Requirements to Pass 

In order to pass this unit a student must obtain a mark of 50 or more for the unit (i.e. obtain a passing grade P/ CR/ D/ HD).

For further details about grading, please refer to Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy. 

Students must also pass any hurdle assessments as stipulated in the Assessment Section of this Unit Guide.

Grading 

The College will award common result grades as specified in Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy.

Students will receive criteria and standards for specific assessment tasks, which will be aligned with the grading descriptors given in Schedule 1.

The attainment (or otherwise) of learning outcomes for a unit of study will be reported by grade and mark which will correspond to the Schedule 1 and be as outlined below.

Final Grades not receiving a mark because the student has withdrawn after the Census Date, not submitted or completed one or more components of the assessment, has been awarded a supplementary assessment or because of an unresolved matter such as allegations of academic misconduct are outlined in Schedule 1.

Where to find information about assessment

General assessment information including the number and nature of assessments, due dates and weightings has been provided in this unit guide.

Specific assessment information including assignment instructions, questions, marking criteria and rubrics as well as examples of relevant and related assessment tasks and responses will be available in the Assessment section on iLearn. For units that have final examinations, students may access past final exam papers using MultiSearch.  

Student Responsibilities

As per the Assessment Policy, students are responsible for their learning and are expected to:

• actively engage with assessment tasks, including carefully reading the guidance provided, understanding criteria, spending sufficient time on the task and submitting work on time;
• read, reflect and act on feedback provided;
• actively engage in activities designed to develop assessment literacy, including taking the initiative where appropriate (e.g. seeking clarification or advice, negotiating learning contracts, developing grading criteria and rubrics);
• provide constructive feedback on assessment processes and tasks through student feedback mechanisms (e.g. student surveys, suggestions for future offerings, student representation on committees);
• ensure that their work is their own; and
• be familiar with University policy and College procedures and act in accordance with those policy and procedures.

Submission of Assessment Tasks 

Assessments must be submitted in accordance with instructions provided in this unit guide. Assessment tasks which have not been submitted as required will not be marked; they will be considered a non-submission and zero marks will be awarded for the task.

Extensions & Late Submissions

Extensions will only be granted as a result of a Disruptions to Studies Notification for which special consideration has been awarded. To apply for an extension of time for submission of an assessment item, students must submit their Disruptions to Studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au.

Late submissions without an approved extension are possible but will be penalised at 20% per 24 hour period or thereof up to 4 days (weekend inclusive).

Example: An assignment is due at 5:00 pm on a Friday and is marked out of 100 marks.

• If a student submits at 5:02 pm on the Friday and no Disruptions to Studies or special consideration is granted, a penalty of 20% of the total marks possible (20 marks) will be deducted from their result.
• If the student submits the assignment on Sunday and no Disruptions to Studies or special consideration is granted, then a penalty of 40% (40 marks) will be deducted and so on.
• If a student submits an assessment task 5 or more days after the due date and no Disruptions to Studies or special consideration is granted, a record of submission will be made but the student will receive zero marks for the assessment task. 

Where a student has been granted an extension and submits late, late penalties will be applied following the due date.

Please see “In class assessment” section for further information on in class assessments.

Resubmissions after the Due Date / Time

Students may resubmit their work up to four days after the due date if for example, they have submitted the incorrect document, or forgotten to include information. These resubmissions will be treated as late submissions and will be penalised at 20% per 24 hour period or thereof up to 4 days (weekend inclusive). After the 5^th day record of submission will be made and feedback provided on the new content submitted but the student will receive zero marks for the assessment task.

In order to resubmit your work you will need to contact your teacher, and ask them to delete your original submission so that you can upload a new one. Teaching staff contact details have been provided in this unit guide.

Retention of Originals

It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted. Students must produce these documents upon request. Copies should be retained until the end of the grade appeal period each term.

In the event that a student is asked to produce another copy of work submitted and is unable to do so, they may be awarded zero (0) for that particular assessment task.

