School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Leading and Managing in Early Childhood Contexts
  • Unit Code

    ECE6170
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    4
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Pauline ROBERTS

Description

This unit explores the specialised knowledge and skills related to the effective management of early childhood services across the sector as well as focusing on what it means to lead, manage and advocate in early childhood education. It aims to develop in students a detailed knowledge of theories, models and practices of effective leaders as well as an understanding of the requirements for managing and leading quality services. Students will be provided with theoretical frameworks around leading and managing as well as specialised strategies that can link this knowledge to effective practice in the landscape of early childhood education and care. Students will explore strategies in engaging all families and communities in early childhood education and critique contemporary early childhood policies in order to assist in creating social capital. Students will also explore the role of the professional in terms of required standards and reflect on their own knowledge and skills as they develop a portfolio of evidence.

Prerequisite Rule

Students enrolled in I81 must complete ECE6140

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically analyse theories, models and styles and attributes of effective leadership.
  2. Investigate roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers in a range of early learning contexts through changing times.
  3. Explore strategies to establish reflective practice and a portfolio of evidence.
  4. Critique partnerships and collaborative strategies to engage families and communities.

Unit Content

  1. Models & attributes of effective leadership through change.
  2. Building teams, coaching, mentoring and communicating.
  3. Reflective practice and a portfolio of evidence.
  4. Strategies for engaging families and communities.
  5. ECA Code of Ethics.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 28 x 4 hour seminarNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

WIL - Project

Students undertake an activity in collaboration or consultation with an industry partner but do not spend any time or only a very small amount of time  (e.g. 1-2 short visits) in an actual workplace.

Additional Learning Experience Information

A combination of lectures, workshops, guest speakers, videos, required readings and group and individually assigned work are used to achieve the unit outcomes. Students are required to become independent learners, who can adapt to the roles of practitioner or learner as they contribute to workshops as competent team members.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit information may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ReportInterview & Report60%
Reflective PracticeePortfolio40%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ReportInterview & Report60%
Reflective PracticeePortfolio40%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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