Full instructions for each assignment, including the assessment criteria can be found in the Full Unit Outline attached to the ECHE311 iLearn site.

To achieve a passing grade in ECHE311, students must meet the 3 following requirements

1. All assignments are submitted and demonstrate a serious attempt to address the assessment task and criteria

2. Students must attend at least 80% of their tutorial sessions (either internal tutorial or the on-campus session equivalent)

3. Students must meet the required academic literacy standards set out below.

Failure to meet any of the 3 requirements listed above will place students at serious risk of failing the unit.

EXPECTED ACADEMIC LITERACY LEVEL

As a 300-level unit, students are expected to demonstrate a fully functional level of academic literacy in their assignment work. The expectation levels are listed below. Students whose work does not meet these standards are at serious risk of failing the unit.

Students will receive feedback on their demonstrated level of academic literacy in assignment 1. Students who fail to meet the minimum standards for assignment 2 and 3 will receive a fail grade for that assignment.

Note that work that breaches the Macquarie University academic honesty policy (see Academic honesty and plagiarism section below) will attract significant deductions in marks and may, in some cases, be referred to the Faculty academic honesty committee for consideration. Penalties may apply beyond those specified above.

PRESENTATION AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

When preparing your assignments, it is essential that:

• Students regularly save a copy of all assignments before submission,
• 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. 

Assignment presentation and submission

All written submissions are to be legible and professionally presented. Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:

• All assignments must include the academic honesty declaration as required by all Macquarie University students.
• Assignments must represent the student’s individual work (see Academic Honesty section below).
• Please type all assignments using 12 point font and 1.5 or double-space the lines. Save your file in .doc, .docx or pdf format.
• Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 3cm in all assignments. This allows us to attach, and you to read your feedback comments easily.
• All assessments must be submitted through Turnitin in .doc or .pdf format for submission.
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through Turnitin.
• Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOT required.
• Use APA 6^th referencing style to acknowledge your sources and support your ideas with in-text referencing, and include a full reference list of all works that are cited within your assignment.

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.

Final Submissions

• Students are responsible for checking that their submission has been successful and has been submitted by the due date and time.
• Do not contact staff asking them to check your submission.
• Late submissions due to last minute technical difficulties may incur a lateness penalty.
• Your assignment will be marked based on what is received – any omissions will not be accepted after your submission. Please check very carefully.

Word limit

All sections of the assignment, apart from references and appendices, are included in the word limit.  If your assignment seriously exceeds the word limit, it will be marked only to the point at which the word limit is reached. 

Academic honesty and plagiarism

The nature of scholarly endeavour, dependent as it is on the work of others, binds all members of the University community to abide by the principles of academic honesty.

Plagiarism is a matter of particular importance. Plagiarism is defined as using the work or ideas of another person and presenting this as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source of the work or ideas. This includes, but is not limited to, any of the following acts:

• copying out part(s) of any document or audio-visual material or computer code or website content without indicating their origins;
• using or extracting another person's concepts, experimental results, or conclusions;
• summarising another person's work;
• submitting substantially the same final version of any material as another student in an assignment where there was collaborative preparatory work;
• use of others (paid or otherwise) to conceive, research or write material submitted for assessment; and
• submitting the same or substantially the same piece of work for two different tasks (self-plagiarism).

The University’s Academic Honesty Policy can be found on the Policy Central website: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/index.html

TURNITIN is used to assist students with appropriate referencing and paraphrasing, and to detect plagiarism. The system also serves as a digital repository if anything should happen to your hard copy submission or personal backup. Please ensure you have stated your TURNITIN receipt number on your coversheet. A link to TURNITIN is embedded in iLearn. 

Extensions and Late Assignments

Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ at https://ask.mq.edu.au as a "Disruption to Studies" request before the submission date. Students who experience a disruption to their studies through ill-health or misadventure are able to apply for this request. Extensions can only be granted if they meet the Disruption to Studies policy and are submitted via ask.mq.edu.au. This will ensure consistency in the consideration of such requests is maintained.

In general, there should be no need for extensions except through illness or misadventure that would be categorised as unavoidable disruption according to the University definition of same, and currently available at:

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration/disruption-to-studies

Late submissions without extension will receive a penalty of 5% reduction of the total possible mark for each day late (including weekends and public holidays). You are reminded that submitting even just 1 day late could be the difference between passing and failing a unit. Late penalties are applied by unit convenors or their delegates after tasks are assessed.

No assessable work will be accepted after the return/release of marked work on the same topic. If a student is still permitted to submit on the basis of unavoidable disruption, an alternative topic may be set. 

Students should keep an electronic file of all assessments. Claims regarding "lost" assessments cannot be made if the file cannot be produced. It is also advisable to keep an electronic file of all drafts and the final submission on a USB untouched/unopened after submission. This can be used to demonstrate easily that the assessment has not been amended after the submission date.