Requests for original documentation will be sent to the applicant’s student email address within six (6) months of notification by the student. Students must retain all original documentation for the duration of this six (6) month period and must supply original documents to the University within ten (10) working days of such a request being made.

In Class Assessment

Students must bring their Student ID Card to all assessment tasks, including in class assessments and produce this if requested. Students may be refused the opportunity to take an in class assessment task where unable to show their student ID card.

Where an assessment is to be held or submitted a scheduled lesson, students must be ready to submit, present or sit the assessment task at the start of the lesson, however not all assessments may commence at the beginning of the lesson. No additional time or adjustment will be made for late arriving students or students not ready to submit an assessment at the start of the lesson and late penalties may apply. 

For example, if a one hour test or quiz is due to take place in a three hour lesson, the test or quiz may start at any time in the first two hours, so students must be ready to take the test at the beginning of the lesson. No additional time will be given to or adjustment made for students who arrive late. While they may still be permitted to take the test, depending on the task, the student will have only the remaining time to complete the task. Similarly, where an assessment task is due in a given lesson, late penalties may apply to a student who submits the task at the end of the lesson, depending on submission instructions for the task.

Final Examinations

The final examination period is from Thursday Week 6 until Monday of Week 7, including the weekend. This means that examinations and assessments may be held/due on the Saturday during the final examination period and students must be available to take exams and submit assessments on this day.  For unit specific details please refer to the Assessment section of this unit guide.

The University will publish the College Final Examination Timetable at least 4 weeks before the commencement of the final examination period and students will be able to access their final examination schedule in Week 3 of the Term.

Final Examination Requirements

Schedule 4 of the Assessment Policy explains what students are responsible for:

• checking the final examination timetable
• knowing the examination location (including seat number allocation) and arriving at allocated examination venue on time.
• knowing the structure and format of the examination
• adhering to the final examination timetable
• ensuring they are available for the full duration of the final examination period and supplementary examination period.

Details of the structure and format of the final examination paper will be made available to students via iLearn prior to the start of the final examination period. This detail will include:

• a copy of the examination coversheet, giving the conditions under which the examination will be held
• information on the types of questions the examination will contain, and
• an indication of the unit content the paper may examine.

Students must follow directions given by the Final Examination Supervisor.

Students will be required to present their Macquarie University Campus Card as photographic proof of identity for the duration of the final examination and may be refused the opportunity to take a final examination where unable to show their student ID card.

Students are not permitted to:

• enter a final examination venue once one hour from the time of commencement (excluding any reading time) has elapsed
• leave a final examination venue before one hour from the time of commencement (excluding any reading time) has elapsed
• leave a final examination venue during the last 15 minutes of the examination 
• be readmitted to a final examination venue unless they were under approved supervision during the full period of their absence
• obtain, or attempt to obtain, assistance in undertaking or completing the final examination script
• receive, or attempt to receive, assistance in undertaking or completing the final examination script (Unless an application for reasonable adjustment has been approved)
• communicate in any way with another student once they have entered the final examination venue

Missed assessments and examinations

The University recognises that students may experience unexpected events and circumstances that adversely affect their academic performance in assessment activities, for example illness.

In order to support students who have experienced a serious and unavoidable disruption, the University will provide affected students with an additional opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes of a unit. An additional opportunity provided under such circumstances is referred to as special consideration.

In order to be eligible for special consideration students must submit a Disruption to Studies Notification via ask.mq.edu.au within five (5) working days of the commencement of the disruption and attach appropriate supporting evidence.

Where special consideration is granted the student will be given and an additional opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes of a unit in the form of an alternative or supplementary assessment task or extension.

Please refer to the Disruptions to Studies section under Policies and Procedures below.

Supplementary Tests, Supplementary Examinations and Second Attempts at a Hurdle Assessments

Where a student has been granted a supplementary test or examination as a result of a disruption to studies, they will be advised of the time, date and location for the supplementary task.

