Required texts

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit. Readings will be available on Canvas.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

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, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Special assessment requirements

An aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit. All assignment tasks must be attempted and a satisfactory placement report is required to successfully meet the requirements of this unit.

Supplementary assessment

No supplementary assessments will be offered. 

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.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and 91Porn (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

10 hours - Online lectures

30 hours – Tutorial  preparation

20 hours – Tutorial participation

90 hours - Assessment preparation across three tasks

Placement

10 days -  Professional experience placement in a Birth to three year old setting

Participation requirements

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 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.

There is a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. Your participation in on-campus sessions and your engagement with online activities will enhance your understanding of this unit's content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items

Successful completion of the professional experience component is critical to success in the whole unit.  Refer to assessment (5a) on the Canvas site for further details. Students must make themselves familiar with the processes and policies of professional experience.

You are required to attempt at least half of the weekly summaries to pass the unit. 

The pop-up playground is a compulsory requirement to complete the course, if you do not attend you will not meet the requirements to successfully complete this unit.

Required IT skills

Basic computer skills are assumed.

Artificial intelligence services must not to be used for assessment or assessment preparation by students unless explicitly allowed in the assessment instructions for an assessment task published with the assessment task and/or in the unit outline. That is, an artificial intelligence services may only be used if:

• its use is authorised by the unit convener as part of a specified
  assessment task, and
• it is used in the way allowed in the assessment instructions and/or unit outline, and ¿its use is appropriately referenced, meaning that students must reference the use of AI in their assessment in the same way as they reference other source material.
• Please note, none of the assignment tasks for this unit permit the use of AI.

In-unit costs

Transport to and from off campus visits and excursions is a cost that students will incur.

Additionally, any resources they wish to purchase or items they wish to print or create as part of the assessment tasks may incur a cost to the student.

Work placement, internships or practicums

This unit involves work integrated learning: Placement. Students must adhere to University policy during WIL activities, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL Policy and WIL Procedure, and the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedure.

This unit has pre-placement requirements (e.g. Working with Vulnerable People registration, immunisation/s). You must complete Pre-Place: Preparation for Work Integrated Learning prior to commencement of your Placement. You can self-enrol in this module through the UC Learn site . . For teaching degrees, students need to ensure they have their WWVP or for NSW, their Working with Children, COVID vaccination status and evidence of PSTR uploaded to InPlace.

This unit involves Placement and therefore, additional student responsibilities are required in addition to those described in section 6. Workplace learning requires strict adherence to professional practice principles and ethics. School student and staff confidentiality must always be maintained (refer policies on ATES - Professional Experience Handbook, ACT ED Teachers' Code of Professional Practice (or equivalent) and Student Conduct Rules), including for assessment items such as reports or essays. This applies to staff and patrons of any outside agency where an internship or other WIL activity is taking place. The professional nature of this unit also requires 100% participation at all learning activities (lectures, workshops, tutorial, practicals etc. as scheduled – see section 3) for the successful completion of this unit (also see section 6c). If attendance requirements cannot be satisfied (e.g., timetable clash), it is recommended that you contact the Academic Programs Team to discuss re-scheduling this unit.

You are also required to complete details in InPlace, refer to . If you have any queries related to InPlace please contact placement@canberra.edu.au.

Contact the placement team or your unit convener if you have any concerns with meeting the requirements of this unit.

Additional information

All students undertaking their first placement are required to complete the ‘Pre Place' course details which are on the ATES Canvas site. Upon successful completion students will receive a badge/digital credential to upload to Inplace. This must be completed prior to placement/internship commencing.  

Placement Requirements

This unit involves a placement component hence it requires strict adherence to professional practice and principles and ethics. School, student, and/or research participant confidentiality must always be maintained, including for assessment items like reports or essays (see policy 3335). Successful completion of the professional experience placement is critical to success in the whole unit. Students must make themselves familiar with the processes and policies of professional experience. 

A Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) background check is required to undertake a placement for this unit. Please ensure that you register with Access Canberra,  to obtain your card. The WWVP only applies to ACT, and students undertaking placements in NSW will need to register with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian,  to obtain a Working with Children Check, in order to be able to undertake their placement.

International Student Requirements for Placement

International students in this unit are required to complete the Global Employability Program before they are eligible to participate in a school-based placement. Completion of the Program is a pre-requisite for the first placement. International students who do not complete the Program cannot attend placement and will not be able to pass the unit. The Program comprises sessions facilitated by UC Careers.

Students must participate in the Pop-up playground event as well as class trips to the different schools. These visits and events are compulsory.

Provision of information to the group

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.

Use of student email account

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 sent by email using a student university email account. Students should contact the Service Desk ( servicedesk@canberra.edu.au ) if they have any issues accessing their university email account.

Theoretical Foundations

This unit is grounded in social constructivist and sociocultural theories of learning, recognising that children's development and learning occur through social interactions, cultural contexts, and meaningful environments. The theoretical framework draws from influential educational philosophers and theorists such as Loris Malaguzzi, Maria Montessori, and Rudolf Steiner, who emphasised the importance of child-centered, holistic approaches to early education. These foundations are complemented by contemporary theories of play-based learning and environmental design, acknowledging the critical role of thoughtfully prepared spaces and responsive pedagogies in supporting children's development and learning

Research Led Education

This unit involves research-led education and work-integrated learning. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.

• Semester 1, 2025, Placement, UC - Canberra, Bruce (228691)