Academic literature on the topic 'Victorian certificate of applied learning'

AbstractOne hundred and fifty-seven students (aged 15 to 19 years) enrolled in the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) program completed the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS), and measures of school-related stress, attitudes to school and wellbeing. In general, VCAL students reported a positive attitude to school, high levels of wellbeing, low levels of school-related stress, and used a wide range of coping strategies. Gender differences and attitudinal differences were found in relation to coping strategies used, wellbeing, and stress. Discriminant analysis indicated that for females, low levels of school-related stress and frequent use of the ‘work hard’coping strategy significantly predicted a positive attitude to school, while for males high levels of wellbeing, and the frequent use of ‘work hard’, ‘focus on the positive’, and minimal use of ‘tension reduction’ predicted positive attitudes to school. The findings are discussed in light of current research and recommendations for interventions are proposed.

Purpose – There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of microeconomics in a dual sector university in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises data collected by surveys of 151 students. Findings – A student’s self-efficacy is positively associated with their marks in a first year subject of microeconomics. However, the relationship between final marks and self-efficacy is negative for those students who attended TAFE in the previous year suggesting that they suffer from the problem of overconfidence. When holding self-efficacy constant, using econometric techniques, TAFE attendance is found to be positively related to final marks. Research limitations/implications – The findings are exploratory (based on a small sample) and lead to a need to conduct cross institutional studies. Practical implications – The research points to the need for early interventions so that TAFE students perform well in their first year of higher education. It also points to potential issues in the development of Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) programs. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the inter-related impact of attendance at TAFE in the previous year and self-efficacy on the subsequent academic performance of TAFE students.

Independent learning and the use of resources are important to most, if not all, Victorian Certificate of Education subjects. This paper reviews the literature on independent learning, preference for resources and the teaching of information skills and then reports on a study carried out during 1990 which focused on the VCE subject, Australian Studies. The study included an examination of attitudes of teachers to independent learning, the use of resources by students and teachers and the level of students' information skills. A significant finding was that many students were not competent in using resources and few teachers were trained in teaching information skills. Information skills teaching was ad hoc and only limited moves had been made to integrate it into the curriculum on a co-ordinated, whole-school basis.

The organisation development certificate programme (ODCP) offered by the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Science—ISABS ( www.isabs.org ) is a unique blend of learning about organisations, the process of OD with deep awareness about self as an instrument of change. ISABS as an institution has been engaged with T-groups for the past 50 years, having learnt the same from National Training Laboratories (NTL) Institute for Applied Behavioural Science ( www.ntl.org ). The focus of ISABS has been on discovering oneself through the process of engagement in small groups. ISABS pedagogy has evolved over years after initial learning from NTL This pedagogy distinguishes itself from any typical university education by stressing on experiencing and reflection of the learning process held together by a process facilitator. The expectation is that the participants will conceptualise and apply their learning through their own volition. However, this needed to change for the ODCP programme. This article unfolds the process for the reader. The process of OD is based on the quality of the interaction/engagement between the client system and the OD practitioner. Hence, the quality of the ‘preparedness’ and ‘readiness’ of the OD practitioner plays a big role in the ‘process of OD’. ISABS addresses the twin issues of ‘preparedness’ and ‘readiness’ of participants to enter the field of OD through a pedagogy that is a combination of experiential, cognitive, reflective and peer learning. In addition, OD competencies and values are internalised through a learner-centred approach to teaching, classroom as organisation simulations and support systems provided through coaching and learning facilitation.

Background: The Master of Cancer Sciences brings together the academic strength of the University of Melbourne (UoM) and world leading content experts from the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC), to develop an innovative, interactive, evidence-based flagship educational program in cancer sciences. This program will enhance the capabilities of health professionals, in the rapidly evolving field of cancer research and clinical care. It will be wholly online and nested with qualification points at Specialist Certificate, Graduate Certificate and Masters Level to provide flexible progression and study options for practitioners in the cancer care workforce. Specific modular content from each subject will also be repurposed and repackaged as a series of derivative educational activities such as massive open online courses (MOOCs), workshops and webinars; broadening the reach of the masters programming to all. Aim: The aim of this program is to be the first cancer-specific, multidisciplinary, flexible, and wholly online master's program of its kind offered within Australia, and one of two available worldwide. Graduates will possess an unprecedented breadth of integrated cancer knowledge and skills. This initiative will unify the VCCC alliance partners as they contribute to directly supporting a world-class cancer workforce and provide best practice care to patients. Discussion: This presentation will explore the educational development process involved in developing the ten online subjects, through the engagement of content writing teams to collaborative development and repurposing modules into a series of derivative educational activities. Ultimately the graduate programs and their derivative educational activities will contribute to lifelong learning, ongoing professional development and high quality healthcare for better patient outcomes.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>This paper reports on a teacher training experience for College professors in which participants were trained, taking advantage of technological tools, in two main teaching competences. First, professors were trained to use technology to enrich students’ learning outcomes. Second, they applied strategies of significant learning in the design of students’ learning experiences. The learning experience consisted in an International Certificate on Significant Learning integrated by six modules, 20 hours each. Every module of the program consisted of two consecutive webinars with online activities in between. The results showed the positive impact of the program on participants perceptions about the quality of the contents, evidence of learning and products (E-portfolios) that served as content mastery evidences, as well as learning products produced by their students.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>

Work in the 21st century places an emphasis on the analytical and problem-solving skills of employees as well as on new adaptability knowledge. Education nowadays needs workers to help develop the skill sets that are necessary for both working and living. This research used synthesis and evaluated formats that would be suitable to the learning model. The problematic base skills together with the gamification concept for strengthening problem-solving skills were utilized with high-level vocational students. The researchers found that the style of learning gained by synthesis emphasizes students’ problem-solving in various situations, stimulating and motivating them by using gamification. It involved learning and solving problems using seven steps in the teaching process including: 1) Problem, 2) Analysis, 3) Discovery, 4) Experiment, 5) Presentation, 6) Quest, and 7) Competition. The researchers also concluded that the evaluation of the suitability of the learning model by nine experts with a focus group process was found to be most appropriate. In addition, it identified learning styles that can be applied to teaching and learning appropriately.

