Students

EDST8213 – Science, Technology and Mathematics Specialisation

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-infrequent, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Bronwyn Tregenza
bronwyn.tregenza@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(EDST8205 or EDST8351) and EDST8211
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit builds understanding of subject-based and interdisciplinary approaches to STEM education, and how STEM literacy can be developed through project, problem and scenario-based learning designs in primary classrooms. It takes a holistic perspective on the nature of STEM literacy, explores why developing it is important in terms of future learning (or 'soft' skill development) and practical and cognitive capabilities, and investigates its relationship with design thinking and the Design and Production strand of the K-6 Science and Technology syllabus. The unit will engage students in a range of practical tasks that develop understanding of the contribution of different knowledges applied to STEM-based innovations, products, services and systems in 'real world' contexts. It will also introduce different approaches to planning STEM, focusing on cross-curricula integrated models. 

 

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Evaluate the integrated nature of STEM teaching, learning and curriculum.
  • ULO2: Analyse the research foundations of the STEM thinking of students and STEM practice in primary schools.
  • ULO3: Articulate and implement pedagogical principles for planning learning that develops students’ STEM capabilities with reference to educational research and practice.
  • ULO4: Critically reflect upon and research the efficacy of learning resources and pedagogical approaches to develop STEM capabilities.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate oral communication skills, listening skills, and teamwork skills appropriate to a range of professional educational purposes and audiences.

General Assessment Information

General Submission Information

All assessments must be submitted electronically. Students submit a link to a Google Site for Assessment Task 1 with an introductory paragraph of approximately 200 words so that Turnitin is initiated and the rubric becomes available.

Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments. It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that their submitted work is in a format compatible with Turnitin software for plagiarism checking. Submissions must meet the required file type and formatting specifications outlined in the assessment guidelines. Failure to submit work in an acceptable format may result in delays in processing your submission and potential penalties for non-compliance with assessment requirements. If you are unsure about the file format or have technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to seek assistance before the submission deadline. Students should be careful to 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. 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 contact the unit convenor.

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.

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

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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

Unauthorised use of generative artificial  intelligence

occurs when a student uses material produced by a generative artificial intelligence in an academic exercise, without authorisation and submits it as their own work. Students who use AI during the preparation of an assessment task should acknowledge the source using the APA referencing style.

When you reference AI-generated content directly in your text, you should include an in-text citation, and an associated entry in your reference list. Cite any AI-generated content that you quote, paraphrase, or summarise.

For citations in APA Style, treat the author of AI-generated content as the company or organisation that created the AI model. For example, when citing content generated by ChatGPT, list the author as OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT.

  Format Example
Reference List Entry Author. (Year of chat/prompt). Name of AI tool (Version of tool, if known) [Large language model]. URL OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (GPT-4o model) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/
In-Text Parenthetical Citation (Author, Year of chat/prompt) (OpenAI, 2024)

Other Recommendations:

  • In the text of your assignment, briefly explain the prompt you used so readers know how you accessed your information.
  • If the chat is particularly relevant to your paper, include the chat transcript as an appendix at the end of your paper.
  • If it is possible to create a shareable link to the chat transcript, include that instead of the tool's URL.
  • Citing an AI-generated image in APA Style follows mostly the same rules as citing any image in APA, with the addition of mentioning the prompt and AI tool in the caption note.

Any student suspected of using AI without acknowledgement in an assignment will be referred to the Faculty of Arts Discipline Committee. Penalties can include reduced marks for an assessment, being awarded '0' for a task, failing an entire unit, being excluded from a course of study. Please see each assessment task description/rubric for expectations about AI.

Special Consideration / Late Penalties

Applications for extensions must be made via Service Connect.

Late 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 to late submissions, up until the 7th calendar 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.

Important to note:

  • Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.
  • Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor (or equivalent).
  • Where an application for Special Consideration is approved and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes.

Marking

All assessments are marked using a rubric.

Marking of all assessments is moderated by the Unit Convenor.

University Policy on Grading

Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading System and University Assessment Policy.

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed because 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 Service Connect.

