Students
EDST8706 – Inclusive Education Communities of Practice Specialist Project
2026 – Session 2, Online-scheduled-weekday
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit convenor
Iliana Skrebneva
Contact via Contact via email
25WWB, Room 650
by appointment
Lecturer
Alice Chik
Contact via Contact via email
by appointment
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
20
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to Master of Education
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
A community of practice will support students to engage in collaborative dialogue, share insights, and reflect on diverse perspectives in inclusion. Combining communities of practice with persistent challenges the unit will tackle complex challenges by leveraging collective knowledge and diverse perspectives. Through workshops, guided readings and peer collaboration students will be supported to develop a research-informed project. The combined project plan and report may serve as the basis for a Master of Research thesis, allowing early planning and preparation for this degree, or it may propose an independent but equivalent-length project. |
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: Critically analyse contemporary issues, pedagogies, and policies using a range of theoretical and research-informed perspectives. in inclusive education.
- ULO2: Design a research-informed inquiry project that addresses complex or persistent challenges relevant to inclusive education.
- ULO3: Apply ethical and inclusive approaches to professional inquiry, demonstrating responsiveness to the rights and voices of stakeholders in inclusive education.
- ULO4: Collaborate effectively within a community of practice to exchange insights, refine ideas, and construct shared understandings of professional challenges in inclusive education.
- ULO5: Communicate professional inquiry through clear, well-structured, and critically reflective documentation suited to scholarly and practitioner audiences in inclusive education.
General Assessment Information
General Assessment Information
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
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 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting a Project Proposal | 25% | No | 28/08/2026 | Individual | Yes | Open |
| Literature Review Draft | 25% | No | 25/09/2026 | Individual | Yes | Open |
| Completed Proposal | 50% | No | 06/11/2026 | Individual | Yes | Open |
Drafting a Project Proposal
Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 28/08/2026
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open
Project Proposal
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Critically analyse contemporary issues, pedagogies, and policies using a range of theoretical and research-informed perspectives. in inclusive education.
- Design a research-informed inquiry project that addresses complex or persistent challenges relevant to inclusive education.
- Apply ethical and inclusive approaches to professional inquiry, demonstrating responsiveness to the rights and voices of stakeholders in inclusive education.
- Collaborate effectively within a community of practice to exchange insights, refine ideas, and construct shared understandings of professional challenges in inclusive education.
- Communicate professional inquiry through clear, well-structured, and critically reflective documentation suited to scholarly and practitioner audiences in inclusive education.
Literature Review Draft
Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 25/09/2026
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open
Mapping the challenge located in the literature
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Critically analyse contemporary issues, pedagogies, and policies using a range of theoretical and research-informed perspectives. in inclusive education.
- Design a research-informed inquiry project that addresses complex or persistent challenges relevant to inclusive education.
- Collaborate effectively within a community of practice to exchange insights, refine ideas, and construct shared understandings of professional challenges in inclusive education.
Completed Proposal
Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: 06/11/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open
Presenting a completed project proposal
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Critically analyse contemporary issues, pedagogies, and policies using a range of theoretical and research-informed perspectives. in inclusive education.
- Design a research-informed inquiry project that addresses complex or persistent challenges relevant to inclusive education.
- Apply ethical and inclusive approaches to professional inquiry, demonstrating responsiveness to the rights and voices of stakeholders in inclusive education.
- Collaborate effectively within a community of practice to exchange insights, refine ideas, and construct shared understandings of professional challenges in inclusive education.
- Communicate professional inquiry through clear, well-structured, and critically reflective documentation suited to scholarly and practitioner audiences in inclusive education.
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
There are NO required and recommended texts
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.
Unit Schedule
A Unit Schedule will be provided in i-learn.
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
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.
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
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.
- Ask a Study Coach
- Access StudyWISE
- Upload an assignment to Studiosity
- Complete the Academic Integrity Module
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:
- IT Support
- Accessibility and disability support with study
- Mental health support
- Safety support to respond to bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault
- Social support including information about finances, tenancy and legal issues
- Student Advocacy provides independent advice on MQ policies, procedures, and processes
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