02 Oct 2006

Over 40 Secondary Schools to Begin Offering Advanced Elective Modules

1. More than 40 secondary schools will begin offering Advanced Elective Modules (AEMs) to their upper secondary students from October this year. Announced earlier this year, the AEMs are 40-hour courses in applied topics conducted by the five polytechnics. They will enhance the learning experience of our students through practice-oriented approaches. The experience will also help our students to discover their strengths and interests.
2. Together with the five polytechnics, the secondary schools will offer 37 AEMs in a wide range of different cluster areas such as Business; Engineering; Information Technology; Media & Design; and Chemical & Life Sciences. 14 schools will start offering AEMs from October and November 2006, while the other schools will start offering AEMs from January 2007. A list of the AEMs being offered is at Annex A.
3. Over time, as schools and polytechnics gain more experience in offering AEMs, we will offer AEMs in more schools, so that more students can benefit from being exposed to applied learning options in their secondary school years. More AEMs may also be offered in the future.
4. Table 1 provides a summary of the key features of AEMs:

Table 1: Characteristics of AEMs

Characteristics	Details
Venue of AEMs	To be conducted by Polytechnic instructors either at participating schools or at the polytechnics, depending on the facilities required.
Nature of coursework	To be delivered in a similar approach to polytechnic courses, AEMs will involve a higher practical component and more group work than the usual school work.
Assessment modes	Assessment modes are similar to those adopted in polytechnics which will include project work, group assignments and oral presentations. An Academic Panel, comprising senior management of the various polytechnics, SEAB and MOE, will ensure consistency in standards of the AEMs offered.
Recognition of AEMs by the school	AEMs will be reflected in the School Holistic Report Card, which is given to the students at the end of each school year.
Recognition of AEMs by the polytechnics	AEMs may be considered for polytechnic admission under the Joint Polytechnic Special Admissions Exercise (JPSAE)1 and the Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA)2 exercise. In addition, AEMs may be considered for credit exemption in subjects that are relevant to the student's subsequent course of study in the polytechnic.

5. In March 2006, the Polytechnic School Review Committee (PSRC) chaired by Minister of State for Education & Manpower, Mr Gan Kim Yong, recommended the introduction of AEMs, Applied Graded Subjects (AGS) and the Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) Exercise, to cater more fully to the interests and aspirations of students who are keen to progress along an applied and practice–oriented path of education. For more information on the recommendations made by the PSRC, please refer to the press release on “Enriching our curriculum: Expanding applied learning options”.
6. Further details of the implementation progress of the AGS and DPA Exercise will be announced at a later date.