The Tasmanian Certificate of Education, or TCE, is the main credential awarded to secondary school

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 students who successfully complete senior high school level studies (years 11 and 12 or equivalent, referred to generally as College within Tasmania) in Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It was introduced in 1992 to replace Tasmania's old "High School Certificate", and partially restructured for 2007.

Patterns of Study

The majority of students undertake TCE-related courses over the final two years of school (out of six years of high school), however it is possible to undertake different study patterns over different time periods or through different teaching organisations. These two years are normally completed either at separate campuses of Tasmanian independent schools, or at government colleges.

The onus of TCE education is the promotion of independent learning for students, with the aim of equipping students to be able to learn independently of guided education. It is felt this is better preparation for higher education.

Available Courses

The courses offered for study within the TCE are divided into categories according to the relevant knowledge types or skills. These reflect the nature of the subject and are similar to the way universities allocate areas of study according to faculty. These are: Arts, English, Health & Physical Education, Information Technology, Languages, Mathematics, Science, Society and Environment, Student-Directed Inquiry, Technology and Manufacturing Studies.

The following is the complete list of TCE Courses available to students by area of study.

• Arts
  ARts
  aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
  
  
  • Arts Applied (This course enables students to apply art in a practical way such as concerts, creating film, media publication, or recorded production).
  • Performing Arts (Including Audio Design, Dance, Drama, Media Production & Music).
  • Visual Arts (Art Appreciation, Visual Arts and Media, & Art Production).

• English
  English studies
  English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
  
  

The study of English at TCE level is divided up into specialist sub-categories, including: English, English Applied, English Communications, English Studies, English Writing, English as a Second Language, Communicating with the Deaf, & Study Material (the study of previous examinations and course work).

• Health & Physical Education
  Physical education
  Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
  
  

Health and Physical Education is divided up into specialist sub-categories including: Adventure Education, Athlete Development, Health, Recreation and Health, Sport Studies & Sport Science

• Information Technology
  Information technology
  Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
  
  

Information Technology consists of Computer Science, Computing and Information Systems.

• Languages

Several languages are offered for study within the TCE and focus tends to be on languages of countries which have significant trade status with Australia, or large numbers of international speakers. The main languages included are: Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, & Japanese, although several others, particularly those of Australian ethnic minority groups can also be studied.

• Mathematics
  Mathematics
  Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
  
  

The study of mathematics at TCE level is offered at varying levels of complexity, ranging from maths for every day living skills, through to complex equations. The subjects within the field of mathematics are: Mathematics Applied, Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialised, Maths after College, Maths at Work, Maths for Living & Study Material (the study of previous examinations and course work).

• Science
  Science
  Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
  
  

The following sciences can be studied towards a TCE qualification: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Physics, Science of Natural Resources, & Science of the Physical World.

• Society and Environment
  Social studies
  Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
  
  

Society and Environment focuses on subjects which apply skills to the understanding of human interactions with each other, and the environment around them, including: Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Religion & Philosophy, Legal Studies, Ancient Civilizations, Modern World History and World & Environment.

• Student-Directed Inquiry
  Autodidacticism
  Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
  
  

This is an experimental area of study that the TCE has offered on a trial basis in 2006 and 2007 and encourages students to develop their own learning designs and research approaches. It is very much focused on allowing students to develop an academic approach to learning within an area of personal interest, and offers the freedom to approach the gathering of knowledge, research or skill acquisition through their own initiative.

• Technology
  Technology
  Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
  
  

Many areas of technical skills can be studied through the TCE including: Applied Technology, Automotive Technology, Catering, Computer Graphics and Design, Design Graphics, Design in Metal, Design in Wood, Electronics, Food Studies, Housing and Design & Lifestyle and Fashion.

• Manufacturing Studies
  Manufacturing
  Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
  
  

Manufacturing studies is another new pilot area of study in 2007, and is designed to equip students with knowledge and skills related to the manufacturing industries, which are currently the second largest industry sector in Australia.

Assessment

The Tasmanian Certificate of Education is awarded based upon a criterion based assessment. This basically means students can be assessed depending upon their meeting or successful completion of standards and criteria. These criteria usually assess knowledge, skills and competencies in differing ways to ensure a wide understanding of the course syllabus

Syllabus

A syllabus , is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in an education or training course. It is descriptive...

 has been obtained by the student. It is felt that this is fair and more practical that just relying upon traditional examinations, although many areas of study still utilise exams in conjunction with other methods of assessment.

Subjects are offered at varying levels of difficulty, ranging from a basic understanding, through to a pre-tertiary entrance qualification. The difficulty of a subject is guided by its rating as an 1-3 level subject. Subjects are also given an A, B or C rating based on the number of hours that are required for the course, C being the longest. In this way, all subjects will have a rating such as 3A, or 2C etc, depending on the time it involves and the difficulty of the work involved.

C level subjects can also be offered as pre-tertiary (level 3C), and for students wishing to gain university entrance, enough points from pre-tertiary entrance subjects must be obtained to gain a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) score above the requirements for the applied course.

Award

Upon successful completion of a satisfactory pattern of study students are awarded the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) by way of a testamur. This may also come with a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) if the student has nominated to attempt a university entrance qualification, and the TER score will dictate which university courses the student is eligible to apply for.

See also

• List of schools in Tasmania
• University admission
• Victorian Certificate of Education
  Victorian Certificate of Education
  The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
  
  
• Higher School Certificate

External links

• TCE at the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority page