Scientific Principles (9899.3)

Required texts

Required texts for all Scientific Principles students:

Skamp, K. & Preston, C., (2021) Teaching Primary Science Constructively (7th Edition) Cengage Learning, Australia

Please see the Canvas page for a discount code for purchase direct from Cengage Learning. 

Additional readings will be made available on the unit Canvas site.

Students must complete all the required reading in advance to the tutorial workshops.

Recommended texts for all Scientific Principles students:

Devereux. J., (2007) Science for Primary and Early Childhood – Developing Subject Knowledge. 2nd Edition London: The Open University - A SAGE Publications Company.

Fitzgerald, A. (2013) Learning and Teaching Primary Science. Cambridge University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 978-1-107-60945-7

Gregson, R., & Doidge, N. (2018). Connecting with science education (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190309343.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

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, a standard late penalty of 5% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day until the assignment is made accessible.

Late submission of assignments without an approved extension will result in a penalty of 5% reduced marks from the total available, per calendar day late. An assignment submitted over 7 days late will not be accepted.  Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

Special assessment requirements

In order to pass this unit, a Pre-Service Teacher must:

• participate in their workshop classes;
• submit all assessment tasks
• pass the combined assessment items (obtain an aggregate mark of 50% or more)

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

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.

Learner engagement

As a guide, your workload will be distributed as follows:

Reading and private study:  50 hours

Tutorial and online participation:  50 hours

Assessment tasks:   50 hours

Participation requirements

Attendance at all scheduled workshops in this unit is compulsory and absences could result in a fail. All absences need to be supported by appropriate documentation (e.g. medical certificate).

Successful engagement with all learning activities in this accredited Initial Teacher Education course, including online lectures, is necessary to demonstrate that you have met the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011).

It is recognised that sometimes absence is unavoidable. If you are absent for more than two sessions, however, your engagement with the unit could be considered unsatisfactory.

Required IT skills

Students require sufficient IT skills to use CANVAS confidently and to participate in any online activities, such as asynchronous online lectures, readings, quizzes, tutorial activities and assessments.

In-unit costs

You may be asked to bring small, household items to tutorials throughout the course of the unit, for example, straws or foil trays. These are not specialist items and costs will be minimal. 

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

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.

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.

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• Semester 2, 2021, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (201947)
• Semester 2, 2020, Online, UC - Canberra, Online (203302)
• Semester 2, 2020, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (195891)
• Semester 2, 2019, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (186925)
• Semester 2, 2018, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (184719)