Monash University: University handbooks: Postgraduate handbook: Units indexed by faculty
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Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary)

Course code: 1737 + Course abbreviation: GradDipEd(Sec) + Total credit points required: 48 + 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Study mode and course location

On-campus (Clayton)
Off-campus (Gippsland)

Course description

The faculty offers this course for graduates who wish to become secondary school teachers. The course combines academic studies of the foundations of education with specialist discipline teaching units in units appropriate to the student’s first degree.

The program is offered on-campus at Clayton and off-campus from the Gippsland campus part-time only. However, Clayton-based students may elect to take some non-core units as on-campus units from Clayton and some as off-campus units.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) are:

1. the applicant shall have qualified for a degree or equivalent diploma (consistent with the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition [NOOSR] guidelines), and

2. the units studied in that degree meet prerequisite requirements for specialist discipline teaching units to be studied in the course as approved by faculty board and as published in faculty and university course handbooks and on the web. The discipline must be appropriate to the specialist discipline teaching units offered by the Faculty of Education. A major sequence in one of these units is desirable. Advice on the suitability of undergraduate sequences or other information about the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) may be obtained from the course coordinator..

For overseas degrees, the faculty accepts assessments made by the Employment Assessment Centre, Department of Education, Employment and Training, GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, telephone +61 3 9616 0989.

Criteria for selection will include the following:

• Academic merit determined by GPA and/or other assessable post-secondary academic record.
• Eligibility for and availability of supervision and teaching practice facilities.*
• Proof of English proficiency (see ‘special requirements’ below).
• Supplementary information provided: (a) on VTAC ‘pi’ form, or (b) on faculty supplementary form (if available), or (c) independently by applicant.

* A current police check is required in all Graduate Diploma of Education courses before students commence their field placement.

Applications

Applications are made through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), telephone 1300 364 133 (except for on-campus international students, who apply through International Admissions, Monash University and off-campus international students, who apply directly to Gippsland campus). Application forms are available in the VTAC guide, which can be obtained from Victorian newsagents from August, or via the VTAC website at www.vtac.edu.au. They must be submitted to VTAC by the end of September (later applications will be accepted on payment of a late fee).

Applicants with overseas qualifications

Applicants with overseas qualifications are advised to submit their results to the Employment Assessment Centre, Victorian Institute of Teaching, GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, Victoria 3001. Telephone +61 3 9637 2000 or +61 3 9616 9089 to obtain an assessment. Any inquiry should be made well in advance, as there is no guarantee assessments will be completed in time for applicants to be considered for a round one offer. Any documentation received from the Department should be forwarded to VTAC before 12 noon on 3 December.

English language requirement for applicants through VTAC

Australian domestic students are advised to consult the website at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/students/prospective/howtoapply/englishlanguagerequirements.html#postgraduate.

International students should refer to English language requirements below.

University Test of English as a Second Language

In order to manage a teacher training course, and particularly to teach classes effectively on 10 weeks of teaching practice, applicants will need to have excellent communication skills in English and will need to provide evidence of this. Applicants who do not have a satisfactory result in English at Year 12 in Australia (including applicants with overseas qualifications), or who have not received an official exemption from the University Test of English as a Second Language (UTESL), must enrol for this written test of reading, writing and listening skills. Applicants who do not sit the test will not be considered for selection, unless they have an official exemption from UTESL.

Applications for exemption should be addressed in writing to English Exemptions, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Building No. 6, Victoria 3800, Australia, and should include evidence of English proficiency. Completion of all secondary and tertiary studies in full English medium in a country where English is an official language will generally be accepted as grounds for exemption. Attendance at English courses may not be regarded as adequate evidence. However, results on nationally or internationally recognised tests such as the IELTS-academic (a 7) and the TOEFL (only if accompanied by the essay test result or the TWE, with a minimum score of 600 and 4.5 TWE or 250 on the CBT) or the ASLPRs (a 4 is required) can be presented.

Further inquiries regarding English requirements and exemptions may be directed to english.exemptions@education.monash.edu.au. Note that inquiries and applications for exemption should be submitted by the 1 October for timely applicants and 1 November for late applicants. The requests will receive responses one week from each of these dates.

The Language Testing Research Centre conducts the test (UTESL) at the University of Melbourne. For information about the test, and for a registration form, contact the Language Testing Research Centre on telephone +61 3 8344 4389 or fax +61 3 8344 5163, or by email at ltrc-info@unimelb.edu.au.

Applicants who perform well on the UTESL, or who have received partial exemption, will be asked to attend an interview at the Faculty of Education, Clayton, or to be involved in a telephone interview. Interviews are normally held in late November and in December. Applicants will be invited to attend in writing or by email, and an explanation of the interview will be provided. This interview tests oral communication skills in English.

Applicants do not need to submit a letter of exemption with their VTAC application. The institution of first preference, of which an applicant requests an exemption, will inform VTAC and all other institutions of their exemption and oral interview results (where applicable). This will occur in December in time for the selection in January.

English language requirement for international students

Applicants can meet the requirement in one of the following ways:

• English is first language.
• IELTS (International Language Testing Service - academic) -- achieving a minimum score of 7. A score of at least 6 is required for each individual band and students must undertake the appropriate reading and writing modules. Priority will be given to IELTS results.
• TOEFL (American Test of English as a Foreign Language) -- a minimum test score of 600 with a TWE (Test of Written English) score of 5 preferred. Scores must be available for both TOEFL and TWE.
• Computer-based TOEFL - achieving a minimum score of 250 with an essay rating (ER) score of 5 preferred.
• Successful completion of previous secondary and tertiary studies in full English medium, that is all studies except studies of languages other than English were taught and assessed using oral and written English.
• Documentary evidence (approved by Monash) of recent diagnostic testing where the English requirements specified above are met. A letter from the relevant tertiary institution is required as documentary evidence.

