Fieldwork report
The main assessment task for Unit 3 Outcome 2 is a fieldwork report. The purpose of the fieldwork report is for students to undertake an investigation of an area that has undergone a land use change, using secondary and primary sources of data, including fieldwork techniques. When designing this task, teachers should refer to the following:
- introduction, key knowledge and key skills outlined in Unit 3 Area of Study 2 of the VCE Geography Study Design
- fieldwork report structure outlined on page 13 of the VCE Geography Study Design
- geographical skills outlined on pages 9–11 of the VCE Geography Study Design
- performance descriptors for Unit 3 Outcome 2 outlined in the Advice for teachers.
The following guide provides advice for preparing students for the requirements of the fieldwork report and an approach to assessing the fieldwork report.
Selection of fieldwork site
When selecting an area for study, consider the following questions:
- Has the area undergone clearly defined land use change? Appropriate examples include the development of a retirement village (residential/housing) on an old school site (educational) or construction of wind turbines (energy production and agriculture) on a dairy farm (agriculture). Note that a development or modification of an area, such as adding a second level to a shopping centre or a process such as gentrification, does not constitute land use change.
- Is the area one in which students can collect relevant and good quality geospatial, qualitative and quantitative data for before and after the change? For example, can ‘before and after’ maps be produced? If the land use change is not yet complete, are detailed plans available for students to access?
- Is the area a suitable local scale within a definable surrounding region? How practical will it be to visit the area over one or more days, given the constraints of the individual school timetable and excursion procedures?
- Does the area allow students to develop the knowledge and skills and address the Characteristics of the study to the highest level?
- Does the area allow a suitable research question(s) to be developed which will enable students to write a report of 1500–2000 words?
Scaffolding the task
Students should be provided with written instructions about:
- the structure and requirements of the fieldwork report at the commencement of work on the outcome
- the date(s) they will be visiting the area to collect fieldwork data
- the time allocated in class to work on the report before and after collecting data in the field
- assessment criteria.
Teachers should provide guidance throughout the process concerning appropriate secondary sources for collecting data about the process and reasons for the land use change, the type of fieldwork techniques used to collect primary data, and methods of presenting, analysing and evaluating sources of data when answering a research question.
Development of research question
The research question must focus explicitly on the process of land use change, such as the processes involved and/or the impacts of the land use change on the area and the surrounding region. If students develop individual research questions, they should be approved by the teacher. Another approach is for the class to develop a shared research question with individual students writing their own hypotheses. This would allow for collaboration between students when collecting and collating data in the field.
Pre-fieldwork learning activities
Students are required to collect data from both secondary and primary sources: that is, by conducting fieldwork. Prior to conducting fieldwork, students could collect information from secondary sources about the location of the area, its current land use and its human and natural geographic characteristics. For example, the
Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning provides a range of spatial data at a variety of scales.
Students should be given time in class to prepare before conducting fieldwork. For example, they should:
- practise using a GNSS software application such as ArcGIS Collector app, ArcGIS Survey 123 app or Google Maps to locate data collection points on a map
- construct social surveys
- devise a water quality test
- write interview questions.
Assessment
Teachers may develop their own marking schemes for the fieldwork report, provided they reflect the VCAA performance descriptors. When devising a marking scheme, teachers should ensure higher order thinking skills (such as analysis of processed data and information) are weighted accordingly. Students should be provided with a copy of the performance descriptors for the fieldwork task at the commencement of work on the outcome.
Authentication
It is suggested that students be provided with a clearly defined amount of class time and additional homework time to complete the fieldwork report, or sections of it, as an open-book task. For School-assessed Coursework undertaken outside of class time, teachers must monitor and record each student’s progress through to completion. This could include: regular sightings of the work by the teacher which are recorded, use of the Authentication Record for School-based Assessment form, and collecting student notes at the end of each lesson.
Students may do preliminary drafting; however, drafts are not to be submitted to the teacher for the purpose of receiving feedback on an incomplete task that will contribute to the total School-assessed Coursework score. Teachers must not mark or provide comments on any draft submitted for School-assessed Coursework.
Case studies
One of the assessment task options for Unit 4 Outcome 2 is case studies. The purpose of these assessment tasks is for students to demonstrate understanding of key knowledge and application of key skills relating to their study of the two case studies in Unit 4 – a country with a growing population and a country with an ageing population.
