Course coordinator
Professor Nan Bahr
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- External
- Attendance mode
- Online
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Education School
EDUC7117 aims to (a) provide students with opportunities to explore contemporary theoretical and practical issues underpinning the Australian Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment; (b) enable students to demonstrate comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of a specific curriculum topic; (c) reflect on, and inquire into, their own professional learning practices to seek ways to improve how students are engaged and supported as learners.
This course may not be offered in person if the enrolment is less than 10 students.
The research and debates surrounding curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are ever-growing and are of constant importance around the world. This course aims to provide opportunities for students to examine contemporary theoretical and practical issues around how curriculum is treated and enacted through pedagogy and assessment. Issues such as pedagogical design will be explored alongside trends in authentic assessment with aspects of how designs might be translated into practical ways into schools and classrooms. This course willﾠenable students to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of a specific curriculum topic as it relates to aspects of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment and reflect on professional learning practices to further engage and support learners.
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
EDUC7039, EDUC7115, EDUC7116, EDUC7302
Restrictions
Entry to the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies and Master of Educational Studies programs.
Quota: Minimum 10 student enrolments for In Person offering
Jointly taught details
This course is jointly-taught with:
- Another instance of the same course
External (online) and internal (on campus) cohorts are taught together.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Professor Nan Bahr
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This courseﾠaims to:
- provide students with opportunities to explore contemporary theoretical and practical issues underpinning the Australian Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment.
- enable students to demonstrate comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of a specific curriculum topic.
- provoke critical reflection and inquiry into professional learning practices to enhance students’ engagement and support.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Understand contemporary and practical issues underpinning the Australian Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment on their specific curriculum topic
LO2.
Demonstrate comprehensive and in-depth knowledge on a specific curriculum topic
LO3.
Reflect on and inquire into their own professional learning practices to seek ways to improve how students are engaged and supported as learners
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Reflective activity based on readings | 10% 800 words |
8/04/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Abstract, annotated bibliography, timeline | 30% 1500 words |
6/05/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Individual Report | 60% 3500 words |
10/06/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Reflective activity based on readings
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 10% 800 words
- Due date
8/04/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L03
Task description
This task has two parts:
Part A
Reflect on your understanding of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, how these concepts are related, and how this relationship impacts teaching and learning. Synthesise the course readings, activities and online discussions to support your reflection (approx. 400 words).
Part B
Use the readings, activities, online discussions and reflections on your own professional learning practices to describe a specific curriculum topic (as it relates to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment) that you will use as your focus throughout this course, i.e., for Task 2 and Task 3. Briefly describe your reasons for choosing this topic and its relation to the course content and your professional learning practices (approx. 400 words).
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Abstract, annotated bibliography, timeline
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% 1500 words
- Due date
6/05/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
This task has three parts:
- Write an extended abstract that provides an overview of and a rationale for your report (approx. 400 words).
- Prepare an annotated bibliography of 3 - 5 readings that relate directly to your specific curriculum topic but are not part of the required course readings. The readings must be high-quality, peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters written for an academic audience. Ensure that you comply with APA format and style. You will need to establish the key ideas in each paper and explain how these papers relate to your topic. At the proposal stage, the key ideas do not need to be integrated. See this link (https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/study-skills/assignment-writing/assignment-types) for advice on writing an annotated bibliography (approx. 1000 words).
- Prepare a report timeline that outlines the tasks you will complete to ensure the timely submission of your project (approx. 100 words).
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Individual Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 60% 3500 words
- Due date
10/06/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03
Task description
For this task, you will produce a written report on a topic of your choosing in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Your report is the culmination of your studies in this course.
The report should:
- Clearly articulate your topic and provide a rationale for your focus
- Synthesise the literature relevant to your topic to:
- Identify and critically analyse key concepts and perspectives
- Identify and discuss issues for the broader professional community
- Identify and discuss implications for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment policy, organisation and/or practice in the context relevant to your topic.
