Online Discussion Forum Participation

Due: Dates nominated below

Weighting: 10%

What does online participation involve?

Online participation involves making posts on the Topic Discussion Forums of the unit website. Once a post is made in a Topic Discussion Forum, anybody in the unit can read or respond to it. Discussion questions for each topic will be included in the Discussion Forum for the topic available on the iLearn site. Alternatively, you may ask your own questions, give answers or offer comment. Only posts to Topic Forums will be counted.

Online participation allows you to give feedback and receive feedback from other students and staff, to explore issues in discussion with other students and staff and to practice required skill competencies.

When can I contribute?

Topic discussion forums will close progressively through the semester. All forums will close at each Sunday 11.55pm of the week.

The content of each forum will remain accessible, but posts made after the closing date will not count towards your assessment.

Closing Dates for Discussion Forums

How much do I have to contribute?

Each student is expected to make ten (10) contributions to the topic discussions over the course of the semester. Each post should be a minimum of 50 words in length.

You should post in at least seven (7) of the ten topics, otherwise you will receive 0 of the 10% mark.

Do discussion posts count towards assessment?

Yes. Discussion contributions are weighted at 10% of your final grade. Only contributions to Topic Forums are counted, social posts and general questions do not count towards your assessment. If you make fewer than ten posts to topic forums, your maximum possible mark will correspond to the number of posts made.

Language and Learning Problem Set

Due: 27/09/2020

Weighting: 50%

Students are to answer a set of questions on the competency in essential discipline knowledge in language development and learning, as well as questions related to program design and assessments for students with language and learning difficulties (2,200 to 2,700 words).

The assignment information will be available on the unit iLearn site from Week 4.

Communication Problem Set 

Due: 31/10/2020

Weighting: 40%

Students are to answer a set of questions on the competency in essential discipline knowledge in communication, as well as questions related to program design and assessments for students with communication difficulties (1,500 to 2,000 words).

The assignment information will be available on the unit iLearn site from Week 8.

This section provides students with general information about assessment tasks and how to submit them.

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.

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.

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.

General organisation of the unit

The unit is organised in external mode only, and in a flexible delivery format.

Delivery is designed such that students may seek as much or as little assistance as required in completing the unit. In flexible delivery units, it is critical that students are organised and disciplined. It is suggested that you allocate a total of 8-12 hours per week to study for this unit. If you get significantly behind in your topic coverage, it may be impossible to catch up. Please start your study as soon as possible.

Unit delivery: Teaching and learning activities

• Readings are designed to prepare students for the seminars as well as broaden their understanding of topics.  

• Online presentations provide information and highlight key concepts. 

• Forums provide students with the opportunity to ask question and discuss issues relevant to the unit. Contributions to the online discussion forum can be a beneficial way of exchanging ideas and discussing unit content with other students. Although unit convenors typically check the Discussion Forums daily (on weekdays), they will not respond to all posts, as discussion between students may be more appropriate. Forums should be checked every 48 hours for important announcements. 

• Zoom Meetings allow students to meet online with unit staff to seek clarification or discuss relevant issues.

• Assessments allow students to refine and demonstrate achievement of unit learning outcomes.

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. 

Unit Schedule

The following table gives an overview of topics covered in the unit and the suggested completion date.

Consultation with the unit convenor via Zoom meetings is available weekly by appointment. Please contact the unit convenor via Dialogue to arrange a time.Zoom Meetings

This is a new unit, offering for the first time.

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. In this unit, students are encouraged to form study groups and participate in online forums to practice drawing the social and structural supports around them. Given the unit materials are fully online and can be accessed with flexibility, students are encouraged to plan their study times and practice time management skills throughout the unit. Being able to use personal resource and social support, as well as managing time and multiple tasks are important resilience skills.

Reflexive. In this unit, students will be asked to share their knowledge and professional experience on the topics of language, learning and communication. After learning about the topics in the unit, students are asked to critically evaluate and reflect on their knowledge and practice. It is important to reflect and challenge our existing beliefs and make effective and impactful decisions based on research evidence to ensure quality teaching outcomes.

Responsive. For the online discussion assessment, students are encouraged to provide meaningful and supportive feedback to each other. Throughout the unit, students are also asked to think about how their practice and their relationships to the community may impact their students and families.

Ready to learn. Students will learn the foundational and advanced knowledge in language, learning and communication.  This knowledge forms a basis for future learning and understanding of the principals for effective instruction in language and communication. Students are encouraged to see this as a starting point, not an end point.

Research engaged. The importance of practice research-based instruction and making evidence-based decisions is embedded in all topics of the unit. In the main assessments, students will be given case scenarios and asked to provide appropriate assessments and instructions that are based on research.