Full details about each assessment task is provided in the Assessment Details document on iLearn.

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.

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 responsibility 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.

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.

Appealing an assignment grade (requesting a re-mark)

·         If you have evidence that your task has been incorrectly assessed against the grade descriptors you can request a remark.  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 your script against the task criteria. Evidence from your assignment must be provided to support your judgements.

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

EXTENSIONS and LATE PENALTIES

Special Consideration

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 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://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/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.

The information in this Unit Guide must be read in conjunction with the Assessment details and Weekly Readings documents available for download from iLearn.

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.

Unit Expectations 

* In order to be eligible for a passing grade, students must meet the following attendance requirements:

* Internal Students: Participate in tutorials – punctuality is expected.

* External Students: Participate in on-campus sessions – punctuality is expected.

* Contribute to online and tutorials tasks

* Students are expected to read weekly readings before attending tutorials

* Students are expected to listen/attend weekly lectures before attending tutorials

* All assessment tasks must be submitted

Teaching Methods

The content of the unit is delivered through a combination of lectures and tutorial tasks. There are two lectures per week and these are timetabled as follows:

Wednesday 9.00 am and 10.00am. All lectures will be recorded and available on iLearn via ECHO360. 

Internal students will have a 2 hour tutorial each week (on either Wednesday or Thursday). Internal students are expected to have attended/listened to the relevant lecture prior to attending their tutorials each week. Tutorial tasks will require familiarity with the content covered in the lectures in order to fully participate in the tutorials. 

External students will complete the tutorial tasks during the on campus days scheduled for 16th and 17th September.

A tutorial workbook is available on iLearn - all students are expected to bring this with them to their tutorial/ on campus days (either as hardcopy or electronic).

Some lectures have been pre-recorded and will be available from iLearn before Week 1 and you should listen to these lectures before the first tutorial.

Withdrawing from this UG Unit: If you enrolled in an early childhood teacher education program and are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice by writing to DES.ug@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.

Peterson, C. (2015). Looking forward through the lifespan. Developmental psychology: Birth to middle childhood. (Custom edition). Sydney: Pearson. 

Go to: http://www.coop.com.au/textbook/search/macquarie-university/1602/eche118

Note: It is also fine to use the 6th edition of Peterson (2014). Looking forward through the lifespan. Developmental psychology. Sydney: Pearson. Please do not buy another textbook if you already have this version.