VCE Biology:
Work Requirements
Each Unit of VCE Biology has a number of Work Requirements associated with it.
The nature of these varies, but may include activities such as:
- Investigating a topic or an issue and preparing one or more reports on that investigation.
- Carrying out practical work and preparing a report or reports of the activity.
- Use biological instruments to collect data, analyse the data and report on the findings.
- Demonstrate an ability to interrelate theoretical knowledge and practical enquiry.
- Demonstrate an understanding of concepts by answering questions.
- Develop an awareness of social and ethical issues related to an area of biology and explain these to a non-specialist audience.
Because the Work Requirements are described in general terms in the VCE Biology Study Design, there is scope for teachers, or sometimes teachers and their students in consultation, to be flexible in the way they are completed.
In some schools, Work Requirements are used for school based assessment of the students' progress.
In other schools, Work Requirements are built in to the way that the teacher structures the course, the students do not realise what is and is not an 'official' Work Requirement. In this situation students who fall behind with submission of set tasks will be warned by the teacher when s/he becomes concerned that the student is in danger of failing to submit enough work to satisfactorily complete the course.
This flexibility in the Work Requirements enables teachers in different locations, or with students of varying ability, to structure a course, within the boundaries of the Study Design, to suit the class they teach.
If you are a VCE Biology student and you are unsure of what your teacher expects for satisfactory completion of Work Requirements, you must ask your teacher. There is no point waiting until you are so far behind that it's impossible to catch up, and then saying 'I didn't know'. You must take responsibility for your own progress... It's your life!
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We welcome your comments about this project.
This page is maintained by Jenny Herington, who can be contacted at bio_cat@bioserve.latrobe.edu.au by email.
All of the pages at the VCE Biology Students' site are copyright © Biochemistry, LaTrobe University.
Last update : 21 Feb. 97
