Overview
This unit has been especially designed for Distance students, for whom it is important to be efficient independent learners. It is also applicable to all preparatory students who wish to study independently. Students will gain a good overview of using Moodle for effective independent learning, and also learn strategies for working with information gained from various sources, including the University library. A major part of the unit is devoted to referencing in academic study, thus illustrating the importance of using these skills in future university studies and in their future careers. Students will learn strategies for understanding assessments and writing academic essays and reports, before looking at other forms of academic assessment, including examinations. Students will gain an understanding of what is required to enter undergraduate studies.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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 - 2020
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Non-award 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
Assessment Overview
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.
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.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student feedback
Positive feedback on the Moodle site
Continue to develop and upgrade the Moodle site and the resources.
- Use Moodle effectively for independent learning
- Apply research skills and effectively utilise the resources available through the CQUniversity library
- Recognise various referencing systems used in academic writing and be able to use the Harvard style of referencing
- Apply academic writing skills including essay and report writing
- Demonstrate an understanding of various other forms of assessment, including examinations, that are used to test students' knowledge
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Self Management | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 4 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 5 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 6 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 7 - Cross-Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical Practice | |||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
There is no textbook required for this unit.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.armstrong@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Introduction to Independent Learning
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Introduction to Moodle
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Research and working with information
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
23 - 27 March, Building 7, CQUniversity Bundaberg Campus
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2020Module/Topic
Referencing - Part 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Referencing -Part 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Paraphrasing and Note Taking
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Understanding University
Assessments
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 04 May 2020Module/Topic
The Academic Essay
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 11 May 2020Module/Topic
The Academic Report
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 18 May 2020Module/Topic
Preparing for Examinations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 25 May 2020Module/Topic
Preparing for Undergraduate Studies
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 01 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Unit Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contact Details
Coordinator: Laurie Armstrong
Phone: (07) 4930 9251
Email: l.armstrong@cqu.edu.au
Unit presentation
10-12 hours of study per week of self-directed study
Student access to the Internet, email and residential schools is recommended for this unit, with the exception of those students in correctional centres.
Students are expected to follow a self-directed study schedule which meets the required deadlines.
Residential School
Residential School is a requirement of this unit. One Residential School will be held during the term – week 3 (23 -27 March). During this school, group work, lectures, tutorials, presentations and individual tuition will be held.
Please also confirm your attendance by emailing tep@cqu.edu.au or telephoning Suellen Thomas on 1800 651 891. Travel will be organised through Centrelink, and not TEP. If you are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, it is important that you register with Centrelink/Abstudy at the earliest opportunity. Residential travel cannot be organised until the registration process has been completed. Please note that Abstudy needs 3 weeks’ notice of your intended travel. Abstudy will confirm your registration with us and then arrange travel for you. TEP will arrange your accommodation and meals. Abstudy will notify you of your travel details and so it is important that your contact details are up to date. Contact TEP urgently if something at the last moment prevents you attending.
Unit Website
The unit website is offered through the learning management system, Moodle. You should find this website easy to use. Consequently, you will need access to the internet. If the learning management system Moodle is temporarily unavailable when you need to submit an assessment item, you can send your assessment by email to your unit coordinator.
Computer (including software) requirements
Access to a computer is necessary. If you can regularly get to a CQUniversity campus, you can use the computers there. If you cannot get to a campus, it is best to have your own computer. You may also be able to use a computer at your local Queensland Open Learning Study Centre or your local library. Internet access is necessary so you can access the unit website. Microsoft Office software is preferred. Students in correctional centres do not require computer access.
1 Written Assessment
Write a 1000 - 1200 word Academic Essay. The essay will outline the topics, Terra Nullius, Mabo and Native Title Your discussion can include, but is not be limited to answering the following guiding questions:
· What does terra nullius mean?
· Who was Eddie Mabo and where did he come from?
· What does 'Native Title' mean?
· Why is it important for Indigenous People to have Native Title?
This assessment task will provide students with an opportunity to practise writing an academic essay. This involves some research and information management, as well as structuring, writing and referencing a piece of academic writing. Some resources for this essay are provided on Moodle. However, students are also expected to go beyond these and find additional sources to inform their essays.
All the resources used (articles, books, website pages) must be accurately referenced within the essay. Referencing normally includes an 'in-text' entry (where the source is mentioned or drawn upon) and then a full reference in the Reference List section at the end of the essay. This is very important because academic writing requires that whenever students use someone else's work they have to acknowledge it - referencing is an integral part of an academic essay. In addition, remember to:
· Follow the Harvard style of referencing.
· Read through the assessment criteria for this assessment to see how you will be marked.
· Include a title page, use complete sentences, number your pages, use 10-12 font and 1.5 or double line spacing
Week 8 Friday (8 May 2020) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (22 May 2020)
High Distinction: Mark is in the range of 85 -100. Achieves all learning outcomes relevant to this assessment task. Follows and addresses the topic and all assessment instructions; work is interesting; correct grammar and spelling; correct sentence and paragraph structure; within the required word count and very well written.
