Bachelor of Teaching (Science)/Bachelor of Science

2015 Deakin University Handbook

Course sub-headings

• Course overview
• Professional recognition
• Course rules
• Detailed course rules
• Course structure

Course overview

Deakin’s innovative Bachelor of Teaching (Science)/Bachelor of Science degree provides graduates with a full science degree and a complete secondary teaching qualification.

It will prepare you for a career in science education, but also provide career flexibility through the widening field of science communication, and science-related industries. 

The flexible course structure gives you the opportunity to pursue two major study areas. Discipline and elective units in a variety of contemporary teaching fields – such as animal biology, cell biology, human biology, chemistry, mathematical modelling, natural history, and environmental science – will help you to build a breadth of knowledge in areas of interest.  In addition to specialising in two major study areas the Bachelor of Science degree component of the course requires you to complete at least one unit in each of the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, environmental studies mathematics and a unit on the history and philosophy of science. This will give you a broad knowledge base in science which represents a key skill in most science careers and particularly in the career field of science teaching.

The course places great emphasis on industry experience and innovative teaching practices, and has a strong focus on integrating the traditional disciplines with vocational education and training.

The course includes 80 days of supervised school experience. Some of this experience may take place in non-school settings, consistent with current directions advocated by the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Units in the course may include assessment hurdle requirements.

Professional recognition

This initial teacher program has been approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching for the purposes of teacher registration in Victoria. Graduates intending to apply for registration in Victoria should carefully check all VIT requirements relating to this process.

Course rules

To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Teaching (Science)/Bachelor of Science, students must complete 32 credit points as follows:

Education:

Students must complete 16 credit points of units comprising:

• 11 core units
• Either ESS439 Issues in Science and Environmental Education OR ESM415 Problem Solving and Modelling in the Mathematics Classroom (ESM415 Final year of offer from 2015 - Students to select ESS439 from 2016)
• 2 curriculum study units in a first teaching method area
• 2 curriculum study units in a second teaching method area

The Education component of this course includes 80 days of supervised professional experience.

Science:

Students must complete 16 credit points of units comprising:

• 6 core units
• Either SLE133 Chemistry in Our World (for students who did not complete Year 12 Chemistry) or SLE155 Chemistry for the Professional Sciences (for students who completed Year 12 Chemistry)
• SLE010 Laboratory and Fieldwork Safety Induction Program (0 credit point compulsory unit; must be completed before classes commence)
• STP010 Induction to Work Placements (0 credit point compulsory unit)
• 6 credit point Science major sequence
• 3 credit points in a single discipline area of another approved Science major sequence

Detailed course rules

Satisfactory completion of this course requires students to choose Science units that are in recognised areas of teaching method study.

For the 6 credit point major sequence, students must choose an approved Science major sequence recognised for discipline study in the first teaching method area:

• Senior Secondary in specialist science area Biology (Major in one of Animal Biology, Cell Biology, Plant Biology, Human Biology, Natural History)
• Senior Secondary in specialist science area Chemistry (Major in Chemistry and Material Science)
• Senior Secondary in specialist science area Environmental Science (Major in Environmental Science)
• Mathematics (Major in Mathematical Modelling)

(Note: students who did not complete Year 12 Chemistry may not undertake Chemistry as a first teaching method.)

The remaining 3 credit points of Science units constitute the discipline studies for the second teaching method area.

No more than one Biology major sequence area may be studied in this course.

Course structure

Year 1

Or

2 credit points of Science units in your chosen areas of teaching method study

Year 2

3 credit points of Science units in your chosen areas of teaching method study

Year 3

6 credit points of Science units in your chosen areas of teaching method study

Year 4

Or

2 credit points of Science units in your chosen areas of teaching method study

Course map

* Students choosing both of Biology and Chemistry as their two teaching methods should also undertake curriculum study unit ESS441 for their second method area.

Professional Experience enrolment

Students must follow Faculty requirements in relation to the number of days of school experience to be completed for each placement as per the Professional Experience Handbook (available from the campus of enrolment) which includes the published school experience timetable. Students should note that a ‘day’ constitutes a whole school day (not part thereof).

