Overview
In secondary education, assessment is crucial, with preservice teachers needing to understand how the brain learns and its implications for assessment. This unit encompasses brain information flow, assessment strategies, valid and reliable judgments, moderation, feedback, reporting and utilising assessment data to inform teaching. It underscores evidence-based research in assessment and neuroscience to enhance your practice and maximise student achievement and well-being.
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 - 2026
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 Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. ASSESSMENT 1 (10% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 1 – Assessment Task 1: The Social Brain Digital Badge (Online Quiz(zes)) | 100% of 10% | High | No Gen AI Use |
| 2. ASSESSMENT 2 (40% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 1 – Assessment Task 2: The Brain and Learning: implications for teaching (Project (applied)) | 100% of 40% | Low | AI Integration (Authentic Professional Use) |
| 3. ASSESSMENT 3 (50% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 1 – Assessment Task 3: Assessing Student Learning Teacher Resource (Project (applied)) | 100% of 50% | Low | AI Integration (Authentic Professional Use) |
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
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- 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
Assessment Tasks
Continue to closely align Assessment Tasks with Authentic Context.
- 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
- Integrate the knowledge of novice vs expert learners, brain learning and retention processes, mastery progression, and neuromyths to inform and adapt educational practices effectively.
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
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
Successful completion of this unit also provides opportunities for students to engage with the following Learning Outcomes from the AITSL Core Content 1 – The Brain and Learning:
1.1 Knowledge of what it means to be a ‘novice’ learner in comparison to an ‘expert’. Knowledge of and skill in the related implications for practice.
1.2 Knowledge of the most efficient and effective process of knowledge acquisition in the brain, including the function of memory and the concept of cognitive overload.
1.3 Knowledge of the process that occurs in a novice brain during progression towards mastery. Knowledge of and skill in the need to adjust practice in response.
1.4 Knowledge and understanding of common neuromyths and the impact of their perpetuation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(10% of unit)
Part 1 -
Online Quiz(zes)
|
||||
|
2.
Assessment 2
(40% of unit)
Part 1 -
Project (applied)
|
||||
|
3.
Assessment 3
(50% of unit)
Part 1 -
Project (applied)
|
||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 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 | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
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?
