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 the correct file has been uploaded, that their submission has been successful, and that it 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 3 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.

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.

Required and recommended texts 

Stein, M., Kinder, D., Rolf, K., Silbert, J., & Carnine, D. W. (2018). Direct instruction mathematics (5th ed.). Pearson.

Additional reading

Additional reading will be provided each week. These should all be directly available from the library or will be made available on the unit iLearn site.

Unit delivery and communication

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn.   

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

Regular (preferably daily) access to iLearn is compulsory for all students. Important assessment information will be posted here, as will other relevant unit notices and materials

Various activities and materials for discussion and critical reflection are included and students are encouraged to use this web component. Weekly lectures are available on the web through the ECHO360 lecture component, or will be posted as a PowerPoint presentation or some alternative video format.

Access and technical assistance  

nformation 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 iLearn.

The unit is split broadly into 2 blocks - mathematics in week 1 to 7 and technology and science in weeks 8 to 13. Each week the lecturer will provide content presentation, recommended readings and other activities that further develop or allow you to apply your new knowledge. You will also be offered the opportunity to attend a regular virtual meeting with staff members - this will be an opportunity to reflect on your learning, ask questions, and meet your fellow classmates, The lecturers have been chosen for their expertise in the relevant content domain, not because they all teach in the same way - please be tolerant of differences in teaching style between staff members!!

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: Many students lack confidence in their own ability to teach maths, science, and technology and many indicate (in their online introductions) that they expect to find the course challenging and much of the content new to them. Students are encouraged to support each other and to share experiences, on the understanding that there is no judgment from staff or peers. Many students attend weekly (non-compulsory) meetings which act more as a support group than an academic group.

Reflexive: All students reflect on their current teaching practices and consider adaptations to pedagogy and assessment that supports a range of diverse student abilities. During discussions students verbalise this reflexive thinking, and some describe changes they are going to implement in their practice.

Responsive: During weekly tutorials and/or discussion reforums, students are expected to be responsive to the ideas of peers and providing meaningful and supportive feedback. In reflecting on their own practice, they are also expcted to think about and demonstrate how they would be responsive to the needs of students with diverse abilities.

Ready to Learn: Many students taking this course have limited exposure to teaching maths, science, and technology, or are expanding their skill set to become special education teachers. In taking this unit they have identified their own learning needs for their context and are pursuing that learning to achieve the best outcomes for all students. 

Research engaged: The importance of research based practice and making evidence based decisions for teaching instruction is embedded in all topics of the unit. Each week students are exposed to a research studies which present evidence for a particular pedagogical approach. Students are asked to critically evaluate research evidence as part of their assignments.