[Year 12 IT Apps] Unit 4 Outcome 2 case studies

Fri Aug 31 19:03:22 EST 2012

Hi Paula. I hope you can clear up some questions I have.

1. Yes, I thought that "s" that you mentioned would come up.  Yes, I did
see it. I foolishly ignored it.  Why should I assume it had biblical
implications?  I've already
one<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/correspondence/bulletins/2010/July/vce_study.aspx>or
two<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/correspondence/bulletins/2011/July/vce_study.aspx>significant
errors in the study design that needed errata to be published.
Why would this "s" not be an extra insignificant slip?

It is certainly *not* a clear indicator of a "significant" requirement of
the outcome.  If *one unexplained letter* in the study design can be
claimed to be a "significant change" and now cause teachers to be accused
of creating invalid outcomes, I give up. I really do.

2. The other obvious problem is that the only *clear* statement about the
need for 2 or more organisations is contained in the "Sample approaches to
School-assessed Coursework" section of the assessment
handbook<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/infotech/infotechhb-2011-2014.doc>.

As far as I know, the '*Advice* to Teachers' and '*Sample* approaches...'
are *not mandated* requirements: they are only suggestions.  Why would
teachers expect *mandated information* to appear in a section called
"Sample approaches"?

3. And I still need to know why the detailed example in the study
design<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vcaa/vce/studies/infotech/infotechsd2011-2014.pdf>(which
we all refer to as a guide for creating good outcomes) does
*not* comply with this new "significant" requirement of ITA U4O2. If
*it*doesn't include this significant change, how can
*we* notice the change and implement it?

4. My next logical step was to check *Software Development U4O2 *in case
I'd missed a similar significant change*. *It says, "Recommend and justify
strategies for evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of
*solutionS*that operate in a networked environment."

Surely this means we need to have a case study that contains *more than one
solution*.  By the logic of the "Significant S" in ITA U4O2 it must do...
or is the "s" in SD not significant, whereas it was for ITA?

5. To make sure, I checked SD U4O2 in the assessment
handbook<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vcaa/vce/studies/infotech/infotechsd2011-2014.pdf>'s
"Sample approaches to school-assessed coursework" section.
What does it say?  *Nothing.*  SD U4O2 is not mentioned at all in the
"Sample Approaches" section.

So I checked the 2011 SD SAC
report<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/technology/2011ITSoftwareDevelopSAC.pdf>and
it does
*not* mention the need for two solutions.

6. So I'm confused. Do we need to write more than one solution into SD U4O2
to be consistent with the "Significant S" in ITA U4O2?
If not, why not? If that "s" in SD U4O2 is insignificant why should an
equivalent "s" in ITA U4O2 have earth-shaking implications?

Regards
Mark

FOR THOSE OF YOUNGER PERSUASION, I HEREBY OFFER MY MEMES...

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, p.12

"But Mr. Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office
for the last nine months."
"Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them,
yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call
attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or
anything."
"But the plans were on display..."
"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
"That's the display department."
"With a flashlight."
"Ah, well, the lights had probably gone."
"So had the stairs."
"But look, you found the notice, didn't you?"
"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display on the bottom of a locked
filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying
'Beware of the Leopard.'"

AND, OF COURSE, FROM THE BOOK OF PYTHON...
'Monty Python's Flying Circus' TV Show - Episode 6

*Milton:* We use choicest juicy chunks of fresh Cornish ram's bladder,
emptied, steamed, flavoured with sesame seeds whipped into a fondue and
garnished with lark's vomit.

*Praline (Hygiene Squad):* Lark's vomit?

*Milton:* Correct.

*Praline:* Well it don't say nothing about that here.

*Milton:* Oh yes it does, on the bottom of the box, after monosodium
glutamate.

