[vet-mm] 2006 exam
peterfowler at optusnet.com.au
peterfowler at optusnet.com.au
Tue Nov 14 17:58:07 EST 2006
Hi,
Just thought that I should contribute to this discussion. Regardless of your background surely the most important aspect of an exam is to make it equitable for all students not just the specialist programmer. The omission of Design from the exam means that one fifth of the course was not assessed. Whether my students would have performed better if it was included is essentially irrelevant. The other VCE studies seem to get it right most of the time, so why is it so hard for the Multimedia exam writers.
We all prioritize the emphasis when we deliver a course partially to suit the demands of our students but the overriding or dominating force is the end of year exam.
My concern is that the features of good design will become secondary to programing if this year exam is to be used as an example.
Chris the notion of including questions dealing with digital audio or video is redundant as the examiners can only assess elements from the Cert III competencies.
Lets hope they do a better job of getting a balance to next years exam and make it equitable for all our students.
I also will look forward to the exam results and the review process.
Yours Sincerely
Peter Fowler
Swinburne Senior Secondary College
> Chris Russell <crussell at bhssc.vic.edu.au> wrote:
>
> This proposal sounds fair.
> Plus I would like to see some questions dealing with digital audio and
> video. This of course, may make it awkward because of the choice between
> audio and video etc..
> Chris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Paul Sijpkes" <sijp at knox.vic.edu.au>
> To: "VET Multimedia Teachers' Mailing List" <vet-mm at edulists.com.au>
> Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:06:59 +1100
> Subject: RE: [vet-mm] 2006 exam
>
> Susan,
>
> You're right, there was virtually nothing on visual design which I spent
> a whole term covering. I think we need to find a balance between these
> two areas, as making students work interactive is what makes Multimedia
> interesting and this exactly why we use computers to do it.
>
> Students don't need to know the minutiae of scripting to make a button
> work or to even create a drop down menu or something but they do need to
> know how to apply a script to their work.
>
> In future it would probably be better if the exam focussed on how
> students use existing scripts in their work rather than on how to
> program their own.
>
> Regards,
>
> Paul
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vet-mm-bounces at edulists.com.au
> [mailto:vet-mm-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Susan Bell
> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 12:06 PM
> To: vet-mm at edulists.com.au
> Subject: RE: [vet-mm] 2006 exam
>
> Paul,
> whilst there are help files available - students still need to
> understand the question in order to answer it and I don't believe that
> this level of scripting in year 12 is fair. Under exam conditions
> students are trying to answer the questions relatively quickly and
> having difficult scripting questions can throw then off. Also I don't
> think there are many teachers who would feel 100% comfortable with
> teaching scripting to the standard expected on these exams.
>
> The exams are heavily biased towards scripting. You might have noticed
> there were virtually no visual design questions. If the exam is going to
> be fair then at least all competencies should be given equal weight (yes
> I know that some modules require more hours to complete than hours)
> however there is still a heavy bias towards scripting, which might have
> been fine for you, but I'm sure was a struggle for many others.
> Regards, Sue
>
> >>> sijp at knox.vic.edu.au 11/13/06 11:53am >>>
> This was my first VET exam, I agree that particularly questions 4 and
> 5
> in Section B were difficult. Nevertheless, we do have to remember
> that
> the ActionScript editor has 'auto complete' built in and students have
> access to the Macromedia Flash help files through the editor.
>
> >From speaking to my students, none of them thought it was overly
> difficult, but we spent a large chunk of the course studying
> scripting.
>
>
> I think the issue lies with the background of the teacher, I've worked
> in IT, not in the design industry so I'm much more comfortable with
> scripting than I am with visual design. I'm interested to know how my
> students went on *those* questions!
>
> Paul Sijpkes
>
> The Knox School
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vet-mm-bounces at edulists.com.au
> [mailto:vet-mm-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark Ridgeway
> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 10:17 AM
> To: VET Multimedia Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: RE: [vet-mm] 2006 exam
>
> I was also disappointed that the exam seemed overly long on scripting
> and too short on visual design.
>
> (And this is from someone who enjoys teaching Flash scripting in a
> games
> programming unit!)
>
> The theory section was tougher than last year's - although this is
> probably a good thing as the 2005 was really too easy. But we should
> be
> able to make the exam tougher without skewing it towards scripting.
>
> Good luck to everyone with your results!
>
> Regards, Mark
>
>
> Mark Ridgeway
> Head of ICT & Timetabler
> Braemar College
> Mt Macedon Rd, Woodend, 3442
> Tel: (03) 5427 2500
> Fax: (03) 5427 1017
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vet-mm-bounces at edulists.com.au
> [mailto:vet-mm-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Susan Bell
> Sent: Saturday, 4 November 2006 11:55 AM
> To: vet-mm at edulists.com.au
> Subject: [vet-mm] 2006 exam
>
> I don't know what others thought of the exam this year but the general
> consensus of the Pixeled committee was that the exam was better than
> 2004 (that wouldn't be hard) but worse than 2005.
>
> The problem once again were the scripting questions. They are simply
> too
> hard! We don't have the time to go in depth with scripting so kids
> only
> get a superficial knowledge of conditionals, functions etc... I mean
> I've been teaching this subject for 3 years now and I couldn't answer
> some of those questions under exam conditions.
>
> VCAA seem to forget that these students are 17 years old with 4 to 5
> other subjects to contend with in year 12. As if they have the time to
> become fully fledged programmers in half a term. It is really
> ridiculous
> and puts too much pressure on teachers - I mean we're not programmers
> either. I would have thought the exam panel would have learnt by now
> that complex scripting questions should be left to IT exams, not
> multimedia ones. And where were the visual design questions? It
> appears
> a whole competency was missed so that the exam panel could shove in
> more
> scripting questions.
>
> It really is a shame that this subject has been hijacked by people who
> think that year 12 students need to know scripting. Surely this stuff
> can be left to TAFE or University. I'm not against some scripting, its
> fine to get the kids to make interactive pieces but these can be done
> with some simple button commands. I think the exam panel are doing the
> subject and the students a disservice when they come up with all these
> ridiculous scripting questions. Last year they got it right, how did
> they manage to get it so wrong again?
>
> Sue
>
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> Wesley College Melbourne is a world class coeducational independent
> school
> developing the whole person through timeless principles of learning:
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> - to be
> with innovation and wisdom
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> ABN 38 994 068 473 CRICOS 00354G
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> This email is intended only for the use of the individual or entity
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> VET Multimedia Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
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> http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology
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> crussell at bhssc.vic.edu.au
>
>
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