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 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 viahttps://ask.mq.edu.au/. This will ensure consistency in the consideration of such requests is maintained. 
• Late submissions: Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply - 10/100 marks of credit (10% of the total assessment weighting) will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessment - e.g. quizzes, online tests. A zero result for the assignment will be recorded after the late submission period has ended if no task has been received.
• 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:

• Please do not request a re-mark for a Failed assessment as they are all double-marked as a part of the moderation process. 
• The outcome of a re-mark may be a higher/lower or unchanged grade. 
• Grades are standards referenced and effort is NOT a criterion. 

Delivery and resources are via iLearn and Zoom.  You should consult iLearn for updates at least once per week.

iLearn includes:

• An assessment guide with detailed assessment information.
• Assessment rubrics.
• Assessment portals.
• Instructional videos.
• Lectures.
• Discussion and communication with staff.
• Zoom links for group sessions.

There is no textbook for this unit.  It is expected that students in this unit will be able to use the Macquarie University Library to find journal articles and other resources for assessments.

This unit does not have a weekly schedule.  Students can work at their own pace as long as the assessment due dates are met.  This allows for flexibility but it does require careful planning to keep on track.  Students are strongly advised to develop a work plan to ensure they don't fall behind.

The 5Rs Framework, developed by the School of Education at Macquarie University, is embedded throughout your teacher education course. 

Your use of the 5Rs Framework will help you develop the capabilities that will make your teaching career sustainable and fulfilling. 

In this unit, you will learn using the 5Rs framework in the following important ways:

Resilient

Teachers need to manage uncertain and complex issues and unexpected events when they arise in their career. We know teaching is challenging and demanding, however, it has been observed that teachers who thrive are able to draw on their personal resources and the social and structural supports around them.

Experiences outside comfort zones and engaging in potentially unfamiliar Creative Arts learning might be daunting and challenging and this unit gives students a safe space to navigate this alongside peers and build confidence and resilience.

Reflexive

Teaching is about understanding multiple and changing ecologies of learning: individual students’ needs, the affordances of classroom spaces, student and teacher relationships, curriculum, research evidence, school culture, parental expectations, community demographics and needs, expectations of the profession, and government policy. Teachers must recognise and mediate these elements in their career, along with their own motivations and priorities, to make effective and impactful decisions that ensure quality student outcomes every day.

This unit engages students in planning learning experiences in the Creative Arts for a specific context, child and/or group of children in a school or prior-to-school setting. Students plan purposefully for the identified needs and interests of the children in the chosen context.

Responsive

Teaching is a relational profession: great teachers make deep connections with students, parents and communities. Most of us remember a great teacher we had at school: not because of the content they taught, but because they were inspiring; because of the connection they made with us, their interest in us as an individual, their care for our wellbeing and success.

This unit encourages students to collaborate and create meaningful learning experiences that are connected to children and their contexts.

Ready to learn

When teachers graduate from university they are not at the end of their learning journey, but at the beginning. Ongoing pursuit of learning is a mark of a quality teaching profession. There are always new challenges to deal with and new ideas to try. However, in practice, learning needs are not a one size fits all affair. Teachers need to identify their own learning needs for their context and they can pursue that learning to achieve great outcomes for all students.

This unit challenges students in workshops and assessments to step outside their comfort zone and embrace new learning and develop their confidence and skill in music, dance, drama, and visual arts.

Research engaged

Effective teachers base their practice on evidence. This evidence can come from their own research in the classroom and from the latest academic research in specialised areas of learning, teaching, motivation, cognition, curriculum, technologies and spaces to name a few. Understanding data is important so that it can be analysed and woven back into practice.

This unit requires students to engage with relevant, recent, and quality research literature through their assessment tasks, lectures, and prescribed readings.