Students

EDUC3990 – Professional Capability: Policy, Theory, Pedagogy

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Vicki Greer
vicki.greer@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
25WW 513
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above and [(20cp of EDUC or EDST units at 2000 level) or admission to BTeach(ECE)]
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides a synthesis of students' theoretical and professional understandings within the contemporary educational context. It draws together various studies from within the discipline of Education and integrates psychological, philosophical, historical and sociological viewpoints. It is framed around an exploration of people and their communities, contemporary perspectives and policies, and professional contexts and change.

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 integrated knowledge and understanding of the key principles, theories and concepts used in the discipline of Education.
  • ULO2: Discuss in an informed manner the significant issues in Educational studies through drawing upon their critical examination of current research, policies and practices in the field.
  • ULO3: Identify, synthesise, and evaluate the main content, skills, and capabilities acquired in their development of a professional capability.
  • ULO4: Reflect critically on their learning achievements and apply these to their educational vision, their transition to careers, and to their professional development plans.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate personal competency, knowledge and confidence in their communicative skills in a variety of modes and forms including ICT.

General Assessment Information

0General Submission Information   

All written assessments must be submitted electronically. Please format assessments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing. Submissions must meet the required file type and formatting specifications outlined in the assessment guidelines. 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.   

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. 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, with + or – 10% applicable. Work above the word limit will not be marked.    

  

Academic Integrity  

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

  

Artificial Intelligence  

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments/ai-and-assessment  

https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=394  

Information for Unit Convenors: What to communicate to students about AI and Assessments.  

  

Special Consideration / Late Penalties   

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.  

  

A Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.   

Applications must be made via Service 

  

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 Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Research essay and reflection 50% No 30/08/2026 Individual Yes Open
Creative and critical response 50% No 11/10/2026 Individual Yes Open

Research essay and reflection

Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 30/08/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Research essay conducted on the significant aspects of Professional Identity for educators and your personal reflection on these within your own context. (1500 words)
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate integrated knowledge and understanding of the key principles, theories and concepts used in the discipline of Education.
  • Discuss in an informed manner the significant issues in Educational studies through drawing upon their critical examination of current research, policies and practices in the field.
  • Identify, synthesise, and evaluate the main content, skills, and capabilities acquired in their development of a professional capability.
  • Reflect critically on their learning achievements and apply these to their educational vision, their transition to careers, and to their professional development plans.
  • Demonstrate personal competency, knowledge and confidence in their communicative skills in a variety of modes and forms including ICT.

Creative and critical response

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 11/10/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

You are making a Graduation speech which draws together your study of Education and communicates your educational vision. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate integrated knowledge and understanding of the key principles, theories and concepts used in the discipline of Education.
  • Discuss in an informed manner the significant issues in Educational studies through drawing upon their critical examination of current research, policies and practices in the field.
  • Identify, synthesise, and evaluate the main content, skills, and capabilities acquired in their development of a professional capability.
  • Reflect critically on their learning achievements and apply these to their educational vision, their transition to careers, and to their professional development plans.
  • Demonstrate personal competency, knowledge and confidence in their communicative skills in a variety of modes and forms including ICT.

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

Delivery

Day students attend 1.5 hour face-to-face workshops weekly (10 total).

Online students attend 1.5 hour online workshops weekly (10 total).

 

Resources

You will need regular internet access and word processing software to complete this unit.

 

Required and recommended texts

Some weeks may have readings, which are available via Leganto. Please ensure you complete your reading before the relevant workshop/tutorial.

 

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 [for all UG and PG ITE units]   

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.   

  

Fitness to practice in a Professional Experience unit [only for PEx units (UG and PG)]   

Macquarie University operates under a ‘Fitness to Practice’ model as specified in the University's Academic Progression Policy.  For this unit, this means that, when undertaking a placement, a student is declaring that they are able to demonstrate professional competence, acceptable professional behaviour, freedom from impairment, and compliance with program specific requirements needed for a student to practice properly and safely throughout their Practical, Clinical or Professional program or unit. It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether they are fit to undertake a placement. Therefore, if a student is feeling unfit to undertake a placement, they should not do so. For more information see the Academic Progression Policy.   

  

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 [for all UG and PG ITE units]   

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

   

There is an attendance requirement in this unit. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees must ensure that teacher education students meet unit learning outcomes, course learning outcomes and the Graduate level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Since units are within an accredited ITE degree, Macquarie School of Education is required to demonstrate these outcomes and standards have been taught, practised and assessed. To meet ‘taught, practiced and assessed’ accreditation requirements, ITE units have mandatory attendance, with an expectation of at least 80% attendance at tutorials. Please see your unit iLearn site for details of how to meet attendance requirements in this unit.  

  

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.    

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 https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 2026.02 of the Handbook