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 Assessment Submission Penalty 

• Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.   

  This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings, etc.). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs, etc.) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

• 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.aubefore 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.

Academic Integrity and Academic Writing

• Use of APA style referencing in the body of the work and in the reference list to correctly acknowledge all sources used in the creation of the work.
• Academic writing that reflects the student's own work, noting that any assignment submitted that does not comprise the student's own work will have that section deemed not to meet the applicable criterion for that part of the task. 

Required and recommended texts

Prescribed Textbooks These two books can be purchased from  https://www.booktopia.com.au/books-online/text-books/textbook-finder/cXC-p1.html or other online booksellers. The text by Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley and Shepherd (2017) examines policy matters of interest to those concerned with leadership in early childhood settings. The text by Fleet, Patterson and Robertson (2017) will be used for the pedagogy sections of this unit.

Waniganayake, M., Cheeseman, S., Fenech, M., Hadley, F., & Shepherd, W. (2017). Leadership: Contexts and complexities in early childhood education. (second edition) South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Fleet, A., Patterson, C., & Robertson, J. (Eds.) (2017). Pedagogical documentation in early years practice. Seeing through multiple perspectives. London: SAGE Publications

Information about the unit iLearn site  

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn.  

Students will need regular access to a computer and the Internet to complete this unit. 

Weekly access to iLearn is compulsory for all students. Important assessment information will be posted here, as will other relevant unit notices and materials, including a reading template and guide to lecture note-taking to assist your studies.

Various activities and materials for discussion and critical reflection are included and external students especially are encouraged to use this web component. Electronic links and suggested references will be included in the Resources section. Please check the iLearn unit regularly. 

Weekly lectures are available on the web through the ECHO360 lecture component. You must listen to all lectures.

PowerPoint slides will be made available in iLearn.

Access and technical assistance

Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php. 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 Turnitin via iLearn.

Structure

The unit comprises lectures and tutorials. In the tutorial, students will discuss issues and questions arising from the lectures and prescribed readings. They are expected to base their arguments/discussions on evidence from published research and other relevant material. There will be a supporting website for the unit providing additional readings, links and materials. Lectures will also be available through Echo in iLearn from the following website link: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

Students are required to participate in small group activities, whole-class discussions, to read the weekly material in advance, and to complete brief tasks either as individuals or in groups. The weekly program for the course with the accompanying readings/ preparation is available on the unit iLearn site.

Please refer to the Readings and Assessments Guide for ECHE/X8220 available for downloading from iLearn.

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: Students will examine current issues in policy and pedagogy in early childhood education in an integrated way to identify alternative perspectives.

Reflexive: Students will critically review relevant literature when appraising complex policy and pedagogical issues as an educational leader in early childhood settings.

Responsive: Students will refine their professional knowledge and understanding in early childhood pedagogy and policy by applying high order analytical skills.

Ready to learn:  Students will prepare for an essay and/or presentation regarding emerging trends in the Early Childhood arena.

Research engaged: Students will investigate complex information, concepts, and theories in order to establish a personal position regarding emerging trends in the early childhood arena.