Course Title: Issues and Contexts in Education

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Issues and Contexts in Education

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
TCHE2300	Brunswick Campus	Undergraduate	360H Education	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016
TCHE2326	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	360H Education	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2012, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016

Course Coordinator: A/P Geoff Shacklock

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7580

Course Coordinator Email: geoff.shacklock@rmit.edu.au

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None listed

Course Description

This is a core course that focuses on current educational debates, changes and reforms. Students will inquire into new and emerging educational priorities, policies and practices at state, national and international levels. Existing knowledge and research about learning and teaching will be used to investigate and analyse assumptions informing new directions and sets of practices in education. The course will extend students’ knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and educational policy. By focussing on recent, topical initiatives and trends in education, the course enhances their professional skills and attributes as competent, knowledgeable educational professionals. These professional skills are applied in work integrated learning.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course is designed to assist students to:

• Analyse and demonstrate understandings of contemporary issues and contexts in education.
• Identify, question, and either authenticate or reconstruct assumptions about current and new education policy.
• Apply knowledge, skills and theoretical perspectives to understanding new directions in learning and teaching.
• Map the learning and teaching implications of new policy and practice.
• Build confidence in approaching educational change as an informed professional.
• Gain experience in constructing defensible positions about current and new issues and contexts in education.
• Understand the legal and ethical responsibilities of professional practice.

Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
• Use knowledge and skills in teaching to interpret and understand rationales for new educational practices.
• Engage in professional debates in an informed way.
• Make links between personal, professional knowledge and experience and educational policy.
• Collaborate with peers in researching new directions in education.
• Contribute to educational change in an informed, productive and supportive way.

ICT Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course students will have demonstrated and/or acquired the following ICT capabilities:
• Skills in using ICT for communication, presentation, work preparation and implementation.
• Personal proficiency in the use of ICT.

VIT Standards
This course is aligned with the following standards:
• Teachers reflect on, evaluate and improve their professional knowledge and practice.
• Teachers are active members of their profession.

Overview of Learning Activities

Your learning in this course may involve a range of activities including cooperative learning in groups, problem-based inquiry, oral presentations, lectures, tutorial workshops and tasks or activities via myRMIT Studies.

Overview of Learning Resources

myRMIT Studies will be used to support and facilitate your learning and will include links to relevant professional and educational reading.

Overview of Assessment

Assessment tasks are directly linked to the stated objectives and outcomes. Assessment in the course will be both theoretical and practical in nature. A range of formative and summative assessment types will be incorporated into the course (for example, written, oral or performance based assessment).

Students should refer to Part B of the course guide for further information on assessment.