Media in Minutes | VCE Media Edition | Structure and Assessment

Hey Media nerds! Today we’re talking VCE Media Units 3&4. In this video, we’re going to take a look at the overall structure of the course. And I’m going to give you your first piece of homework for the year. Lucky you.

The first thing I want you to do is download the VCE Media Study Design from the VCAA website, print out the pages related to Units 3&4 and the cross study specifications. Give it a read and annotate it.

In VCE, the Study Design for each subject dictates the knowledge and skills that students will develop by completing the course.

In this video, we’re going to focus on the structure of the course and what you can expect from it.

We’ll dig a little deeper into the learning outcomes in future videos.

But don’t let that stop you. Read the key knowledge, read the key skills – start to get your head around the types of things that you’ll be doing this year.

The study design is kind of a big deal. The exam panel uses the study design to write the VCE Media exam. When you’re revising for school-assessed coursework and the exam, you’ll be able to use this document like a checklist to make sure that you’ve covered everything.

Unit 3 consists of three learning outcomes.

In Narrative and Ideology, you will study two stories and the societies that shaped them. At my school, we currently study Jordan Peele’s Get Out and how it rejects post-racial ideology in America, we also look at James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens and how that reflects both feminist and anti-capitalist ideologies.

The next learning outcome is part of what is called the school-assessed task or SAT. This is the major project that you will complete in Year 12 Media. It’s so much freaking fun and, let’s face it, it’s probably the reason that you’re doing Media in the first place.

You get to create something. You get to make a film, magazine, radio drama, podcast, video game or multimedia installation – check out the specifications for the school-assessed task in the study design.

Keep in mind that not all schools offer all of the media forms. At my school, for example, we focus on video and audio production simply because they’re my areas of expertise and we’ve got a bunch of great equipment related to these media forms.

The school-assessed task, or SAT, consists over three outcomes across the year, including: Media production development, media production design and media production.

The second outcome in Unit 3 is ‘Media production development which includes two pieces of work: a research portfolio and production experiments.

The research portfolio is a terrific opportunity to learn more about your selected media form by analysing media productions that really inspire you. The production experiments are an opportunity to play around with media technology and develop skills that you’ll need to make your major project.

‘Media production design’ is a whole outcome dedicated to the planning of your major project. The outcome involves completing all of the pre-production documentation for your school-assessed task.

Now let’s take a look at Unit 4. Unit 4 has two learning outcomes.

Media production involves the production and post-production of your school-assessed task. This is where you’ll get out there and make that film, record that radio drama and spend hours in front of your computer editing. An important thing to note about this outcome, you will have to complete the product, seek feedback and then refine it before its final submission. This process of seeking feedback is really important when it comes to fully realising your ideas and producing a polished product.

Agency and control in and of the media (which for the rest of time, I will refer to simply as Agency and Control) is about the complex and dynamic relationship between media and audiences. It’s fascinating, it’s topical, you’ll get a chance to engage with current debate about how governments, media institutions and audiences use the media. as well as how we regulate it.

Now that we’ve looked at the structure of the course, let’s talk assessment.

Throughout the year, you’re going to complete a number of tasks that contribute to your study score.

While these tasks are obviously important, so is all of the work that leads up to them.

Your teacher is going to give you a whole bunch of learning activities. You’ll be taking notes, doing group work, analysing scenes from films, doing presentations with your friends, responding to questions, completing practice tasks, annotating, analysing…and by completing all of these little learning activities you’re developing and demonstrating your understanding of the key knowledge and key skills for each learning outcome.

It’s really important that you work consistently throughout the year. Take notes, participate in discussions, complete class activities, do your homework, take feedback onboard and reflect on your performance.

Now here’s the assessment breakdown.

First, the school-assessed coursework or SACs. These assessment tasks are typically undertaken in class time, often under test conditions. While the way you might be assessed for these outcomes varies from school to school, I find that many teachers tend to assess this learning using short, extended or essay responses that are completed under test conditions.

There are two SACs throughout the year.

In Unit 3, the Narrative and Ideology SAC contributes 10% to your overall study score.

In Unit 4, the Agency and Control SAC is worth another 10%.

The school-assessed task is a big part of your assessment. It bridges three learning outcomes – media production development, media production design and media production – contributing 40% to your study score..

Finally, the end of year examination. At the end of the year, you’ll sit a two hour exam with fifteen minutes of reading time that assesses Narrative and Ideology, Agency and Control as well as elements of the school-assessed task. Check the VCAA website for further details about the VCE Media exam. It’s worth 40% of your study score.

And that’s everything you need to know about the overall structure of VCE Media, what you’re expected to do, how you’ll be assessed. Remember that the best source of information is the VCE Media Study Design. Read it closely, speak to your teacher and good luck.