Overview
This unit enhances your capacity to make informed judgments and decisions about the quality of assessments, provide feedback and report student achievements. Additionally, this unit supports your development of professional skills to interpret student assessment data and use that to modify teaching practice to improve student learning. The unit also draws upon relevant literature, including educational neuroscience, theory, policy and good practice to enhance quality assessment and reporting knowledge and skills.
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 3 - 2023
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 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
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
Reduce the number of readings
Continue to further refine resources
- Comprehend how to develop, select and use assessment strategies to assess student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Synthesise high-quality assessment principles, student feedback, reporting and moderation processes to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Elaborate on how to use student assessment data to identify student interventions and modify teaching practice.
Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to demonstrate the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers focus areas of:
1.2 Understand how students learn
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
4.1 Support student participation
5.1 Assess student learning
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements
5.4 Interpret student data
5.5 Report on student achievement
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Project (applied) - 50% | |||
| 2 - Project (applied) - 35% | |||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||
| 2 - Communication | |||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
| 4 - Research | |||
| 5 - Self-management | |||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
| 7 - Leadership | |||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
m.a.moor@cqu.edu.au
k.purnell@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Module 1 - Brain science and assessing student learning
Chapter
Our Unit textbook by McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
Introduction & Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 1 - Brain science and assessing student learning
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 1 - Brain science and assessing student learning
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
Chapter 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 1 - Brain science and assessing student learning
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 1 - Brain science and assessing student learning
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
Chapter 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 2 - The social brain, student data, feedback & reporting
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 2 - The social brain, student data, feedback & reporting
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
All chapters
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 2 - The social brain, student data, feedback & reporting
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
All chapters
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 2 - The social brain, student data, feedback & reporting
Chapter
McTighe & Willis (2019), Upgrade Your Teaching: Understanding by Design meets Neuroscience.
Pages are available here.
All chapters
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Completion of responses to AT2 and AT3.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
AT3 - The Social Brain Certificate Due: Week 10 Wednesday (24 Jan 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Project (applied)
Chiefly using resources from our unit and our textbook by McTighe and Willis (2019), create a paper of about 2,200 words using the APA writing style (see APA, 2020a & 2020b) for fellow preservice teachers that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of Student learning and strategies to assess it consistently and comparably.
Use these headings in your paper:
Introduction
Research into how students learn and the implications for teaching
Strategies to assess student learning - formal and informal, diagnostic, formative and summative
Making consistent and reliable judgments of student learning
Conclusion
References
Week 5 Monday (11 Dec 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Submit as a Word document.
Week 5 Monday (11 Dec 2023)
Following moderation.
Marking Guide
Your response to the assessment task is marked using the following marking guide. You should use the assessment task requirements and the marking guide to monitor the quality of your work during its production and self-assess the quality of your work before you submit it.
The quality of your whole response is ascertained as recommended by leading research experts (see, for example, Sadler, 2010; Wyatt-Smith & Colbert, 2014), as the quality of the work emerges (see, Gruner, 2022; Sadler, 2009 2010; 2012; 2016).
High Distinction 34 to 40
Your response provides clear evidence of an impactful work addressing all aspects of the assessment task and for your audience. It
· is designed to engage them throughout.
· is presented in an orderly, concise manner that conveys the essential points of your work interestingly for them.
· uses the APA writing style flawlessly/almost flawlessly to communicate ideas to them powerfully.
· maintains continuity and flow throughout.
· uses CQU marker feedback from AT1 in AT2.
Distinction 30 to 33
Your response provides clear evidence of high-quality work addressing all or most aspects of the assessment task and for your audience. It
· is designed to engage them.
· is presented in an orderly, concise manner that conveys the essential points of your work for them.
· Uses the APA writing style with few errors to communicate ideas to them powerfully.
· Maintains continuity and flow throughout
· uses CQU marker feedback from AT1 in AT2.
Credit 26 to 29
Your response provides evidence of quality work in addressing the assessment task and for your audience. It
· is designed to engage them. It
· conveys the essential points of your work interestingly for them.
· uses the APA writing style reasonably to communicate ideas to them.
· maintains continuity and flow for much of the work, and
· uses CQU marker feedback from AT1 in AT2.
Pass 20 to 25
Your response provides evidence of an acceptable standard in addressing the assessment task with reasonably effective communication.
Fail 0 to 19
Requires further work to Pass. At the discretion of the Unit Coordinator, a Resubmit may be offered.
- Comprehend how to develop, select and use assessment strategies to assess student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Synthesise high-quality assessment principles, student feedback, reporting and moderation processes to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Elaborate on how to use student assessment data to identify student interventions and modify teaching practice.
