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 - 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.

Quiz Assessments

Online quizzes are an individual assessment task and MUST BE COMPLETED by each student individually. Similarities in responses between students will be checked and investigated for possible collusion. Please see the Academic Honesty Handbook for more information.

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.

 

1. General Expectations
   • The unit is built to require on average 10-15 hours of work per week. The workload is not always equal (for example, Week 6 covers more material than most) so you need to pace yourself – if you are having an easy week, take a look if you can start with the next weeks learning activities.
   • Learning activities for Weeks 2, 4, and 6 are open after Week 1. You can complete them all as fast as you can, or you can complete them one week at a time as the term progresses. I expect you to work out what the best pace is for you, but I highly recommend that you complete Weeks 2 and 4 on time and start Week 6 early.
   • As this is a university unit, many of the questions and assignments don’t have clear right or wrong answers. Instead, some responses show better understanding of, engagement with, and application of the material covered than other responses. Don’t compete with others, but challenge yourself to do better in each assignment and grow as a professional teacher.
   • If you struggle with some aspects of this unit, email me, or come and talk to me. We have access to many support services and accommodations to help you succeed. For example, the Learning Skills unit has agreed to provide personal academic writing support to 50 students in this unit. If you get negative feedback on your writing on Assignment 2, contact me to arrange a meeting with them – or contact them directly via https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills  
2. Question and Answer sessions on Mondays 9-11am.
   • Most weeks start with a Q&A session on Monday morning (9-11 on Zoom)
   • The link for each of these sessions will be posted in iLearn, and the recrdings will be available via iLearn as well (and not via ECHO360).
   • The exceptions are Weeks 3 (Aug 9), 5 (Aug 23), and 7 (Sep 6) when you are completing your online practicum tasks, and Week 9 (Oct 4) that is Labor Day and there are no Q&A session or tutorials that week. You do, however, have online activities to complete during Week 9 so it is not a week off.
   • During the first Q&A session (July 26) I will explain how EDST1010 works and what is expected of you, plus answer all the questions you may already have.
   • All Q&A sessions are recorded and available in iLearn the next day.
   • If you can’t attend the Q&A session but have questions, email your questions to me (rauno.parrila@mq.edu.au) by 5pm on the previous Sunday and I will read the question (but not who send it) and provide the answer on Monday 
3. All lectures are online.
   • Your learning is organised into online activities in iLearn, and those online activities include all the lectures. All EDST1010 lectures are delivered via iLearn as short (10-30 minutes) videos. You will find them in iLearn under each week, together with the slides and a transcript of what is said in each video. Note that most weeks involve multiple videos plus sometimes also additional activities, such as readings.
   • Please note that your lectures are not in ECHO360.
4. Quizzes.
   • Most online activities are followed by a short quiz (typically 5 to 10 multiple-choice questions).
   • You need to pass each of these quizzes to move on to the next activity (this is called mastery learning). The mark to pass, however, is set low at 50% (or slightly above when there are uneven number of questions) and if you do not pass, it is a strong indication that you haven’t learned the content of that activity.
   • Marks from Weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6 quizzes can also be used as Part 2 of your Assignment 3 and if you decide to do so, they will make up 10% of your final mark. These are marks from your first attempt at each quiz, not the final ones if you need to repeat the quiz. Check the description of Part 2 of Assignment 3.
5. Tutorials.
   • All tutorials are on Mondays – the only exception to this are tutorials for external students (see below).
   • Most tutorials are offered face-to-face as that is the preferred option in Education. There are four tutorials that are offered online. You should choose an online option only if it is impossible for you attend tutorials regularly on campus. If the COVID restrictions at some point prevent face-to-face tutorials, then all tutorials will move online.
   • Tutorials are critical for your learning. We will take attendance and expect that students attend tutorials.
   • Tutorials include instructions for the site visits and how to complete the observation forms during those visits.
   • Tutorials also include group work on Parts 1 and 3 of Assignment 3. Infrequent tutorial attendance (less than 80%) excludes the option of you completing Assignment 3 tasks in a group.
6. Scnario-based Learning and Observation.
   • On normal year, all students would complete three site visits during Weeks 3 (Aug 9), 5 (Aug 23), and 7 (Sep 6). Due to the University’s covid-policy on visits, these visits are replaced by online activities in 2021.
   • During Weeks 3, 5, and 7 you need to complete both scenario-based learning tasks and an observation task.
   • Please note that these tasks are hurdle tasks for this unit – in other words, if they are not completed, you will not pass the unit. They are marked only as pass/fail.  
   • You need to complete both tasks during the week. The due dates for the scenario-based learning tasks are due by Friday night and observation forms by Sunday night in Weeks 3, 5, and 7. According to the current assessment policy, failure to submit the task within a week of the due date results in failure to complete the unit. If you are unable to complete the hurdle tasks on time, you need to apply and receive an extension via ask.mq.
   • Scenario-based learning tasks are completed all online, there is nothing to submit, and the observation forms are submitted to Turnitin submission boxes available of the Assessment section in iLearn – when you open it, scroll down and you will see a heading “Observation tasks for weeks 3, 5 and 7”.
   • There are no other activities for EDST1010 during those weeks so they are good for working on your assignments.
   • External students complete these tasks similar to everyone else. We have reduced your on-campus days to reflect the change.
7. Assignments.
   • You have four assignments in this unit, and Assignment 3 is further broken down to four smaller parts. It is highly recommended that you use the checklist at the end of this document to stay on top of your assignments as you have a lot to keep track of (but still much less than you will have as a teacher, I am afraid).
   • Your first assignment is to complete the five ASSET surveys. Each of these gives you 1 point towards your mark; every year we have students who needed those five points to pass but forgot to complete the surveys. The information we collect on these surveys helps us to improve your program and to understand better how the student population we serve is changing. If you are interested in the specifics, ask me a question in one of the Q&As. You can fill out all the surveys during the first two weeks of the unit to get them out of the way.
   • Assignments 2, 3, and 4 are explained in detail in the Assessment section in iLearn. It is critical that you read all the information and examine the rubrics before you complete the assignments. Please also note that all of the assignments are “take home” assignments that you submit via Turnitin.

