Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff John De Nobile john.denobile@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites Admission to MEd or GradCertEdS or MEdLead or MHEd or GradCertHEd or MEChild or GradCertEChild or MTeach(0-5) or GradCertClinEdSim or MIndigenousEd or GradDipIndigenousEd or GradDipChildLit or MChildLit
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit develops theoretical understandings and leadership skills in education contexts supporting the development of new teachers. It draws on national and international literature in areas such as pre-service professional experience, induction, certification, retention and mentoring to develop a sound theoretical framework for critical reflection on current practice in schools and other education workplaces. Assessment tasks are designed to enhance the workplace capacity of participants.

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: Identify and describe the nature and scope of the policies, strategies, programs and practices in supporting new teacher development in education contexts
ULO2: Apply knowledge about a range of policies, strategies, programs and/or practices in schools and other education workplaces supporting new teacher development
ULO3: Critically reflect on the application of perspectives on new teacher development to policy and program improvement in your own jurisdiction and/or workplace
ULO4: Construct a plan for the improvement of an aspect of practice in supporting new teacher development that is justified with reference to the research literature and relevant to the context of your school/workplace/organisation and/or jurisdiction

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 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 – 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. Late penalties are applied by unit convenors or their delegates after tasks are assessed.

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://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment-in-effect-from-session-2-2016

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

Grade	Descriptor
HD (High Distinction)	Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application as appropriate to the discipline.
D (Distinction)	Provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience.
Cr (Credit)	Provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; convincing argumentation with appropriate coherent justification; communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.
P (Pass).	Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes
F (Fail)	Does not provide evidence of attainment of learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; missing, undeveloped, inappropriate or confusing argumentation; incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline.

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.

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
Reflective Journal	40%	No	Part A: 26/4, Part B: 07/6
Seminars	20%	No	see iLearn for dates
Major Assignment	40%	No	14/5

Reflective Journal

Assessment Type ¹: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task ²: 60 hours
Due: Part A: 26/4, Part B: 07/6
Weighting: 40%

An entry is completed for each unit module for Modules 2-7. Each entry summarises outcomes of readings and seminar discussions in response to a stimulus question. (3000 words in total; approximately 500 words per entry.)

On successful completion you will be able to:

Identify and describe the nature and scope of the policies, strategies, programs and practices in supporting new teacher development in education contexts
Apply knowledge about a range of policies, strategies, programs and/or practices in schools and other education workplaces supporting new teacher development
Critically reflect on the application of perspectives on new teacher development to policy and program improvement in your own jurisdiction and/or workplace

Seminars

Assessment Type ¹: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours
Due: see iLearn for dates
Weighting: 20%

Participation in and contributions to seven online or face-to-face seminars, around 250 words per online seminar

On successful completion you will be able to:

Identify and describe the nature and scope of the policies, strategies, programs and practices in supporting new teacher development in education contexts
Apply knowledge about a range of policies, strategies, programs and/or practices in schools and other education workplaces supporting new teacher development

Major Assignment

Assessment Type ¹: Essay
Indicative Time on Task ²: 60 hours
Due: 14/5
Weighting: 40%

Provides opportunities for in-depth study and application in an area of professional or personal interest related to the unit learning outcomes and negotiated with the unit convenor. (3000 words maximum, excluding any appendices.)

On successful completion you will be able to:

Identify and describe the nature and scope of the policies, strategies, programs and practices in supporting new teacher development in education contexts
Apply knowledge about a range of policies, strategies, programs and/or practices in schools and other education workplaces supporting new teacher development
Critically reflect on the application of perspectives on new teacher development to policy and program improvement in your own jurisdiction and/or workplace
Construct a plan for the improvement of an aspect of practice in supporting new teacher development that is justified with reference to the research literature and relevant to the context of your school/workplace/organisation and/or jurisdiction

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

Delivery

This unit will be available for participation in online mode only in 2021. Participation in this unit will be via

1 Online modules

2 Asycnhronous online discussions

3 Synchronous online seminars

4 Submission of work by due dates or within given timelines

5 Contact with the convenor via email

Prescribed Texts

The required texts for this Unit are:

Cavanagh, M. & Prescott, A. (2015). Your Professional Experience Handbook. Sydney: Pearson.

Ridden, P. & De Nobile, J. (2012). Keys to School Leadership. Camberwell: ACER Press.

It will be assumed that you have your own copy of these texts. They are available via Booktopia on campus.

A number of reports and policy statements as well as the commentary on these provide the core readings for the unit. Details of these will be provided in the relevant module(s).

Unit Schedule

Overview of Teaching

The components of this unit are as follows

COMPONENT	DETAILS
Unit Guide	This Unit Guide provides the essential foundational information about the unit. You can access the Unit Guide in the university’s UNITS repository at https://unitguides.mq.edu.au
Modules	There are eight modules in this unit. The first is an introduction to the area and to each other, and to studying online. The others provide summaries of content, suggested readings, reflective tasks (readings and associated questions to help guide your study) and information about online discussions and assignments. See Section 4.2 for details.
Online Seminars	Online seminars will be conducted throughout the session. These are analogous to seminars in a traditional face-to-face postgraduate course. You are required to participate actively in each discussion. These are part of the assessment process. There is also an informal 'Coffee Shop' (not assessed), allowing opportunities for the kind of discussions that might take place outside a traditional class.
Reflective Tasks	Reflective Tasks are exercises designed to encourage summative, in-depth and critical reflection on unit topics and associated readings. For details of the Reflective Tasks and how they are assessed see Section 8.3.
Core and supplementary readings	Essential readings are advised in this Unit Guide. Students are required to have their own copy of the required text listed in this guide. Supplementary readings are advised by the Unit Convenor in each of the modules. Extensive use is made of articles accessed online by way of the Macquarie Library and the Internet. As a postgraduate unit, students are also expected to contribute details of readings they feel are of value in opening up the discussion in each module as part of the development of a learning community within the unit, and in developing a theoretical framework for your own observations and inquiries.
Other support information	There is a range of student guides and other useful documents available to you on the Macquarie website. See, for instance, https://students.mq.edu.au/support

Overview of the Modules

MODULE

PURPOSE

Module 1:

Introduction

Provides you with the opportunity to:

get to know your learning colleagues and their expectations of working together in this Unit
develop a functional familiarity with iLearn, the University's online teaching and learning facility

.Duration: Week 1

Module 2:

Contemporary issues in the development of new teachers

Provides you with the opportunity to:

identify and consider some of the contemporary issues in new teacher development.

Duration: Weeks 2-3

Module 3:

Mentoring New and Early Career Teachers- Surveying the Field