2 Project (applied)
Chiefly using resources from our unit and our textbook by McTighe and Willis (2019), create a paper of about 2,200 words using the APA writing style (see APA, 2020a & 2020b) for fellow preservice teachers that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of Applying Brain Science: Student Data, Feedback and Reporting.
Use these headings in your paper:
Introduction
The Social Brain and Video*
Feedback to Students on their Learning
Interpret and use Student Data to Inform Teaching
Report on Student Achievement
Conclusion
References
* In your paper, you must provide the URL for the 8-minute video you create and upload to YouTube or a similar platform on an aspect of interest from The Social Brain and relate that to
Either,
(a) Student feedback on their learning
Or,
(b) Using assessment data to inform teaching.
In our unit’s ‘Student Videos’ forum, provide a short title of about eight words and post the URL so all students can view and utilise it to inform their practice. To create your video, view the Video tips (2022).
Week 10 Monday (22 Jan 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Submit as a Word document.
Following moderation.
Marking Guide
Your response to the assessment task is marked using the following marking guide. You should use the assessment task requirements and the marking guide to monitor the quality of your work during its production and self-assess the quality of your work before you submit it.
The quality of your whole response is ascertained as recommended by leading research experts (see, for example, Sadler, 2010; Wyatt-Smith & Colbert, 2014), as the quality of the work emerges (see, Gruner, 2022; Sadler, 2009 2010; 2012; 2016).
High Distinction 34 to 40
Your response provides clear evidence of an impactful work addressing all aspects of the assessment task and for your audience. It
· is designed to engage them throughout.
· is presented in an orderly, concise manner that conveys the essential points of your work interestingly for them.
· uses the APA writing style flawlessly/almost flawlessly to communicate ideas to them powerfully.
· maintains continuity and flow throughout.
· uses CQU marker feedback from AT1 in AT2.
Distinction 30 to 33
Your response provides clear evidence of high-quality work addressing all or most aspects of the assessment task and for your audience. It
· is designed to engage them.
· is presented in an orderly, concise manner that conveys the essential points of your work for them.
· Uses the APA writing style with few errors to communicate ideas to them powerfully.
· Maintains continuity and flow throughout
· uses CQU marker feedback from AT1 in AT2.
Credit 26 to 29
Your response provides evidence of quality work in addressing the assessment task and for your audience. It
· is designed to engage them. It
· conveys the essential points of your work interestingly for them.
· uses the APA writing style reasonably to communicate ideas to them.
· maintains continuity and flow for much of the work, and
· uses CQU marker feedback from AT1 in AT2.
Pass 20 to 25
Your response provides evidence of an acceptable standard in addressing the assessment task with reasonably effective communication.
Fail 0 to 19
Requires further work to Pass. At the discretion of the Unit Coordinator, a Resubmit may be offered.
Video for AT2
Outstanding videos are concise, engaging, clear, smooth, show the presenter's face and passion, acknowledge sources and are 6-8 minutes long. High-quality videos are similar but less engaging. Quality videos are interesting, appropriate, sourced, and logical. Acceptable videos have reasonable content and visuals.
- Comprehend how to develop, select and use assessment strategies to assess student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Synthesise high-quality assessment principles, student feedback, reporting and moderation processes to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Elaborate on how to use student assessment data to identify student interventions and modify teaching practice.
3 Online Quiz(zes)
The Social Brain Digital Badge from Online Quiz
The Social Brain short course and quiz are available at
https://bedifferent.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=2469
The quiz has 20 items from a bank of items, and you are allowed multiple attempts to do the quiz. Once you achieve 16 items correct or more out of 20, you are eligible for the CQU Professional Development Certificate of 20 hours produced electronically in The Social Brain short course. Submit your Digital Badge PDF for AT3 in Moodle on or before January 24 in the Assessment section ‘Submit AT3 January 24’.
Note: You should have received an email from Credly inviting you to claim your Digital Badge and Certificate. However, these are sometimes caught by CQU’s TASAC systems and delayed. Please visit https://www.credly.com/users/sign_in and create an account using your email. Once you log in, your badge invitation should appear on the dashboard. Download the CQU CPD instructions to access your certificate for The Social Brain here.
Week 10 Wednesday (24 Jan 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12 Wednesday (7 Feb 2024)
Immediate score on quiz out of 20 with online computer marking.
20 marks when the Certificate is submitted and 0 if not submitted.
- Comprehend how to develop, select and use assessment strategies to assess student learning informed by neuroscience.
- Synthesise high-quality assessment principles, student feedback, reporting and moderation processes to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning informed by neuroscience.
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?
