E-portfolio and reflection on contemporary Australian society

Faculty of Arts and Education

Unit Guide

Trimester 3, 2010-11

AIX292

Studying Australia

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A note of welcome

Welcome to AIX292 Studying Australia. This unit provides an introduction to key aspects of Australian society, culture and history, based on the discipline of Australian studies, together with classes on study skills, the Australian job market and workplace cultural competencies.

Contact details

Unit Chair: Dr. Geoffrey Robinson Room: ic2.311, Waurn Ponds Telephone: 03 5527 1452 Email: [email protected] Postal: Faculty of Arts & Education, Deakin University, Geelong, 3217. Dr. Robinson will undertake lectures and general coordination for this subject. Tutors and their contact details will be advised. Student commitment and responsibilities

This unit is offered in intensive mode. The teaching period extends from Monday, 24 January to Thursday, 3 February. Although offered over a shorter period this unit has the content of a full time unit. Attendance is required at all classes, tours and excursions.

The Deakin ‘Student Charter’ provides an outline of your rights and responsibilities as a member of the University community. Available in the current Handbook or online at: http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/study-support/student- charter.php Computer access: All students are expected to have access to a personal computer, as well as access to the Internet and email. Deakin University uses online technologies in many aspects of teaching and learning, student support, administration and general communication. As a Deakin student, you will rely heavily on Deakin’s online facilities and services, and are expected to participate actively in the University’s online communication networks by accessing the Deakin Portal and your Deakin email account on a regular basis.

Information on the portal and accessing your Deakin email account is available on the Software Essentials DVD which is included in the Deakin University induction packs provided to all 1st year off-campus, new off- campus and international students. All other students can pick up a free copy

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of the DVD from campus Libraries, DSA, DUSA or the Disability Resource Centre.

Access to the University’s IT facilities is governed by the ‘Conditions of Information Technology Use’ (refer to The Guide at: http://theguide.deakin.edu.au). Failure to comply may result in loss of access, charges being payable and/or disciplinary proceedings.

Feedback from students

Towards the end of the teaching period you will be emailed a link to the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey for this unit. I encourage you to complete this as the results are used to help assess curriculum, teaching and assessment directions in this unit.

The teaching team has responded to student feedback by simplifying the organisation of tutorials.

Unit overview

AIX292Studying Australia has four components: 1) an overview of key aspects of contemporary Australian society; 2) visits to various cultural, natural and economic sites relevant to these aspects 3) an introduction to key study skills relevant to University and 4) an introduction to key aspects of Australian workplaces with a particular emphasis on cultural competencies. The unit will be taught by a combination of Faculty staff, academic advisors from the Division of Student Life and external experts. The lectures delivered by the unit chair in the first week relate to the first component. The tutorial program in the first week relates to the first and second components of the unit. The program in the second week relates largely to the fourth component. Aims of the unit: to equip students to function effectively as university students in Australia by improving their knowledge of Australian society and culture which is an essential grounding for academic success. The unit also addresses key study skills.

Learning objectives: improve students’ knowledge of Australian culture and society, improve students’ study skills and awareness of the foundations of academic success and improve students’ knowledge of Australian workplaces and the employment market.

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Attributes of a Deakin graduate

This unit will contribute to the development by students of the graduate attributes identified by the Attributes of a Deakin Graduate Statement as adopted by the Deakin University Council in 2007:

Attributes of a Deakin Graduate Statement All Deakin programs will encourage students to develop attitudes of intellectual curiosity and motivation for independent thinking, autonomous learning and reflective professional and personal practice, and a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. Appropriate to its level of study and discipline composition, each program will be designed to ensure that students develop their knowledge and understanding as well as a range of generic skills. These are described below. Knowledge and understanding • understanding of, and the ability to work with, a systematic body of

knowledge, appropriate to the focus and level of the qualification based on the highest standards of scholarship and research; and where research is undertaken:

• ability to initiate and formulate viable and relevant research questions • contribution to new knowledge, or an original interpretation and

application of existing knowledge • understanding of the social, economic and cultural impact and application

of their research, and its academic relevance and value • understanding of the professional, social, economic and cultural contexts

of the discipline and related fields • awareness of ethical issues, social responsibility and cultural diversity • understanding and appreciation of international perspectives in a global

environment. Skills • critical analysis, problem solving, and creative thinking • identifying, gathering, evaluating and using information • communicating effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts • developing, planning and managing independent work • working effectively as part of a team • effectively using information and communication technologies • applying knowledge learned in the program to new situations

Learning resources

Unit materials

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Unit Guide (available from DSO) Study Guide & Reader (this will be available from Unitexts Books4U at Burwood).

