Overview

Course Objectives

• Make informed decisions regarding teaching and learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the learner and application of the curriculum
• Be reflective, creative and critical in the approach to teaching and learning
• Use appropriate technologies, and make valid judgments synthesising information from a range of sources

Career Outcomes

After registration, graduates will have the skills, knowledge and experience required to teach in primary schools. Additional careers include education administrator or policy development officer.

Professional Recognition

Graduates will be eligible for registration with the Western Australian College of Teachers (WACOT). Registration is recognised by all national teacher accreditation authorities. However, it is the responsibility of graduates to ensure they consult with the regulatory body in the state they wish to register as a qualified educator regarding registration requirements.

Eligibility

If you are a Commonwealth supported student and would like to apply for this course, please refer to the Commonwealth supported places link for information on the conditions and course admission eligibility criteria.

If you are a general applicant and would like to apply for this course, please read on for details on the course requirements before applying.

With the exception of six open first year units, this is a restricted course. Continuing enrolment is only available to students who have been accepted into this course. Please refer to Application Process for more information.

This is a restricted course. Students must satisfy the following requirements in order to be eligible for entry into the degree:

• Academic
• English Language Competence
• Police Clearance/Working with Children (WWC)
• Practicum Requirements
• First Aid Certificate

Academic Requirements

Applicants have a choice of two academic entrance pathways into this course:

1. Tertiary Entrance Ranking (TER or ATAR) entrance

Tertiary Entrance Ranking 70 (TER, ATAR, ENTER, UAI, OP or equivalent). Students must have a 50% minimum in TER English (or equivalent).

2. Alternative academic entrance

a) Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

You must achieve a minimum of 145 in all sections of the STAT (Multiple Choice and Written English) to gain entry to the course.

b) Successful study through OUA

Completion of two of the six OUA open enrolment units : EDP120, EDP125, EDP130, EDP135, EDP140 and EDP155 and separate English language competency is needed.

OR

Completion of four OUA units at pass level (including 2 of 6 open enrolment units: EDP120, EDP125, EDP130, EDP140 and EDP155). (This satisfies English language competency requirement.)

c) Tertiary Study

Successful completion of a full semester (four standard units) towards an undergraduate degree at an Australian university and English language competency is not needed.

d) Enabling courses

Enabling courses completed through other Australian Universities which meet minimum entry requirements for that institution will be accepted as minimum entry requirements for this course.

e) TAFE

On completion of certain TAFE studies (or equivalent study recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework – AQF), matriculation status may be granted and a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) may be assigned. The minimum entry requirements for TAFE students are:

• Diploma, Associate Diploma, or Advanced Diploma (no additional English competency needed)
• Certificate IV + English competency
• Note – Certificate II or III are not acceptable

English language competency

Applicants need to meet Curtin's English Language requirement:

• TER or ATAR - A minimum Tertiary Entrance Ranking (TER or ATAR) score of 50% for English (or equivalent).
• Successful completion of one semester of full time study of a Bachelor degree course at an Australian university*
• IELTS competency level 7.0 (compulsory for international students)

*Equivalent to completion of four first year Curtin Bachelor of Education units through OUA

Police Clearance/Working with Children Check (WWC)

A Working with Children Check and Police Clearance (as required in the state or country of residence) is compulsory.

Due to the specialist nature of the teaching profession, and the practicum placement component of this course, all successful applicants will be required to complete a Working with Children Check and Police Clearance before engaging in any practicum placement.

Practicum Placement

Students must have access to more than one school in which to undertake the professional experience placements (and be able to travel to these schools). Normally 3 schools are required – one for each of the practicum placements in Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4.

How to Apply

With the exception of six open enrolment first year units, this is a restricted course. Continuing enrolment is only available to students who have been accepted into this degree. Students are required to apply and be approved by Curtin University before they can enrol in restricted units through OUA.

Applicants for admission must be able to commit to the block teaching practicums that are integral to the degree in the second, third and fourth year of the course, in a school in which English is the language of instruction either in Australia or overseas. Year 2 currently has a 3 week block teaching practicum, Year 3 currently has a 3 week block teaching practicum in a school context and Year 4 has a 10 week internship.

Applications for Bachelor of Education (Primary) are due 2 weeks prior to the close of enrolment.

