EML1501/101/0/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2024

Emergent Literacy
EML1501

Year Module

Department of Early Childhood Education

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, EML1501-2024-Y, as well as your group website.

Note: This is a fully online and continuous assessment module. It is, therefore, only
available on myUnisa.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................4
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 6
4 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS ..................................................................................... 6
4.1 Lecturers.......................................................................................................................................6
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 6
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 7
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 7
5.1 Prescribed book ............................................................................................................................ 7
5.2 Recommended book ..................................................................................................................... 7
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves).................................................................................................. 7
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 9
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................................ 9
7. STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................. 10
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE .......................................................................................................... 13
8.1 What does it mean to study fully online? ..................................................................................... 13
9. ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 14
9.1 Assessment criteria..................................................................................................................... 14
9.2 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 15
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................ 17
9.4 Submission of assessments........................................................................................................ 17
9.5 The assessments ........................................................................................................................ 19
9.6 Other assessment methods ........................................................................................................ 19
9.7 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 19
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 19
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 19
10.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 19
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below: ..................................................... 19
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES .................................................................................. 19
12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 20
13. IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 20

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 EML1501/101/0/2024

1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution.

Unisa's "openness" and its distance eLearning character result in many students registering
at Unisa who may not have had an opportunity to enrol in higher education. Our CODeL
character implies that our programmes are carefully planned and structured to ensure
success for students ranging from the under-prepared but with potential to the sufficiently
prepared.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the
University. Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent, Unisa's graduates have distinctive
graduate qualities which include

• independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve
in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities

• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its
histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts

• the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-
increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews

• how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and creatively

to solve real-life problems

• an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential

EML1501 is offered as a fully online year module. This means that all your teaching and
learning resources, as well as your teaching and assessments will only be offered online.
Because we are aware that students may not have unlimited access to the internet, the
online content will also be available for you to download and use offline. However, some
assessments require you to be online while you complete them.

We use myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that is used to administer,
document and deliver educational material to you and support engagement with you. Look
out for information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to determine how to
access the virtual myUnisa module site. Information on the tools that will be available to
engage with the lecturer and fellow students to support your learning will also be
communicated via various platforms.

Kindly note that this module uses a continuous assessment approach. This means your final
mark will be composed of multiple formative assessments during the tuition period. You will not
be required to complete a summative assessment such as take-home examination, multi choice
questions or a portfolio at the end of the tuition period for an examination mark.
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The series of formative assessments will have different or equal weights adding up to 100% of
your final mark. The lecturer will use different types of assessments during the tuition period.

Continuous assessment proved to enhance the learning process by improving student

success and graduateness. Hence it will be in your own interest to submit all the assessments
before the due date. If you missed a submission opportunity, you would have a once-off
opportunity at the end of the tuition period to make up for the missed submission opportunity, or
to improve your final mark. To qualify for this once-off contingency opportunity the following
criteria apply

 The once off contingency assessment must still be available.

 The year marks to qualify for a mark upgrade using the contingency assessment must fall
within the range of 40% - 50%.

Please note that continuous assessment modules will not qualify for
aegrotat/supplementary examinations and/or for FI concessions. No resubmissions of
assessments after the due date will be allowed.

You are encouraged to log into the module site on to the EML1501-2024-Y regularly (that is, at
least twice per week).

We wish you every success with your studies!

2 MODULE OVERVIEW
2.1 Purpose

The module addresses knowledge of the two parallel and complementary streams of creative
arts and physical education. This module further provides a fundamental understanding into
musical development through experiences in singing, playing instruments, doing rhythmic
movement and listening activities with children. It further includes incorporating visual art
experiences as well as providing sufficient activities to enhance a child’s physical and gross
motor efficiency in this developmental phase.
2.2 Outcomes

The module structure is guided by the outcomes. These learning outcomes will guide you in
your study of the content of the module as well as in the preparation of your formal
assessments. The outcomes of this module have been divided up under each section. These
outcomes are dealt with under the respective study units in the study guide.

Specific outcomes and assessment criteria

Specific outcome
Understand emergent literacy, its
different forms and how it
1 manifests itself in children
Assessment criteria
Evidence shows that:
• Identify and explain emergent literacy and its
manifestations in assignments.
• Demonstrate the importance of emergent literacy in
teaching and learning through the selection of
appropriate methodologies and techniques.

