Science in Practice

Science in Practice learning area contact:

  • General

    Science in Practice is a course grounded in the belief that science is multidisciplinary and, in essence, a practical activity. The Science in Practice course encourages students to be questioning, reflective and critical thinkers about scientific issues, enabling them to make informed decisions about questions that directly affect their lives and the lives of others. Students will engage in activities and investigations on science issues in the context of the world around them and are encouraged to collaborate and cooperate with others in the community.

    • The Authority is currently finalising the publication of these units. Once these units are ready for publication they will appear on this page. The first four units that will be available are listed below.

      Year 11

      Unit Code

      Unit name

      Science content coverage

      Duration

      Biology

      Chemistry

      Earth Science

      Physics

      GE001

      Local geology



      Semester long

      GE002

      Acids and bases



      Semester long

      GE003

      Wheels in motion



      Semester long

      GE004

      Sustainability



      Semester long

      Only Authority approved units can be delivered.

      Schools may develop their own units or modify approved units, however, these will need to be approved by the Authority prior to the commencement of teaching.

    • Science in Practice website approval process

      Schools may develop their own units or make changes to approved units; however, these will need to be approved by the Authority prior to the commencement of teaching.

      School‑developed units

      The following documents are required to be submitted as part of the approval process. All documents should be uploaded as separate PDF documents.

      The following documents are required for unit approval:

      • Unit content (including scientific method, workplace health and safety, scientific literacy and context specific content)
      • Unit/course outline
      • Assessment outline
      • Investigation task and marking key
      • Project task and marking key
      • Practical assessment task and marking key
      • Supervised written assessment task and marking key

      Note: if submitting a year‑long unit, two of each assessment task are required to be submitted.

      Making changes to approved units published on the Authority website

      If the unit content and/or assessment tasks of Authority-approved units have been changed, the changed documents, as well as the unit/course outline and assessment outline, are required to be submitted. All documents should be uploaded as separate PDF documents.

      Submission of documents for approval

      There are two submission windows each year. The submission windows for units being delivered in 2024 are:

      Semester one units

      Monday, 18 September 2023–Monday, 11 December 2023*

      Semester two units

      Monday, 12 February 2024–Monday, 15 April 2024

      * The Authority is closed for the Christmas–New Year period from Friday, 22 December 2023 to Tuesday, 2 January 2024.

      Note

      • Schools may submit both semester one and two units for approval in the same window.
      • The approval process may take up to four weeks. Schools will need to ensure they allow enough time for their units to be approved and any adjustments to be made.

      The online submission form is available here.