[Year 12 IPM] ITA ("IPM 2007") summary

[Laurie Savage]

I'm new to IPM and even newer to this list and have no history in the 
ongoing debates, but here is my two bob's worth.

If I were a student reading the study guide my immediate response would 
be "What the ..." and then choose something else. The study design was 
written in turgid impenetrable business-babble and IPM strikes me as a 
course in search of content. Is it Office Admin., a course in Newspeak, 
an Applications course or some mingling of these? Whatever it is I have 
problems reconciling its dot points with either my students (all lower 
ability) or the world of industry from which I came. Then there are the 
small but specific issues such as "mandated or preferred content" which 
does not appear in our text (Potts), was not defined in the glossary yet 
was asked in the VCE exam. Are we asking the students to recall lists of 
unrelated terms or develop and use problem solving skills? I like the 
SDLC and problem solving sections, but so much of the rest seems like 
filler. I'm sorry, I'm lumbered with teaching the course and I think I 
do a good and innovative job, although I don't like the course and my 
heart dropped at last year's VITA conference session on the new course.

Our 7 - 10 students are writing web sites to design briefs using Notepad 
and Dreamweaver MX, creating Flash MX animations, playing with Visual 
Basic, creating business stationery with Illustrator or Freehand, 
developing more design briefs - and then we give them IPM. What an anti 
climax!

Laurie

Zach Alexakos wrote:
> Wants=Future Driven Course Design;
> Needs= Now;
> 2007-2010Course Design==2003-2006Course Design;
> 2006StudentNumbers - 10000 = 2007StudentNumbers;
> 
> Might be time to fire up Borland on the laptop to write this all in C++ 
> code.  Hang on, I could even make a game out of this and apply for 
> ASISTM funding.  Want to join in Margaret?
> 
> 
> Zach Alexakos
> 


-- 
Laurie Savage
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Student Assessment, Reporting and Tracking
Pascoe Vale Girls College, 03 9306 2544
Lake Ave, Pascoe Vale, Victoria, 3044
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