Assignment extensions and late penalties

Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ at https://ask.mq.edu.au as a Special Consideration 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 Special Considerations policy and are submitted via https://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, see:  https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

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.

Requesting a remark of an assignment

If you have evidence that your task has been incorrectly assessed against the grade descriptors you can request a re-mark.  To request a re-mark you need to contact  the unit convenor within 7 days of the date of return of the assignment and provide a detailed assessment of your script against the task criteria. Evidence from your assignment must be provided to support your judgements.

Note: Failed assessments can not be re-submitted as they are all double-marked as a part of the moderation process.

Please note: The outcome of a re-mark may be a higher/lower or unchanged grade. Grades are standards referenced and effort is NOT a criterion.

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
• It is the onus of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through Turnitin.
• Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOT required.

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.

Please note:

• Students should 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.
• Students are responsible for checking that their submission has been successful and has been submitted by the due date and time.

University policy on grading

Students will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment-in-effect-from-session-2-2016

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

Units with Submissions of Family & Children’s Records

Some assessment tasks require students to submit records about families and about children and their learning. It is expected that the records submitted are original, authentic, adhere to ethical practices and are the work of the student. Issues with the authenticity of such records will be investigated for possible forgery. Please note that submitted records can only be used once for assessment purposes.

Confidentiality

Students must respect the need for sensitivity and confidentially and ensure that privacy obligations are met. There should be nothing in assessment submissions that identifies a centre or school. Use only the first name for children, families and staff. Do not record details that enable identification of the site, or of the adults or children.

Delivery 

The unit is taught through lectures and large group tutorials. Scenario-based planning, assessment tasks and workshop sessions are included in tutorials. Assignments enable the development of the ability to position oneself in current research-informed literacy debates as well as to teach effectively within diverse contexts. Research-literature searches are required to meet assignment criteria. External students must listen to recorded lectures and contribute to on-line discussions or activities as well as participating in the on-campus sessions.

Student workload and requirements

Before commencing ECH433, please read this unit guide very carefully and ensure that you can meet all requirements, including workload requirements, attendance expectations, and assessment requirements.  Credit points indicate the approximate hours per week that a student is expected to spend studying in order to pass a unit. One credit point equals 3 hours; thus, students are expected to spend approximately 9 hours per week studying ECH433. Study includes attending or listening to lectures, attending tutorials, completing set readings and background readings, completing assignments, and using the unit’s iLearn site. 

Independent study is strongly encouraged in ECH433. 

Please ensure that you have sufficient time to dedicate to your studies before attempting this unit. We are sympathetic that students often have significant domestic and work-related responsibilities. To be fair to our staff and to other students, however, these cannot be used to justify incomplete work or extension requests.

* * * * IMPORTANT NOTE * * * *

Since attendance at your relevant tutorial / OC days is expected, students should only enrol in internal mode if they are able to attend all tutorials. Any student going on a delayed professional experience placement which compromises tutorial attendance, e.g. because awaiting LANTITE results, must enrol in external mode.

Tutorials: internal students

• Attendance is expected.
• Tutorials commence in Week 1.
• Prior to each tutorial session, you should read the prescribed material, summarise the main points, and make a note of any key terms and definitions. Make sure you have attended or listened to the relevant lecture. Review this carefully.
• In some weeks, you are asked to bring an artefact, draft writing, or other relevant item to class. This is indicated in the detailed unit schedule on iLearn and/or by your tutor.
• 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. It will sometimes be useful if you can ‘bring your own device’ to tutorials.

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On-campus sessions:  External students (Sep. 17 and 18)

• Attendance at the on-campus sessions is expected and this includes attending for the whole day on BOTH days. 
• Prior to the on-campus sessions, you should have read the prescribed readings for at least Weeks 1–4 and listened to the lectures. Summarise the main points, and make a note of the key terms and definitions. Prepare any discussion questions of your own that you wish to share.
• Please make effective use of the online component of the unit and access iLearn regularly. Keep up to date with listening to the lectures on a weekly basis.
• Students are required to participate in small group activities, whole class discussion, to read the set readings in advance, and to complete brief tasks either as individuals or in pairs. It will be useful if you can ‘bring your own device’ to the OC days.

Technology

Student learning in this unit is supported by the unit's iLearn site. 

This unit requires students to use several ICT and software skills:

• Internet access: The iLearn site contains materials for this unit; it is also required for the online submission of all Assessment Tasks, and for the use of Turnitin submission for ALL tasks.  
• Word processing, visual representations, and document formatting: You are required to use an appropriate form of software to present your assignments. 
• Uploading of assessment tasks to iLearn.
• Library databases: You are required to use various research databases to locate sources for your assignments (Task 1, especially). 

Using Turnitin

• Turnitin is used to assist students with appropriate referencing and paraphrasing, and to detect plagiarism. Assignment submissions links to Turnitin are embedded in iLearn. You must submit your work to Turnitin.

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APA Style Central

This referencing guide is accessed through the Library’s Multisearch function. It provides tools and templates to assist you correctly to format citations in APA 6th. Basic information about APA 6th is available on the library’s site: https://libguides.mq.edu.au/referencing/APA

Prescribed Texts:

There are two textbooks for the unit, one of which is available directly from the publisher as an ebook, and the other is available from the University Cooperative Bookshop. Both are essential for this unit and they will also be of ongoing use in professional practice. They are:

1. Flint, A. S., Kitson, L., Lowe, K., Shaw, K., Vicars, M., Feez, S. & Humphrey, S. (2017). Literacy in Australia: Pedagogies for engagement (2^nd ed.). Milton, Queensland, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

NOTE: Flint et al. (2017) is an e-book. Students who have paid for it will be able to use hyperlinks within iLearn to access relevant readings, as well as having their own independent access. If you purchase an ongoing licence (highly recommended!) you can also use the e-book for years to come.

