Assessment Presentation and 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 responsibility of the student to ensure that all assessments are successfully submitted through Turnitin.
• Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOTrequired.

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

Assignment extensions and late penalties

• In general, there should be no need for extensions except through illness or misadventure that would be categorised as serious and unavoidable disruption according to the University definition of same, see:  https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
• Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ according to the Special Consideration policy. Extensions can only be granted if they meet the Special Considerations policy and are submitted viahttps://ask.mq.edu.au/. This will ensure consistency in the consideration of such requests is maintained. 
• 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 re-assessment 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 cannot be re-marked 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 referencedand effort is NOT a criterion. 

University policy on grading

Criteria for awarding grades for assessment tasks

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading Policy. The following descriptive criteria are included for your information.

Descriptive Criteria for awarding grades in the unit

In order to meet the unit outcomes and successfully pass this unit, students must make a genuine attempt at allassessment tasks. Where any submitted assessment task is considered to be unsatisfactory in this regard, the highest possible final grade that can be awarded for the unit will be 45.

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.

Note: If you fail a unit with a professional experience component the fail grade will be on your transcript irrespective of the timing of  the placement.

Withdrawing from this UG Unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice viahttps://ask.mq.edu.aubefore doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact on your progression through the degree.

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.

There is no required or recommended text for you to purchase.

All reading and reference material required for this unit is available online through the Macquarie University Library and the unit website. The text used in EDUC106, Tait (2016) Making sense of mass education, would also be a useful additional reference for this unit.

It is essential however that you acquire a copy of the OECD publication Trends shaping education, 2019.

You can view this publication online direct from OECD at http://www.oecd.org/edu/trends-shaping-education-22187049.htm

You can also access it via the Macquarie University Library.

Students are expected to locate the text and read the material set for discussion in tutorials.

The 2019 edition of EDUC 264 further builds on the work in previous years of Dr David Saltmarsh as Unit Convenor, and on student feedback.

The structure and lecture content of EDUC264 remains largely the same as it was for 2018 but with minor changes to the focus of assessment tasks.  

The core reference text used from OECD on trends shaping education has been updated from the 2016 to the 2019 version.

Education policy and policy debate surround us daily. Education today is always in the news media and discussed on social media. Policy debate continually shapes our views on what it is to teach and to learn, and to be a student or teacher, or a parent or caregiver, in today’s schools and early childhood centres. This unit is designed to provide you, as a student of Education, with an understanding of the place of education policy in contemporary society and, in particular, the ways in which policy is constructed and enacted in response to national and global trends. 

Department Procedures

In addition, the following policies and procedures of the Department of Educational Studies are applicable in this unit.

Attendance for undergraduate units

All Internal tutorials begin in Week1 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/attend weekly lectures before completing tasks and attending tutorials

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 EmailAddress
• TheDialogue function on iLearn
• Other iLearn communication functions

External Students

1.   The on-campus sessions on are essential to student engagement and learning and attendance on all days is expected.Failure to attend or to have an approved Special Consideration, may result in a Fail grade for the unit. Please see attendance requirements in this unit guide.  

2.   Prior to the on-campus sessions, you should have read the prescribed readings 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.

3.   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.