the contact details provided in this guide.

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

Students may seek additional feedback at any time during the term and general feedback about their performance in a unit up to 6 months following results release.

Scheduled Class Time & Timetables

Weekly face to face  contact for this unit will be 8 hours consisting of 4 x 2 hour lessons (48 hours per term). Contact hours will consist of 4 hours of theory classes and 4 hours of practical classes per week. 

Students will be able to enrol in their classes and view their personal timetable via eStudent and may also view general timetable information via Macquarie University's Timetable page. 

If a scheduled class falls on a public holiday a make-up lesson may be scheduled. If appropriate, the instructor may instead organise an online make-up lesson or require students to complete additional set work. Scheduled make-up days will be announced in class and attendance will may be taken where relevant. 

Attendance Requirements - All students

All students are required to attend at least 80% of scheduled class time to pass this unit.  

Attendance will be monitored in each lesson & students will be able to see their attendance records for a unit via iLearn.  

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.

Because of the intensive nature of this program, students should be aware that their attendance in this unit may fall below 80% relatively quickly. 

In cases of unavoidable non-attendance due to illness or circumstances beyond 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 made. 

For further information on attendance, please refer to the Attendance and Study Load Policy. 

iLearn

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

• Announcements - Teaching staff will communicate to the class using iLearn announcements. 
• A link to the unit guide for the unit and staff contact details
• Lecture notes and recordings where available
• Learning and teaching activities and resources
• Assessment information
• Tutorial questions and solutions
• Assessment submission tools such as Turnitin
• Other relevant material

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

Required and Recommended Texts and Materials

Textbook:

Adams, E. (2010) Fundamentals of game design is a recommended text for this subject but it is not required. It is, however, strongly recommended that students who intend to proceed to the BIT Game Design and Development or the BA major in Games and Interactivity buy this book as it will be a useful reference throughout your degree. It can be purchased through the Co-Op Bookshop.

The WMEC111 reader will be provided online via electronic readings, so need not be purchased.

Website

The website for this unit is provided through the University's iLearn system. iLearn can be found at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au. If you are enrolled in this unit you should have access to the material on iLearn once you log on.

Discussion Boards

The discussion board for this unit can be accessed through the iLearn site.

Technologies Employed:

Game Design Environment: the Unity3D game engine will be used to create your game. This is a free download and runs on both PCs and Macs. Minimum hardware requirements for PC/Mac Unity can be found here if you intend to work on your project using your own computer or at home (this is optional): http://unity3d.com/unity/system-requirements

Consultation Times

Full contact details for the unit teacher is available on the iLearn site, consultation times will be in class or by specific appointment only.

Theory

Labs

The following standards will be applied in determining your final grade in this unit

Pass

• Demonstrate an understanding of a range of the different disciplinary approaches to video game analysis
• Demonstrate noticeable evidence of being able to critically evaluate and analyse ideas and concepts in video games using the approaches presented in the unit
• Able to design, implement and document small game projects
• Demonstrate in the game design/implementations noticeable ability to apply basic game design concepts such as difficulty progression, challenge hierarchy, player engagement and world coherence

Credit

• Demonstrate breadth and depth of understanding of the different disciplinary approaches to video game analysis
• Demonstrate sustained evidence of being able to critically evaluate and analyse ideas and concepts in video games using the approaches presented in the unit.
•  Able to successfully design, implement and document small game projects
• Demonstrate in the game design/implementations sustained ability to apply basic game design concepts such as difficulty progression, challenge hierarchy, player engagement and world coherence
•  Demonstrate at least some creativity and innovation in design

Distinction

• Demonstrate breadth and depth of understanding of the different disciplinary approaches to video game analysis
• Demonstrate sustained evidence of being able to critically evaluate and analyse ideas and concepts in video games using the approaches presented in the unit.
• Demonstrate noticeable originality and insight in evaluation and analysis
•  Able to successfully design, implement and document small game projects
•  Demonstrate in the game design/implementations sustained ability to apply basic game design concepts such as difficulty progression, challenge hierarchy, player engagement and world coherence
• Demonstrate substantial creativity and innovation in design

High Distinction

•  Demonstrate breadth and depth of understanding of the different disciplinary approaches to video game analysis
•  Demonstrate sustained evidence of being able to critically evaluate and analyse ideas and concepts in video games using the approaches presented in the unit.
• Demonstrate substantial originality and insight in evaluation and analysis
•  Able to successfully design, implement and document small game projects
• Demonstrate in the game design/implementations sustained ability to apply basic game design concepts such as difficulty progression, challenge hierarchy, player engagement and world coherence
• Demonstrate sustained, high-level, creativity and innovation in design