Students

ECH 218 – Child Development Preschool to Adolescence

2017 – S1 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convener
Carol Newall
Contact via iLearn Dialogue
Tutor
Emma Sutherland
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Lecturer
Helen Little
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Lecturer
Shirley Wyver
Contact via iLearn Dialogue
Tutor
Anne-Lii Hardy
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Tutor
Tiff Watson
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Tutor
Jody Anagnos
Contact via iLearn Dialogue
Kevin McGrath
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Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
12cp at 100 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit offers a critical overview of current theory, research and issues in child development from the preschool years through to late middle childhood and puberty. The unit covers the major aspects of children’s cognitive, physical and social/emotional development, personality, gender and moral development. The unit also considers the influence of key relationships with siblings and peers for children’s development. An understanding of factors that promote and attenuate optimal development and well-being and the unique contribution of child rearing contexts is integrated throughout. In addition, students develop knowledge of strategies for the promotion of good mental health for young children. During the course of the unit, students are encouraged to engage in active interpretation of the material covered and to consider both the implications and practical application in their professional contexts. Particular attention is paid to the implications for prior to school and primary school educators within the contemporary Australian social/cultural context.

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:

  • Demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of current research, theory and issues in child development
  • Explain the many and varying influences important to the development of a child
  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development
  • Appreciate the biological underpinnings of development
  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

General Assessment Information

Department Assessment Presentation & Submission Guidelines

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.

Please follow these guidelines when you submit each written assignment:

  • Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 2cm in all assignments.
  • Please type all assignments using 12-point font and 2.0 spacing.
  • Essay 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 understand that lecturers, tutors, and conveners will not be able to read your draft assignment to provide guidance. The unit consists of ~300 students, and we do not have the appropriate workload hours available to read everyone's drafts. However, please see Learning Skills for assessment support (under Policies and Procedures).
  • 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.

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.

Grading

  • 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.
  • Given that this unit has a moderately large cohort (~300 students), it takes us awhile to mark the assignment and to double-mark a percentage (~15-20%) for reliability. Turnover time for the essay can take 4-6 weeks. The aim is for students to have at least the final grades of 2 assignments (Quiz and Essay) to facilitate exam planning and strategy.

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 by the Unit Convenor (and in some cases by Faculty Student Services) provided it is aligned with the Disruption to Studies Policy. 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.

It is important to note:

  • Do NOT contact your unit convener about extensions. Please submit ALL extension and special consideration requests through https://ask.mq.edu.au.
  • Emails are not appropriate means of extension requests. Your unit convener will not respond to extension requests via emails or iLearn Dialogues.
  • It is essential that you plan ahead and organise your study time effectively. Poor time management is not grounds for an extension.

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 Department of Educational Studies, 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.

Eligibility for a Passing Grade in the Unit

In order to receive a passing grade in this unit, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Receive an adequate total mark for the unit (i.e. your combined marks for the four pieces of assessment). In order to receive a grade of Pass, your total mark must be at least 50/100.
  • 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

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Topic Quiz 10% No Week 3, 17 March 2017
Essay 30% No Week 7, 13 April 2017
Parent information leaflet 20% No Week 12, 2 June 2017
Final Exam 40% No Semester 1 examination period

Topic Quiz

Due: Week 3, 17 March 2017
Weighting: 10%

Online quizzes are an individual assessment task and MUST BE COMPLETED by each student individually.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of current research, theory and issues in child development
  • Explain the many and varying influences important to the development of a child
  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development
  • Appreciate the biological underpinnings of development

Essay

Due: Week 7, 13 April 2017
Weighting: 30%

Discuss and critically evaluate the findings of at least five research studies related to specified area of development. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the many and varying influences important to the development of a child
  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

Parent information leaflet

Due: Week 12, 2 June 2017
Weighting: 20%

Information sheet designed for parents of children attending EC centre/school to promote awareness of one of specified area of child development


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development
  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

Final Exam

Due: Semester 1 examination period
Weighting: 40%

Combination of multiple-choice, short answer and essay questions


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of current research, theory and issues in child development
  • Explain the many and varying influences important to the development of a child
  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development
  • Appreciate the biological underpinnings of development

Delivery and Resources

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 Guide
  • Unit assigned reading
  • Assessment in Detail
  • Lecture and Tutorial Schedule

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.

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.

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Lectures

Two separate one hour lectures will be presented each week. Please refer to lecture schedule for details. Recordings of lectures will be available on Echo360 for both internal and external students. Lecture slides will be made available the day before the lecture for students who are attending the live lecture to download and have available during the lecture. Attendance is optional. However, all lecture contents may be included in the subsequent quiz and exam. If it is not possible to attend the live lecture, you must listen to the Echo360 recording. 

