Three pieces of assessment require students to reflect on their experience in the unit and project this experience into an aspirational career path. Students will be encouraged to collect resources, anecdotes, and reflections to both illustrate their journey within the unit and support their future decision-making. The unit will also form peer mentoring groups, encouraging regular reflection and evaluation of the unit progress and evaluation of students' learning experiences.

A fourth assessment requires satisfactory completion of a PACE placement. Please carefully read the Student Placement Guide in order to correctly complete this assessment. To be sure, this is a requirement and students not completing this component will FAIL the course.

Words counts and page restrictions

There is a 5% leeway in the word limit (i.e., up to 40 words for a 750-word assignment), but beyond that you will be penalised 5% of your report mark for every further 100 words over the limit. Pages beyond the maximum limit will not be assessed.

Don't be late!

Late submission of your report will attract a penalty of 5% of the maximum mark for every day that the assignment is late (including weekend days). For example, if it is submitted 2 days late, you will get a penalty of 10% for this assignment. Work submitted more than 14 days after the submission deadline will not be marked and will receive a mark of 0. Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to notify the University of a disruption to their studies and that requests for extensions for assignments must be made via the University’s Ask MQ System (as outlined in the Special Consideration Policy).

Unit Overview

COGS399 is a Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) and capstone unit for Cognitive and Brain Sciences which is undertaken during the third year of an undergraduate degree in preparation for either leaving to find employment or continuing on to further study. This unit provides students with:

• An opportunity to reflect on their undergraduate learning to date and on how they might use it;
• It encourages students to integrate and synthesise the information from the various sub-disciplines in cognitive science;
• It encourages students to think about how real-world issues may be approached with this knowledge;
• It focuses on the generic skills students will take into the workplace or further study; and
• It provides information on what jobs are available in cognitive science, how to apply for and prepare for those jobs, and on the codes of conduct and ethical behaviour guidelines that will inform your professional conduct in the workplace or in further research.

In addition to the traditional lectures and tutorials, it is important to note that this unit involves a different type of learning (i.e., learning by experience), and requires different student skills than typical in other cognitive science units. This is because COGS399 contains a practical placement component of 32-hours. Students will need to demonstrate learning from their placement experience, and will be expected to demonstrate initiative, professionalism and a high level of self-regulation in this unit.

Students are strongly encouraged to fully participate in the unit, so that they can gain the maximum benefit from it, especially as a preparation for activities beyond the third year in cognitive science. The students who do best in this unit are those who attend or listen to lectures on time. Students should also be aware that some new processes for this unit are being trialled for this Session, and may have some teething issues. Please be gracious and patient with the staff, who want students to gain the maximum benefit from this unit and will help with any relevant student issues.

Delivery

The timetable for lectures & tutorials can be found on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

Lectures are held weekly (1 hour), starting in Week 1. These will be held from 9:00 to 10:00 am in Tutorial Room 207, 25a Wallys Walk (https://timetables.mq.edu.au/scientia/web/25aWW207.html). Lecture recordings are available via Echo360 in iLearn.

The lectures will introduce material relevant to the transition from undergraduate student to cognitive science graduate, or to further study. As the majority of students in this unit will be moving to the workforce, a major focus of lectures will be on preparation for a profession that has at its core a cognitive science degree. Thus, lectures will cover areas relevant to integrating a knowledge of cognitive science, preparing for and applying for a cognitive science-based job, professional practice and ethical conduct. Readings extend rather than duplicate the lecture material, and students should be self-directed in reading and integrating readings with the lecture material.

Lecture outlines (and, when applicable, tutorial handouts) will be uploaded to iLearn each week. Sometimes there will be unavoidable delays. Please DO NOT contact the Unit Convenor to request that the lecture notes be uploaded.

• Please check the Unit iLearn page and the Unit Outline carefully BEFORE emailing or telephoning tutors or unit administrators with queries.
• Important messages will be posted as announcements on the iLearn site and announced during (recorded) lectures. Please check the iLearn webpage, your web page email account, and your general student email account regularly (i.e., at least weekly).
• Use the Discussion Page to communicate with other students during the semester. This is a student-to-student page: staff will NOT monitor the Discussion Page for enquiries.

Tutorials are held weekly (1 hour), starting in Week 1. These will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 am in Tutorial Room 134, 29 Wallys Walk (https://timetables.mq.edu.au/scientia/web/29WW134.html). 

