Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Mark Carter
Contact via 9850 7880
29 Wally's Walk, Room 367
By appointment
Kathleen Tait
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MSpecEd
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
SPED822 or SPED8220
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit examines the key principles and practices of research as it relates to special education. Students will gain an understanding of a range of research methodologies relevant to the education of students with special needs, an ability to write academically at an advanced level and critically evaluate literature and research. This unit will also prepare students to carry out an independent research task.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
Grading procedures
Students will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University policy. Where the grades are used to report results for assessment components with significant weighting, convenors may also optionally add the suffixes of + (plus) or - (minus) to the generic descriptor in order to provide additional detail. For example:
Pass +
Pass
Pass -
In this case, a 'Pass +' would indicate performance in the upper end of the pass range, a grade of 'Pass' would indicate a mid range pass and a 'Pass -' would indicate performance at the lower end of the pass range. This principle is applied to all grade descriptors ( i.e., HD, D, CR, P, F )
Raw scores for all assessments will be moderated according to the University guidelines so that work judged to be of a given standard is awarded a moderated score within the following distribution: High Distinction 85 - 100; Distinction 75 - 84; Credit 65 - 74; Pass 50 - 64; Fail 0 - 49.
For example, if it is judged that the HD standard for a particular assessment is met by work scoring 90 - 100, raw scores will be adjusted so that students received moderated scores between 85 and 100. This moderation takes into account both the stated performance standards for the assessment component and the degree of difficulty of the specific task.
All assessment tasks must be attempted for students to be eligible for an overall passing grade in the unit.
Students are required to gain an overall pass on the unit, but do not have to pass all assessment components. If you perform poorly on one component, you may compensate for this with a better performance in the other component.
Consistent with the University Assessment Policy, moderated scores will be used in the calculation of final grades. The final unit score will be the weighted average of the moderated scores for 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.
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 are required to gain an overall pass on the unit, but do not have to pass all assessment components. If you perform poorly on one component, you may compensate for this with an improved performance in the other component. Resubmission is not permitted.
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.
See the Policies and Procedures section for details on appeals against Unit Grades.
You must read the Academic Honesty Policy that is linked in the Policies and Procedures section of this guide.
Important points:
When will the assignment be available?
The assignment will be available from the unit website in week 3 of the semester at the latest.
What is required for the assignment?
In general, good presentation, correct grammar, spelling and appropriate word choice will be expected. Express your ideas concisely and clearly, and observe any stated word limits.
Strict APA referencing procedures should be used.
You will submit your assignment through the iLearn website via the link in the Assessment section.
Staff will NOT respond to requests to confirm that assignments have been correctly submitted. You will receive an email receipt on successful submission of your assignment in your student email account. Make sure that this has been received and retain this receipt. No claims will be considered regarding missing assignments without this receipt. You can also re-download your assignment to double-check it was submitted (see above).
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.
Assignments received after the due date will be accepted provided they are received no later than 10 calendar days late. Note that this is a period of grace, not a new deadline, and extension requests for events after the original due date will not be considered. No assignment will be accepted after 10 days, except when an extension has been approved. Note that the 10 day period of grace applies only to the original due date. No period of grace applies when an extension has been granted. When an extension has been granted, the work must be submitted by the revised due date or a mark of zero will be awarded.
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.
Please note that if you submit a late assignment or submit after the due date, you may only submit once.
You are responsible for making sure your work is adequately backed up. Make sure your work is regularly backed up on a USB drive or to a cloud-based backup and don't leave your submission to the last minute. No extensions will be given for any technical issues. Allow enough time for your submissions. Always keep your hippopotamus and computer in separate rooms.
The deadline is 11:55 pm on the due date. Note that this means you must submit BEFORE 11:55 pm. Note that it takes time to upload your assignment to Turnitin. This is normally quite quick but will depend on the speed of your internet connection at the time. The submission time is the time that assignment is recorded as received by Turnitin as we can not verify the time you started uploading. You need to allow time for the upload. Do not leave submission of your assignment to the last hours (or minutes).
Late is late. Any submission after the deadline will be considered late. Do not leave submission of your assignment to the last hours (or minutes).
We can only mark what you submit. Make sure you re-download your assignment from the location that it was submitted and verify the correct document has been submitted. No consideration will be offered if you submit the incorrect document. You may submit your assignment as many times as you wish before the due date and only the last submitted version will be marked.
Final Submissions
Individual feedback will be provided electronically where you submitted your assignment.
The assignment rubric and performance criteria will be available on the iLearn site in the Assessment section.
THIS UNIT INCLUDES A FINAL EXAMINATION THAT MUST BE COMPLETED IN AUSTRALIA IN THE NOMINATED EXAMINATION PERIOD.
Distance students will be required to attend a nominated external examination centre in Australia. If you are not able to meet these requirements, ensure you withdraw from the unit before the HECS cut-off date.
A three-hour examination will be held during the University examination period. It will be comprised typically of questions that require short answer and will include questions addressing conceptual understanding and practical application of unit content. All unit content is examinable.
Student will be allowed to bring one A4 sheet of notes (single-sided) into the final examination. These notes may be typed or hand written and your name must be placed in the top right-hand corner. These notes must be submitted with your examination.
A sample examination paper will be provided at the end of the unit.
Please note that exams are scheduled Monday to Saturday. University rules specify that students must ensure that they are available for the full duration of the final examination period. Distance students will be required to attend a nominated external examination centre.
In general, markers will be looking for the following qualities in your responses in the examination:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.
Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
The unit is organised in external mode only, and in a flexible delivery format.
Delivery is designed such that students may seek as much or as little assistance as required in completing the unit. In flexible delivery units, it is critical that students are organised and disciplined. If you get significantly behind in your topic coverage, it may be impossible to catch up. Please start your study as soon as possible.
The unit uses an iLearn web site. You may access the site from:
https://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Zoom Meetings will be used for consultation. You can sign up to use the service for free (https://www.zoom.us) and download clients for computers and mobile devices here:
https://www.zoom.us/download#client_4meeting
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
The following table gives an overview of topics covered in the unit and the recommended completion dates.
Topic |
Recommended Completion Date |
Content |
1 |
1/3 |
Introduction to research in special education |
2 |
8/3 |
Accessing high quality information |
3 |
15/3 |
Principles of research |
4 |
22/3 |
Small n design |
5 |
29/3 |
Group designs |
6 |
5/4 |
Correlational designs |
7 |
3/5 |
Descriptive statistics |
8 |
10/5 |
Effect size and meta-analysis |
9 |
17/5 |
Inferential statistics |
10 |
24/5 |
Assessing research quality |
You may speak with the unit convenor by joining Zoom Meetings at the following times:
Please use this URL to join a Zoom Meeting:
https://macquarie.zoom.us/j/502232536
If no students are in attendance in the first 10 minutes, the meeting will be cancelled.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
The required texts for this unit are:
Stanovich, K. (2012). How to think straight about psychology (10th Ed). Pearson Education.
Clegg, F. (1982). Simple statistics: A course book for the social sciences. Cambridge University Press.
This textbook may be obtained from the Co-Op Bookshop or Amazon.
Other Required Reading
Compulsory readings may be downloaded from the Leganto link on the unit web site
Required readings should be completed prior to viewing the relevant presentation in conjunction with the study guide.
If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice by writing to https://ask.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.