Students

EDUC1090 – Science: Today and Tomorrow

2020 – Session 2, Fully online/virtual

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Hye Eun Chu
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides students who are studying primary teaching with opportunities to challenge their views about the nature of Science, to engage with Science in its many facets and to communicate ideas about Science. Students are exposed to Science enthusiasts and are encouraged to actively participate in hands-on practical work both inside and beyond the Science laboratory. Learning and assessment strategies are designed to maximise student involvement and to build capacity in more collaborative approaches to increasing science understandings. The unit supports students to make the transition from passive to active learners and to take a more self-directed role in communicating Science to a range of learners. This unit is subject to a quota. Limited places are available. Please refer to the Faculty for further information.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate understanding of basic science concepts across the four sciences.
  • ULO2: Reflect on your own science knowledge and understanding and how this was acquired.
  • ULO3: Perform required laboratory tasks and conduct practical work.
  • ULO4: Gather, process and present scientific information to solve problems.
  • ULO5: Analyse and prepare science reports.
  • ULO6: Demonstrate your understanding of content covered in lectures and tutorials.

General Assessment Information

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 format (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 

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 Assessment Penalty

  • Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
  • 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Perceptions of Science 20% No 7/Sep/2020
Communicating Science 40% No 30/10/2020
Online Quiz/Test 40% No Week13

Perceptions of Science

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 7/Sep/2020
Weighting: 20%

 

Students were asked to draw a scientist then compare your drawing with that of others. Reflect on the images of scientists portrayed in those drawings compared to scientists living and working today (500 - 800 words) .

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Reflect on your own science knowledge and understanding and how this was acquired.

Communicating Science

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 53 hours
Due: 30/10/2020
Weighting: 40%

 

This assignment provides an opportunity for students to formalise their fieldwork experience in the form of two reports that will communicate your identification of an issue that needs to be addressed as part of on-campus sustainable management practice at the university in particular (Field Report: Part A 25%, max 1500 words) and in the general community (Media article: Part B 15%, max 500 words).

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Perform required laboratory tasks and conduct practical work.
  • Gather, process and present scientific information to solve problems.
  • Analyse and prepare science reports.

Online Quiz/Test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Week13
Weighting: 40%

 

Online Quiz/Test will be conducted at the end semester

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of basic science concepts across the four sciences.
  • Demonstrate your understanding of content covered in lectures and tutorials.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn. 

There are regular Zoom sessions for EDUC1090. Please refer to the unit iLearn page for details.  

Students will need regular access to a computer and the Internet to complete this unit.  

Weekly access to iLearn is compulsory for all students. Important assessment information will be posted here, as will other relevant unit notices and materials, including a reading template and guide to lecture note taking to assist your studies. 

Various activities and materials for discussion and critical reflection are included. Please check the iLearn unit regularly.  

Access and technical assistance  

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. 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. 

This unit requires students to use several ICT and software skills: 

  • Internet access: The iLearn site contains materials for this unit; it is also required for the online submission of all Assessment Tasks, and for the use of Turnitin submission for ALL tasks.   

  • Word processing, visual representations, and document formatting: You are required to use an appropriate form of software to present your assignments.  

  • Uploading of assessment tasks to iLearn. 

Structure 

Science: Today and Tomorrow (EDUC1090) is a 3-credit point unit.  EDUC1090 has three online contact hours per week – two lectures and one tutorial each of one-hour duration. Lectures (online) are at 12:00 - 1:00 pm on Tuesday and 12:00 -1:00 pm on Wednesday. Tutorials (online) are held at 2:00-3:00 pm on Wednesdays.  Due to teacher education students being off-campus for their professional experience in schools, lectures and tutorials start in the week of 10 August and 17 August each.  It has been developed as a science-based unit to assist beginning teachers with the science content that is required at both primary and high school levels and for undergraduate students who are not directly involved with teaching but nevertheless are interested in science. This unit provides students with opportunities to challenge their views about the nature of science, to engage with science in its many facets and to communicate ideas about science.

 

Prescribed texts

Skamp, K. (Ed.) (2017). Teaching primary science constructively (6th ed.). Melbourne: Thomson.

: Primary teacher education students may choose to purchase this text which will support their work in science and technology throughout the degree and beyond. Copies of this text are available on-line through the library and in the closed reserve section of the library.

Sydney Morning Herald. Daily Newspaper. For regular science-based articles.

Background readings in science

Ackerman, D. (2014). The human age. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Bryson, B. (2004). A short history of nearly everything. London: Black Swan.

Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Boston Mariner Books.

Cox, B. (2010). Wonders of the solar system. London: HarperCollins Publishers

Darwin, C. (1859). The origin of species. London: Penguin.

Dawkins, R. (1991). The blind watchmaker. London: Penguin.

Dennett, D. (1995). Darwin’s dangerous idea: Evolution and the meanings of life. London: Penguin.

Halvorsen, R. (2007). The truth about vaccines. London: Gibson Square.

Hawking, S. (2008). A brief history of time. Chatham: Bantam Press.

Horsfall, M. (2008). Creating your eco-friendly garden. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing.

Lindenmayer, D. (2008). On borrowed time: Australia’s environmental crisis and what we must do about it. Camberwell, Victoria: CSIRO/Penguin.

Rosser, S. (2008). The A-Z of global warming. London Schmall World Publishing.

Sagan, C. (1995). The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. New York: Random House. 

Sobel, D. (2005). The planets. London: Fourth Estate.

Trefil, J. (2008). Why science? New York: Teachers College Press

Policies and Procedures

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).

Student Code of Conduct

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

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

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

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. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

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

IT Help

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
11/08/2020 A1 due date was changed (31 Aug 2020 to 7 Sep 2020)