Students

EDIT8082 – Content Management for Print and Online Delivery

2026 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Adam Smith
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertEditElecPub or MTransInter or MCrWrit or GradDipCrWrit or MAccComm or MAdvTransInterStud
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit addresses current issues in electronic publishing, examining the many dimensions of communication in which the electronic and print mediums differ, and how to reversion content from print to screen delivery. It analyses their different document structures and page layouts, and issues of navigation and usability for web documents. Methods for indexing print and electronic materials are compared, and the use of metadata to optimise the searchability of website content is also examined. The editor's responsibilities for content in both mediums are discussed, as well as legal and ethical issues, as part of editorial project management.

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: Assess the advantages and disadvantages of print and electronic publishing
  • ULO2: Apply knowledge of the standard tools and techniques for indexing, for print and web documents
  • ULO3: Predict the impact of current trends on the future of editing and publishing
  • ULO4: Demonstrate understanding of legal, ethical and cultural issues in publishing
  • ULO5: Appraise the elements of editorial project management, and apply them to different publishing contexts

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade/mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128 and 129).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

 

Late submission of assignments If you haven't been approved for an extension and you submit your assessment task late, penalties are applied. You should consult your unit convenor if you are in this position. Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. Weekends and public holidays are included.

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day an assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ 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 concern. 

 For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours)

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Assignment on website navigation usability 30% No 26/04/2026 Individual Yes Open
Online discussion on ethical issues in publishing 30% No 24/05/2026 Individual No Open
Essay on the future of editing 40% No 14/06/2026 Individual Yes Open

Assignment on website navigation usability

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 26/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Mockup of website and identification of usability issues; suggestion of solutions. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Assess the advantages and disadvantages of print and electronic publishing
  • Apply knowledge of the standard tools and techniques for indexing, for print and web documents

Online discussion on ethical issues in publishing

Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 24/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Each student has to research and present a real-life ethical issue that has occurred in the area of publishing, and discuss the ethical issues that it raises in an online forum. They then respond to critiques of their interpretation of the issue raised by other students, and respond to 4 other ethical issues presented by other students. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of legal, ethical and cultural issues in publishing
  • Appraise the elements of editorial project management, and apply them to different publishing contexts

Essay on the future of editing

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 14/06/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Selection of source article and discussion of predictions about future of editing/publishing.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Assess the advantages and disadvantages of print and electronic publishing
  • Predict the impact of current trends on the future of editing and publishing
  • Appraise the elements of editorial project management, and apply them to different publishing contexts

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

This unit is delivered entirely online. Online lectures are available as audio recordings with supporting slides. Weekly tasks will also be given online, and readings are made available via the Leganto reading list.

Unit Schedule

Week 1 (23.2)

Information delivery: choosing the medium

Week 2 (2.3)

Verbal content and making it visual

Week 3 (9.3)

Information structuring for print documents

Week 4 (16.3)

Information architecture for online documents

Week 5 (23.3)

Page layouts on paper, onscreen, and online

Week 6 (30.3)

Navigation, linking and website usability 

 

Semester break 

Week 7 (20.4)

Electronic publishing, repurposing, and single-sourcing

Week 8 (27.4)

Cultural, legal and ethical issues in editing 

Week 9 (4.5)

  Indexing of books and magazines

Week 10 (11.5)

Web indexing and metadata

Week 11 (18.5)

Copyright and permissions

Week 12 (25.5)

Editorial project management 

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.

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.

Artificial Intelligence Tools

Macquarie University recognises that artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, is rapidly reshaping education and the modern workplace. As AI becomes increasingly accessible, the University and your teaching staff are committed to preparing you to use these tools effectively, ethically, and with strong professional judgment. Rather than restricting technology, the emphasis is on helping you understand when and how AI can be used to enhance productivity, support learning, and reflect real-world professional practice. Across your degree, we will support you to develop the critical thinking, adaptability, and values-based decision-making skills required to navigate evolving AI tools responsibly, including acknowledging their use appropriately.  You should always appropriately acknowledge when you have used AI tools within assessment tasks, including which AI tools you have used and how you have used them.

To provide clarity, Macquarie University uses a simple, two-tiered approach to AI in assessment:

 AI Open assessments allow you to fully incorporate AI, reflecting authentic tasks where AI would normally be used in professional settings.

Observed with AI Optional assessments involve tasks where you either demonstrate essential knowledge without technology or show how you apply AI under supervision.

Across both categories, the goal is to ensure you build foundational knowledge, exercise sound judgment, and engage with AI in ways that uphold ethical, cultural, and university values.

Inclusion and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.  

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.  

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session. 

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know. 


Unit information based on version 2026.01R of the Handbook