Clarification details
Updated December 2021. This clarification has been updated to address issues that have arisen from moderation.
The task needs to be broad enough for the inquiry process to enable student choice from a range of possible digital technologies outcomes.
The focus of the critical inquiry is related to the development of a proposal for a digital technologies outcome. Students need to decide on an inquiry focus and develop inquiry question(s) that are linked to digital technologies.
Agreed milestones need to be established for the inquiry, and evidence of how these have been met is required. Any variations should also be explained.
Evidence is required to show where research has been undertaken to gather background information and ideas, which are then analysed. It is not expected that all gathered information would be presented. Research should be relevant and used to inform and explain how digital technologies provide a solution to the inquiry question(s).
Students should present a concise summary and analysis of their findings, in order to explain and interpret how the research relates to the outcome.
The proposal is expected to contain enough information to guide the student in developing an outcome. This could include purpose, end users, scope, requirements and specifications, and the resources needed to create the digital technologies outcome.
The summary of the findings needs to relate relevant research to the inquiry questions and the proposed digital technologies outcome. This may include discussion on similar solutions and the scope and seriousness of the problem.
For Merit, evidence is required of a detailed examination of the implications that the proposed outcome may have, and an evaluation of the different perspectives that may arise from the proposed outcome.
Evidence is also required of a discussion on the impact that research findings have on the inquiry question(s) and the proposed outcome. This may utilise a compare and contrast strategy.
For Excellence, insightful conclusions need to be drawn. For example, the evidence should show an accurate and deep understanding of how the research relates to the inquiry questions and potential outcome.
For moderation
Assessors need to ensure that all prepared evidence, such as linked documents or Trello boards, are visible to the moderator. If files are password-protected the access settings should be changed appropriately to allow the moderation process to occur.