All assessments in this unit involved online tasks and online submission.

CLASSES 

ECH232 will engage students in a combination of face-to-face and online tasks (e.g short quiz each week - not marked). The sequence in which students complete these modules will depend on their tutorial time, with groups rotating between topic areas after three weeks. 

Each module will consist an online lecture, online tasks, readings and face-to-face tutorials. The lecture or collection of shorter lectures (not totalling more than one hour) will be available online as a video. Following this, students will complete a 2 hour tutorial each week (or equivalent compulsory on campus days for external students). 

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

Completion of all modules is a requirement for satisfactory completion of the unit. Documentation (such as a doctor’s certificate) should be provided to explain absences.  

Compulsory On-Campus Session for ECH232 External Students 

There are two compulsory On-Campus Sessions for ECH 232 external students. Failure to attend all or part of the sessions will result in automatic exclusion from the unit. The On-Campus sessions will be held on Saturday 18th of March and Thursday the 20th of April (9.00am - 5.00 pm) Please make arrangements to attend for the full day each day. Further details will be sent out early in the semester. 

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.  

Department of Educational Studies (EC) Relevant Documents

The information in this Unit Guide must be read in conjunction with the following documents available for download from iLearn:

• Academic Honesty Handbook
• Unit Readings, Assessments & Study Guide

Department of Educational Studies 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.

Department of Educational Studies (EC) Unit Expectations 

• In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:
  • Internal Students: Participate in at least 80% of all tutorials – punctuality is expected. Consistent lateness or absence will jeopardise a passing grade
  • External Students: Participate in 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/attend weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials
• All assessment tasks must be submitted

Withdrawing from this UG Unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice by writing to iec@mq.edu.au before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following semesters and may impact on your progression through the degree.

Department of Educational Studies (EC) 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 submissions due to last minute technical difficulties will incur a lateness penalty.

Assignment extensions and late penalties

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:

http://students.mq.edu.au/student_admin/exams/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.

• Please notify the unit coordinator of your intention to request an extension (via Dialogue in iLearn), however, an extension will only be granted on 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

Department of Educational Studies (EC) 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. 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 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.

Units with Quiz Assessments

Online quizzes are an individual assessment task and MUST BE COMPLETED by each student individually. Similarities in responses between students will be checked and investigated for possible collusion. Please see the Academic Honesty Handbook for more information.

This year students will visit the three early childhood settings at Macquarie and implement a part of their plans in small groups.

Their visits won't get a mark but all students will have to submit a short reflection after their visits as part of their third assignment.