4

Promotion of emergent literacy through
the development of perceptual skills.
2 and promote perceptual skills in learners.
Interpret the relationship between
emergent literacy and formal
3 literacy.
Analysing the different
developmental theories and their
4 •
Implication for emergent literacy.
Analysing and assessing
children’s writing for
5
Formative/development purposes.
EML1501/101/0/2024
• Identify different forms of emergent literacy case
studies and interpret them accordingly.
Evidence shows that:
• Explain the different perceptual skills and their
importance in emergent literacy in assignments.
• Describe the relationship between the perceptual
skills and their contribution to literacy acquisition and
development.
• Use appropriate activities and resources to develop
• Evaluate the perceptual development of learners so
that learning and teaching is suited to individual
learners.
• Reflect on the teaching and learning of perceptual
skills and adapt accordingly to address gaps
identified.
Evidence shows that:
• Interpret the Grade R curriculum (CAPS) on the
facilitation of emergent literacy.
• Identify the relationship between the Grade R
language curriculum and the Grade 1 language
curriculum by analysing the two curricula.
• Cater for different contexts of language learning in
the country (for example, EFAL learners in a
predominantly target language environment –
English home language classroom) with suitable
activities and teaching approaches
• Plan and describe the adaption of the curriculum to
suit the teaching and learning contexts in a lesson
plan.
Evidence shows that:
• Explain the different developmental theories and their
relationship to emergent literacy.
• Evaluate these developmental theories and their
relevance to emergent literacy.
Provide informed decisions on how to use the
developmental theories when choosing activities and
resources.
• Assess the learners’ literacy development by using
relevant assessment methods and tools.
• Reflect on the process of learning and adapt teaching
to suit the context.
Evidence shows that:
• Understand and explain the stages of emergent
writing.
• Identify the different stages of emergent writing that
are used to determine the learners’ writing abilities.
• Diagnose writing problems, for example, holding a
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 pen and provide remediation.
• Identify the interpretation of different levels of
emergent writing link them to formal writing.
• Use child-centred methods to make learning
interesting and effective.

Evidence shows that:

• Implement different reading methods, for example,

Teach emergent reading effectively so
that learners can begin to read picture
6 books on their own with understanding.
shared reading to instil a love of reading.
• Promote phonological/phonemic awareness in
learners by using appropriate texts.
• Create and describe a language-rich classroom that
would promote incidental reading.
• Select different resources for their suitability to the
context in which they are used to teach reading.
• Explain and highlight the importance of Grade R
reading as laying a foundation for formal reading.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation
includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies
and philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a
result of this you will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented
by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is conceptualised in your modules. We
encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way
within the framework of transformation.

4 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturers

The coordinator of the EML1501 module is:

Lecturer’s name: Mrs PS Makhura

Building and office number: 7-47 NS Radipere Building
Department: Early Childhood Education
Telephone: 012 429 6582
E-mail: emakhups@unisa.ac.za

4.2 Department

You can contact the Department of Early Childhood Education as follows:

Mrs Lizzy Magolego

Telephone number: 012 429 4583
Email address: makgome1@unisa.ac.za

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Direct all queries that are not of a purely administrative nature but deal with the content of this
module to the lecturer. You also have to use your myLife e-mail when you communicate
with the University and with lecturers. Lecturers will not respond to queries send from private
emails.

4.3 University

Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Please include the student number and module code in all correspondence. Always use
your myLife e-mail when you communicate with the University and with lecturers.

5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book

There is no prescribed book for this module. All relevant course material is only available
online on the module site. The content pertaining to each learning unit is available in PDF
format within each learning unit on the module site. You must download each PDF
document (six in total) and save. You will need them as you work through the online
lessons and activities.

5.2 Recommended book

The following books are recommended for this module:

Phatudi N.C. 2015. Introducing English as first additional language in the early
years. Pearson Holdings South Africa, Cape Town.

Hugo A. & Lenyai E. 2013. Teaching English as a First Language in the

Foundation Phase Practical Guide. Juta Publishers.

Morrow, L.M. 2012. Literacy development in the early years: helping children read and
write. United States of America. Pearson.

We recommend you read widely in order to keep abreast of contemporary skills and
techniques used in teaching second language/FAL.

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

Mohangi, K., Krog, S., Stephens, O. & Nel, N. 2016. Contextual challenges in early literacy
teaching and learning in grade R rural schools in South Africa. A Journal for Language
Learning. 32(10:71-87).

