Physics 3/4 through DECV or actual school?

[milanander]

Hi guys, need some advice -

I'm currently doing physics 1/2 through distance education as there weren't enough students at my school for them to run a class. Next year I'm most likely continuing with 3/4, also through distance. But the thing is I've been told that DECV isn't the strongest cohort - a friend of mine did 3/4 last year, was averaging 90s in his SACs, but still only received a 34 study score. After a quick search I found that only one person got over 40 raw in physics through DECV last year, and it was a 41.

I heard that you can do a VCE subject at a school you are not enrolled in if your school doesn't offer it. There are 3 schools in my area which has physics 3/4, none are exactly high ranking, but I was wondering if it would be better for me to study at an actual school as opposed to through distance? I've always preferred the traditional classroom setting.

was wondering if anyone has experience doing 3/4 physics through DECV and whether you think it was worth it, or if you would've studied at a physical school if given the chance? Thanks!

[Bri MT]

hmm... if you can do physics 3/4 in a standard classroom that might be better for you. I wouldn't worry too much about cohort strength as if the cohort is weak that makes it easier to get a high rank & if you're rank 1 and get the best exam score the cohort strength won't pull you down.


I recommend talking to your school about whether this is an option for you asap so that there's enough time for their planning


(I only studied eng lang through distance ed (I studied physics at my normal school) so I can't really share experience here unfortunately)

[Geoo]

I haven't completed 3/4 physics, but I did do unit 1 and have been at DECV for a while. Across the board at DECV, especially the in the sciences, they are really weak cohorts. While this does make it harder to achieve a high score, it is not impossible. If you are rank 1 in your subject (maintain the highest SAC scores), and score high on the exam, then it is 100% possible to get a high score in physics.

Another thing I think should be pointed out, is how you find the course. I personally didn't like how the information was presented (especially introducing ohms law in week 3 of the subject instead of 1), and I didn't find the teacher very helpful, which made it a harder subject to study in the end. For instance, there weren't enough maths examples, so when it came time to the quiz's and SACs, I was quite unprepared. So if you think learning in a class environment would work better for you to achieve the results you want, keep that in mind. I would say the SACs are on the easier side at DECV, so they are at risk of scaling down.

There have been a few students over the years that have gotten high scores in the sciences, but it is very rare, and certainly not impossible. If you work hard and get the highest results in SACs + the exam, you should be fine to get the score you want. If you are an average student however, it will certainly be harder. As Bri said, talk to your teachers if you are not sure, and make a decision that works best for you.

[Aaron]

I have never heard of a school allowing an outside student (e.g. not their 'home school') to enrol in one single VCE subject - I know it happens for VET (as my school currently does it). I'd be interested to hear if you end up doing this for an academic VCE subject and what the process was like.

In regards to distance vs traditional, I'd usually say traditional definitely trumps any form of online learning purely because you don't get the same level of connection, discussion and social aspects with the teacher.. but if you're jumping from one school to the other it will make things quite difficult (even if the schools are in close proximity).

[milanander]

hmm... if you can do physics 3/4 in a standard classroom that might be better for you. I wouldn't worry too much about cohort strength as if the cohort is weak that makes it easier to get a high rank & if you're rank 1 and get the best exam score the cohort strength won't pull you down.

I recommend talking to your school about whether this is an option for you asap so that there's enough time for their planning

(I only studied eng lang through distance ed (I studied physics at my normal school) so I can't really share experience here unfortunately)

thanks for the advice Bri. I know I shouldn't stress over cohort strength but there's always the thought that even in a weak cohort, it would be hard to maintain rank 1. I'll definitely talk to my school teachers about my options.

I haven't completed 3/4 physics, but I did do unit 1 and have been at DECV for a while. Across the board at DECV, especially the in the sciences, they are really weak cohorts. While this does make it harder to achieve a high score, it is not impossible. If you are rank 1 in your subject (maintain the highest SAC scores), and score high on the exam, then it is 100% possible to get a high score in physics.

Another thing I think should be pointed out, is how you find the course. I personally didn't like how the information was presented (especially introducing ohms law in week 3 of the subject instead of 1), and I didn't find the teacher very helpful, which made it a harder subject to study in the end. For instance, there weren't enough maths examples, so when it came time to the quiz's and SACs, I was quite unprepared. So if you think learning in a class environment would work better for you to achieve the results you want, keep that in mind. I would say the SACs are on the easier side at DECV, so they are at risk of scaling down.

There have been a few students over the years that have gotten high scores in the sciences, but it is very rare, and certainly not impossible. If you work hard and get the highest results in SACs + the exam, you should be fine to get the score you want. If you are an average student however, it will certainly be harder. As Bri said, talk to your teachers if you are not sure, and make a decision that works best for you.

Did you do unit 1 physics through distance this year? Yes I agree it wasn't the most well-organised subject but I keep holding on to the hope that it'll get better in 3/4 lol. Thanks for your suggestions!

I have never heard of a school allowing an outside student (e.g. not their 'home school') to enrol in one single VCE subject - I know it happens for VET (as my school currently does it). I'd be interested to hear if you end up doing this for an academic VCE subject and what the process was like.

In regards to distance vs traditional, I'd usually say traditional definitely trumps any form of online learning purely because you don't get the same level of connection, discussion and social aspects with the teacher.. but if you're jumping from one school to the other it will make things quite difficult (even if the schools are in close proximity).

I got the info from a past student who did a 3/4 software development with another school. I'm not sure if it's allowed at every school though. Not sure if it's allowed at mine but I'll speak to my teachers about it on Monday. I definitely agree that the traditional classroom setting is better hence why I'm so unsure about continuing with DECV for 3/4. I'm also doing 1/2 spesh through DECV though I find spesh to be better organised than physics. Thanks for your advice!

[Geoo]

Did you do unit 1 physics through distance this year? Yes I agree it wasn't the most well-organised subject but I keep holding on to the hope that it'll get better in 3/4 lol. Thanks for your suggestions!

Yeah I did unit one earlier this year, but the course was such a mess for me I decided to drop it. I normally love physics, but I got so frustrated with how it was taught, how messing it was, and compared to my other DECV subjects where my teachers are amazing and give great feedback in weekly work, I was just disappointed in the teacher. I may try do physics at uni later on, but since I was trying to get a high score, I would have to put more effort in since the course wasn't that great. I know that there is another year 12 physics teacher, but I don't know if the course design would get any better, and I don't want to risk it. I hope it does get better for you though, as physics is such an awesome subject, for know, I will just read my physics books.

[caffinatedloz]

I have never heard of a school allowing an outside student (e.g. not their 'home school') to enrol in one single VCE subject - I know it happens for VET (as my school currently does it). I'd be interested to hear if you end up doing this for an academic VCE subject and what the process was like.

My school allows this for VCE subjects, although there are significant hoops to jump through.