CQUniversity Unit Profile

EDED20511 - Contemporary Practices in STEM Education

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All details in this unit profile for EDED20511 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.

General Information

Overview

Leadership in STEM education is underpinned by a commitment to the growing need for STEM skills in the 21st century context. Leadership capabilities are required of STEM education professionals and recognised as essential for ensuring quality learning outcomes for children, the development of high quality STEM skills, the ongoing growth of the profession and the considered implementation of policy and change agendas. Education in STEM will equip all students with the knowledge to navigate critical activities and challenges within the contemporary world. In this unit, you will examine the policy context that shapes STEM education nationally and internationally and the multiple ways in which leadership is theorised. You will conduct a case study of the leadership of a change agenda explicating the key insights and learnings about leadership and leading change.

Details

Career Level: Postgraduate

Unit Level: Level 8

Credit Points: 6

Student Contribution Band: 7

Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Co-requisite: EDED20497 Leadership in the School Context

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2019

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Website

This unit has a website, within the Moodle system, which is available two weeks before the start of term. It is important that you visit your Moodle site throughout the term. Please visit Moodle for more information.

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Regional Campuses

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville

Metropolitan Campuses

Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment

Weighting: 40%

2. Case Study

Weighting: 60%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

CQUniversity Policies

All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.

You may wish to view these policies:

Grades and Results Policy
Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
Review of Grade Procedure
Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure

This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.

Previous Student Feedback

Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Critically analyse the nature of change and the role of individuals, teams and systems
Critically analyse key policy texts to identify what and how policy shapes the context of STEM education
Analyse models of leadership that contribute to the development of STEM education
Evaluate a case study of successful change leadership
Explicate resources to support the development of leadership capabilities for self and others in the field of STEM education.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes

N/A Level

Introductory Level

Intermediate Level

Graduate Level

Professional Level

Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3	4	5
1 - Written Assessment - 40%
2 - Case Study - 60%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3	4	5
1 - Knowledge
2 - Communication
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills
4 - Research
5 - Self-management
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility
7 - Leadership
8 - First Nations Knowledges
9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks	Graduate Attributes
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1 - Written Assessment - 40%
2 - Case Study - 60%

Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:

CQUniversity Student Email
Internet
Unit Website (Moodle)

Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Details of weekly readings and activities can be found on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Online Zoom session Wednesday 10am

Vacation Week

Begin Date: 15 Apr 2019

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Policy Context (2000 words)

Task Description

Government policy and reports and the broader socio-political context shape the work of STEM teachers/leaders. You are required to provide an analysis of a minimum of two main policies/reports that inﬂuence the shape of STEM education. (One of the policies selected for analysis must be from another country). This might include STEM reports, International PISA and TIMMS reports, an ACOLA report, National Innovation and Science Agenda (Australia), OECD reports such as Engaging the future of STEM (2017), Towards 2020 Priorities for STEM education and careers in Europe, Asia: Promotion of STEM Education – Unleashing Potential in Innovation (2015).

The analysis will identify:

1. The history of the policy/report – so, how and why did it came into being?

2. Was it commissioned? By whom?

3. What assumptions underpin why the report/policy was commissioned/developed?

4. The values/beliefs that are privileged in the policy/report?

5. What is silenced in the text? (minority groups, funding, access to specialists)

6. Impact of the report/policy for your country and for your local context (school and regional setting).

7. Implementation - how the policy/reports connect or disconnect with the socio-political context within your country.

Assessment Due Date

Week 7 Monday (29 Apr 2019) 11:45 pm AEST

Return Date to Students

Feedback on this assessment response will be provided in suﬃcient time to allow for academic support and advice as necessary to inform students' responses to the next task.

Weighting

40%

Assessment Criteria

Knowledge and understanding of the current policies and contexts for STEM education including the history, forces that call for change, impact and implementation.
Evidence of analysis of a minimum of two main policies/reports including one international, which have influenced the emerging need for change.
Identiﬁcation and examination of the values privileged and what is silenced within the policies/ reports.
Explore, identify and articulate emerging issues for leadership and resources that can address the chosen reports/polices’ intention in leadership in STEM education.
Through the evaluation of these policies/reports, identification of suggestions or resources that would improve the future within STEM education.
Demonstration of appropriate academic writing conventions including acknowledgement of information sources using APA 6th edition referencing conventions.

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)

Submission

Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Critically analyse the nature of change and the role of individuals, teams and systems
Critically analyse key policy texts to identify what and how policy shapes the context of STEM education

Graduate Attributes

Knowledge
Communication
Cognitive, technical and creative skills
Research
Leadership

2 Case Study

Assessment Title

Case Study of successful change project (2,500 words)

Task Description

International studies, reports and policy texts conﬁrm the importance of strong leadership for supporting the learning and development of students understanding of STEM, for promoting an organisational culture that supports a professional learning community and for the success of change agendas in education contexts. You are to conduct a ‘case study’ of a person or group of people who have led a successful change within your context or in another education setting. You need to provide a report of your case study identifying key insights and learnings about leadership and leading change. Your report needs to be informed by the relevant literature on leadership and STEM.

It may be important to evidence the claims in your report by documenting some of the processes used during the case study in order to write your report. These would be included as appendices.

Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Monday (10 June 2019) 11:45 pm AEST

Return Date to Students

Feedback on this assessment response will be provided in suﬃcient time to allow for academic support and advice as necessary to inform students' about their success in meeting the outcomes of this unit

Weighting

60%

Assessment Criteria

Knowledge and application of leadership theory to identify key features and challenges including organisational culture in STEM settings.
Identiﬁcation and examination of the enactment of leadership roles and responsibilities and the processes implemented to create a change.
Identiﬁcation and development of a collaborative community of learners and partnerships to accomplish the implementation of the change.
Analyse and articulate key insights and learnings from the case study that inform future actions for the implementers in this case study and then the sector more broadly.
Clear identiﬁcation of legal and ethical issues relevant to the chosen case study and consideration of these issues in subsequent planning and implementation.
Demonstration of appropriate academic writing conventions including acknowledgement of information sources using APA 6th edition referencing conventions.

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)

Submission

Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Critically analyse the nature of change and the role of individuals, teams and systems
Analyse models of leadership that contribute to the development of STEM education
Evaluate a case study of successful change leadership
Explicate resources to support the development of leadership capabilities for self and others in the field of STEM education.

Graduate Attributes

Knowledge
Communication
Cognitive, technical and creative skills
Research
Ethical and Professional Responsibility
Leadership

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.