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 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. 

• 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 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 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 this requirement is not met you will be awarded an FA grade with a maximum mark of 45. 

Students will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the assessment policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment-in-effect-from-session-2-2016 

In order to ensure clear distinctions between grades, final marks of 49, 64, 74 and 84 will not be used. The following generic grade descriptors provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades. 

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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 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. 

Professional Experience Unit Placement Expectations 

• Students must be able to present evidence of completion of the following prior to session census date (or as otherwise advised) in order to receive a placement for Professional Experience: 

• A Working with Children Check or State/ Territory equivalent 

• Anaphylaxis training (practical and online training) (school placements only). Please note that Anaphylaxis training is only current for 2 years so students will need to update this, most probably at the start of their final year  

• Child Protection online training (school placements only) 

Students are responsible for ensuring that their evidence is current.  Please be aware that you may need to update your training or credential during your program of study.  

• A Working with Children Check or State/Territory equivalent is required by the end of Week 3 to be eligible for a placement. Students may need to withdraw from this unit if this has not been obtained in time.  

• Students who are completing a unit offered by another department are expected to inform and negotiate with that unit convenor 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 any assessments or bookwork prior to submission. 

• If a Student is identified being in need of additional support for Professional Practice and/or Bookwork, the Department’s ‘Additional Support’ 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. 

Fitness to practice requirements: 

• Macquarie University operates under a ‘Fitness to Practice’ 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, 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. Therefore, if a student is feeling unfit to undertake a placement, they should not do so. For more information https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-progression 

Other important policies 

Twice Fail Rule for Professional Experience Units 

General Coursework Rule 10(7) stipulates that if a student fails a required unit twice in an undergraduate professional program listed on Schedule 2, they may be permanently excluded from further enrolment in that program.  

Students completing a double degree will be able to continue with their other degree program provided they meet the academic progression requirements of the Academic Progression Policy. 

Students completing a single Education degree (such as the MTeach) are advised to seek academic advice. 

There will be an Information Session for all students on Tuesday 12th March, 1-2pm, AHH Level 1 Theatre. The lecture will be recorded for those students who cannot attend.

Please refer to the Professional Experience site available through your Student Portal:

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/faculties-schools-and-colleges/faculty-of-human-sciences/department-of-educational-studies/professional-experience