Define the parameters of the task(s)
When designing the assessment tasks, teachers should refer to the following:
- introduction, key knowledge and key skills outlined in Unit 4 Outcome 2 of the VCE Geography Study Design
- geographical skills outlined in the cross-study specifications
- key geographical concepts outlined in the cross-study specifications
- performance descriptors for Unit 4 Outcome 2 outlined in the Advice for teachers.
Structure and format of the case studies assessment tasks
School-assessed Coursework is designed to be part of the regular teaching program. There is flexibility for teachers to choose the number of tasks, their format, and the conditions under which the assessment is conducted.
The allocated 60 marks for this outcome could be broken into smaller tasks; for example, 30 marks could be allocated to a task that focuses on a country with a growing population and 30 marks to a task that focuses on a country with an ageing population. It should be noted that if this option is chosen, the assessment tasks for each case study need not have the same format or address the same key knowledge and skills. For example, one task may assess knowledge of the interconnections between population dynamics and the impacts of a growing population; and a second task may assess evaluation of responses to population issues in an ageing population. Question formats could include a combination of any of the following: short-answer responses, paragraph responses, analysis of data, practical activities, structured questions, extended responses.
It is recommended that a total of 90 minutes would be reasonable for the assessment of the case studies. The exact dates and times for the case studies assessment tasks are a school-based decision.
The assessment task(s) could be completed under test conditions or as an open-book activity. For example, students could refer to a pre-prepared A4 sheet of paper with notes about their case study. These notes could include an annotated population structure diagram, a table showing key population statistics, and a mind map showing the interconnections between the causes, impacts and challenges of the issues facing a country with a growing or ageing population.
Students should be provided in advance with the following information, which should also appear on the cover sheet(s):
- advance notification of the number of assessment tasks for the case studies
- the time allocation
- the number and type of questions
- any materials, such as notes, which may be referred to
- the assessment rubric or marking scheme
- process of authentication of student work if the task is open-book
- which aspects of the key knowledge and key skills will be addressed in Unit 4 Outcome 2.
Designing the questions
The case studies assessment task(s) should have a number of different questions at various levels of complexity to allow for student performance at a range of levels. Key skills should be blended with questions that explore key knowledge so that the key skill is assessed in a particular context. The key geographical concepts and key geographical skills from Characteristics of the study (pages 6–11 of the study design) should also be considered.
When writing questions, directive terms can be used to distinguish between different levels of thinking. Examples of directive terms that require higher order thinking skills include: compare, account for, explain, examine the reasons for, predict, suggest, evaluate, analyse and justify.
Subject terms taken from the key knowledge and key skills in Unit 4 Outcome 2 can be used to provide direction to the student concerning the content of their answer. Examples of subject terms that could be used in questions include: population trends, population issues, population challenges, structural change in population, strategies developed in response to population issues, factors contributing to impacts of population issues.
Questions should also provide students with the parameters and framework for a response which reflect the amount of allocated marks. This will help to discriminate between student responses during assessment. Examples of questions with clearly defined parameters include: ‘Discuss with reference to a case study/specific evidence/two different strategies’ or ‘Evaluate the effectiveness with reference to the environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts of the strategies.’
Stimulus material about the case studies could be used to develop questions requiring students to draw conclusions about population issues and challenges or evaluate responses to population issues. Examples of stimulus materials could include: a map showing population movement, population data represented on maps, graphs, pictograms and written information. Students could be asked to complete practical activities such as annotating features on a map or graph using their own knowledge or data provided. Higher order thinking skills could be tested in questions requiring students to synthesise their own knowledge and understanding with that provided in stimulus material.
Authentication and assessment
Clear communication of expectations of students concerning the use of notes in the case studies assessment task(s) is important for authentication.
Authentication strategies for the use of notes in an assessment task can include, among others: clear guidelines about the length, format and content of the notes sheet, the creation of a notes sheet under teacher supervision, the collection of the pre-prepared note sheet prior to the assessment lesson and re-distribution at the start of the assessment task.
An assessment rubric or marking scheme for the case studies assessment task(s) can be developed using the performance descriptors for Unit 4 Outcome 2 of the
Advice for teachers. The performance descriptors may be modified to suit the key knowledge and skills addressed in each task. When devising a marking scheme, teachers should ensure higher order thinking skills such as analysis and evaluation are weighted accordingly.