Students will participate in a weekly tutorial series, reinforcing the development of skills, and guiding students towards the assessment presentations/submissions. A core component of these tutorials will be checking-in with peer mentoring group, which will be monitored by tutors. Tutorials are not necessarily linked with the concurrent lecture material. They are primarily concerned with (1) guiding students through the process of producing their major projects, (2) providing ongoing assistance with the process of arranging and completing the practical placement, (3) providing guidance on practical skills such as knowledge integration and reflection, and (4) debriefing about placement experiences and learning more generally.

Due to restrictions on the availability of resources in the laboratory and to health and safety regulations you should attend the tutorial to which you have been assigned. Although students might be able to occasionally attend a different tutorial, most classes are likely to be full, in which case those not attending their assigned tutorial will be asked to leave. Under these circumstances, no special provisions will be made for attendance at an alternative tutorial class.

Requests for tutorial changes: Changes to tutorials need to be done online via eStudent only. After week 2, no further changes will be made unless supporting documentation about the reason for changing is provided and there is space in the tutorial you wish to enrol in. Please note that changes to tutorials cannot be made by the unit convenor or tutor.

Placements: Students will need to develop their ability to learn from practical experience during the placement component of the unit and will be expected to show initiative and be quite self- regulated before and during placement, and throughout the unit. Practical learning during placement will be partly assessed in the Aspirational Portfolio and Short-Answer Exam.

Placement Attendance: This is compulsory. Students will be expected to facilitate and attend their placement, to keep a log book for that placement, and to perform satisfactorily as volunteers. Students who do not get a grade of satisfactory for the placement component of this unit will FAIL the unit.

Readings

There is no textbook for this unit. Readings may be assigned in preparation for each lecture or tutorial and will be listed on the unit iLearn page. These readings are listed as optional but typically supports areas of lectures that are either not covered in the textbook or provide additional insights into the material.

iLearn

You will need access to a computer that can reliably connect to the internet to access the unit's iLearn page. Through iLearn you will be able to access lecture recordings (Echo360), readings, and feedback and marks for the assessment tasks. You are also required to submit assessment tasks via iLearn, using the Turnitin submission tool (Science Communication Part 1 and Aspirational Portfolio Part 3). Please allow time to familiarise yourself with how to access iLearn and how to submit a Turnitin assignment.

PLEASE NOTE: It is University policy that the University issued email account (i.e., your.name@students.mq.edu.au) will be used for all official University communication. All students are required to access their University email account frequently. In COGS399 you should check this account at least weekly. Emails from within the unit will also be sent via the iLearn internal email system, which should be checked often.

COGS399 Student Placement Log Book Sheet

A Word version of this document is available through iLearn along with an Excel file to support planning and tracking of the PACE placement.

 (Complete as electronically as possible & append additional notes/pages if necessary)

The University defines plagiarism as: “Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one’s own”. Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University’s rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on academic integrity.

The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.

Referencing your sources is essential in all written work that you submit. Always attribute direct quotations from the work of another author. Direct quotations should be enclosed in ‘quotation marks’ in the text of your assignment, and you should include the specific page number in your reference for that author’s work. In addition to such direct quotations, you should also give a reference in the text (or in a footnote) in places where you have summarised or paraphrased the work or ideas of other people.

There are a number of alternative referencing/citation systems that you may use. A brief description of some of the main ones can be found on the Library’s web page.

It does not matter which of these systems you use but choose one and use it consistently throughout your paper.

Cognitive Science placements involve a three-way partnership between Macquarie University, the host workplace, and the student. We value our ongoing relationship with our host workplaces. Our students are ‘ambassadors’ for our future placement prospects. Participation in a placement project involves specific duties and responsibilities for each party.

The partnerships between the university, the host workplace, the student and the study unit convenor are managed by the Faculty of Human Sciences Participation and Community Engagement (PACE) staff. You will need to become familiar with your part of the relevant documents.

You may be required to seek criminal background checks, working with children checks, specific health measures such as vaccinations or other matters that are relevant to your project.

An important note on Work Health and Safety as per the NSW work health and safety laws. Health and safety in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility. You must receive an orientation to the workplace that covers these matters. If you have any concerns about safety and wellbeing contact your workplace supervisor, the study unit convenor or the Participation and Community Engagement staff in the Faculty of Human Sciences or at the campus office.

Responsibilities of Macquarie University

The University is responsible for the development and implementation of the COGS399 Cognitive Science Placement Unit.  These responsibilities involve:

1. Provision of third party public liability and personal accident insurance coverage for Students participating in Cognitive Science Placements[1];
2. Monitoring and evaluation of the quality of the Cognitive Science Placement experience through regular contact with the Student and Host Workplace;
3. Ensuring proposed Placement Projects satisfy the University’s ethics clearance requirements;
4. Conduct of three on-campus workshops for Students during the course of the unit; and
5. Exclusively to Macquarie University, any ‘disciplining’ of the Student.

