The assessment activity requires students to conduct a comprehensive inquiry which will lead them to propose a digital technologies outcome.
The inquiry must focus on a digital technologies concept (for example, from within the computational thinking or design and develop digital outcomes curriculum progressions.) Students will decide on their own inquiry focus linked to the context, they will develop their own inquiry question(s), undertake research, evaluation, and inquiry refinement. The information gathered will then be organised, analysed and an outcome based on the inquiry will be proposed.
It is recommended that students should have multiple checkpoints with their teacher as they work through this assessment activity to ensure they have an opportunity to ask questions and gather feedback.
The scope of the inquiry could have a global, national, or local focus. For example, it could be the issue of how plastic is dealt with in a community, a suburb, school or a home.
Students are required to collect evidence to support judgements as they conduct their inquiry and develop their proposal for a digital technologies outcome
the focusing question(s) that will lead the student inquiry
research – evidence could be a journal, blog, presentation, showing the questions, findings, and reflections
a brief outline of the digital technologies outcome to be developed
a summary of their findings in relation to the inquiry question(s).
How might events of this inquiry’s issue be relevant now to me, my friends, and my family?
How were my prior knowledge and experiences useful as I investigated the resources?
Were any assumptions challenged by the resources I’ve investigated?
What feedback did I receive from peers and teachers, or others when I shared my inquiry focus questions with them?
What have I learned about that I didn’t know before this investigation?
What do I want to accomplish? Why? Who benefits? Who might also want this? Where might this occur? What problems might I face?
How will I manage our time? How shall I delegate roles and responsibilities?
How achievable are the goals, given skills and time?
How can I measure the success of our action?
What conclusions can I draw from this inquiry?
Students will be assessed on the quality of their ideas, not the length of their responses. Students could discuss with the teacher as to how much evidence they need to produce.
This evidence could then support the development of the proposed digital outcome as part of another assessment.