• Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic honesty (see: https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=3) 

• Unless a Special Consideration (see: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/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.  

• Please format assessments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing. 

• All assessments are submitted electronically. Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments. 

• Students can use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit. 

• Students should carefully check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file in error. 

• Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked.  

• All assessments are marked using a clear marking scheme or a rubric. 

• Marking of all assessments is moderated by the Unit Convenor. 

• Applications for extensions must be made via AskMQ (https://ask.mq.edu.au/).  

• It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assessments.  If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to make contact with the unit convenor. 

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. For Professional Experience units the PE Report is marked as satisfactory or unsatisfactory and the Teaching Performance Assessment (in final PE units) is marked as not meets, meets or exceeds. 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. 

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 your course progression. 

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. 

Learning in this unit

Successful completion of this unit relies on independent study. There are no lectures, tutorials or preset readings in ECHE4000.

However, there is a UNIT OUTLINE available on the iLearn site which makes clear your tasks over the course of the session.

Some students enjoy the challenge of independent study, while others find it difficult to work to their own schedule without a weekly timetable provided in a unit outline, or a structure provided by recorded lectures. In ECHE4000, you control your own learning and you should develop some personal strategies to make sure you remain focused on your study. Some strategies are listed in this section.

Set aside ‘class time’ It is often helpful to set aside some regular non-negotiable time each week, where you imagine that you are ‘going to class’. For example, you could decide that 7-10 pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings would always be ECHE4000 class time. You tell family and friends that you are not available for social gatherings or anything else on those evenings because you have to go to university – even if ‘university’ is actually your study space. Of course, this is not the full nine hours study time expected for this unit and you’ll need to add additional time as it suits you, having a regular study time should help you structure your learning.

Maintain a learning journal It is a good idea to maintain a learning journal as you progress through your study for this unit. This is a personal record of your study, and entries may include responses to your readings, any quotes you would like to remember, new ideas or techniques you would like to try and questions for discussion with your tutor or other students. Weekly entries in your learning journal will help maintain a steady focus on your study.

Readings As there are no lectures, tutorials or on-campus sessions for this unit, your independent reading is a key component of your learning. The diversity of students’ interests makes it impossible to cover the range of topics in a text or recommended readings. You must spend time searching for relevant information to complete your assignments. A wide range of original and creative thinking underlies the work you will complete for ECHE4000, and a search of the literature is an important component of your study. If you feel that you are struggling to understand your reading, try one or more of the following strategies: (a) go to one or more of the references listed at the end of the reading, (b) contact another student and discuss the issues, (c) post your question on an ECHE4000 iLearn Forum, or (d) contact your convenor.

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. You can access the website for this unit by logging into: ilearn.mq.edu.au. This site is an essential unit resource and every student must check it at least twice a week. It has the following features, which we encourage you to make effective use of:

• Unit Resources: such as your unit outline and links to other supportive resources.
• Forums (discussion boards): where you can discuss with each other ideas and questions that arise from readings.
• Dialogue (email facility): for private email messages to other students and the unit teaching staff.

iLearn announcements and dialogue functions/student email: During session time, staff may contact students using iLearn announcements or dialogue facilities or their official MQ student email address. It is students’ responsibility to check both iLearn and their student email at least twice a week during session.

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.  

Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk  

Ph: 9850 4357 or 1800 67 4357  

Email: help.mq.edu.au. 

On Campus: Ground floor at 18 Wally’s Walk 

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.

IMPORTANT: The iLearn website is not a substitute for reading the unit outline and associated expectations, guidelines or information. It is there to support your engagement with the unit’s content and relevant communication with other students and teaching staff.

• Staff will respond to emails in a timely manner. Please be aware that they have multiple teaching, research and university service commitments, and may take a couple of days to respond. It is unrealistic to expect them to respond after work hours or during weekends.
• Please follow accepted modes of communication that are appropriate for an academic website and show respect towards your addressee/s. Please use standard semi-formal

English in your posts and emails, focus only on topics relevant to the unit, use clear and concise subject lines, and avoid posting questions that have already been addressed elsewhere (on the iLearn website, in lectures or in the unit outline).

• Consider the tone of all your messages very carefully and avoid creating unnecessary anxiety in your peers. Disrespectful, inappropriate or off-the-topic messages will be deleted or returned to sender

Recommended Resources

In the Macquarie School of Education, students are required to use the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing procedures.

The library provides a range of resources and referencing information:

https://libguides.mq.edu.au/referencing/APA7thEdition

There is no official reading schedule as your learning in this unit is self-directed.

But there are a few tasks that you are required to complete during the session that help you build on your learning.

Full details of all tasks are in the Unit Outline on the iLearn page.

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:

Resilient

Be empowered to work independently and be confident in accessing support. Be aware of the Early Childhood / Teaching profession and your role within it as well as your capacity to contribute. Develop your self-awareness.

Reflexive

Be able to acting on your reflections AND reflect on your practice. Demonstrate an understanding of teaching that is inclusive and actively embraces diversity.

Responsive

Take responsibility for your learning. Demonstrate a professional approach to study. Create a professional resource for yourself, that is also one that you could proudly share with colleagues.

Ready to learn

Be part of the Early Childhood / Teaching professional learning community. Look for (and access) relevant online resources. Collaborate and show leadership.

Research engaged

Source and intelligently use research evidence to support your work and build an argument/address a research question /topic of interest. Be able to translate research evidence to a professional and /or community audience (e.g., educators, families, community stakeholders). Understand how ‘big data’ is obtained and what it means e.g., AEDC, LSAC, LSIC.