Supplementary interim assessments (i.e. assessments held during the term) will be held throughout the term with sittings typically taking place on these days:

• Week 3: Wednesday AND/OR Friday
• Week 5: Wednesday AND/OR Friday
• Week 6: Thursday

The supplementary final examination period (i.e. for formal, end of term examinations) will span from Monday Week 7 until Friday Week 1 of the subsequent teaching term. Students who have lodged a Disruptions to Studies must be available to undertake examinations during the supplementary examination period.

Where a student is eligible for a second attempt at a hurdle assessment, this will typically be organised during the supplementary interim/final examination periods unless stipulated otherwise in the assessment section of the unit guide. Students awarded second attempts at hurdles will be notified via email so please ensure you are checking your student email regularly.

For each assessment task affected by a disruption event, there will be a limit of one extra assessable task or remedy applied. If a further event affects the student’s ability to partake in this assessment activity (i.e. a student cannot undertake the additional or supplementary assessment task as scheduled) the student will need to proceed with the grading of the original attempt or submit a further Disruption notification which would be assessed for a Withdrawal without Academic Penalty outcome.

Results for supplementary final examinations may not be available for up to two weeks following the supplementary examination. Students in their final term of study who undertake supplementary final exams and students who apply for special consideration for a unit which is a prerequisite to another unit in their program should note that formal completion of their Program will not be possible until supplementary results are released and this may impact on their ability to enrol in subsequent programs of study on time.

Accessing your Results

Students will be able to view their results for internal assessments via the Grades section in iLearn.

Grades (e.g. HD, D, CR, P, F) for all assessment tasks will be released to students once marking has concluded. Marks for individual assessments may be released as well.

Final results for the unit will be released at 00:01 on Friday of Week 7. Students will be able to view their final result for the unit via eStudent.

Calculating your GPA

A Grade Point Average (GPA) is a calculation that reflects the overall grades of a student in a coursework program. Please refer to the GPA Calculator. 

Obtaining Feedback

Teaching staff will provide students with feedback about their academic progress and performance in assessment tasks or a unit of study. Where relevant, other staff such as Senior Teachers, Program Managers and members of the Student Administration and Services Team will provide feedback and advice to students about their performance in a program of study. Feedback may be provided to individual students, a group of students or a whole class and it may be written or verbal in nature.

Some examples of feedback include:

• Teaching staff member reviewing a draft submission and giving a student advice on how to improve their work before making a final submission
• Teaching staff member telling a class that they need to improve their editing of grammar in their recently submitted assignment.
• Teaching staff member discussing progress of an individual student before census date to allow the student to decide whether they should remain enrolled in the unit.
• Online feedback via announcements or forums, an online marking rubric or various iLearn activities employed in a unit. Please note that feedback on written assessments is usually provided via Feedback Studio in iLearn.
• Written marks and comments on a marking sheet or essay.

Recorded voice comment provided in response to an essay submitted online. 

• A student receiving advice that they should consider withdrawing from a unit because they have missed too many classes / too much work to be able to catch up or for other reasons.

It is a student’s responsibility to:

• Attend sessions, be present and actively engaged during times when feedback is provided in scheduled class times.
• If absent from an in-class feedback session due to unavoidable circumstances, organise an alternative time with the teacher so that they can receive their feedback
• Ensure that they have received sufficient feedback prior to their next assessment task and/or final assessment in the unit
• Act promptly on feedback provided (e.g. incorporate advice provided into their work and study habits). 

If you are unsure how or when feedback has been or will be provided, or you feel that feedback provided is not sufficient, you must approach relevant teaching or administrative staff and request additional feedback in a timely manner during the term and prior to any subsequent assessment task or the final assessment task for the unit. Claims that not enough feedback has been provided are not grounds for a grade appeal, especially where a student has not made any effort to approach staff about obtaining additional feedback in a timely manner. Students may seek general feedback about performance in a unit up to 6 months following results release.

If you have any problems contacting your teacher you must seek help from administrative staff at the E3A Level 2 Reception.

Contacting Teaching Staff Obtaining Help 

Students may contact teaching staff at any time during the term by using the contact details provided in this guide. Students should expect a response within 1-2 business days.  Teaching staff are unable to accept assessment submissions via email, all assessments must be submitted as outlined in the unit guide.

