Students

EDST3530 – Teaching Creative Arts across the Curriculum

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

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor; Music & Dance tutor
Dr Sarah Powell
Contact via via iLearn
25BWW Room 722
By appoinment
Visual Arts tutor
Lucy Barker
Contact via via iLearn
29WW Room 284
By appointment
Drama tutor
Dr Catherine Martin
Contact via via iLearn
25BWW Room 622
By appointment
Music & Dance tutor
Paul Myatt
Contact via via iLearn
N/A
By appointment
Drama tutor
Rebecca Jones
Contact via via iLearn
N/A
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
[(ECHE1310 and EDST2500) and admission to the BEd(EC) or BEd(EC and Prim) or BEd(Prim)] or (EDST2510 and admission to the BA)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is designed to provide students with the knowledge, understandings and skills necessary to implement the Creative Arts syllabus in the K-6 context. Lectures and workshops will guide students through making, performing and appreciating in music, visual arts, drama and dance and developing appropriate teaching and assessment strategies. Students will examine approaches to integrating the creative arts across other areas of the primary curriculum.

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: Develop knowledge, understanding, skill, and confidence in music, visual arts, drama, and dance in the K-6 context.
  • ULO2: Engage in making, appreciating, and performing creative works in each art form.
  • ULO3: Plan, implement, and evaluate lesson sequences based on the K-6 Creative Arts syllabus.
  • ULO4: Analyse and apply research-based pedagogies associated with the learning and teaching of the Creative Arts in K-6 settings.
  • ULO5: Understand the value and potential of the Creative Arts to enhance learning in other K-6 curriculum areas.

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 

 

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 viaService 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
Creative learning task 50% No 06/09/2026 Individual Yes Open
Planning a unit of work 50% No 06/10/2026 Individual Yes Open

Creative learning task

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 06/09/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Students design a sequence of creative learning experiences based on a stimulus, including at least 2 art forms from music, dance, drama and visual arts


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop knowledge, understanding, skill, and confidence in music, visual arts, drama, and dance in the K-6 context.
  • Engage in making, appreciating, and performing creative works in each art form.
  • Plan, implement, and evaluate lesson sequences based on the K-6 Creative Arts syllabus.
  • Understand the value and potential of the Creative Arts to enhance learning in other K-6 curriculum areas.

Planning a unit of work

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 06/10/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Students plan a 5-6-week unit of work that integrates creative arts with another learning area (e.g. science). Students provide examples of 4 lesson plans from the sequence: music, drama, visual arts, dance


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop knowledge, understanding, skill, and confidence in music, visual arts, drama, and dance in the K-6 context.
  • Plan, implement, and evaluate lesson sequences based on the K-6 Creative Arts syllabus.
  • Analyse and apply research-based pedagogies associated with the learning and teaching of the Creative Arts in K-6 settings.
  • Understand the value and potential of the Creative Arts to enhance learning in other K-6 curriculum areas.

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

Resources  

Music/Dance and Drama classes are active so please dress in comfortable clothes that you can move around in easily.

Visual Arts classes may get messy, so dress accordingly!

 

Required and recommended texts  

TEXTBOOK:     Dinham, J. (2023). Delivering Authentic Arts Education (5th ed.). Cengage.

Please access Leganto through iLearn to view a range of recommended readings.

 

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

DAY students: attend classes that run weekly on Wednesdays.

INFR students: attend TWO on campus days (9am - 4pm)

           1. August 22

           2. September 19 

 

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 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.

 

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.  

 

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.  


Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook