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Unit outline_

EDPF5020: Digital Technologies Fundamentals

Semester 1, 2020 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit introduces the structure and key concepts of the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies, including digital systems, data representation, algorithms and implementation. Students will develop practical skills in data collection and interpretation, visual or general-purpose programming, and user interface design. Students will consolidate their skills by designing a digital technologies resource or assessment task for use in the classroom.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Education
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator James Richard Curran, james.r.curran@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Daniel Hickmott, daniel.hickmott@sydney.edu.au
James Richard Curran, james.r.curran@sydney.edu.au
Sujatha Gunja, sujatha.gunja@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Evaluation of Digital Technologies resources
Contribute to weekly discussions and completion of practical tasks
50% Multiple weeks
Due date: 29 May 2020 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3
Assignment Situational analysis
Conduct a situational analysis in a school context
20% Week 07
Due date: 09 Apr 2020 at 23:59
1200 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3
Assignment Development of a Digital Technologies teaching resource
Critically assess a unit of work and create an assessment task
30% Week 13
Due date: 29 May 2020 at 23:59
1800 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3

Assessment summary

  • Situational analysis: Conduct a situational analysis of an implementation of the Digital Technologies curriculum for a band level in a particular school context. 
  • Evaluation of Digital Technologies resources: Students need to complete weekly programming activities, discuss readings, and evaluate one of the resources that is related to the focus area for the week. This is a cumulative assessment task requiring ongoing engagement in the discussion forums to build on knowledge, skills and understanding of the Digital Technologies curriculum over the course of the semester. 
  • Development of a Digital Technologies teaching resource: Sudents need to critically assess a unit of work for a Digital Technologies unit in a particular teaching/learning context. They must reference sequencing, common misconceptions and relevant readings from the course. Students need to design and produce an assessment task for the unit and 1 or more sample solutions.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Digital Technologies, Data Representation and Abstraction Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 02 Digital Systems Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 03 Implementation Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 04 Data Collection and Interpretation 1 Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 05 Algorithms 1 Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 06 Specifications Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 07 Interactions and user experience Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 08 Algorithms 2 Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 09 Pedagogies and misconceptions Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 10 Planning and assessment Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 11 Data Collection and Interpretation 2 Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 12 Ethics and impact Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 13 Future directions Lecture and tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.

Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Demonstrate an understanding of Digital Technologies as taught in primary and secondary schools in Australia based on current research trends.
  • LO2. Design differentiated learning pathways for a range of learners that incorporate data, information and digital literacy through designing teaching programs and assessment tasks.
  • LO3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of key issues in policy and practice in the field of digital technologies.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

More information can be found on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.