Using qualifications as policy instruments to increase participation in education and training and to reduce unemployment, especially youth unemployment, appears to be growing in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This paper considers the case of one authority, the Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA), established by the Victorian Government in 2001 and responsible for determining and strengthening the range of post-compulsory qualifications for schools and vocational education and training. In establishing its cross-sectoral role, the VQA moved rapidly to introduce a new qualification directed towards those young people who seek applied and practical studies and who leave school before completing Year 12 or its equivalent. The paper outlines the nature of the changes proposed and the approaches taken to its development. These recognise that pedagogy is critical to increasing participation and that students who engage in learning at school are more likely to become lifelong learners.

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) emerged to provide more relevant curriculum programs that would cater for increasing retention rates of post-compulsory students. It is also an example of the ‘new’ learning arising from contemporary debates and reforms that highlight inadequacies of the more traditional modes of learning. This thesis focuses on the pedagogical and sociological issues emerging from the VCAL being introduced as an ‘alternative’ learning pathways for ‘at-risk’ students within a traditional secondary school culture. Through the eyes of an insider-researcher, the thesis argues for a deeper understanding of applied learning as a ‘re-engaging’ pedagogy by studying the schooling experience of VCAL students and teachers. The thesis concludes that traditional academic modes of teaching contribute to the social construction of ‘at-risk’ students and argues that secondary school pedagogy needs to be redefined as a cultural phenomenon requiring teachers to be reflexively aware of their role in bridging the gap between students’ life experiences and the curriculum.

This text has defined acquisition and learning and identified their role in educational processes. In chapter 10, these terms are applied specifically to online teacher training. Using the information garnered throughout chapters 1 – 9, this chapter provides suggestions regarding potential course offerings for a formalized training program in online pedagogy. In order to be most comprehensive, this chapter begins with the concept of a graduate-level degree program in online pedagogy. Any and all aspects of the potential courses can be modified based on institution, discipline, time or budget constraints, or a different level training program such as a certificate program, which will be discussed in chapter 11.

Aim/Purpose: This study examined how peer feedback, received and given face-to-face and on the course site, shapes the teacher’s image, from the student’s point of view as the one providing and receiving feedback. Background: This study examined the effect of receiving and giving peer feedback, face-to-face and on the course site, on forming the teacher’s image, from the student’s point of view as someone who provides and receives feedback. Methodology: The research question was, “How do preservice teachers experience giving and receiving public, oral and written, peer feedback on the teaching experience?” This is a qualitative study. Two hundred fifty-seven preservice teachers educated in teacher training institutions in Israel participated in the study. Contribution: The study attempted to fill the missing pieces in the experience of providing and receiving peer feedback in the process of training for a teaching certificate. The topic of feedback has been extensively researched, but mostly from the point of view of experts providing feedback to the student, whereas this study examined peer feedback. In addition, many studies have examined the topic of feedback mainly from the point of view of the recipient. By contrast, in this study, all the students both gave and received feedback, and the topic was examined from the perspective of both the feedback recipient and the feedback provider. It was found that receiving feedback and providing feedback are affected by the same emotional and behavioral influences, at the visible, concealed, and hidden levels. Findings: It was found that in oral feedback given by students face-to-face they took into account the feelings of the recipient of the feedback, more so than when feedback was given in writing on the course site. It was found also that most students considered it easier to provide feedback in writing than orally, for two reasons: first, it allowed them to edit and focus their feedback, and second, because of the physical distance from the student to whom the feedback applied. About 45% noted that the feedback they provided to others reflected their own feelings and difficulties. It was found that both giving and receiving feedback was influenced by the same emotional and behavioral layers: visible, concealed, and hidden. Recommendations for Practitioners: When an expert gives feedback, the expert has more experience than the students and wants to share this experience with others. This is not the case with peer feedback, where everybody is in the process of training, and the feedback is not necessarily expert. Therefore, clarification and discussion of feedback are of great importance for the development of both feedback provider and recipient. Recommendation for Researchers: About 45% of preservice teachers noticed that the feedback they provided to others stemmed from their own internal issues, and therefore dialogic feedback stimulated a sense of learning, empowerment, and professional development. Dialogic feedback may clarify for both provider and recipient what their habits, needs, and difficulties are and advance them in their professional development. Impact on Society: People must ask themselves whether they are in a position of conducting a dialogue or in a position of resistance to what is happening in the lesson. A sense of resistance to what is happening in the lesson may cause one to feel attacked and in need of defending oneself, and therefore to criticize. It is difficult to establish fruitful and enriching dialogue in a state of resistance, and with the desire to defend oneself and go on attack. Future Research: Knowledge of virtual feedback needs to be deepened. Does the feedback stem from the desire to advance the student who taught the lesson? Does the feedback stem from anger? etc.