Before you start:

1. Read information requirements

   • Select to apply for one or more courses listed on the application form, taking note of the eligibility criteria for each course. If you want to apply for a (restricted) course with a different university, you'll need to submit a separate application from the relevant course page.

   • Read all parts of the application form in advance:

     Receive a faster response by ensuring you have all the required information ready before you start. If you have a web account, sign in first to pre-fill personal details we already have for you on record.

     General applicants: If you do not have a web account, you'll need to register one within the application form. Once you've registered an account, you'll then be signed in. From here you can choose to complete your application and submit it, or save and return to it later.

     Completing this application should take 15 to 20 minutes.

     Commonwealth support/HECS-HELP applicants: Application forms can be partially filled and saved for completion at a later time. This is currently ONLY available for Commonwealth support/HECS-HELP applicants. To access your partially completed forms, go to the Manage Applications section of My study centre and click on the applications link.

   • Need help completing your application? Contact us:

     If in doubt about any of the information required to support your application, the more information you can provide the better. If you have any academic queries including how to request credit transfer, contact Curtin University directly. For all other enquiries, contact us.

   • Next steps:

     General applicants: After submitting your application, you should receive a confirmation email containing a copy of your application for your records.

     Your application will be assessed within 2-4 weeks, and if further information is required, we will contact you. Once your application has been assessed, we will be in touch via email to notify you of the outcome. At the latest this will be one week after the closing date for applications.

     If, after submitting your application, you wish to change your preferences or submit an additional document, please email apply@open.edu.au. Include your full name as it appeared on the application.

     Commonwealth support/HECS-HELP applicants: Please read the Commonwealth supported student page for details of next steps on the application process.

2. Prepare supporting documents

   • Check that you have all the required documents, according to individual course requirements and your personal circumstances, specifically:

     1. Your curriculum vitae - required for entry into postgraduate courses only.
     2. Scanned colour copies of academic transcripts - required in most cases but check course eligibility rules.
     3. A letter of recommendation from your employer on company letterhead - recommended for entry using work experience.
     4. Certified legal documentation - if you have changed your name e.g. a marriage certificate, deed poll name change certificate.
     5. Certified legal documentation - if you need to correct an error in your date of birth e.g. a birth certificate.
     6. English language test results - if your courses were not predominantly in English e.g. IELTS or equivalent test results.
     7. Official translations of any documents not in English.

   • Please provide scanned copies of all original academic documents. Only include supporting documentation if you have undertaken studies/qualifications at institutions other than OUA. This application will become the Property of Open Universities Australia and Curtin University and will not be returned. Applications will only be considered if academic records for all courses attempted or completed are included along with the certificate of award conferred.

   • Requirements of scanned documents:

     1. Documents must be scanned from the original documents. Scans from a photocopy or a faxed copy are not acceptable
     2. Documents must be scanned in colour
     3. Applicants must ensure no portion of the document is missing (look out for page numbers)
     4. Documents must be scanned at the original size. If the document is larger than A4 then the document should be scanned in A4 sized portions without size reduction
     5. If the document has markings or text on both sides e.g. a registration number then both sides must be scanned
     6. Scanned documents must be between 125 and 150 dots per inch
     7. File size of any single document should not exceed 3MB"

   • Do not send original documents as they will not be returned.

Open Enrolment Units

There are six open enrolment units in this course. Students do not have to submit an Application Form for open enrolment units and can enrol in the following units through Open Universities Australia:

• EDP120: Introduction to Teaching
• EDP125: Development and Education
• EDP130: Technologies for Learning
• EDP135: Introduction to Curriculum
• EDP140: Assessment for Learning
• EDP155: Understanding Learning

Students who successfully complete two of these six open enrolment units may apply under the Academic Eligibility category for admission to the restricted Bachelor of Education (Primary) course provided they have completed other eligibility criteria. Please read Planning your application (PDF, 27 KB).

Open enrolment units as electives

Students who do not satisfy all of the Eligibility requirements for this degree or students who do not intend to apply for admission to this degree may study the Open enrolment units as electives. Please refer to the Award Requirements or Electives sections on your degree page for information about the maximum number of level 1 electives you may include in your degree.

Practicum Placements

Practicum Placements

All practicum placements must be in a school where the language of instruction is English. In those circumstances where the student is unable to secure a placement, Curtin assumes responsibility for doing so and will seek input from the student to identify possibilities before making direct contact with the school, etc. No student will be disadvantaged due to their personal inability to identify a site for professional experience.