The Professional Experience Handbook is available at https://www.deakin.edu.au/education/students/professional-experience. Information contained in the Handbook is updated annually and is a summary of Faculty requirements in relation to school experience.

Professional Experience units

Bachelor of Teaching (Science)/Bachelor of Science

10 days

10 days

15 days

10 days

35 days in total

To pass the units listed above pre-service teachers must successfully complete the unit work assignment component, submitting and passing the unit’s associated assessment pieces;

and successfully complete the appropriate professional experience days based in school/s.

The practicum component is assessed primarily by the supervising classroom teacher in consultations with the pre-service teacher. Satisfactory completion of the practicum component within each education studies/professional experience unit is compulsory in order for the student to progress.

Working with Children Check

The Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic.) requires a person who engages in child-related work, as defined in the Act, to obtain an assessment notice under the Act, known as a Working with Children Check (WWCC). The Act is administered by the Department of Justice: justice.vic.gov.au

Professional experience placements in schools in the course of a university degree are “child-related work”. Under the Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic.), administered by the Department of Justice, a student teacher must obtain a Working with Children Check (WWCC) before commencing school experience placements in a school. The WWCC must remain current throughout the course. It is an offence under the Act to engage in school experience without holding a WWCC.

Students will not be allowed to commence school experience in any school in Victoria until a Working with Children Check is obtained. The Department of Education has requested that on the application form a student nominates the University as the (or one of the) employers. The University will then be sent a copy of the assessment notice. Because the University needs to assure a school that a student placed at the school has a current Working with Children Check, each student must give their authority to provide the assurance - a student will be required to sign an authority for the University to inform a school that a WWCC has or has not been obtained.

While the University will hold on file documentation relating to the WWCCs obtained by students engaged in school experience, it is each student’s responsibility to ensure that he or she can produce the WWCC card to the school upon request and to keep the WWCC current under the Act.

Students are required to apply for a WWCC through a participating Australia Post outlet (which can be found on the Australia Post website or the Department of Justice website) and provide proof to the faculty that the WWCC has been undertaken.

Should a student fail to obtain a WWCC, practical training in a school will not be provided, and as practical training is a requirement for completion of a teaching degree, the student may be unable to complete the degree. Should such a situation arise, the University will provide advice on options for tertiary study.

It is the responsibility of students undertaking placements outside Victoria to enquire about and, where necessary, to meet any similar legislative or other requirements concerning working with children.

Professional experience requirements

Professional experience within the Bachelor of Teaching (Science)/Bachelor of Science will be embedded within the Education Major units(EPP101 [EPP101 is coursework only from 2015], EPP102, EPP207, EPP304, EPP305, EPP406), the first of which will run in the second Trimester of the first year of this course. This enables students to build up skills in teaching in schools setting over the length of the course as well as gaining greater opportunities to connect theory with practice.

Students are required for registration purposes (and for the award of the degree) to have completed over the duration of their course a minimum of 80 days of supervised school experience. Students should ensure they are conversant with the Standards for Graduating Students as required by the Victorian Institute of Teaching. The school experience is organised by the Professional Experience Office and students do not make contact with schools regarding placements under any circumstances.

Students should note that normally any paid or unpaid work undertaken in a school as an unqualified teacher/teacher’s aide will not be recognised for credit credit transfer for supervised school experience for this course. Students may be required to complete the school experience component of the course outside the academic year. A satisfactory level of teaching competence during supervised school experience is required for award of the degree. An “unsatisfactory” result on any school experience placement will be referred to the Faculty Academic Progress and Discipline Committee.

Graduates of an accredited teaching course should note that teacher registration is required in Victoria and is administered by the Victorian Institute of Teaching under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic.). Prospective students should acquaint themselves with the requirements for registration in Victoria or in any other relevant location. These requirements include the ability to satisfy the Standards for Graduating Students (available at: vit.vic.edu.au)