Responsibilities of the Host Organisation

The Host Organisation is responsible for the initial specification of the Cognitive Science Placement Project and the ongoing supervision of the Student during the placement.  This involves:

1. Provision of a safe and healthy working environment;
2. Orientation of the Student to the workplace (informing you about occupational health & safety requirements; emergency procedures; expected standards of dress and presentation; confidentiality, privacy and ethical guidelines, etc.);
3. Provision of sufficient resources/facilities for the Student to undertake the project (e.g. adequate workspace, access to computer and telephone facilities if and as required, and, if available, access to other staff facilities such as cafeterias and parking facilities on the same terms and conditions as staff);
4. Completion of ethics committee clearance for Placement Projects where required;
5. Ongoing supervision of the Student in their conduct of the Cognitive Science Placement Project and at all times during the Cognitive Science Placement whilst at the workplace;
6. Ensuring that the Student has no direct contact with the Host Workplace’s patients or clients, or access to patient/client information, unless the informed, written consent of the patient/client is obtained in advance of the contact. Should such contact occur, the Host Workplace will further ensure that:
   1. The contact is supervised by a suitably qualified member of the Host Workplace’s staff at all times; and
   2. The student does not provide any patient/client with any treatment whatsoever, whether medical or otherwise, or any other services of an advisory or consultative nature; and
7. Ensuring that the Student is aware of any confidentiality or privacy requirements or any other Host Workplace ethical requirements attaching to any records or documents in the custody of the Host Workplace to which the Student is given access during the Cognitive Science Placement.

Responsibilities of the Student

In undertaking the Cognitive Science Placement, the Student agrees to:

1. Complete all the assessment tasks required for the unit, including
   1. negotiation of an agreed project management plan for the conduct of the Cognitive Science Placement Project;
   2. completion of the agreed Cognitive Science Placement Project; and
   3. delivery of a post-placement report to both the University and the Host Workplace.
   4. Obtain any working with children or criminal records checks if relevant to the placement. Follow other requirements specific requirements such as vaccination if relevant to the placement.
2. Meet the time commitment required to undertake the Cognitive Science Placement at the Host Workplace (i.e., at least 32 hours);
3. Complete the tasks involved in the Cognitive Science Placement Project in a diligent and professional manner;
4. Maintain high standards of behaviour and personal presentation throughout the placement;
5. Abide by all the reasonable rules, requirements, and procedures of the Host Workplace, including (without limitation) those dealing with occupational health & safety, security, and confidentiality;
6. Participate in the required on-campus workshops; and
7. Refer any problems or concerns that cannot be readily dealt with by the Student and/or Workplace Supervisor to the Unit Convenor as soon as possible.

[1] Students are covered for any damage to third party persons or property in the course of the Cognitive Science Placement. They are also covered for personal injury, including that incurred during travel to and from the host workplace.

There may be particular circumstances that limit the kind of placement COGS399 students can be allocated to. These circumstances fall into three different categories:

Practical Considerations

This category includes those students that may have carer responsibilities, such as looking after young children or a family member who is unwell. This category also includes students who have work obligations that may restrict their availability.

Physical/Religious/Cultural or Mental Health Considerations

This category includes students who cannot participate in certain activities for a variety of physical, cultural/religious and mental health reasons. Certain activities or placement environments may cause trauma or distress to students because of their past experiences (e.g., placement in a rape crisis centre may be distressing for a survivor of sexual assault; placement in a mental health crisis centre may be problematic for a student with a history of psychotic illness etc.). Other activities may be unsuitable to some people on religious or cultural grounds, or because the person has physical limitations to what they can do (and they are not registered with Macquarie’s Disability Services and are thus not in the next category).

Students that are already registered with Macquarie University Disability Services

This category is for those students who have previously registered a disability, a medical condition, or other considerations with Macquarie University’s Disability Services. This may impact their capacity to undertake some tasks or to travel to certain placements. Examples may include students with vision impairment or students with a diagnosed disorder.

If you need your placement to be matched to specific needs, you should complete the Matching Students to Specific Needs form in the student placement guide (it is also available in iLearn), and submit it to PACE at the Faculty of Human Sciences (pace.humansciences@mq.edu.au) no later than 16 July 2018. Supporting documentation (such as a letter from a counsellor or doctor) is helpful, if available.

Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at the wellbeing page.