Distinction: Mark is in the range of 75 - 84. With few exceptions, achieves most learning outcomes relevant to this assessment task. Generally follows and addresses the topic and all assessment instructions; work is generally interesting; correct grammar and spelling with very few mistakes; generally correct sentence and paragraph structure; within the required word count and well written.
Credit: Mark is in the range of 65 - 74. Achieves most learning outcomes relevant to this assessment task. Addresses the topic and most assessment instructions; work is mostly interesting; correct grammar and spelling with a number of mistakes; correct sentence and paragraph structure with a few exceptions; within the required word count and generally well written.
Pass: Mark is in the range of 50 - 64. Achieves some of the learning outcomes relevant to this assessment task.
Sufficiently addresses the topic and some assessment instructions; work is at times interesting; mostly correct grammar and spelling; mostly correct sentence and paragraph structure; within the required word count and follows writing conventions to a sufficient extent with a number of mistakes.
Fail: Mark is below 50. Achieves no learning outcomes relevant to this assessment task. Work submitted does not address the assessment task or demonstrate adequate writing skills. There is little or no evidence of the basic requirements necessary to achieve a pass grade.
- Use Moodle effectively for independent learning
- Recognise various referencing systems used in academic writing and be able to use the Harvard style of referencing
- Self Management
- Communication
- Information Literacy
- Critical Thinking
- Cross-Cultural Competence
- Ethical Practice
2 Written Assessment
Write a 1000-1200 word Academic Report. This assignment provides students with the opportunity to write an academic report.
For this assessment task, you are asked to research and produce a short report which summarises the available literature produced within the last ten years on one of the following topics:
- Health care and medical services available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
- Addressing educational disadvantages for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
- Issues faced by Indigenous people within the Australian legal system.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Choose only one topic from the three listed above to write the report on!
All the resources used in the report must be accurately referenced, using the Harvard style. At the end of the report a reference list must be included, on a separate page with the title 'Reference List’.
Remember to present this in a report format as described in the unit material. The report needs to include: a title page; executive summary; table of contents; the introduction, body and conclusions of your report, your reference list and any appendices. If you include diagrams, charts (figures) or tables remember to give them a caption and refer to them in your report. You should use headings, and maybe even subheadings (this makes your report easier to follow).
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2020) 10:59 pm AEST
Exam Week Thursday (18 June 2020)
The structure of the report is an important aspect of what will be assessed. The following will be taken into account:
1. Executive summary - provides a clear summary of the main findings reported (it does not simply repeat the Introduction!).
2.Introduction - introduces the report's aim and topic, what it will focus on and what will be left out.
3. Content - the body of the report:
· describes findings,
· cohesive and flows logically,
· contains accurate and relevant information, and
· uses resources relevant to the report's topic
4. Conclusion - provides a brief outline of what the report has achieved, and its limitations (it does not simply repeat theExecutive Summary or Introduction).
5. Word count - is within the set word limit (excluding title page, table of contents, appendices if any and Reference List).
6. Referencing - correct use of the Harvard style for in-text citations and the formatting and inclusion of a reference list at end of report.
7. Format
· correct line spacing
· correct size font
· correct use of headings
· inclusion of title page, table of contents, executive summary, introduction and conclusions
· neatly presented, flows well
· good sentence structure, grammar and spelling
- Apply research skills and effectively utilise the resources available through the CQUniversity library
- Recognise various referencing systems used in academic writing and be able to use the Harvard style of referencing
- Self Management
- Communication
- Information Literacy
- Critical Thinking
- Cross-Cultural Competence
- Ethical Practice
3 Online Quiz(zes)
The task associated with this assessment item is to complete the online quizzes during the term on the unit's Moodle website. These quizzes will be available in Weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12, and each quiz will test the student's knowledge of unit material for the previous three weeks.
Each quiz will consist of ten (10) questions that are randomly selected from a question bank. Each quiz will be worth 5% of the total grade for the unit and the complete assessment of four quizzes will be worth 20% of the total grade.
Although feedback will be given to students after each quiz, the final grade will not be shown until the end of term. Points to note:
- If students have technical problems with the quiz, they should contact the unit coordinator or TASAC as soon as possible.
- Students are encouraged to attempt every quiz to obtain the maximum number of marks.
- Students are encouraged to refer to the unit materials in order to obtain as many correct answers as possible. There will be no time limit on quizzes.
- Students will be allowed two attempts at each quiz.
- The attempt with the highest grade will be accepted for assessment.
4
Other
Review/Exam Week Thursday (11 June 2020) 10:59 pm AEST
Students are marked according to number of correct responses for each quiz
- Apply research skills and effectively utilise the resources available through the CQUniversity library
- Recognise various referencing systems used in academic writing and be able to use the Harvard style of referencing
- Self Management
- Communication
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Cross-Cultural Competence
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.
What can you do to act with integrity?
