Learning and Development in Primary Education G (11340.2)

Required texts

Compulsory unit resource: Margetts, K. Woolfolk, A., & Usher, E.L. (2023). Educational Psychology (6th ed.). Pearson Australia. 

The text can be accessed online through UC library; however, there are limits on the number of people who can access at one time.

Alternatively you can purchase a copy from the publisher (Pearson)

Additional readings will be made available on Canvas.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. Where this is not possible, exceptions may be sought from the Faculty Associate Dean Education (ADE). It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Artificial Intelligence

Students may use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for this unit.

GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:

1. The Unit Convener has authorised its use for that assessment;
2. The student uses it in the way that the assessment instructions allow for;
3. The student fully acknowledges its use, with appropriate citations and references. Each referencing guide provided by the Library provides advice on how to appropriately reference the use of GenAI in-text.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not allowed for that assessment. If students are unsure, they should seek advice from the Unit Convener.

Students should be aware that the University of Canberra utilises GenAI detection software. Suspected instances of unauthorised GenAI use may lead to a Learning Validation Conversation' designed to provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes. Students who are suspected of having misused GenAI in assessment may be required to attend a summary inquiry for suspected misconduct.

It is strongly recommended that students keep records of the development process for all works submitted for assessment, or drafts of work submitted for a work-in-progress review, in a learning portfolio or equivalent. Failure to provide evidence of the development process for assessment may influence a suspicion of GenAI misuse or other forms of academic misconduct. 

 The GenAI for Students Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Special assessment requirements

An aggregate grade of 50% AND a pass in professional experience placement is required to pass this Unit.
 

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE), as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Indicative workload:

Pretutorial lectures: 10 hours

Readings and other learning activities within modules: 60 hours

Tutorials: 20 hours

Assignment Preparation: 60 hours

Placement: 15 days

Participation requirements

Professional Experience

Successful completion of the professional experience component is critical to success in the whole unit. Refer to assessment (5a) on the Canvas site for further details. Students must make themselves familiar with the processes and policies of professional experience.

Unit Participation

As a unit of study offered in Flexible mode, attendance at scheduled sessions is not a mandatory requirement of this unit. Students who enrol in the ‘self-paced study' option (in lieu of tutorials) effectively have no tutorials to attend, and students who are enrolled in on-campus or remote tutorials may wish to re-allocate to ‘self-paced study' as the semester progresses. There is, however, a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. With this in mind, we encourage and expect students to actively participate in all module activities to enhance their learning opportunities.

Required IT skills

Basic word processing and web searching skills are assumed.

Familiarity with the UC Learn (Canvas) tool and with the online resources provided at the UC Library.

Artificial intelligence services must not be used for assessment or assessment preparation by students unless explicitly allowed in the assessment instructions for an assessment task published with the assessment task and/or in the unit outline. That is, an artificial intelligence services may only be used if:

• its use is authorised by the unit convener as part of a specified assessment task, and
• it is used in the way allowed in the assessment instructions and/or unit outline, and
• its use is appropriately referenced, meaning that students must reference the use of AI in their assessment in the same way as they reference other source material.

Work placement, internships or practicums

This unit involves work integrated learning (WIL) as a Placement. This is a 15-day professional experience placement and therefore, additional student responsibilities are required in addition to those described in section 6. Workplace learning requires strict adherence to professional practice principles and ethics. School student and staff confidentiality must always be maintained (refer policies on ATES - Professional Experience Handbook, ACT ED Teachers' Code of Professional Practice (or equivalent) and Student Conduct Rules), including for assessment items such as reports or essays. This applies to staff and patrons of any outside agency where an internship or other WIL activity is taking place.  Students must adhere to University policy during WIL activities, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL policy and WIL procedure, and the Assessment policy, and Assessment procedure. For teaching degrees, students need to ensure they have their Working with Vulnerable People card (WWVP) or for NSW, their Working with Children, COVID vaccination status and evidence of PSTR uploaded to InPlace.

Students are responsible for arranging their own checks through the ACT Office of Regulatory Services. For preservice teachers undertaking placements in other states or territories, it may be that a Police Check or other Working with Children Check is required. Please see the relevant Government department or registration authority for the jurisdiction you are being placed.

100% attendance is required for the successful completion of professional placement. 

Successful completion of professional placement is required to pass this Unit.

Additional information

Theoretical foundations

This unit engages with the literature in the field of human learning and development and draws on different prominent theoretical perspectives explaining how learning occurs.

Provision of information to the group

Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forums are deemed to be made to the whole class.  It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for announcements on the Unit's Canvas website (forum messages are also emailed to student email addresses only).  Students should ensure they check their student email regularly.  The Canvas discussion forums will be checked by staff regularly, please ensure that comments are appropriate.

Use of student email account

The University Email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes".  Therefore all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Students should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

Research led education

This unit involves research-led education and work-integrated learning. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.

• Winter Term, 2025, Placement, UC - Canberra, Bruce (228754)
• Semester 2, 2024, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (221822)
• Semester 2, 2024, Flexible, UC - Canberra, Bruce (221823)