To pass this unit you must achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%.

General Faculty Policy on assessment submission deadlines and late submissions: The standard late penalty is 5% penalty per day. If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days. Example 1, if you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100. Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 1 day late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30. After 7 days: Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

• Portfolio of written reflections - YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
• All other assessments - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted

Automatic short extension: The portfolio of written reflections is eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration.

Need help? Review the Special Consideration page HERE

Who to Contact: Prof Joanne Jamie is the convenor of this unit and should be your main point of contact. You will get to meet the other staff during scheduled sessions and/or during the various activities.  They will all be happy to help in answering questions relevant to their expertise throughout this unit. Prof Jamie has an open door policy, but you are encouraged to phone or email to organise a meeting.  You may also wish to ask questions using the discussion board on the ilearn website.

iLearn Unit Web Page and Other Technology: The web page for this unit can be found at ilearn.mq.edu.au.  Just login and follow the prompts to MOLS3002.

It is essential that you login to the unit iLearn web site on a regular basis.  As well as web-based teaching resources, the iLearn web site will also provide other support for this unit, including an Announcement board for important notices, Discussion Forums, and access to your grades.  

Please note information will also be sent by email to your university email account, incuding as calendar invites for science/STEM events, so please look at your university email account on a frequent basis. Queries to convenors are encouraged to be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to joanne.jamie@mq.edu.au from your university email address.

Required Reading: There is no textbook recommended.  Instead MOLS3002 makes use of web-based teaching resources on the unit iLearn web site (see below for more information).  This includes resources especially designed for PACE units.  

Teaching and Learning Strategies: MOLS3002 will consist of a mixture of face to face training workshops and group discussion sessions, presentations, online discussions and interactive science and STEM activities.  There will be a 2 hour dedicated session most weeks of both semesters for training workshops, seminars, discussion sessions and reflections and critiquing.  The community engagement activities – the experiential science and STEM activities component of the unit – will be timetabled once the dates are known.  Enrolled students will identify which activities they can be a part of.  The range of activities provided over the year will allow sufficient choice for all students to be a part of many wonderful science and STEM outreach events.

Week 1 classes - introduction:  Classes will commence in the 2 hour allocated class session and will be a face-to-face meet and greet session to get to know everyone's interests in the unit, the strengths you bring to the unit and the potential areas of growth. It will also include discussion on reflective practice.

Meetings/group discussions:   The class sessions across the unit will include workshops related to mentoring, working with children, working with Indigenous peoples and reflective practices, and an introduction to the overall science and STEM outreach activities to be undertaken and appropriate safe practices. These sessions will also be used throughout the year to discuss about upcoming activities, including with other teaching staff and community partners, to prepare and plan for the actual activities and evaluate and improve on resources; and following activities, to critique their effectiveness and consider changes needed for improvement.  These sessions will also be used to reflect more broadly.

Online Discussion:  You are encouraged to participate regularly in online discussion using the iLearn discussion forum to discuss about the unit content, science and STEM activities and methods of presentation, and issues that may arise, as well as reflect more broadly.

Experiential Activities:  The experiential component will involve engaging community (e.g. school students) in science and STEM activities including those of relevance to everyday life.  The activities will be spread throughout the year.  At least 35 hours of direct interaction with the community with the science activities will be expected from you.  

Reflection:  Reflection is central to this unit and key to a transformative experience. As part of a written reflection portfolio, you will reflect on why science community engagement matters to you, on your workshop and practice-based experiences, and on the impact of engaging the community in science—drawing also on class discussions of exemplar initiatives. You will deliver a class presentation summarising your key experiences and learnings at the end of the year-long unit.

Workload expectation:  Your overall workload across the unit is 150 hours in total.

Feedback: We are always open to suggestions for improving the content and delivery of this course.  We are very happy to receive any constructive feedback that you may wish to provide. We hope you find this course both educational and fun! 

The early class sessions will include workshops related to reflective practice, working with children, and working with Indigenous people and an introduction to various science outreach activities (and appropriate safety practices) that MOLS3002 will encompass.  Scaffolding for skills and knowledge development will include hands-on workshops early on to familiarise you with the main types of science experiments used in the science outreach activities and role playing with your peers.

Developing knowledge will also come from class sessions highlighting exemplars on why outreach/community engagement is important, especially to those in groups previously under-represented in higher education.  You will also attend weekly 2 hour meetings throughout S1 and S2 (excluding mid-session and mid-year breaks and public holidays) to discuss as a group about upcoming activities, including with community partners, to prepare and plan for the actual activities and evaluate and improve on resources; and following activities to critique their effectiveness and consider changes needed for improvement. Active participation in these meetings is expected. Regular feedback on this participation will be provided to allow opportunity for improvement. 

The practice-based tasks will incorporate science and STEM activities with the community and growth will be supported through on-going reflection.  A range of science activities will be available.  Activities and interaction, including with partner organisations, will occur throughout the year subsequent to the initial orientation and familiarisation exercises. The activities will be spread throughout the year.  At least 35 hours of direct interaction with the community with the science activities will be expected.  This practice-based tasks are worth 60%.  

You will undertake reflective practice as part of a written portfolio, reflecting on your activities and class sessions, challenges and growth. Feedback on your written reflections will be provided roughly every quarter of the unit. The written reflective portfolio is worth 30%.

In weeks 11-13 S2, you will deliver a class presentation summarising your key experiences and learnings at the end of the year-long unit. This will contribute 10% of your mark.

There will be no exam.

We have revised the assessment structure for this unit, having completely removed the 5% induction, 10% community engagement essay and 10% class discussions assessment tasks, and increasing the weightings of the written reflections from 15% to 30%, and practice based tasks from 50% to 60%.