For all university related correspondence, students must use their official Macquarie University student email account which may be accessed via the Macquarie University Student Portal. Inquiries from personal email accounts will not be attended to.

Academic Honesty

Using the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting them as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source is called Plagiarism. 

Macquarie University promotes awareness of information ethics through its Academic Honesty Policy. This means that:

• all academic work claimed as original must be the work of the person making the claim
• all academic collaborations of any kind must be acknowledged
• academic work must not be falsified in any way
• when the ideas of others are used, these ideas must be acknowledged appropriately.

All breaches of the Academic Honesty Policy are serious and penalties apply. Students should be aware that they may fail an assessment task, a unit or even be excluded from the University for breaching the Academic Honesty Policy. 

Examples of Academic Dishonesty

Examples of some dishonest behaviours include deception, fabrication, obstruction, plagiarism and sabotage.

Deception includes:

• falsely claiming to have contributed to a group task or presenting collaborative work as one’s own without acknowledging others’ contributions
• falsely claiming to have submitted an assignment when this was not the case
• collusion (work together with someone else in a deceitful way to develop a submission for an assessment which has been restricted to individual effort)
• submission of a work previously submitted for another unit or another assessment, even if this is the student’s own work
• creating a new article out of an existing article by rewriting/reusing it,
• cheating in an examination or asking someone else to complete an assessment or examination in one’s place.

Plagiarism involves using the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting this as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source of the work or ideas. This includes, any of the following:

• copying part(s) of any document or audio-visual material or computer code or website content without indicating their origins
• using or extracting another person's concepts, experimental results, or conclusions
• summarising or paraphrasing another person's work
• submitting substantially the same final version of any material as another student in an assignment where there was collaborative preparatory work
• use of others (paid or otherwise) to conceive, research or write material submitted for assessment (eg ghost writing)
• submitting the same or substantially the same piece of work for two different tasks or in different units (self-plagiarism).

Sabotage includes, but is not limited to, theft of work, destruction of library materials.

Fabrication involves creating false data, citation(s), or reports.

Obstruction involves intentionally impeding or interfering with another student’s academic work

The University may commence applicable disciplinary procedures if a person who breaches the Academic Honesty Policy.

Turnitin

To uphold principles of Academic Honesty, Macquarie University employs online anti-plagiarism Software called Turnitin. Turnitin compares electronically submitted papers to a database of academic publications, internet sources and other student papers that have been submitted to the system to identify matching text. It then produces an Originality Report which identifies text taken from other sources, and generates a similarity percentage.

All text based assessments must be submitted through Turnitin as per instructions provided in the unit guide. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. This includes verifying that correct files have been submitted as no special consideration will be given to students who have uploaded incorrect documents. No hard copies of assessments will be accepted and only Turnitin records will be taken as records of submission. 

Multiple submissions may be possible via Turnitin prior to the final due date and time of an assessment task and originality reports may be made available to students to view and check their levels of similarity prior to making a final submission. Students are encouraged to use these reports to ensure that they do not breach they Academic Honesty Policy through high levels of similarity (plagiarism).

Students should note that the report on the initial submission will be immediate but on a second or subsequent submission it will take at least 24-36 hours for the similarity report to be generated. This may be after the due date so students should plan any resubmissions carefully. If you have not planned your submission time carefully and note high levels of similarity in your work after the due date, you can still resubmit your work, however a late penalty (20% per day) will apply. For instructions on how to resubmit your work please see “Resubmissions after the due date” section in this unit guide.

Teaching staff will use the report to judge whether plagiarism has occurred and whether penalties should apply for breaches of the Academic Honesty Policy. Any similar text identified by Turnitin will be considered carefully to see if it is indeed a breach of the Academic Honesty Policy.

There is no set percentage which indicates whether plagiarism has occurred; all identified matching text should be reconsidered carefully. If plagiarism has occurred or is suspected and resubmission is possible prior to the due date, students are advised to edit their work before making a final submission. Help may be sought from teaching staff. Students may also access research resources provided by the library or Learning Skills.