Withdrawing from this unit

If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via Service Connect 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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Understanding the rationale for STEM education in schools 40% No 31/10/2025
Collaborative interdisciplinary STEM investigations recorded in an e-portfolio. 60% No 28/09/2025

Understanding the rationale for STEM education in schools

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 31/10/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

Research and write a report (approx. 1500 words) summarising the key arguments and rationale supporting interdisciplinary STEM education in schools drawing on both the literature and your experience of STEM projects in the course. The report should communicate understanding of the relationship between interdisciplinary project and problem based approaches to STEM and development of 21st Century or future-focused skills, competencies and STEM discipline knowledge. The report draws implications from the research for teachers, particularly focusing on curriculum and learning designs and pedagogical approaches supportive of effective STEM teaching and learning in primary classrooms. 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate the integrated nature of STEM teaching, learning and curriculum.
  • Analyse the research foundations of the STEM thinking of students and STEM practice in primary schools.
  • Articulate and implement pedagogical principles for planning learning that develops students’ STEM capabilities with reference to educational research and practice.
  • Critically reflect upon and research the efficacy of learning resources and pedagogical approaches to develop STEM capabilities.

Collaborative interdisciplinary STEM investigations recorded in an e-portfolio.

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 28/09/2025
Weighting: 60%

 

Conduct guided STEM projects in workshops and record in ePortfolio using stages of Design and Production process. Independent STEM project within specified theme conducted and recorded in ePortfolio. Concise unit of work developed based on this project.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate the integrated nature of STEM teaching, learning and curriculum.
  • Analyse the research foundations of the STEM thinking of students and STEM practice in primary schools.
  • Articulate and implement pedagogical principles for planning learning that develops students’ STEM capabilities with reference to educational research and practice.
  • Critically reflect upon and research the efficacy of learning resources and pedagogical approaches to develop STEM capabilities.
  • Demonstrate oral communication skills, listening skills, and teamwork skills appropriate to a range of professional educational purposes and audiences.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

In 2025 ths unit is being offered in infrequent mode only.

Infrequent Mode

  • Read and respond to texts listed in the weekly modules at a time that suits you
  • View and respond to weekly lectures posted in each of the weekly modules
  • Attend all three Infrequent Days on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 August and Saturday 11 October
  • Complete set practical tasks to cultivate, reinforce and demonstrate skills learned in class

Please Note:

  • Class attendance at the infrequent days is expected and all absences should have a Special Consideration application via AskMQ.
  • Equipment for practical components of the course will be scanned out during the infrequent day and returned via the Library or at the second infrequent day on 11 October
  • Infrequent day tutorials introduce skills essential to the assessment tasks

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

School of Education Procedures

Additional Macquarie School of Education policies apply to this unit.

Academic Progression Policy 

This unit is a part of a professional course listed on Schedules 2 and 3 of the Academic Progression Policy. This course has additional requirements that are applicable for the full duration of the course, including course-specific Inherent Requirements, Fitness to Practice requirements and other compulsory course requirements. It also has rigorous academic progression standards. Inability to meet these requirements may result in a withdrawal of offer of admission and/or permanent exclusion from the course in accordance with the General Coursework Rules.

Communication

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a weekly basis.  Communication may occur via:

  • Official MQ Student Email Address
  • The Dialogue function on iLearn
  • Other iLearn communication functions

 

Attendance and Participation 

See the University timetable for information about when classes begin in this unit. Creating your timetable - Enrolling | Macquarie University, Sydney (mq.edu.au)

Attendance at all synchronous activities, completion of non-synchronous formative/diagnostic class tasks and involvement in professional forums is  expected as the Bachelor of Education is a professional qualification. Activities completed during weekly tutorials (DAY or ONLINE DAY mode) or on campus days (INFQ mode) are essential for building the core knowledge and/or skills required to demonstrate the learning outcomes of this unit and to meet the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards and/or ACECQA requirements. Attendance at all tutorials and/or on campus days is expected and will be recorded. Make up tasks may be given if attendance is missed to ensure all content is covered to meet accreditation requirements.

Students are required to attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled. Any changes to tutorial enrolments must be completed officially through e-Student. Please do not contact the unit convenor to request a change.

Infrequent Attendance Students

Information about the dates of the on-campus sessions can be found in the university timetable. Creating your timetable - Enrolling | Macquarie University, Sydney (mq.edu.au)

  • The on campus sessions are essential to student engagement and learning and attendance is expected. Failure to attend or not to have an approved Special Consideration may result in a Fail grade.
  • Prior to the on campus sessions, students should have read the prescribed readings and listened to the lectures, summarise the main points, and make notes of the key terms and definitions. Prepare any discussion questions of your own that you wish to share.
  • Please make effective use of the online component of the unit and access iLearn regularly. Keep up to date with listening to the lectures on a weekly basis.
  • Further details and any updates about times and locations will be posted on iLearn as an Announcement during first half of the semester.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook