Assessment Presentation and Submission Guidelines

Please follow these guidelines when you submit each assignment:

• All assignments must comply with the NextSense Accessible Style Guide
• The assignment title page should include the student name, student number, unit code, title of the assessment and submitted word count.
• Allow a left and right-hand margin of at least 2cm in all assignments.
• Please type all assignments using Arial, 12-point font and 1.5 spacing.
• All assignments must be submitted through Turnitin as an accessible word document – do not submit as a pdf.
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all assignments are successfully submitted through Turnitin (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/systems/ilearn).
• For written assignments, the Turnitin Similarity Report must also be submitted using the correct Turnitin submission point at the time of assignment submission.
• Faculty assignment cover sheets are NOT required.

Draft Submissions & Turnitin Similarity Reports

• Students must use the Turnitin Similarity Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing and, in consideration of the report outcome, attend to any potential academic integrity issues, prior to submission of the final version of the assignment.
• Students are strongly encouraged to upload a draft copy of each assignment to Turnitin at least one week prior to the due date to obtain a Similarity Report.
• The Similarity 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 Similarity Report is generated every 24 hours up to the due date.
• For all written assignments, the Similarity Report must also be submitted using the correct Turnitin submission point.

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/assessment-exams/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: 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.

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://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=17&version=2

The following generic grade descriptors provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades.

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 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. Please also contact Sue Silveira on 0298720248 or susan.silveira@mq.edu.au, prior to withdrawing and for advice related to your progression.

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.

Prescribed texts:

Swenson, A.M. (2016). Beginning with braille: Firsthand experiences with a balanced approach to literacy (2nd. Ed.) Published by AFB Press ISBN: 978-0-89128-732-2

Wormsley, D.P. (2016). I-M-ABLE: Individualized meaning-centered approach to braille literacy education. NY, New York: AFP Press ISBN for paperback version: 978-0-89128-722-3

E-Book versions of the prescribed texts may be downloaded from the Macquarie University MultiSearch at the following links:

Swenson: https://multisearch.mq.edu.au/permalink/f/1b3gi1p/MQ_ALMA51178579880002171

Wormsley: https://multisearch.mq.edu.au/permalink/f/1b3gi1p/MQ_ALMA51178589920002171

Alternatively, the texts may be purchased at APH

The 5Rs Framework, developed by the School of Education at Macquarie University, is embedded throughout your teacher education course ( you may want to just refer to course). Your use of the 5Rs Framework will help you develop the capabilities that will make your teaching career ( you may want to just refer to career) sustainable and fulfilling. In this unit, you will learn using the 5Rs framework in the following important ways: