Country students gain HSC insights from city-based educators

June 28, 2007

Three prominent educators in Economics, Business and Law travelled from Sydney to the University of New England this week to enlighten and encourage about 300 secondary-school students from around northern NSW who are preparing for Higher School Certificate examinations in those subjects.

They were all taking part in an HSC study day that is organised each year by UNE's Faculty of Economics, Business and Law and was held this year on Tuesday 26 June.

The students of Economics, Business Studies and Legal Studies came from 15 schools in Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Coonabarabran, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell, Manilla, Moree, Quirindi, Tamworth and Tenterfield. Organisers said it was the Faculty's best-attended HSC study day so far.

Mr Tim Riley, Director of the Economic Literacy Centre, advised the students on preparation techniques for the HSC Economics examination, and discussed HSC curriculum topics such as "monetary/fiscal policy" and "issues of unemployment and inflation in the Australian economy". Mr Riley is the editor of Current Economics and the author of HSC Economics texts.

Ms Kate Dally, Head Teacher of Social Sciences at Birrong Girls' High School in western Sydney, covered Legal Studies topics such as "law and justice" and "human rights". Ms Dally is co-author of Cambridge Preliminary Legal Studies, and is Vice-President of Economics and Business Educators NSW. (The photograph displayed here shows Kate Dally with Oxley High School student Matthew Holding. It expands to include Aimee Waters from Guyra Central School.)

Mr John Nairn, who was the Supervisor of Marking for Business Studies in Sydney from 2002 to 2006, guided the students through "business management and change" and "global business". Mr Nairn teaches Business Studies at Pymble Ladies' College in Sydney.

Three UNE academics contributed to the informative, full-day program: Associate Professor Russell Hogg from UNE's School of Law focused on crime, and Dr Alfons van der Kraan and Dr John Kellett (both from the School of Economics) spoke on the global economy and employment relations.

Dr Josie Fisher, the Faculty's Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), said the day had enabled students from a large area of regional NSW to gain insights into HSC curricula and examination techniques from Sydney-based educators prominently involved in HSC planning and marking.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at June 28, 2007 04:42 PM