Hall, A.H., Simpson, A., Guo, Y. & Wang, S. 2015. Examining the Effects of Preschool Writing
Instruction on Emergent Literacy Skills: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Literacy
Research and Instruction. 54:2, 115-134.

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Puranik, C.S., Phillips, B.M., Lonigan, C.J., & Gibson. 2018. Home literacy practices and
preschool children’s emergent writing skills: An initial investigation. Early Childhood Research
Quarterly. 42 (2018) 228-238.

Excell, L. & Vivien Linington, V. Move to literacy: fanning emergent literacy in early childhood
education in a pedagogy of play. South African Journal of Childhood Education | 2011, 1(2):27-
45.

Gruhn, S. & Weideman, A. 2017. The initial validation of a test of emergent literacy. A Journal of
languages. 33(1):25-53.

E-reserves can be downloaded from the library catalogue. More information is available at:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request

E-reserves can be downloaded from the library webpage “Find e-reserves”. More information is
available at: http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/search/r

5.4 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has
created numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:

• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance

• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature
Search Request (on your research topic) service,
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support.
• For library training for undergraduate
students, visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Training
• Lending Services https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• Services for Postgraduate students -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• Support and Services for students with disabilities -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-
special-needs
• Library Technology Support -https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools -
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases – https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php
Important contact information:

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• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-

help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: libr-ill@unisa.ac.za
• Literature Search Service: Lib-search@unisa.ac.za
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.

If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)

• E-mail: mymodules22@unisa.ac.za or myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessment
and how to participate in forum activities via the following link: https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours
for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain the official primary e-mail address on
record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

6.1 First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is
also true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open
distance and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It
is a mega university, and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully
online learning. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students
additional/extended support to help them seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning
journey with little difficulty and few barriers. We therefore offer a specialised student support
programme to students enrolling at Unisa for the first time – this is Unisa’s First-Year

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Experience (FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with prompt and helpful information
about services that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following FYE
services are currently offered:

To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication from the
SRU, please check your myLife inbox regularly.

7. STUDY PLAN

The module has 12 credits, which translates to 120 notional hours of teaching (including
assessment). This means that to cover all the content and achieve the learning outcomes you
will have to spend 120 hours studying EML1501. If you work consistently throughout the year,
you will be able to achieve all the outcomes. Below a study plan that you can use to guide you
through the content and to ensure that you submit all the assessments on time.

WEEK STUDENT ACTIVITY

STUDY UNIT
NO. Check that what is here aligns with your respective number of units

1 0 Welcome and orientation

2 hours Students must:

• Download the Tutorial Letter 101 from the module site.

• Read all the announcements and mark all the opening and closing

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dates for the assessments on their calendar.

• Work through the contents of the online learning Unit 0 (orientation
unit) and watch the videos.
2 1ꟷ5 Students must:

4 hours • Download and read through the content of Learning Units 1 to 5 PDF
readers to get an overview of EML1501. These PDF readers per
learning unit can be accessed from the online learning units.

3 1ꟷ5 Students must:

• Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5

online lessons.
5 hours • Thorough reading and studying study unit 1
• Complete all the activities.
• Access all the additional sources.
• Prepare the self-assessment questions.
• Work on Assignment 01 questions.
4 1ꟷ5 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5
online lessons.
• Continue working, reading and studying study unit 1

5 1ꟷ5 Students must:

• Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5

online lessons.
5 hours • Continue working, reading and studying study unit 1
6 1ꟷ5 Students must:

• Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5

online lessons.
5 hours • Continue working, reading and studying study unit 2
7 1ꟷ5 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5
online lessons.
• Continue working, reading and studying study unit 2
• Work on assessment 1 questions
8 1ꟷ5 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5
online lessons
• Continue working on reading and studying study unit 1 and 2
9 1ꟷ5 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 1 to 5
online lessons
• Final submission of assessment 1
10 1ꟷ5 Conclusion and reflection of Study unit 1 and 2

4 hours

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 11 3ꟷ4 Students must:

6 hours • Download and read through the content of Learning Units 3 and 4
• Complete activities
• Work on self-assessment questions
12 1ꟷ2 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units online
lessons
• Start working on assessment 2
13 1ꟷ3 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units online
lessons.
• Continue working on study unit 3
14 1ꟷ2 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units
Continue working on study unit 1 and 2

15 1ꟷ2 Students must:

4 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 3 and 4
online lessons.