Please refer to these instructions on how to submit your assignment through Turnitin and access similarity reports and feedback provided by teaching staff.

Should you have questions about Turnitin or experience issues submitting through the system, you must inform your teacher immediately. If the issue is technical in nature may also lodge a OneHelp Ticket, refer to the IT help page. 

Submission of Drafts through Turnitin.

In some instances students may be required to submit drafts of written work via Turnitin prior to the due date of the assessment task so that they can receive feedback prior to making a final submission. If the student does not make a final submission prior to the due date, their draft will be counted as the final submission or late penalties applied.

Term Dates & College Calendar

Details of key dates during the term can be found on the Important Dates calendar.

Enrolment and Timetables

General timetable information is available via Macquarie University's Timetable page. 

Students will be able to enrol in units and register for classes via eStudent and also view their personal timetable. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that classes they have registered for do not clash.

Students are only permitted to attend classes in which they have registered via eStudent, unless they have written approval from the Students Services and Administration Manager. To seek approval, students must email muic@mq.edu.au or speak to a member of the Student Services and Administration Team at E3A Level 2 Reception. Approval will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

The last day to enrol in units is Tuesday of Week 1. Swapping groups is not possible after the enrolment period has concluded. The last day to enrol and register into classes is Tuesday of Week 1 and this must be finalised by the student in eStudent by the end of the day.

Guest Lecturer Presentations and Workshops 

One or two Guest Lecturer Presentations and/or workshops may be scheduled during the term.  These sessions will take place outside of regular class time, usually in a lecture theatre on campus. In the session a speaker (usually an expert or well-known academic in the field) will give a presentation on a particular topic related to the unit or field.

While attendance at guest lectures is not compulsory, and content covered is not examinable unless covered in regular classes, students are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions as they will:

• help them to engage with and broaden their understanding of the discipline
• contextualise content covered in class by providing insights into recent research and workplace developments in the field
• provide opportunities for networking
• provide experience of what lectures are like

Specific details including time and venue for Guest Lecturer Presentations and workshops will be posted in iLearn announcements and provided in class.

Recordings of these sessions may also be made available to students via iLearn.

Attendance Requirements – All Students

All students are expected to attend 100% of scheduled class time. 

Attendance will be monitored in each lesson & students will be able to see their current attendance percentage to date and potential attendance percentage for each unit they have enrolled in via iLearn.  

• Current attendance Percentage will reflect the percentage of classes a student has attended so far (based only on the lessons held to date).
• Potential Attendance Percentage will reflect the percentage of classes a student can potentially attend by the end of the term, taking into consideration lessons attended and assuming the student also attends all future lessons scheduled (based only on the total number of lessons in the Term).

Where a student is present for a part of a lesson (for example arrives late, leaves early, leaves the class frequently, particularly for lengthy periods) the teacher reserves the right to mark a student absent for that part of the lesson.

In cases of unavoidable non-attendance due to illness or circumstances beyond their control, students should lodge a Disruption to Studies Notification via ask.mq.edu.au within 5 working days and supply relevant supporting documentation, even if they have not missed a formal assessment task. This will ensure that that appropriate records of unavoidable absences can be kept. 

Public Holidays and Make-up Lessons

If any scheduled class falls on a public holiday a make-up lesson may be scheduled on an alternate day, usually on a Saturday or a weekday at a time when students do not have other classes scheduled.

In Term 7 there are no scheduled public holidays.  

Technology Used and Required

• Access to internet (Available on Campus using Macquarie OneNet and in designated E3A Self-Access Computer Laboratories)
• iLab - iLab is Macquarie University's personal computer laboratory on the Internet, enabling students to use the Microsoft Windows applications they require to do their university work from anywhere, anytime, on anything.
• Access to iLearn Access to Macquarie University Library catalogue (MultiSearch)
• Access to Microsoft Office Suite (available in E3A Self-Access Computer Laboratories and via iLab)software downloads page for full instructions.