Grading Information

The University recognises the importance of producing grades and reports of student learning achievements that are valid, reliable and accurate representations of each student’s capabilities in relation to clearly articulated learning outcomes. Your final result for this unit will include a grade plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).

For an explanation of the policy go to Policy Central: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/index.html

Criteria for awarding grades for assessment tasks

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading Policy. The following descriptive criteria are included for your information.

Criteria for awarding grades in the unit

Students will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the policy: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

The following generic grade descriptors provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades.

NOTE: Numerical marks will NOT be awarded for individual assessment tasks.

In this unit, all tasks will be reported by GRADES.

Marks are only shown for your final reported grade for this Unit. 

ON-CAMPUS SESSIONS AND LECTURES

Attendance at All on-campus sessions is compulsory. These will be held on Monday 18^th September and Sunday 5^th November. 

 Please do not enrol in external mode if you cannot attend all of these days.

This unit is taught in tutorial/workshop modes, supplemented by online lectures and readings. Students are required to participate in small group activities, whole class discussion, to read the weekly material in advance, and to complete brief tasks either as individuals or in pairs. 

Lectures: Lectures have been pre-recorded to support the knowledge that is built through readings, tutorial activities and assignment preparation. You will note that they do not occur every week. It is expected that students will have listed to the required lectures before attending their related tutorial 

UNIT WEBSITE AND STAFF CONTACT

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn. 

Students will need regular access to a computer and the Internet to complete this unit.

Weekly access to iLearn is compulsory for all students. Important assessment information will be posted here, as will other relevant unit notices and materials, including a reading template and guide to lecture note taking to assist your studies.

Various activities and materials for discussion and critical reflection are included and external students especially are encouraged to use this web component. Electronic links and suggested resources are also included. Please check the iLearn unit regularly. 

REQUIRED READINGS 

Required text:

Degotardi, S., & Pearson, E (2014). The relationship worlds of infants and toddlers. Multiple perspectives from early years research and practice. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

Recommended text

Perrin, R (2015). Pocket guide to APA style. Australia: Wadsworth Learning.

Both are available from the Co-op Bookshop

Other required readings

The unit is supported by a list of pdf readings that are located by typing ‘ECHE311’ into the Multisearch function on the Library Homepage. Weekly readings, as specified in the weekly unit content section of this unit guide can then be located by author. It is expected that students will demonstrate continued engagement with these reading materials in their tutorial and assignment work.

Students will also need to download:

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia: Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia

Useful books:

The following books on infant-toddler learning and teaching can also be located via the Multisearch function:

Bergen, D. (2001). Educating and caring for very young children : the infant/toddler curriculum.  New York: Teachers College Press.

Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2003). Designs for living and learning: Transforming early childhood environments. Minnesota: Redleaf Press.

Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2008). Learning together with young children: A curriculum framework for reflective teachers. Minnesota: Redleaf Press.

Gandini, L., Pope, C., & Edwards. (2001). Bambini : the Italian approach to infant/toddler care . London: Teachers College Press

Gonzalez-Mena, J., & Widmeyer Eyer, D. (2007). Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers: A curriculum of respectful, responsive care and education. Boston: McGraw Hill

Goouch, K. & Powell, S. (2013). The baby room: Principles, policy and practice, Maidenhead, UK, Open University Press.

Greenman, J.T., Stonehouse, A., & Schweikert, G., (2008). Prime times: a handbook for excellence in infant and toddler programs. St. Paul, MN:  Redleaf Press,

Greenman, J. (2005). Places for childhood in the 21^st century: A conceptual framework. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web, May 2005, http://www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200505/

Harris, P. (2009). Language learning in the baby and toddler years. Terrigal, NSW: David Barlow Publishing

Lally, R., Mangione, P., & Greenwald, D. (2006). Concepts for care: 20 essays on infant/toddler development and learning. San Francisco, CA : WestEd

Makin, L., & Spedding, S. (2012). Learning literacies, birth to three: positive approaches for early childhood educators. Castle Hill, N.S.W. : Pademelon Press, 2012.

Page, J., Clare, A. & Nutbrown, C. (2013). Working with babies and children from birth to three, London, Sage.

Peterson, S. H. (2009). Endless opportunities for infant and toddler curriculum : a relationship-based approach. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill 

Wittmer, D.S. (2008). Focusing on peers: the importance of relationships in the early years. Washington, DC : Zero to Three

Wittmer, D.S., & Petersen, S.H. (2006). Infant and toddler development and responsive program development: A relationship-based approach. New Jersey: Pearson.

Useful journals for this unit

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC)

Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood (online www.triangle.co.uk/ciec)

Early Childhood Research and Practice (online http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/index.html)

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Early Years; International Journal of Research and Development

International Journal of Early Childhood

International Journal of Early Years Education

The First Years: New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education

Young Children

Technology requirements

You will need regular access to a computer with internet access.