• Continue working on assessment 2

16 1ꟷ4 Students must:

• Work through the content and activities of the Learning units 1-4
5 hours • Units Continue working on writing assessment 2

17 1ꟷ2 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning and
complete self-assessment activities

• Units Continue working on the writing of assessment 2

18 3ꟷ4 Students must:

5 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 3 and
4

• Final submission of assessment 2

19 3ꟷ4 Students must :

5 hours Read the content of Learning Units 3 and 4 in preparation of writing

assessment 3

20 3ꟷ4 Students must:

• Work through the content and activities of the Learning Unit

• Final submission of assessment 3

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5 hours

21 3ꟷ4 Students must:

• Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 3 and
4 online lessons.
5 hours • Continue working on the self-assessment activities and start writing
assessment 4.

22 4ꟷ5 Students must:

4 hours • Work through the content and activities of the Learning Units 4 and
5 online lessons.
• Continue with the online self-assessment activities and prepare for
final submission of assessment 4.
23 1ꟷ5 review Students can:

4 hours Review the content of all the 5 learning units in preparation for the elective
assessment.

24 Ass 5 (elective) Students who qualify for the elective assessment, can access and
download the elective assessment.
4 hours
Reflect on the marked assessments to improve on the elective
assessment.

25 Ass 5 (elective) Students who qualify for the elective assessment must continue working
on their responses.
4 hours

26ꟷ27 Ass 5 (elective) Final submission of the elective assessment.

4 hours

8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE

8.1 What does it mean to study fully online?

Online learning relies heavily on self-directed learning. Self-directed learning is a natural way to
learn. Think of how babies and young children learn. They learn through exploration. Their need
to understand and learn how the world works is driven by an innate curiosity. Think about what
a child does when it comes across a new object. The child instinctively examines the item and
explores its properties through taste, touch, sight and sound to learn as much as possible about
the object. Although people are born with a natural drive to learn, for some people that drive
evaporates, and learning beyond what is required for daily living is no longer actively sought.
The use of SDL techniques in an educational setting may be viewed as an attempt to replicate
the natural way that people learn. Students should realise the importance of their knowledge,
attitudes and SDL skills in the learning process. But students also must understand that the
traditional role of the educator has changed. The role of your lecturer is that of a facilitator or a
guide and students can no longer depend on the educator as the only source of information.

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Students have to take responsibility for their own learning, engaging with content, reflecting on
the knowledge, critically engage, analyse and make meaning of it. Students must ask: “What
does this information mean for me in my context?”

To be able to do that, students learning through an online modality need to have a very specific set of
characteristics.

• Based on a survey of experts and her Delphi study, Guglielmino (1977:73) proposed the following
characteristics for self-directed students:
• initiative
• independence
• persistence
• a sense of responsibility for one’s own learning
• a tendency to view problems as challenges
• self-discipline
• a high degree of curiosity
• a strong desire to learn or change
• the ability to use basic study skills
• the ability to organise one’s time and setting of an appropriate pace for learning
• self-confidence
• the ability to develop a plan for completing work
• joy in learning
• tolerance of ambiguity
• a preference for active participation in shaping educational programmes
• the ability to evaluate one’s own progress
• an exploratory view of education
• above average risk-taking behaviour
• knowledge of a variety of potential learning resources and the ability to use them
• the ability to accept and use criticism
• the ability to discover new approaches for dealing with problems
• the ability to formulate learning objectives
• the ability to select and use many learning strategies
• a positive orientation to the future
• emotional security
• average or above average intelligence
• creativity
• a preference for independent study or relatively unstructured sources.

To assess your own readiness for self-directed learning in an online learning environment, click
on the link below to complete the self-assessment.
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jIuayqM-
mUekPlUQOY56O3MUqsPghftFvHkLXXn5pgtUNUlISFUwT0lZTklaOUFIWVk3MFg1NzI1My4u

9. ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

Looking at the assessment criteria given for each assessment will help you to understand what
is required of you more clearly.

EML1501 is a year module and is offered via a continuous assessment approach.

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Continuous assessment means that:

• There is no final examination and no supplementary examination.