A note from your Library: http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/

Take the Library with you Deakin University Library Many of the Library’s resources are online, so you can access them on campus, at home or at work – any day, any time – via your computer or your mobile phone. The Library website is your hub for accessing unit e-readings, academic journals, books, e-books, subject databases and websites that contain quality information for this unit, giving you a distinct advantage with your assignments. The Library’s help services – in person or via email, phone or instant messaging – will assist you to make the most of library services, and save you valuable research time. Your Library. Your Space. http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/ Subject guides – for quality academic journals, databases and websites recommended by your liaison librarians. http://deakin.libguides.com/ Links to your liaison librarian, help information and services. http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/help/index.php Access the library catalogue and key resources on your mobile phone. http://m.library.deakin.edu.au

Study skills

Studying at university requires particular academic skills that all students need to develop. For example, very early in your studies, you may realise that you need to manage your time effectively because you have a lot of ‘free’ time. Also early on in a trimester, lecturers begin to mention assignments or essays. Again, knowing how to ‘do an assignment’ is critical to getting good marks. For more information and resources to help with such skills as planning your time, essay writing, effective reading, referencing and exam preparation, check the Study Skills website at www.deakin.edu.au/study- skills.

Deakin Studies Online (DSO)

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DSO is Deakin University’s online teaching and learning environment which aims to enhance both on and off-campus learning. DSO delivers web-based course material and assessment tasks and facilitates communication and collaboration between staff and students. To log in to DSO open your browser and go to http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/ From here you log on using your Deakin username and password.

The level of DSO usage in this unit is intermediate. Outlines of lectures and seminars will be available on DSO together with weblinks and associated study materials. Assessments may be submitted via DSO.

We encourage students to make use of the discussion area in DSO to share experience with fellow students, subject however to the necessity to avoid plagiarism. Queries for the teaching team about aspects of the unit, such as assessments etc., should be directed to members of the teaching team whether in person or by email. DSO is not appropriate for these queries.

Please note that the Unit Chair and teaching staff for the unit will not

commence teaching, including using DSO, until the first week of the teaching period

Frequently Asked Questions and other useful information about DSO can be found on the Student DSO Support Resources website - available via: http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/study-support/dso- support/faq/index

For technical problems (such as difficulties logging on, computer and browser issues) contact the IT Service Desk on 1800 721720 or email: [email protected].

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Trimester 3 program

Day Lecture Seminar Activity Monday, 24 January

Australian culture & history

Culture & history/ study skills

Tuesday, 25 January

Australia and economic globalisation

Economic globalisation/study skills

Wednesday, 26 January

No classes due to public holiday

No classes due to public holiday

Thursday, 27 January

The Australian environment

Australian environment/study skills

Friday, 28 January

Australian society Australian society/study skills

Saturday, 29 January

Rest day

Sunday, 30 January

Rest day

Monday, 31 January

The Australian job market and seeking employment in Australia

Tuesday, 1 February

Workplace cultural competencies

Tour of Museum of Victoria by tutorial groups 3 & 4 (afternoon)

Wednesday, 2 February

Workplace cultural competencies

Tour of National Gallery of Victoria by tutorial groups 1 & 2 (morning)

Thursday, 3 February

Workplace cultural competencies

Note: there will be two lectures each day. Students from tutorial groups 1 and 2 will attend the morning lectures and the afternoon tutorial, students from tutorial groups 3 & 4 will attend the morning tutorial and the afternoon lecture.

Assessment

Assessments are to be submitted online via DSO. Further information on

submission procedures will be advised closer to the due dates.

