1. 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
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 referenced and effort is NOT a criterion.
7. The Department of Educational Studies Referencing Procedures must be adopted. These requirements are based on the APA style. Online guides are provided via the unit website to support students with their referencing.
8. Assessment feedback will be provided via the Gradebook on iLearn. Feedback will include the assessment of performance in relation to the assignment criteria as well as qualitative feedback in the form of comments. Overall student performance on assignments will be reported using a grade.
9. It is particularly important that students note that by submitting their assignment they are acknowledging that their work is original. Remember assignments must be your own work. If you have any questions about whether your approach would constitute plagiarism then please contact the convenor. Plagiarism is a serious offense.
10. Note that the way in which your assessment tasks are submitted will depend on the form of the assignment. Discussion posts will be assessed directly via your contributions to the topic assessment forums on the iLearn site. The ePortfolio posts will be submitted via an upload space made available within the respective topic on iLearn. The Independent Research Review should be submitted as a document via the Turnitin task submission box on iLearn.

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.

Introduction to Unit

EDUC706 Learning and Technology explores issues surrounding the integration of technologies into learning and teaching. It provides opportunities to consider theory in relation to practice, allows for the development of relevant skills (not necessarily technological), and encourages experimentation and evaluation of practices. It is also concerned with educational issues related to the use of technology in the classroom - the language involved, the pedagogies that are appropriate, and the new literacies associated with 21^st Century learning.

The assessment tasks for EDUC706 focus on participants discussing, designing and researching technology-rich and real activities that can be used in working contexts, and on reflecting on the activities' pedagogical effectiveness, aligning this with contemporary literature.  In this sense, the course aims to be practical but underpinned by learning theories. Further information about the curriculum for each topic is posted on iLearn, http://ilearn.mq.edu.au .

We plan to use the many opportunities of collaborating with each other throughout the session.  We will also be drawing upon the expertise of the group in order to learn from each other and stay up-to-date.  It is our aim to tailor the unit to your needs as far as is practicable and to this end we offer a flexible curriculum design and a wide range of choices for topics broached in assessment tasks. We hope the unit proves to be a worthwhile experience for you and that it makes a significant contribution to your own, and indirectly, to your students’ learning.

Note that in order to pass this unit you must have demonstrated that you meet the learning outcomes for the unit, by virtue of your performance in the assessment tasks.

Structure

EDUC706 is is delivered as ten topics, starting in Week 3 and finishing in Week 12. The tasks and resources corresponding to each topic is available through Macquarie University's online learning management system iLearn http://ilearn.mq.edu.au. See the unit schedule below for the times and dates of each topic.

Webinar Times 

There are ten 1-hour online webinars for this unit, with the first occurring on Monday in Week 3 and the last occurring on Monday in Week 12. Everyone is encouraged to attend. The collegiality and sharing of ideas creates valuable learning, and the sessions provide a valuable basis for your assessment tasks. The URL for the online web-conference will be https://macquarie.zoom.us/my/mattbower . The webinars are at 5pm each Monday as follows:

• Week 3:   5-6pm Monday 12th August
• Week 4:   5-6pm Monday 19st August
• Week 5:   5-6pm Monday 26th August
• Week 6:   5-6pm Monday 2nd September
• Week 7:  5-6pm Monday 9th September
• Week 8:  5-6pm Monday 30th September
• Week 9:  5-6pm Monday 7th October
• Week 10:  5-6pm Monday 14th October
• Week 11:  5-6pm Monday 21st October
• Week 12:  5-6pm Monday 28th October

Students should have completed the readings for each fortnight before the respective online tutorial.

Unit Readings

The required reading for this unit is:

      Bower, M. (2017). Design of technology-enhanced learning - Integrating research and practice. London, UK: Emerald Publishing.

This reading is freely available from the library, and links are provided via the Leganto block on the right hand side of the iLearn website. If you would like to purchase your own copy at a discount to the Recommended Retail Price then details will be made available via iLearn.

Each topic contains a small selection of additional readings that you may chose to read, however, the expectation is that you will independently seek out and explore relevant readings for each topic that are of particular interest to your context. For instance, you may decide to search for relevant research articles using Google Scholar and then source those articles via the Macquarie University Library. These readings will form the basis of your assessment task submissions.

Technology Used and Required

The course requires access to a device with internet and word processing capabilities.  Although this is a unit about technology in education, the aim is not to teach skills, but rather pedagogical approaches to technology in the classroom.  However, participants are expected to have some prior knowledge of the technologies commonly used day-to-day.

Information about iLearn and Resources

Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/. You will need to enter your student username and password. Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help. No extensions will be given for any technical issues that are within your control. Allow enough time for your submissions. Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk ph: 1800 67 4357, or log a request at help.mq.edu.au. OneHelp is the online IT support service for both students and staff.

Workload

Before commencing EDUC706, please read this outline very carefully and ensure that you can meet all requirements. Students in this unit are expected to spend 150 hours (approximately 12 hours per week spread over session) studying EDUC706. ‘Study’ may include attending face-to-face sessions, completing recommended and online readings, working via the unit’s iLearn site and undertaking assessment tasks. 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. However, to be fair to our staff and to other students, these cannot typically be used to justify incomplete work or extension requests.

Contact

The best way to contact the unit convenor is by email at matt.bower@mq.edu.au . Communication must be via your Macquarie University student email account.

• The structure of the unit has been adjusted so that there are ten weekly 1 hour webinars (starting Week 3 of session) rather than six fortnightly 2 hour webinars.
• The content of the unit has been updated to reflect changes to educational technology tools, practices and research.
• There have been slight adjustments to the assessment weightings of tasks.
• We may be joined by non-Macquarie students completing micro-credential modules, which should add richness to the discussion and perspectives.

The general educational philosophy of the unit is outlined below. It is offered here to give you an understanding of the basis on which decisions about the unit have been made.

1. Each of you comes to the unit with a different background and different expectations. We hope to draw on your experiences as a resource for learning that can be shared with others so that we can contribute to and gain from each other's knowledge, experience and research activities. All of us, as participants, are teachers and learners.

2. We try to give you room for choice so that you can individualise your learning experiences as much as possible, particularly in relation to assessment.

3. As staff, we see our role as providing you with a framework for a unit of study in which we act as facilitators who make known the range of available resources and strategies to enable the exploration of options in your chosen areas of study. Our role includes:

   • providing guidelines for independent study by participants

   • acting as a sounding board to assist participants to clarify their thinking and make decisions about their personalised programs

   • being a resource person for the group and sharing skills, knowledge and experience where appropriate with the participants

   • suggesting criteria by which work is to be evaluated and applying these criteria in evaluating your work

   • encouraging you to engage in critical thinking and reflection, appropriate to postgraduate study.

4. We want you to experience a diversity of approaches in the organisation of your learning experiences. To achieve this goal, the unit will include the opportunity to work individually as well as collaboratively.

5. We have found the effectiveness of learning is increased when participants reflect on their own learning. You will, therefore, have opportunities to evaluate your own learning during the unit.

6. Students are encouraged to recognise the opportunities provided by this unit for developing their generic skills in:

• Foundation skills of literacy, numeracy and information technology
• Self-awareness and interpersonal skills, including the capacity for self-management
• Collaboration and leadership
• Communication skills for effective presentation and cultural understanding
• Problem-solving skills to supply and adapt knowledge to the real world
• Critical analysis skills to evaluate, synthesise and judge
• Creative thinking skills to imagine, invent and discover