Students to trial VCE thesis subject
Up to 15 Victorian schools will next year be trialling a proposed new thesis subject for Year 12 VCE students.
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority's proposed ˜Extended Investigation VCE Study Design' will allow Year 12 students to complete a 4000- to 4500-word thesis or research project in a particular area of study with teacher supervision.
At the conclusion of the trials, the Victorian Government will decide whether the new subject is incorporated into the VCE curriculum depending on the results.
The subject is intended to provide a more independent study option for students in all Victorian schools, particularly those who are academically gifted. It will introduce a more open style of learning that is similar to the International Baccalaureate's 4000-word extended research essay.
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority's chief executive, John Firth, said that the new subject will give students the freedom to explore in much greater depth topics of interest that they have studied in other subjects.
œPart of the thinking is getting students to focus on working out what is a good question, understanding what the nature of a problem is, and then ways of investigating it, he said.
