Monash University Handbook 2011 Undergraduate, Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

In this unit students will critically engage with various theoretical views relating to curriculum and how assessment is positioned within these views. A focus of this unit will be upon what makes particular curricula and assessment approaches have educative value. Consequently the political and moral dimensions inherent in all curricula will be explored. This unit will promote the importance of developing the professional capacity of educators to make value judgments in terms of curriculum planning, action and evaluation. A key component to making such professional judgments is the capacity for engaging in philosophical aims and purposes of the curriculum and of assessment.

Objectives

Upon experiencing this unit students will be critically inquiring into:

• how the notion of 'curriculum' is embedded in the praxis of education rather than the discourse of learning if it is to have educative value.
• the moral and political aspects inherent in all curricula and assessment;
• various curricula and assessment practices to determine their educative value;
• their beliefs about education, learning and assessment and be comparing these with theories found in professional literature;
• designing a range of methods for generating evidence of student learning, including appropriate application of ICT;
• reporting processes in terms of clarity for their audience and usefulness for future learning.

Assessment

Assessment Task 1 - critical inquiry essay (2000 words, 50%).
Assessment Task 2 - design and analysis task (equivalent to 2000 words, 50%).

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Ian Mitchell

Contact hours

3 hrs per week

Prerequisites

Undergraduate degree; enrolment in Grad. Dip. Ed; or by special permission

Prohibitions

{EDF3001, EDF5422}