Required Textbook

Custom Edition for Macquarie University by Pearson, Australia compiled from Peterson, C.C. (2015). Looking Forward through the Lifespan: Developmental Psychology (6th edition). Sydney, Australia: Pearson Education.

Supplementary readings

White, F., Hayes, B., & Livesey, D. (2010). Developmental psychology: From infancy to adulthood (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education.

Twigg, D., & Pendergast, D. (2013). Social and emotional well-being. In D. Pendergast and S. Garvis (Eds), Teaching early years. Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (pp.231-243). Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Tutorials

Tutorial attendance is optional. However, all tutorial content may be included in the subsequent quiz and exam. The tutorials and iLearn discussion forums are the most appropriate forums to raise questions and engage in group discussion to further your understanding of the material. Diverse views are welcome. It is important that you feel free to express your ideas openly (with the exception of views that may offend other students). The iLearn site is ideal for an exchange of ideas with all students and teaching staff. 

Internal students will have fortnightly tutorials of 2hrs each. Tutorials will commence in Week 1. Please note that after Week 1, you must enroll for tutorials on iLearn as the room location and timetabling has changed. This also allows you to change classrooms and times easily on iLearn. 

External students will cover the tutorial content during their two days of on-campus attendance.

Workbook

This unit has a workbook available on the unit website. The workbook is to be used to record notes from tutorials, lectures and your readings. You should bring your workbook with you to all classes. Internal students will work through the tasks at their fortnightly tutorials. External students will complete the tasks at the On Campus days. 

Unit Schedule

 

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

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.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 (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

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.

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.

Convener's Role in Essay Support (30%, due Week 7, 14 April 2017)

The unit staff (e.g., convener and tutors) will provide guidance that is relevant to the unit topic (e.g., articles that may be relevant). However, the unit convener and tutors will not provide any generic writing support (e.g., narrative structure, grammar, basics on writing skill, interpreting the essay question). As noted above, Learning Skills provide workshops and support for tertiary-level writing skills. Students are encouraged to seek out these supports prior to the essay due date.

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

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 outcome

  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development

Assessment tasks

  • Topic Quiz
  • Parent information leaflet
  • Final Exam

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

  • Demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of current research, theory and issues in child development
  • Explain the many and varying influences important to the development of a child
  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development
  • Appreciate the biological underpinnings of development
  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

Assessment tasks

  • Topic Quiz
  • Essay
  • Parent information leaflet
  • Final Exam

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

  • Demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of current research, theory and issues in child development
  • Explain the many and varying influences important to the development of a child
  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Appreciate cultural, historical and contextual influences on development
  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

Assessment tasks

  • Topic Quiz
  • Essay
  • Parent information leaflet
  • Final Exam

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

  • Understand the whole child by appreciating the links between different areas of development
  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

Assessment tasks

  • Topic Quiz
  • Essay
  • Parent information leaflet
  • Final Exam

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 outcome

  • Examine the role of child development research for informing teaching practice

Assessment tasks

  • Essay
  • Parent information leaflet

Changes from Previous Offering

This unit now has 2hr fortnightly tutorials, rather than weekly 1hr tutorials. 

 

Convener's Notes

Communication with staff

Types of Questions

I enjoy teaching and I love watching my students learn. Some questions that we love to see in our Dialogue boxes:

  • Is gender colour preference innate or learned? 
  • Do children understand the minds of other children better than minds of adults?
  • What is a good strategy for dealing with a child who has anxiety over class presentations?

Example questions we will NOT ANSWER

  • How much is the Essay worth?
  • When is the quiz due?
  • Are tutorials compulsory?
  • When will you finish grading our essays?

Rule of thumb: If it can be found in the Unit Guide or on the Unit's iLearn site, these questions will be ignored. It's not because we are trying to be mean or nasty. There are two major benefits when we ignore these questions:

  1. It teaches you to be an independent and competent learner, which is not only a major learning goal for all undergraduate students, but will help build your confidence and learning capacity.
  2. It frees your lecturers, tutors, and convener up to focus on the unit, rather than work as an administrative guide to the unit. That means we can devote our time to teaching according to our expertise.

Preferred Contact

All staff will only communicate via Dialogue on iLearn. We will not respond to emails. It allows us to control our communication so that our email inbox is not flooded with teaching questions from students, but also helps us organise our communication (e.g., many of us teach on more than one unit). To show that you have read your unit guides, please send me a photo of Steve Urkel from the 90s sitcom Family Matters. This may put you on my list of favourite students who have read their unit guides thoroughly to the end.