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Assessment Percentage contribution

to final grade

Due date

Tutorial participation 15 Ongoing

Academic learning blog 15 1 February

Self analysis of

employment

competencies

20 14 February

Site visit report 15 21 February

E-portfolio 35 21 February

Description of assessment Tutorials are for student presentations, exercises, working sessions on assessment requirements and for discussion purposes. Students are expected to have read the essential reading for each week to enable them to contribute to discussion in a meaningful way during the session. More information on tutorial participation will be supplied by your lecturer or tutor in the first tutorial Assessment 1: Academic learning blog (10%) In week 1 you will be learning about academic learning in Australia. Your first assessment task is to write a blog to share what you have been learning to help students who are new to Australian universities adapt to the academic expectations. You will do this in DSO. Log in and look for the Assignment icon for further details. Due date Tuesday 1 February. To complete Assessment Task 1 you must first complete daily exercises in class from day 1 to 4. These are a hurdle requirement for your first assessment task and will help you develop your academic reading, summarising, note-taking, critical thinking and academic referencing skills. At the end of each day on days 1 to 4 you will write a 250 word blog entry summarising what you have learned. At the end of the week you will also write a 250 word summary of the key points you have learned about academic learning. Assignment 2: self-analysis of employment competencies (750 words, 20%). For the purposes of this assignment we want you to assume that your future employment will be in Australia.

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1. Research the career area that interests you most and choose a specific job that you think you would like to do upon graduation. 2. Identify three to five key competencies (or skills) that you would need in order to be successful in this area of employment. Explain why these competencies are essential to this job. 3. Describe how you have demonstrated these competencies in your studies, life and/or work experience up to the present. If you believe that you have not had the opportunity to develop these skills, explain what strategies you will pursue to develop them. Due date: Monday, 14 February Assignment 3: Site visit report (750 words, 15%): Using the relevant discussion in your Study Guide, Reader, Further Reading as well as observations and information gained from your excursion and extra research, answer one of the following questions:

1. How does the presentation of Indigenous history in the Melbourne Museum illustrate and obscure the history and current status of Indigenous people in Australia?

2. What aspects of Australian culture and history are revealed by the

display of Australian and indigenous art at the National gallery of Victoria?

Due date: Monday, 21 February

Assignment 4: E-portfolio (35%): An e-portfolio is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web. The electronic evidence may include electronic files, images, multimedia, blog entries, and hyperlinks. For this assessment students are required to assemble an e-portfolio of resources and reflection on contemporary Australian society. This portfolio will include four components:

1. Hyperlinks to 3 video clips (whether on YouTube or some other source) that are relevant to one of the four topics on contemporary Australia in this Unit.

2. A 600 word document in which you explain why you have selected each

of the clips and their relevance to the topic.

3. Hyperlinks to 3 opinion articles from the Australian online media (including web posts on political blogs) which are relevant to one or more of the four topics on contemporary Australia in this Unit.

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4. A 900 word paper in which you briefly outline the key argument of each article and your opinion of this argument. You should provide reasons for your opinion. In this paper you should make reference to the document ‘International Comparisons’ from Australian Social Trends 4102.0.

Suggested sources for opinion articles and web posts:

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/opinion http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion http://www.theage.com.au/opinion http://clubtroppo.com.au http://andrewnorton.info http://larvatusprodeo.net You may select articles other than from these sources. Due date: Monday, 21 February.

Referencing and assignment writing

All work submitted MUST be properly referenced as outlined in the Guide to Assignment Writing and Referencing. This is distributed free to all beginning students, may be purchased from the Deakin bookshop, or can be downloaded from www.deakin.edu.au/referencing. For other resources on assignment writing see the Study Skills website at www.deakin.edu.au/study-skills. Submission and return of assignments

1. Hardcopy assignment submission

ON CAMPUS STUDENTS

• Assignments are to be submitted via the Assignment Box at (or near) the Faculty of Arts and Education Student Support Centre on your campus.