Classroom Professional Experience

Years 2, 3 and 4 students complete a total of 80 days of Classroom Professional Experience (School Practicum placement). The course culminates in a final internship where students assume responsibility for a class of children under the supervision of a class teacher. This internship is worth 4 units towards the final degree.

The school practicum placement and final internship can take place in a student's own state or territory, with the approval of Curtin University. Staff at Curtin University will help students to arrange and coordinate their placements.

Further information about the Classroom Professional Experience will be provided to students who have been admitted to the degree including the compulsory Literacy and Mathematical Competency tests to be completed before the final internship. Most states now require pre-service teachers to show evidence that they have achieved competence in both of those areas. These compulsory tests will be offered to students within specific units through the Pearson My Education Lab materials. The charge for these materials will be approximately $27.95 for MyWritingLab and $19.95 for MyMathTest.

Students are not required to attend Curtin University's Perth Campus for any face to face study or practicum.

Award Requirements

Students must complete all units. There are 29 units in the Bachelor of Education (Primary):

• 22 coursework units including the restricted units and the open enrolment units
• 4 electives
• 3 professional practice units (EDP220; EDP325; EDP425)
• Students who fail a core unit twice are terminated from the course

Recognition of Prior Learning / Credit

Students may apply for credit (or RPL) towards the degree for previous studies successfully completed at other institutions. Students must lodge their completed RPL application, along with necessary documentation, when they apply for a place in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) course. Certified copies of all official transcripts and other documentation, eg. unit outlines/syllabus must be provided at this time. For forms and further information, please visit www.futurestudents.curtin.edu.au/mature/rpl.cfm

Recommended Study Pattern

Within the particular years of the course there is flexibility in the sequencing of units. Students are expected to complete all the units in each year of the course before progressing to the units of the subsequent year. For example, all first year units should be completed prior to enrolling in a second year unit. Students must complete any prerequisite units required.

Students must complete all first, second and third year core units prior to enrolling in any fourth year units.

All core units must be completed before enrolling in EDP425 Internship.

Course Admission Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) in this course, students must meet the following requirements:

• 4 OUA Undergraduate units at pass level OR equivalent OR 2 units plus English AND the restricted criteria (please ensure you have read the restricted criteria in the Course Requirements tab)

To learn more about Commonwealth supported places, please see Commonwealth supported places

About Commonwealth supported places

A Commonwealth supported place is a higher education place for which the Australian Government provides funding to the university towards the cost of your education. Commonwealth supported places are only available for students who wish to enrol in a full course of study and are required to contribute to the cost of their higher education through a student contribution. Eligible students in Commonwealth supported places can also receive assistance with their student contribution in the form of HECS-HELP.

To be eligible for Commonwealth support, you must be:

• An Australian citizen OR;
• A New Zealand citizen who will be residing in Australia for the duration of your study OR;
• The holder of a permanent visa who will be residing in Australia for the duration of your study.

For more information and to download an information booklet on the eligibility requirements and the payment options available including the process for applying for HECS-HELP assistance, please visit http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/StudyAssist/

Alternatively if you do not wish to apply as a Commonwealth supported place student or are not eligible, you can still apply to study this course or units within this course. Click on the Course units tab above to find out more.

Please note that depending on the course eligibility requirements, you may be required to provide scanned and certified copies of the following supporting documents:

• Certified copies of academic transcripts - required in most cases but check course eligibility rules.(Please ensure you attach all pages of your academic transcript including both the front and back pages)

A “certified copy” is a copy of an original document which has been certified as being a true copy by an authorised person. These include a justice of the peace, lawyer, medical practitioner, pharmacist, accountant, school principal or minister of religion.

• English language test results - if your courses were not predominantly in English e.g. IELTS or equivalent test results.
• IMPORTANT:  Please do not send original documents as they will not be returned.

Pricing and Payment Options

The total cost of completing a degree will vary depending on the course you have chosen to study.

Fees can also vary according to the type of unit you enrol in and the applicable fee band. Below is a guide to help you find the fees applicable for your own study path.

Please also note that the fees listed here are only indicative costs for new students in 2012. These fees may vary depending on the units you choose and do not include incidental fees (such as lab coats or art supplies) or the cost of your textbooks.

Course Structure

Electives