Education for Sustainability in the Early Years (12006.1)

Required texts

ECA Essentials: Sustainability in Early Childhood by Sue Elliott and Julie Davis. NOTE: students in 2025 will be given a copy of this resource.

Students who wish to purchase their own copy may do this through Early Childhood Australia. 

Additional readings will be available via UC Learn

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. 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 are not allowed to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments 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: 

The Unit Convener has authorised its use for that assessment; 

The student uses it in the way that the assessment instructions allow for; 

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

Normally an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the 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

Reading and private study: 50 hours 

Workshop and online participation: 50 hours 

Assessment tasks: 50 hours 

Participation requirements

There is a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. Your participation and engagement with online activities will enhance your understanding of this unit's content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.  

Required IT skills

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. 

In-unit costs

none

Work placement, internships or practicums

none

• Semester 1, 2025, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (221038)