General 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 

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 Connect.   

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.  

Required and recommended texts  

Prochner, L., & Nawrotzki, K. (2026). Nature and early education: Global perspectives on outdoor learning for young children. Routledge.

Little, H., Elliott, S., & Wyver, S. (2017). Outdoor learning environments: Spaces for exploration, discovery and risk-taking in the early years. Routledge.  

In addition, some weeks will include supplementary readings - details of these are provided on iLearn through Leganto. 

Tutorial structure and lectures

Content delivery commences in week 1 of the session. Tutorials will run from weeks 1-9 and week 13 (10 weeks total). Content is delivered as follows:

• Weekly lectures delivered online through ECHO360. Each week there are a short series (2-4) of lecture videos on the weekly topic. Students are required to watch these prior to the relevant weekly tutorial or study time.
• Weekly textbook and related readings through Leganto. Weekly readings are specified on iLearn and students are required to complete these prior to thier relevant weekly tutorial or study time.

In tutorial students will discuss issues and questions arising from the lectures and prescribed readings. They are expected to base their arguments/discussions on evidence from published research and other relevant material. Tutorial tasks also involve practical, hands-on activities. As this is an outdoor learning unit, many of these activities will be conducted in outdoor spaces around the university.

There will be a supporting iLearn site for the unit providing  links and materials. The weekly program for the course with the accompanying readings/ preparation is available on the following pages or on the unit iLearn site.

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.