2. Hill, S. (2012). Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching. (2^nded). South Yarra, Australia: Eleanor Curtain Publishing.

There are also two required curriculum documents:

1. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) (2009). Belonging, being, becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Barton, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia. Available from: https://docs.education.gov.au/node/2632

2. NSW Board of Studies. (2012). English K–10 syllabus.  Sydney: NSW Board of Studies. Retrieved from: http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/english/english-k10/

Students should also download the teaching resources available at the following website (do this at the beginning of session):

Department of Education WA [Government of Western Australia] (2013). First steps resources (3^rd edition). East Perth, Australia: Author.

Available for free download from: http://det.wa.edu.au/stepsresources/detcms/navigation/first-steps-literacy/?oid=MultiPartArticle-id-13602018

Other required readings

Bearne, E., & Styles, M. (2010). Literature for children. In Wyse, D., Andrews, R., & Hoffman, J. (Eds.). The Routledge international handbook of English, language and literacy teaching (pp.22–32). Milton Park, England: Routledge. LIBRARY LINK (e-book - the reading is ch. 3)

Bull, G. and Anstey, M. (2005). The literacy landscape. Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson.

Disbray, S., & Wigglesworth, G. (2008). A longitudinal study of language acquisition in Australian Aboriginal children in three communities. In G. Robinson, U. Eickelkamp, J. Goodnow & I. Katz (Eds.), Contexts of child development: Culture, policy and intervention (pp. 167–182). Darwin, Australia: Charles Darwin University Press.

Flewitt, R. (2008). Multimodal literacies. In J. Marsh & E. Hallet (Eds.), Desirable literacies: Approaches to language and literacy in the early years (pp. 122–139). London, England: Sage. LIBRARY LINK (to e-book - go to chapter 7)

Martin, K. (2008). The intersection of Aboriginal knowledges, Aboriginal literacies, and new learning pedagogy for Aboriginal students. In A. Healy (Ed.) Multiliteracies and diversity in education: New pedagogies for expanding landscapes. South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

McRae, D. (1994). Langwij comes to school: Promoting literacy among speakers of Aboriginal English and Australian Creoles. Department of Employment, Education and Training: Canberra, Australia.

Partington, G., & Galloway, A. (2005). Effective practices in teaching indigenous students with conductive hearing loss. Childhood Education, 82(2), 101–106.       LIBRARY LINK TO THE JOURNAL

Power, K. (2005). Changing perceptions of literacy: Local literacies in Indigenous and early childhood communities. Journal of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education. 12 (1) 11–21.

Module 1: Establishing the frame for literacy learning

• Theoretical frames for multiple literacies

• Oral language, emergent literacy and play-based learning

Module 2: Literacy Pedagogies

• Scaffolding developing readers

• Scaffolding developing writers

• Supporting the literacy development of children experiencing learning difficulties

• Teaching spelling, grammar, and genre

• Multimodal literacy, children's literature and popular culture

• Record-keeping and assessment

Module 3: Socially just implementation

• Critical Literacy

• Literacy issues for Indigenous and EAL-D (English as an additional language or dialect) learners 

• Issues in programming

A detailed and dated schedule with weekly readings and learning activities is provided on iLearn.

Internal tutorials will be held in Weeks 1–4 and Weeks 9–13.

The on-campus days for external students will be held on September 17 and 18, from 9am to 4:30pm. Punctuality is important.

Attendance for undergraduate units

All lectures and tutorials begin in Week 1 of Session.

Activities completed during weekly tutorials (internal) or on campus days (external) are essential for building the core knowledge and/or skills required to demonstrate the learning outcomes of this unit [and to meet the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards and/or ACECQA requirements]. Attendance at all tutorials or on campus days is expected and the roll will be taken.

Students are required to attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled. Any changes to tutorial enrolments must be completed officially through e-student. Please do not contact the unit convenor requesting a change.

Unit Expectations

• Students are expected to read weekly readings before completing tasks and attending tutorials
• Students are expected to listen to/attend weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials. Note (2018): if you are in a Wednesday tutorial, especially the one immediately following the lecture, you will need to regard lecture attendance as compulsory so that you have time to learn from the lecture before your tutorial.

Note: It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assignments.  If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to make contact with the unit convenor.

Electronic Communication

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a regular weekly basis.  Communication may occur via:

• Official MQ Student Email Address
• The Dialogue function on iLearn
• Other iLearn communication functions

Withdrawing from this UG Unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice by writing to https://ask.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.

Accreditation information

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

The framework of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), provides a common reference point to describe, recognise, and support the complex and varied nature of teachers’ work. The Standards describe what teachers need to know, understand and be able to do, as well as providing direction and structure to support the preparation and development of students.

For more information see:  www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers addressed in ECH433 are:

• 1.1.1, 1.1.3, 1.1.4

• 2.1.1, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.1.6

• 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.5, 3.1.6, 3.1.7, 3.1.9, 3.1.10

• 6.1.5,  6.1.6, 6.1.7

• 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 7.1.3

ACECQA Standards

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority standards addressed in ECH433 are:

• 3.1, 3.2, 3.4

• 4.4

• 6.5