Full details about each assignment is provided on iLearn.

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.*

Late Assessments:

A deduction of 5% of the total possible mark allocated for that assessment would be made for each day or part day that assessment is late, weekends counting as two days. For example, if an assessment is worth 20 marks and you submit it 2 days late, you will have 2 marks (2 x 5% of 20 marks) subtracted from your awarded mark.

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.

Extensions:

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.

Special Consideration

The following link takes you to the Special Consideration policy, which makes clear the ways in which you can apply for special consideration in times of difficulty.

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

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

Units with Submissions of Family & Children’s Records

Family and 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, adheres to the ethical practices of the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics (2016) and is the work of the student. Issues with the authenticity of such records will be investigated for possible forgery (see Fabrication in the IEC Academic Honesty Handbook). 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, and of the adults or children. 

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) (6th ed.) referencing procedures. 

The following guide can be purchased from the Co-op Bookshop. 

Perrin, R. (2015). Pocket guide to APA style (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

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

On Campus days

On campus day will be held on Saturday 24th August and 5 October. 

Texts and Readings for this Unit

Compulsory texts for this unit which you should already have. 

Little, H., Elliott, S., & Wyver, S. (2107). Outdoor learning environments: Spaces for exploration, discovery and risk-taking in the early years. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. 

Porter, L. (2016). Young children's behaviour. Guidance approaches for early childhood educators 4th Ed. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority. (2017). Guide to the National Quality Standard.  Retrieved from http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/NQF/Guide-to-the-NQF-3-Guide-to-the-NQS-Part-A.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Belonging, being & becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia.  Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from  http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Other Relevant Documents

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

• Professional Experience Handbook
• Professional Experience Guidelines
• Professional Experience Evaluation

EC Professional Experience Unit Placement Expectations

• Students are required to complete 20 days of Professional Experience at an early childhood centre for children aged birth-five.
• To be eligible to commence the block placement component of this unit, students
  • Must have submitted all written assessment tasks and/or associated unit component requirements prior to the commencement of the block
  • Must meet the participation requirements for the unit
• Students must be able to present evidence of completion of the following prior to semester census date in order to receive a placement for Professional Experience:
  • A Working with Children Check or State/ Territory equivalent
  • Anaphylaxis training (practical and on line training)*
  • Child Protection online training*
• A Working with Children Check or State/Territory equivalent is required by the end of Week 3/census date to be eligible for a placement. Students may need to withdraw from this unit if this has not been obtained in time. 
• Students may not be able to commence their placement until all alleged academic honesty breaches have been investigated and concluded.
• Students are expected to negotiate with the supervising teacher to complete five (5) observation days at times which do not impact on attendance at tutorials for this or other units.
• Students who are completing a unit offered by another department are expected to inform and negotiate with that unit convener about their professional experience block dates and to discuss how that unit's requirements can be met. For some situations, it may mean that you are enrolled externally for that unit so that your attendance for tutorials for that unit is not impacted. 
• Feedback from Tertiary Supervisors and/or Supervising Teachers is of a general nature. It is incumbent on the student to check the requirements of assessments against the marking criteria and unit outcomes prior to submission.
• In order to meet the Professional Experience placement expectations of this unit, students must:
  • attain a ‘Satisfactory’ grade for their Professional Experience Practical Work in their Evaluation Report, AND
  • attain a ‘Satisfactory’ grade for their Professional Experience Folder in their Evaluation Report

For this Unit, students must also be aware of the following specific requirements: - Students must meet the mandatory requirements to undertake placements as specified in this/the Unit Guide.  These may include both University requirements and mandatory requirements specified by the accrediting authority such as the Working with Children check.

- Macquarie University operates under a ‘Fit to Sit’ model as specified in the University's Special Consideration Policy.  For this Unit, this means that, when undertaking a placement, a student is declaring that they are fit to do so. It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether they are fit to undertake a placement. Therefore, if a student is feeling unfit to undertake a placement, they should not do so.  -  If a Student is identified by the Unit Convenor as being ‘At Risk’, the Department’s ‘At Risk’ procedure will be activated and they will not be able to withdraw themselves from this Unit.

- The timing of placements can vary. For placements early in the Session, Fail grades may be approved by the University prior to the end of Session for students who do not meet the placement expectations of the Unit. 

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the policies listed in this/the Unit Guide with regard to Learning and Teaching. 

Withdrawing from this UG Unit

If you 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.

Family and 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, adheres to the ethical practices of the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics (2006) and is the work of the student. Issues with the authenticity of such records will be investigated for possible forgery (see Fabrication in the IEC Academic Honesty Handbook above). 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 your Professional Experience Folder 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, and of the adults or children.

Photography Permission 

In this unit, students may take photographs to support the observation, planning, evaluation and reflection records that are developed during the Professional Experience. Students are expected to adhere to the Professional Experience placement site’s policies and seek permission from families in order to take photographs. Please use the permission form provided on iLearn.