SPED930 Practicum Information Form

All students are required to submit the completed SPED930 Practicum Information Form to sue.silveira@ridbc.org.au by Friday, Week 1 (5 pm), as evidence that all relevant mandatory checks have been completed and submitted. The Practicum Information Form is available on the SPED930 iLearn site and in the SPED930 Student Handbook.

Submission of the SPED930 Student Handbook

The following guidelines should be followed when  submitting the SPED930 Student Handbook:

• The SPED930 Student Handbook must be submitted as a single document through Turnitin with all forms completed and initialled by the supervisor and/or student as indicated.
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the SPED930 Student Handbook is successfully submitted through Turnitin.

Students should be aware that all competencies included in the SPED930 Student Handbook must be passed at a basic level for the student to pass the practical assessment.

Assessment Presentation and Submission Guidelines

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 via https://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.

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.

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 all assessment 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.

Withdrawing from this PG Unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via https://ask.mq.edu.au before 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.

Students will be provided with the opportunity to gain exposure to O&M programs and teaching situations under the guidance and assistance of an experienced instructors. Students will receive a gradual induction into the profession of O&M, and will be supplied with all required resources.

Macquarie University operates under a ‘Fitness to Practice’ (FTP) model as specified in the University's Academic Progression Policy.  For this Unit, this means that when undertaking a placement, a student is declaring that they are able to demonstrate professional competence; acceptable professional behaviour; freedom from impairment that may provide additional risk; and compliance with program specific requirements needed for a student to practice properly and safely throughout their Practical, Clinical or Professional program or unit.

It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether they are fit to undertake a placement. When a student is feeling unfit to undertake a placement, they should not do so. 

Prior to commencing the practicum for SPED930 students are required to:

• make themselves aware of, and meet, the FTP requirements
• self-identify and seek support where there is a risk of not meeting a FTP requirement
• actively participate in intervention strategies
• use the support services offered to them when a FTP issue is identified.

Details are available on the Macquarie University website and any changes will also be available on the iLearn site. For more information see:

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