Play in Early Childhood (12000.2)
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | On-campus Online real-time Online self-paced |
Bruce, Canberra Âé¶¹Éç Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW |
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Education |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| School Of Teacher Education | Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit | Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Reflect on historical and contemporary theories and approaches to play and discuss how views of children's play have changed through time and are influenced by culture;
2. Summarise play research and methodologies; and
3. Advocate and plan for play opportunities for children and their families considering contextual community factors.
Graduate attributes
1. Âé¶¹Éç graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills1. Âé¶¹Éç graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. Âé¶¹Éç graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. Âé¶¹Éç graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
3. Âé¶¹Éç graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
4. Âé¶¹Éç graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline
Prerequisites
Students must have passed 24 credit points.Corequisites
None.Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | On-campus | Mrs Katy Meeuwissen |
| 2026 | Âé¶¹Éç Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | On-campus | Mrs Katy Meeuwissen |
| 2026 | Âé¶¹Éç Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | Online real-time | Mrs Katy Meeuwissen |
| 2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | Online self-paced | Mrs Katy Meeuwissen |
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 Âé¶¹Éç's Assessment Policy.
Students may use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for this unit.
Additional text:
GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:
- The Unit Convener has authorised its use for that assessment;
- The student uses it in the way that the assessment instructions allow for;
- The student fully acknowledges its use, with appropriate citations and references. Each provided by the Library provides advice on how to appropriately reference the use of GenAI in-text.
Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not allowed for that assessment. If students are unsure, they should seek advice from the Unit Convener.
Students should be aware that the University of Canberra utilises GenAI detection software. Suspected instances of unauthorised GenAI use may lead to a Learning Validation Conversation' designed to provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes. Students who are suspected of having misused GenAI in assessment may be required to attend a summary inquiry for suspected misconduct.
Special assessment requirements
To successfully pass this unit, a genuine attempt must be made at all assessments must be attempted and an aggregate mark of 50% is required.
Additionally, students need to attempt 50% of weekly summaries.
Supplementary assessment
No supplmentary assessments will be offered in this unit.
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.
Note that the University supported text matching software is TurnItIn, which is now available to all units via Canvas.
Students may use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for this unit.
GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:
- The Unit Convener has authorised its use for that assessment;
- The student uses it in the way that the assessment instructions allow for;
- The student fully acknowledges its use, with appropriate citations and references. Each provided by the Library provides advice on how to appropriately reference the use of GenAI in-text.
Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not allowed for that assessment. If students are unsure, they should seek advice from the Unit Convener.
Students should be aware that the University of Canberra utilises GenAI detection software. Suspected instances of unauthorised GenAI use may lead to a Learning Validation Conversation’ designed to provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes. Students who are suspected of having misused GenAI in assessment may be required to attend a summary inquiry for suspected misconduct.
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.
Âé¶¹Éç students have to complete the annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).
Âé¶¹Éç 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 , , and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Learner engagement
50 hours - Readings and private study
50 hours – Tutorial and/or online participation
50 hours - Assessment tasks
Participation requirements
As a unit of study offered in Flexible mode, attendance at scheduled sessions is not a mandatory requirement of this unit. Students who enrol in the ‘self-paced study' option (in lieu of tutorials) effectively have no tutorials to attend, and students who are enrolled in on-campus or remote tutorials may wish to re-allocate to ‘self-paced study' as the semester progresses. There is, however, a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. With this in mind, we encourage and expect students to actively participate in all module activities to enhance their learning opportunities.
Active engagement in all online modules enhances your learning and is strongly advised. Unless specifically stated in the unit outline, there is no mandatory attendance requirement. However, you may elect to attend timetabled activities, as they allow you to ask 'real time' questions to develop your understanding for the relevant assessment tasks.
This is a unit that is delivered to both online and on-campus students. While on-campus students will have regular timetabled activities, online students will be able to study in your own time. The course content is designed in weekly blocks that do not require online students to attend any timetabled activities unless specifically stated. There may be optional timetabled activities to further support your learning that online students can choose to attend. Assessment deadlines will apply.
Required IT skills
Basic IT skills are a requirement of this unit.
In-unit costs
None
Work placement, internships or practicums
None
Additional information
Theoretical foundations: This unit will explore theories of play across cultures and histories.
Research-led Education: This unit involves research-led education. 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, 2026, On-campus, Âé¶¹Éç - Canberra, Bruce (230087)
- Semester 1, 2026, On-campus, Âé¶¹Éç - Sydney Hills Campus, Castle Hill, NSW (230088)
- Semester 1, 2025, Online real-time, Âé¶¹Éç - Sydney Hills Campus, Castle Hill, NSW (229447)
- Semester 1, 2025, On-campus, Âé¶¹Éç - Sydney Hills Campus, Castle Hill, NSW (228780)
- Semester 1, 2025, Online self-paced, Âé¶¹Éç - Canberra, Bruce (228772)
- Semester 1, 2025, On-campus, Âé¶¹Éç - Canberra, Bruce (228779)