• All assignments MUST be submitted with a personalised assignment cover sheet that you can obtain from Student Connect: http://www.deakin.edu.au/studentconnect/. Each assignment attachment has a uniquely barcoded cover sheet which identifies you, your course, unit code, assignment number, tutor and due date of your assignment. This process allows you to confirm the receipt and progress of your assignment via Student Connect.

• It is your responsibility to ensure that a signed personalised assignment cover sheet is attached to the correct assignment at the time you

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submit it to the Faculty Office for assessment. Without it, your assignment will not be accepted and will be returned to you for re submission. This will delay submission of your assignment and may incur a penalty in assessment.

• The date that an assignment is received at the Faculty Student Support Office is treated as the assignment submission date. The assignment submission area is cleared at 5 pm every University working day. Assignments deposited after 5 pm will be dated with the next day’s date.

• If you are submitting as part of a group assignment, each member of the group must print off their individual assignment attachment, sign it, and submit it with the group assignment. This will allow all members of the group to monitor the progress of the assignment on Student Connect. On the top assignment attachment, please nominate one person for the return of the group’s assignment.

• Your teaching staff will advise you about the process for returning assignments as this can vary in different subjects.

OFF CAMPUS STUDENTS

• Off-Campus students should mail assignments to: Assignments DSA, Deakin University, Geelong Vic 3217. For further details, go to: https://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/study-information/exams- assessment/

• Assignment Cover Sheets can be printed via Student Connect and must accompany each corresponding assignment submitted.

• Assignments will be returned to you by post.

2. Online assignment submission

If you have been instructed by your Unit Chair to submit some or all of your assignments online please follow the instructions provided on the unit DSO site.

Assignment Cover Sheets MUST accompany each assignment and are normally available as part of the online assignment submission process.

Your teaching staff will advise you about the process for returning online assignments.

REMEMBER

Whether submitting online or in hard copy, always keep a backup copy of your assignment!

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Assignment feedback

In setting assessment tasks that depend on feedback from a previous task, the due date will be set to ensure that feedback can be provided in time for you to benefit from the feedback. Assignments which are submitted on time will normally be assessed and returned to students within three weeks of the due date of submission for the assessment item.

In circumstances where feedback cannot be provided within this timeframe a notice shall be placed on DSO advising you of when you can expect feedback and the reason for the delay.

There will normally be no opportunity for resubmission of assignments. However students who feel that the assessment of their work was unfair should contact the Unit Chair.

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Late submission of assignments

Assignment extensions

If you wish to seek an extension for an assignment, you will need to apply by email directly to your Unit Chair (or where directed, Campus Coordinator) as soon as you become aware that you will have difficulty in meeting the scheduled deadline but at least three days before the due date. Appropriate documentation should be submitted in support of your application, such as a medical certificate. A maximum of 14 days can be normally granted as an extension. Please attach the Unit Chair’s email approval to your assignment when submitting it.

Special Consideration

Special Consideration is only given in the case of serious and exceptional circumstances which are beyond the student's control and these circumstances prevent the student from performing at their best for a particular piece of assessment. In the first instance students should approach their Unit Chair or Faculty Student Support Centre to discuss any concerns. In many circumstances an extension of time granted by the Faculty may be sufficient to assist the student through their particular difficulty.

The reasons for application must be classified under one of the following categories: Medical; Compassionate; or Hardship/Trauma. Students must provide evidence to support the reasons for their application; therefore all applications for Special Consideration must be accompanied by appropriate documentation from a recognised authority.

You can now apply for Special Consideration online. To access the application portal, log into Student Connect, www.deakin.edu.au/studentconnect and click ‘Special Consideration’ on the left vertical (blue) menu. Read all the information carefully and follow the prompts to submit your application. A Student User Guide is also available from this location. Further information is available from your faculty campus office or student centres. An application for Special Consideration MUST be lodged NO LATER than three (3) University working days after the assessment items due date or the date of a scheduled examination. Students, who for very genuine reasons are not able to apply online, must contact their Faculty Campus Office or Student Centre. The hardcopy application form is not available to be downloaded.