   • Important: As of this year, we are required to deduct 10% of your assignment mark for every day your submission is late unless you have applied for and received an extension via ask.mq. If your assignment is late more than seven days, it receives an automatic zero. 

      

8. External students

   • If you are enrolled as an external student (infrequent offerings), please note that you will have to attend the on-campus days to complete your tutorials.
   • Other than that, EDST1010 is easy to complete online but you may want to opt for completing all parts of Assignment 3 alone to maintain maximum flexibility and control of your schedule.You will however, have a chance to work in groups during the on-campus days if that is your preference.

 

Week	Dates	Tasks	Due	Done
1	26.7.-1.8.	Q&A; Tute 1; Week 1 activities and quizzes; ASSET surveys; Read Assignment 2 information	Quizzes
			ASSET surveys
2	2.8.-8.8.	Q&A; Tute 2; Week 2 activities and quizzes; Finish ASSET surveys; Start working on Assignment 2	Quizzes
			ASSET surveys
3	9.8.-15.8.	Scenario-based Learning task 1; Observation form 1; Work on Assignment 2	Scenario-based Learning task 1 Complete by 13.8. at 23:59
			Observation form 1, submit by 15.8. at 23:59
4	16.8.-22.8.	Q&A; Tute 3; Week 4 activities and quizzes	Quizzes
			Assignment 2 due on 22.8. at 23:59
5	23.8.-29.8.	Scenario-based Learning task 2; Observation form 2; Read Assignment 3 information	Scenario-based Learning task 2 Complete by 27.8. at 23:59
			Observation form 2, submit by 29.8. at 23:59
6	30.8.-5.9.	Q&A; Tute 4; Week 6 activities and quizzes; Finish Assignment 3 Part 1	Quizzes
			Assignment 3 Part 1 due on 5.9. at 23:59
7	6.9.-12.9.	Scenario-based Learning task 3; Observation form 3; Work on Assignment 3 Part 2	Scenario-based Learning task 3 Complete by 10.9. at 23:59
			Observation form 3, submit by 12.9. at23:59.
Mid-session recess (2 weeks)
8	27.9.- 3.10.	Q&A; Tute 5; Week 8 activities and quizzes; Finish Assignment 3 Part 2	Quizzes
			Assignment 3 Part 2 due on 3.10. at 23:59
9	4.10.-10.10.	No tutes or Q&A; Week 9 activities and quizzes; work on Assignment 3 Part 3	Quizzes
10	11.10.-17.10.	Q&A; Tute 6; Week 10 activities and quizzes; Finish Assignment 3 part 3	Quizzes
			Assignment 3, Part 3 due 17.10 at 23:59.
11	18.10.-24.10.	Q&A; Tute 7; Week 11 activities and quizzes; Complete Assignment 3 part 4	Quizzes
			Assignment 3, Part 4 due 24.10 at 23:59.
12	25.10.-31.10.	Q&A; Tute 8; Week 12 activities and quizzes	Quizzes
13	1.11.-7.11.	Q&A; Tute 9; Review activities
14	8.11.-12.11.	Assignment 4	Assignment 4 due on 12.11 at 23:59

5Rs Framework

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:

- Resilience. Teaching is a busy profession and you will need to learn to manage multiple competing demands, schedule your time effectively, and work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and training. You can develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for successfully managing a busy schedule and collaboration in this unit. In developing resilience during this process, be mindful of others and your stress and upcoming challenges, and connect with and provide support to your peers.

- Reflexive. In this unit, you will learn and reflect on your own learning, the learning of others, and the diverse context of learning. This reflection becomes reflexive when you turn it into action. For example, this can involve changing how you study yourself or how you collaborate with others.

- Responsive. In this unit, you will begin your journey to understanding diverse learners and how to respond to their learning needs. At the end of this journey, we expect that you can positively engage with all students in your class, no matter how different they are from what you are accustomed to. We also expect that you learn to collaborate with your peers in a respectful, collegial and strengths based manner; in other words, as you are expected to respond as a teacher.

- Ready to learn. This unit is all about learning. We expect that you develop effective learning strategies that will serve you will in your lifelong learning journey. While your program will teach you the basic knowledge you need to teach, your learning as a teacher is never finished. Develop the skills to find information independently and the curiosity to drive you forward. 

- Research engaged. Teachers are required to use evidence-based practices. In this unit, you will learn about evidence-based practices, but also about how to locate and understand new evidence. Your best chance of keeping abreast with evidence is to learn to locate and understand the new evidence yourself.