Bringing your own Device (BYOD)

Macquarie University is BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) friendly and it encourages students to bring their Windows or Mac devices to use on campus and during classes.

In some classes in this unit, you will need to have access to a mobile device, Office applications (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and an Internet Browser of your choice. If you do not have your own device and computer access is required in a particular lesson, you may be able to borrow a laptop to use for the duration of the lesson.

As a Macquarie University student, you are entitled to free access to Microsoft Office Suite, which you can download for use on your device. Please visit the University’s software downloads page for full instructions.

If you do bring your own device, you will need to ensure that it is sufficiently charged as access to power points will not be available in the classrooms.

iLearn

iLearn is Macquarie's online learning management system and a principal teaching and learning resource which will be used throughout the term. Students must access iLearn at least 3 times per week to access important information including: 

• Announcements and News Forums - Teaching staff will communicate to the class using iLearn announcements. Announcements may also be emailed to students’ Macquarie University email address but students should check the News Forum regularly.
• Attendance – current and potential attendance percentage for the Term.
• Unit Guide and staff contact details
• Set unit readings available through MultiSearch (library).
• Lesson materials and recordings where available
• Learning and teaching activities and resources, questions and solutions
• Assessment instructions, questions, marking criteria and sample tasks
• Assessment submission links such as Turnitin
• Links to support materials and services available at the University
• Evaluation Surveys for the unit

For any resource related iLearn questions contact your teacher. For any technical or support issues using iLearn, please contact the IT helpdesk (Ph. 02 9850 4357) or lodge a ticket using OneHelp. 

Useful Study Resources

StudyWise is an iLearn resource created by Learning Skills, which is specifically designed to help you to manage your studies, strengthen your study techniques, write effective assignments and improve your English language proficiency. Once you enrol in StudyWISE, you can access it from your iLearn course list under the category "Student Support".

InfoWise will help you improve your research skills by teaching you how to use MultiSearch, decode citations, identifying key search terms and use advanced search techniques.

Lib Guides provide students with links to electronic sources and websites that are good starting points for research in different fields or disciplines.

MultiSearch will connect you to Macquarie University Library and allow you to search library resources, databases, unit readings and past exam papers

Academic Language and Learning Workshops are designed to help you with Study Skills, Assignment Writing, Referencing and Academic Language.

Research resources provide information about:

• Researching for your assignments
• How to manage your references
• Referencing style guides
• Subject and research guides

Numeracy Support is provided by the Numeracy Centre. Students who can attend these support classes on a drop in basis as required.

Your Tutor is a one-to-one personal study support service which may be made available via Week 0 in your iLearn unit. If available, you may use this service to get online study help and/or feedback on your assignment within 24 hours. If you are unsure whether this service is available in your unit or how to use this service, please check with your teacher.

WACB100 Unit Schedule

The Guided Reflection 2 is now due on Wednesday rather than on Friday Week 6 to allow for earlier marking and an earlier moderation session.

The proficiency test does not include a reading comprehension session as having a sample of students' writing is of paramount importance and students were spending most of the time allocated to the test on the reading section resulting in a very short sample of their writing.

The collaborative sheets are not used in this delivery. A focus on Turnitin and plagiarism is included in all assessment tasks and penalties are included in the rubrics used for marking.

Course contact hours changed from 54 to 48 overall.

Weekly face- to- face contact for this unit will be 8 hours a week (48 hours per term). There will be 4 weekly lessons of 2 hours each.

The following text has been prescribed for this unit:

Brick, J., Herke, M. and Wong, D. (2016). Academic Culture: A student’s guide to studying at university. 3rd ed. South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan.

Texts will be available for purchase from the Co-Op Bookshop located in the Campus Hub Building C10A, Level One, Phone: 8986 4000.

All students should ensure that they have access to the prescribed text(s) from the start of the Term as failure to do so could jeopardise their academic progress in this unit.

Other editions or formats of the above resource(s) may be acceptable, but you must students must consult teaching staff prior to purchasing these. 

Additional  reading materials will be provided to the students throughout the semester. They will be provided in hard copy or placed on iLearn.