Further information regarding Special Consideration can be found on the Current Students website located at www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/

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Late submission

Late submission will be penalised as follows:

Definition

1. “Working Day” means 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday

Rules

2. Assessment tasks submitted after the advertised date of submission, without an approved extension being granted, shall receive a penalty of five percent (5%) per day for each working day late.

3. No assessment task shall be accepted more than two (2) weeks after the advertised date of submission, unless an extension has been granted or an application for Special Consideration has been submitted.

Procedure

4. Students submitting an assignment for which they have been granted an extension must clearly record both the amended approval date for submission and the name of the approving staff member attached to the relevant Assignment Cover Sheet for that assessment task. This can be done by attaching a copy of the email approval for instance.

5. Where an application for late submission has not been negotiated prior to the advertised date of submission, late assessment tasks will only be accepted up until two (2) weeks after the due date.

6. Where an assessment has been submitted late, the Unit Chair will endeavour to provide feedback to the student in a timely manner. However, the normal arrangement where work is returned to students within 15 working days of the assignment due date will be waived.

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Academic misconduct - cheating, plagiarism and collusion

Plagiarism and collusion constitute extremely serious academic misconduct. They are forms of cheating, and severe penalties are associated with them, including cancellation of marks for a specific assignment, for a specific unit or even exclusion from the course. The University’s definitions of plagiarism and collusion are as follows:

• Plagiarism occurs when a student passes off as the student’s own work, or copies without acknowledgment of its authorship, the work of any other person.

• Collusion occurs when a student obtains the agreement of another person for a fraudulent purpose with the intent of obtaining an advantage in submitting an assignment or other work.

Deakin University views plagiarism and collusion very seriously and may impose significant penalties. Under its policy on plagiarism and collusion students are responsible for ensuring that:

• they are familiar with the expected conventions of authorship and the appropriate use and acknowledgement of all forms of intellectual material relevant to their discipline;

• work submitted for assessment is their own; and, • they take all reasonable steps to ensure their work cannot be accessed

by others who might seek to submit it, in whole or in part, as their own. Whenever you refer to another person’s research or ideas (either by directly quoting or by paraphrasing them), you MUST acknowledge your source. If you are ever in doubt about how to properly cite a reference, consult your lecturer or the Study Skills website at www.deakin.edu.au/study-skills. There is also a great deal of information on referencing and avoiding plagiarism at www.deakin.edu.au/referencing . The University policy of plagiarism and collusion is available from The Guide http://theguide.deakin.edu.au/. Regulation 4.1(1)—Student Discipline also contains important information regarding academic misconduct. Unauthorised collaboration

Unauthorised collaboration is a form of collusion. It involves working with others with the intention of deceiving your markers about who actually completed the work. If you have collaborated with others in preparing an individual assessment item, you must disclose this to your lecturer. Assignments will sometimes be set as group work, but even in these cases generally you will still have to write up and submit your own report. If you have any doubt as to what constitutes authorised or unauthorised collaboration, consult with your lecturer.

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Penalties

The Assessment Panel or Faculty Academic Progress and Discipline Committee will impose a penalty on any student who is found to have committed an act of academic misconduct such as plagiarism, collusion, examination cheating or unauthorized collaboration. These penalties can include:

- a reprimand - a fine up to $500 - allocation of a zero mark in the relevant task (or another such mark as

is appropriate) - allocation of a zero mark in the relevant unit (or another such mark as

is appropriate) - allocation of a zero mark in other units in which the student is enrolled - suspension of the student for up to one year - exclusion of the student for a minimum of one year.

Things you should never do

There are some activities that are never acceptable in the preparation of assignments at the tertiary level. Students who engage in any of the following activities create some doubt in the mind of the reader that the student's work is original. Many of these activities leave the student open to charges of plagiarism.

Students should never: • Submit an assignment without providing a list of references used. • Copy one or more sentences from a reference source (book, journal, web

page, etc.) without formatting and citing the material as a quotation. • Use data in the form of numbers, tables, graphs, diagrams or other images

without citing the source of the material. • Use program source code, even if it is freely available in the public domain,

without citing the source of the code. • Take material from reference material and paraphrase it (write it in your

own words) without citing the source of the material.

• Refer to another person’s idea without citing the source of the idea.