Applicants should note that an oral interview may also be required.

Refer to the Monash International postgraduate course guide or website www.monash.edu/international/englishrequirement/.

Special requirements

It is desirable for students undertaking the course in the off-campus mode or multimode to have access to a personal computer (Windows or Macintosh). Non-compulsory weekend schools may be offered in some units for off-campus students.

Candidates must satisfactorily complete all units and receive a satisfactory teaching assessment to be eligible for the award.

Course structure

Full-time (Clayton campus) course structure

The course comprises 48 points of study. Students are required to complete eight units, comprising four foundation units and four specialist discipline teaching unit sets (an A and B sequence = one specialist discipline set). The four foundation units cover the following areas:

• Education as a profession
• The relationship between teaching and learning
• Psychology of students, particularly adolescents
• Social context of education
• Implementation of learning strategies, including learning technologies
• Communication skills, including literacy skills
• Research and evaluation in curriculum and teaching

The supervised teaching practice component of the specialist discipline teaching units is conducted in blocks. The full-time course consists of the following units:

First semester

• EDF5421 Professional issues 1: a focus on the classroom
• EDF5422 Communication, learning and assessment
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education1A (see specialist discipline list below)
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 2A (see specialist discipline list below)

Second semester

• EDF5423 Educational contexts
• EDF5424 Professional issues 2: a focus on the profession
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 1B (see specialist discipline list below)
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 2B (see specialist discipline list below)

In addition, service units may be undertaken in some areas. Some full-time on-campus students may be required to attend sessions at a residential camp before the first teaching round.

Part-time (Clayton and Gippsland) course structure

First year

• EDF5421 Professional issues 1: a focus on the classroom
• EDF5423 Educational contexts
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 1A (see specialist discipline list below)
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 1B (see specialist discipline list below)

Second year

• EDF5422 Communication, earning and assessment
• EDF5424 Professional issues 2: a focus on the profession
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 2A (see specialist discipline list below)
• EDF54xx (Specialist discipline name) education 2B (see specialist discipline list below)

Note

Note that these course outlines are indicative of the program students will follow, but are subject to change. Students should consult their course coordinator to assist in planning their program. Check the current timetable for unit availability via the website address at www.education.monash.edu.au/students/current/timetables/ after 30 September.

Specialist discipline teaching units (teaching methods)

Each student must choose two specialist discipline teaching unit sets (an A and B sequence = one specialist discipline teaching set). Students are advised to consult the following list of discipline units together with the outlines for each unit and their prerequisites. This information should then be used to choose two sets of specialist discipline teaching units.

The prerequisites for entry to these units are determined by VTAC with use of Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) resources (databases) and do not necessarily meet the requirements of particular employers in specific unit fields. The necessary prerequisite entry requirements for a secondary specialist discipline teaching unit may be located at website at www.education.monash.edu.au/students/prospective/secondaryteaching.html.

Students in doubt about the suitability of their qualifications for employment should check with the recruitment unit of the Victorian Institute of Teaching (telephone +61 3 9637 2000), GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.

With permission from the course coordinators, students may undertake study in specialist discipline teaching units in multimode (ie a combination of on-campus and off-campus units).

Specialist discipline teaching units for Clayton full-time or part-time students

* Specialist discipline teaching unit is available in on-campus mode (Clayton) only.
** Specialist discipline teaching unit is available in on-campus (Clayton) and off-campus mode.
*** Specialist discipline teaching unit is available in off-campus mode only.
# Applicants must nominate LOTE(s) on the LOTE supplementary form.

Please note the following:

1. Some specialist discipline teaching units may only be available in off-campus mode every second year.

2. The availability of any of the specialist discipline teaching units from year to year is dependent on the faculty’s ability to provide appropriate tutorial assistance, supervision and teaching practice facilities.

Specialist discipline teaching units for Gippsland part-time students

* Specialist discipline teaching unit is available in on-campus mode (Clayton) or by off-campus mode.
** Specialist discipline teaching unit is available in off-campus mode only.
*** Specialist discipline teaching unit is available in on-campus mode (Gippsland) and off-campus mode.
# Applicants must nominate LOTE(s) on the LOTE supplementary form.

Please note the following:

1. Some specialist discipline teaching units may only be available in off-campus mode every second year.

2. The availability of any of the specialist discipline teaching units from year to year is dependent on the faculty’s ability to provide appropriate tutorial assistance, supervision and teaching practice facilities.

Fieldwork placements (part-time)

Specialist discipline teaching units include a total of 25 days of school placements per year (50 days over the duration of the course). Students must be available to undertake their school placements on a full-time basis. Students who are employed in a school must complete a minimum of 25 days supervised school placements (over the duration of the course) in a setting other than the school at which they are employed.

Fieldwork placements (full-time)

Specialist discipline teaching units include a total of 50 days of school placements. Students must be available to undertake their school placements on a full-time basis. Students who are employed in schools must complete at least 25 days of supervised school placements in a setting other than the school at which they are employed.

Professional recognition

Graduates are eligible for appointment as secondary teachers in Victoria. For interstate and overseas positions, applicants are advised to check with local authorities.

Contact details

Inquiries: telephone +61 3 9905 2819 (Clayton) or +61 3 9902 6367 (Gippsland), or visit the website at www.education.monash.edu.au.

Course coordinators

Ms Jennifer Brown (Clayton), Ms Ann Ryan (Gippsland)

Adult learning

For postgraduate courses in adult learning, refer to ‘Work and learning studies’ listed later in this Education faculty section of the handbook.

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