*Praline:* *(looking)* Well I hardly think this is good enough. I think it
would be more appropriate if the box bore a large red label warning lark's
vomit.
---

On 31 August 2012 11:03, Christophersen, Paula P <
christophersen.paula.p at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:
> Dear colleagues
>
> The outcome statement says '...evaluate the effectiveness of strategies
used by organisationS ..' The first key skill states '... used by
organisations ...'  Both of these are in contrast to the previous study
design outcome statement that stated ' used by an organisation ...'
>
> It is not necessary to include two discrete case studies - as suggested
in my previous email, if the task type is a report, the case study should
include some details about the practices of another organisation. If it's a
test you can just have a series of discrete questions that cover the
practices of two or more organisations in addition to having just
standalone questions focussing on information management strategies. There
is no requirement to compare the practices - I stated that 'there may be
... ' - I was only providing suggestions as to how the task could address
multiple organisations.
>
>
> Regards
> Paula
>
> Paula Christophersen
> ICT Curriculum Manager
> Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
> Authority
> (03) 9651 4378
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:
itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark KELLY
> Sent: Friday, 31 August 2012 10:05 AM
> To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Unit 4 Outcome 2 case studies
>
> Hi Paula. After half an hour, I've finally found the requirement: it's
buried at the bottom of page 25 of the assessment handbook. But I can find
this information nowhere else.
>
> - It's not in the study design's 'Area of Study description' or the
'outcome description' (p.37).
>
> - The detailed example on p.74 of the design mentions only one
organisation and the accompanying questions never mention any comparison
with other organisations.
>
> - The assessment handbook's rubric (p.20) does not mention the comparison
of 2 or more organisations, and the info on designing the assessment task
(p.19) does not specify it either.
>
> It does not surprise me that "most schools did not incorporate this
change in the task" if, like the notice to demolish Arthur Dent's house in
The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy, the key information is buried
underground in a room with no lightbulb, and defended by a panther.
>
> If it's a major change to the study design, surely the change should be
made more explicit than Monty Python did with the  inclusion of Lark's
Vomit in the Whizzio Chocolate Assortment by mentioning it on the label at
the bottom of the box after 'Monosodium Glutamate.'
>
> Regards
> Mark
>
>
> On 31 August 2012 09:20, Christophersen, Paula P <
christophersen.paula.p at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:
>>
>> Colleagues
>>
>>
>>
>> This statement does not mean that you have to have two discrete case
studies; it does mean, however, that more than one organisation's practices
need to be considered. If students are doing a test there may be one or two
questions requiring a comparison between the practices of one and another;
it might be a suggestion from one organisation to the other about suggested
strategies, that warrants an evaluation, just like the case studies often
do in the examination. There is nothing in the Bulletin statement or in the
study design that states that equal emphasis needs to be given to each
organisation, nor does it state that there must be two case studies. If the
task type is a report (written or annotated visual), then the stimulus
material must include information relating to more than one organisation.
>>
>>
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Paula
>> Paula Christophersen
>>
>> ICT Curriculum Manager
>> Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
>> Authority
>>
>> (03) 9651 4378
>>
>>
>>
>> From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au
>> [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Smallacombe, Kate
>> B
>> Sent: Friday, 31 August 2012 8:52 AM
>> To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Unit 4 Outcome 2 case studies
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Mark,
>>
>>
>>
>> I found it in the VCAA bulletin.
>> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/technology/2011ITApplications
>> SAC.pdf
>>
>>
>>
>> "The new study design also requires more than one organisation to be
>> included in the
>>
>> assessment task. This is a significant change from the previous study
>> design but most schools
>>
>> did not incorporate this change in the task."   Page 8
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>>
>>
>> Kate Smallacombe
>>
>> Brighton Secondary College
>>
>> 120 Marriage Road
>>
>> Brighton East 3187
>>
>> smallacombe.kate.b at edumail.vic.gov.au
>>
>>
>>
>> From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au
>> [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark KELLY
>> Sent: Thursday, 30 August 2012 4:55 PM
>> To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Unit 4 Outcome 2 case studies
>>
>>
>>
>> Where did you read that?
>>
>> On 30 August 2012 14:28, Smallacombe, Kate B <
smallacombe.kate.b at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>>
>>
>> I just read that Unit 4 Outcome 2 should have 2 case studies. I'm
wondering how people have incorporated that. Do you have one set of
questions for the first case study and then another set for the other case
study? Or all questions could refer to either?
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
>> Kate Smallacombe

-- 
Mark Kelly - kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
Manager of ICT, Reporting, IT Learning Area
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Phone: +613 8520 9085, Fax +613 9578 9253
VCE IT Lecture Notes: http://vceit.com
Moderator: IT Applications Edulist
--
bVisit Diigo links for ITA and SD
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