Students

EDUC8240 – Effective Instruction in Reading and Writing

2025 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Co-Convenor
Michelle O'Dowd
Contact via Consultation via dialogue
Consultation via dialogue
Co-Convenor
Fay Hadley
Contact via Consultation via dialogue
Consultation via dialogue
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MSpecEd or GradDipSpecEd or MInc&SpecEd or GradDipInc&SpecEd or GradCertLearnDiffSuppTeach
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is designed to provide knowledge and skills necessary to guide instructional and assessment practices in the areas of reading and writing in English, including processes for providing effective support to facilitate learning for students with reading and writing difficulties. It focuses on current research-based theories and pedagogies for reading and writing. Topics of the unit include key components of reading and writing such as phonics, reading fluency, reading comprehension, text types and spelling.

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: Demonstrate advanced discipline knowledge and an understanding of evidence-based practice in the areas of reading and writing instruction.
  • ULO2: Analyse strengths and weaknesses in current strategies and approaches to reading and writing instruction for diverse learners.
  • ULO3: Draw on unit content, professional experience and the evidence-based practice literature to evaluate and critically reflect on instruction in reading and writing for diverse learners
  • ULO4: Critically evaluate a range of approaches to instruction and intervention in reading and writing to diverse learners.
  • ULO5: Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice in reading and writing to the design and adjustment of assessment tasks, instructional strategies and progress monitoring to diverse learners.

General Assessment Information

General Submission Information

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

All assessments must be submitted electronically. 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.

Unauthorised use of generative artificial intelligence may include using generative artificial intelligence to:

  • produce or retrieve information and then using that information in an academic exercise;
  • paraphrase text;
  • increase or enhance the quality of an academic exercise, beyond the purposes permitted within the academic exercise;
  • produce an answer for a task or quiz; and/or produce non-text-based work and then using that non-text-based work in an academic exercise.

Any student suspected of using unauthorised AI 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.

To attain a pass or higher grade in Professional Experience a student must obtain a satisfactory in both the Professional Experience component and a pass or higher grade in the academic component. For Professional Experience units the Professional Experience Evaluation Report is marked as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The Macquarie Teaching Performance Assessment (MQTPA - in final WIL/PEx units) is marked as Not met, Met or Exceeds.

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
Reading and Reading Comprehension Problem Set 50% No 19/09/2025
Writing Problem Set 40% No 03/11/2025
Online Discussion Forum Participation 10% No 23.55, Sunday, weekly

Reading and Reading Comprehension Problem Set

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 19/09/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Students are to answer a set of questions related to effective program design and assessments for reading and reading comprehension (2,200 to 2,700 words).

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate advanced discipline knowledge and an understanding of evidence-based practice in the areas of reading and writing instruction.
  • Analyse strengths and weaknesses in current strategies and approaches to reading and writing instruction for diverse learners.
  • Critically evaluate a range of approaches to instruction and intervention in reading and writing to diverse learners.
  • Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice in reading and writing to the design and adjustment of assessment tasks, instructional strategies and progress monitoring to diverse learners.

Writing Problem Set

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 03/11/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

Students are to answer a set of questions related to effective program design and assessments for writing (1,500 to 2,000 words).

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate advanced discipline knowledge and an understanding of evidence-based practice in the areas of reading and writing instruction.
  • Analyse strengths and weaknesses in current strategies and approaches to reading and writing instruction for diverse learners.
  • Critically evaluate a range of approaches to instruction and intervention in reading and writing to diverse learners.
  • Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice in reading and writing to the design and adjustment of assessment tasks, instructional strategies and progress monitoring to diverse learners.

Online Discussion Forum Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 23.55, Sunday, weekly
Weighting: 10%

 

Students are to contribute to online discussion forums under each topic.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate advanced discipline knowledge and an understanding of evidence-based practice in the areas of reading and writing instruction.
  • Analyse strengths and weaknesses in current strategies and approaches to reading and writing instruction for diverse learners.
  • Draw on unit content, professional experience and the evidence-based practice literature to evaluate and critically reflect on instruction in reading and writing for diverse learners

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

Information about the unit iLearn site 

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn. 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: via email onehelp@mq.edu.au or Ph: 9850 4357 or 1800 67 4357. On Campus: Ground floor at 18 Wally’s Walk.

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

In addition, the following policies and procedures for the Macquarie School of Education 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 

This is a fully online, flexible delivery unit. There are no classes.

Completion of non-synchronous formative/diagnostic class tasks and involvement in professional forums is expected.

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
25/07/2025 Update unit convenors and removed information about tutorials as this is a fully online flexible delivery unit.

Unit information based on version 2025.01R of the Handbook