You should make use of report features such as headings and sub-headings to organise your ideas – the APA style template in Word may be useful here. You should deploy written communication to a high standard, appropriate to an academic audience.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Serious deficiencies in quality of performance in relation to learning objectives. Fails to satisfy most or all of the basic requirements of the course. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Fails to satisfy some of the basic requirements of the course. Clear deficiencies in performance, but evidence that some basic requirements have been met. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Falls short of satisfying all basic requirements for Pass but is close to satisfactory overall and has compensating strengths in some aspects. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Satisfies all of the basic learning requirements for the course, such as knowledge of fundamental concepts and performance of basic skills; demonstrates sufficient quality of performance to be considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in the course. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates ability to use and apply fundamental concepts and skills of the course, going beyond mere replication of content knowledge or skill to show understanding of key ideas, awareness of their relevance, some use of analytical skills, and some originality or insight. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates awareness and understanding of deeper and subtler aspects of the course, such as ability to identify and debate critical issues or problems, ability to solve non-routine problems, ability to adapt and apply ideas to new situations, and ability to invent and evaluate new ideas. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates imagination, originality or flair, based on proficiency in all the learning objectives for the course; work is interesting or surprising or exciting or challenging or erudite. |
Additional course grading information
Determining final grades: The final grades are determined by considering the weighting of individual assessment items, through the use of a weighting formula and the profile of individual grades across accumulated assessment tasks.
All assignments will be provided a grade out of 7. The final grade will be calculated using the weighting and the individual assignment grades as follows.
Task 1: 10%
Task 2: 30%
Task 3: 60%
The formula with an example in brackets: (Student A receives, 7, 5, 5)
Grade for task 1 (7) x 0.1=0.7
Grade for task 2 (5) x 0.3 =1.5
Grade for task 3 (5) x 0.6=3.0
Total 5.2ﾠ
The final grade would be rounded down to the nearest whole number; in this case the grade would be 5.
In the case where the final grade is 0.5 or above, the grade will be rounded up to the nearest whole number (e.g. 5.5 would become 6). In the case where the final grade is 0.49 or below, the grade will be rounded down to the nearest whole number (e.g. 6.49 would become 6).ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
The following applies to all assessments in this course:
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.
Release of assessment item marks and feedback
In addition to the grade awarded, feedback will be provided in a timely manner to enable students to apply the feedback to further tasks within the course or program and/or plan for supplementary assessment, requests for remark, or re-enrolment. However, as per UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Policy, results for the final assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. Time frames for applications for assessment re-mark are indicated under the Assessment Procedure.
Re-mark policy
After each assessable item, students will be given the opportunity to view their assessment and so satisfy themselves that a marking or administrative error has not occurred. The formal process of querying a course result (requesting a remark on academic grounds) is set out in the UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Procedure.
Use of AI/MT to support or inform assessment
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written
submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Here are some additional readings / references that you will find useful:
Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice is a journal available through the library (electronically).
Ewing, R. (2010). Curriculum and assessment : a narrative approach. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Lovat, T. J., & Smith, D. L. (2003). Curriculum : action on reflection (4th ed..). Tuggerah, N.S.W.: Social Science Press.
Newmann, F. M. (1996). Authentic achievement : restructuring schools for intellectual quality. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Nitko, A. J. (1996). Educational assessment of students (2nd ed..). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Merrill.
Readman, & Allen. (2013). Practical planning and assessment. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.
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Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Workshop |
Introducing Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment A general introduction to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in specific curriculum areas. We will explore the course structure generally, including assessment tasks and expectations. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Workshop |
Teacher agency | Quality teaching Exploring the role of teachers in enacting the curriculum and how we characterise 'quality' teaching. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Workshop |
Curriculum integration and negotiation Consider the design of learning that draws on integration of curriculum, cross curriculum dynamics and the challenges/rewards when negotiating curriculum with learners. Learning outcomes: L02 |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Workshop |
Collaborative and cooperative learning Differentiation between collaborative and cooperative learning and examining potential reflexive relationships between curriculum and pedagogy. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Workshop |
Higher order thinking Exploration of the development of higher order thinking through purposive design of pedagogy and assessment, Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Workshop |
Assessment Discussion of assessment design and contemporary views regarding the relationships between assessment approaches and generative learning events. Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Workshop |
Feedback Discussion of the role of feedback in learning and the connections between curriculum, pedagogy and assessment that are strengthened through effective feedback practices. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Workshop |
English curriculum, pedagogy and assessment Focused discussion on the challenges and opportunities for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in curriculum English. Learning outcomes: L02 |
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid semester break Mid-semester break, no classes scheduled. Learning outcomes: L02 |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Workshop |
Science curriculum, pedagogy and assessment Focused discussion on the challenges and opportunities for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in Science curriculum. Learning outcomes: L02 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Workshop |
Mathematics curriculum, pedagogy and assessment Focused discussion on the challenges and opportunities for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in Mathematics curriculum. Learning outcomes: L03 |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Workshop |
Independent work and consultation time Independent work and opportunities for consultation Learning outcomes: L03 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Workshop |
Independent work and consultation Project writing | Consultation opportunity Learning outcomes: L03 |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Workshop |
Independent work and consultation time Project writing | Consultation opportunity Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.