[Informatics] [Year 12 SofDev] Enrollment Numbers

Wed May 22 06:47:20 UTC 2019

A pondering:

The problem with IPM/ITA/Informatics/Data Analytics over time is that the
entire subject area has become increasingly quaint as technology has
developed.

In 2001, its sibling (IPM, ITA) once was useful to teach good software
usage - as the subjects' names made clear: *Information Processing and
Management*, *IT Applications*.

Then time discovered that teaching word processing and spreadsheets was
redundant (students absorbed these skills in kindergarten) and it tried to
become data analysis/statistics... which people obviously didn't want,
according to enrolment figures.
Kids who *did* want that stuff enrolled in Psych.

Twenty years ago, teaching kids how to tune a car engine was useful, but
modern engine computerisation has made it impossible and irrelevant.
Today, *Informatics* is unneeded and unwanted.
Software usage is a TAFE or VET course, not a VCE academic subject.
Its time has passed.
Its need has gone.

SD has been stable and consistent because its charter is clear :
programming!
That's why it is still respected and attracts consistent enrolments.

Maybe we just need to face facts and admit that courses like
Informatics/Data Analytics are just as valuable as learning to make saddles
or horseshoes.
Once upon a time they had value, but...
I think VCAA is fighting a losing battle trying to keep Informatics/Data
Analytics relevant to modern students' needs.
Hence the tanking of enrolments.

End of a pondering.

On Wed, 22 May 2019 at 16:03, Roland Gesthuizen <rgesthuizen at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks for the graphs and data Mark, sadly happening across Oz. We
> certainly need to lift our game with recruiting and retaining more girls. I
> notice that the VCE Physics group is very active at work on this issue.
>
> --
>
> *Roland GESTHUIZEN*http://about.me/rgesthuizen
>
> On 22 May 2019, at 3:45 pm, Mark <mark at vceit.com> wrote:
>
> Hi all
>
> I've added percentages of male enrolments to version 2 of the spreadsheet.
> Except for SD, females in 2001 were pretty common, but their enrolments
> have consistently declined over the years.
>
> <male IT enrolment percentages 2001-2018.jpg>
>
> Spreadsheet version 2 is attached
>
> On Wed, 22 May 2019 at 12:08, Scott Wallace <
> Scott.Wallace at beaconhills.vic.edu.au> wrote:
>
>> Any chance of getting the breakdown between male and female enrolments?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *Scott Wallace *
>>
>> *Head of House (Rich) *
>>
>> *Head of Campus eLearning and Information Technology*
>>
>> *Beaconhills College, Pakenham*
>>
>> *(03) 5945-3014*
>>
>>
>>
>> *<image001.jpg>*
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* sofdev <sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au> *On Behalf Of *Mark
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, 22 May 2019 12:06 PM
>> *To:* Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List <
>> sofdev at edulists.com.au>
>> *Subject:* Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Enrollment Numbers
>>
>>
>>
>> hehehe. I followed Geoff's link and was amused to find the enrolments in
>> *2001*:
>>
>>
>>
>> IT 1 - *17,113*
>>
>> Information Processing and Management U3 - *13,344*
>>
>> Information Systems U3 (SD) - *3,346*
>>
>>
>>
>> And in *2015*...
>>
>>
>>
>> IT1 - *4,959*
>>
>> IT Apps - *2,651*
>>
>> SD - *1,385*
>>
>>
>>
>> How times change
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 22 May 2019 at 11:48, Mark <mark at vceit.com> wrote:
>>
>> Earlier I found 2016 and 2017.
>>
>>
>>
>> <image002.jpg>
>>
>>
>>
>> I just found 2018 here
>> <https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/statistics/2018/statssect2.aspx>.
>>
>>
>>
>> <image004.jpg>
>>
>>
>>
>> Informatics died a long, horrible - yet predictable - death.
>>
>> 💀
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 22 May 2019 at 10:28, Litsa Tzelepis <htzelepis at msj.vic.edu.au>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Good morning,
>>
>>
>>
>> is there anywhere that I can access the enrollment numbers for Computing
>> (11 & 12) over the last few years?
>>
>>
>>
>> We are heading into subject selection confirmation lists over the next
>> few days.
>>
>> I'd appreciate any direction - not to worry if it doesn't exist -
>>
>>
>>
>> Have a great day,
>>
>> Litsa 🌼
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Litsa Tzelepis
>> Mount St. Joseph Girls' College
>> 133 Maidstone Street, Altona, VIC. 3018
>> htzelepis at msj.vic.edu.au
>>
>> P:8398 2000
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Mark Kelly
>>
>>
>>
>> mark at vceit.com
>>
>> http://vceit.com
>>
>> Twitter @vceitcom
>> <https://twitter.com/intent/follow?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fvceit.com%2Fwp%2F&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&region=follow_link&screen_name=vceitcom&tw_p=followbutton>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Mark Kelly
>>
>>
>>
>> mark at vceit.com
>>
>> http://vceit.com
>>
>> Twitter @vceitcom
>> <https://twitter.com/intent/follow?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fvceit.com%2Fwp%2F&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&region=follow_link&screen_name=vceitcom&tw_p=followbutton>
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>
>
> --
>
> Mark Kelly
>
> mark at vceit.com
> http://vceit.com
> Twitter @vceitcom
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>
> <computing enrolments 2016-2018-v2.xlsx>
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-- 

Mark Kelly

mark at vceit.com
http://vceit.com
Twitter @vceitcom
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