• There are several mandatory formative assessments throughout the year to assess your
ongoing progress with respect to the attainment of the outcomes. If assignments are
mandatory, the mark contributes to the year mark.
• If you fail to submit a mandatory assignment, no mark is awarded, and the year mark is
calculated accordingly. You therefore forfeit the marks attached to this assignment
when the final mark for the module is calculated.
• You must work consistently.
• There are built-in measures of feedback and support to guide and pace you
throughout the year.
• That the assessments encourage critical awareness and reflection by students and that
implies that you must take responsibility for your own learning and monitor your own
progress.
• You must use the regular lecturer feedback to assess your own understanding, learn
from your mistakes and improve on your next assessments.
• There will be no additional supplementary opportunity once the year marks have been
released.
9.2 Assessment plan

In continuous assessment the principles of a participation mark and a final examination mark
are not used. This means that there will be several compulsory formative assessments
throughout the year to assess students’ ongoing progress with respect to the attainment of the
outcomes pertaining to this module. There will be no single final summative assessment
(examination). The rationale for continuous assessment is to ensure that students work
consistently. The continuous assessment model provides early indicators of student
performance, with built-in measures of feedback and support to guide students towards
mastering particular content areas within the module. The aim is to foster critical awareness and
reflection by students, enabling them to take responsibility for their learning and monitor their
own progress. Continuous assessment provides regular progress updates for students through
lecturer feedback. Assessment tasks are designed to scaffold student learning. Scaffolding
means that each task builds on preceding tasks/learning to enhance understanding and to
integrate learning. This will allow the lecturer and the students to identify and close learning
gaps. This means that there will be no additional supplementary opportunity once marks have
been finalised.

There will be a number of mandatory formative activities and written assessments, each
contributing towards the promotion mark. Assessments are numbered consecutively per
module, starting with 1. Incorrect numbering will result in assessments being cancelled. All
assessments will only be available online.

Below you will find a summary of all the formal formative assessments. Please note that all of
them is mandatory.

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Assessment Assessment type
Weighting
number Divided up according to number of units in guide

1 Quiz (pre-assessment) 5%

Quiz
2 5%
Learning Units 1 - 5

Written assessment
3 25%
Learning Units 1 - 5

Quiz
4 5%
Learning Units 6 - 7

Written assessment
5 25%
Learning Units 6 - 7

Quiz
6 5%
Learning Units 8 - 9

Quiz
7 5%
Learning Units 8 – 9 (practical)

Written assessment
8 25%
Learning Units 8 - 9

Elective assessment
9 25%
Written assessment covering content of all 9 learning units

Please note that all assessments are mandatory. Some are high stakes assessments (they
have a high weighting towards the year mark), and some assessments are low stakes (they
have a low weighting towards the year mark). See the table below that groups high and low
stakes assessments.

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Group A Group B
(Low weighting) (High weighting)

Ass 1 Quiz 5% Ass 3 File upload (essay-type) 25%

Ass 2 Quiz 5% Ass 5 File upload (essay-type) 25%

Ass 4 Quiz 5% Ass 8 File upload (essay-type) 25%

Ass 6 Quiz 5%

Ass 7 Quiz 5%

25% 75%

The elective assignment:

Because of the high impact of the Group B assessments on the year mark, you have only one
opportunity to improve the lowest mark of only one of the assessments in Group B. You only
qualify to submit Assessment 9 (the elective) under the following conditions:
• You had submitted all three assessments from Group B but need to improve a mark of
one assessment that you either have failed or is very low.
• You have failed to submit one of your Group B assessments and submitted proof to your
lecturer why you were unable to submit.
• Your year mark is within the range of 40% to 50% (Please note that the year mark is not
an average of your marks).

9.3 Assessment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing page for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving

towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take place
online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

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 • The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
This is an online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational
material to students and support engagement between academics and students.

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the

myModules 2023 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are
registered for.

• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared with
you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you will
see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will
see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be multiple choice, some tests, others written assessments, some
forum discussions, and so on. All assessments must be completed on the assessment
shells available on the respective module platforms.

• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you.
When the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time
available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter
(Tutorial Letter 101) and are only made available online. You must therefore access the
quiz online and complete it online where the quiz has been created.

• It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell phone find
it difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle
to navigate between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cell
phones are more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all
possible, please do not use a cell phone for this assessment type.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double
check that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember, no marks can be
allocated for incorrectly submitted assessments.

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 EML1501/101/0/2024

9.5 The assessments

There are no assignments included in this tutorial letter. Assignments and due dates will be
made available to you on myModules for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be
available to you upon registration.

9.6 Other assessment methods

There are no other assessment methods applicable to this module.

9.7 The examination

This module has no examination.

10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another

student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, this forms part of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact Mrs P.S Makhura at emakhups@unisa.ac.za to discuss
the assistance that you need.

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12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions are available on the EML1501 module site.

13. IN CLOSING
We wish you all the best with your studies.

©
Unisa 2024

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