Teaching and Learning

Study Pulse- Using AI to Support Learning

AI has become standard across daily life and education, offering clear benefits along with known limitations. While teachers at St Bede’s College use AI for a number of reasons- resource creation, summarising and rubric creation, for example- students use it for troubleshooting and refinement of their own material. In support of the positive benefits that AI has in education, Study Pulse- an AI platform tailored for exam and SAC revision in VCE studies- provides a structured framework to enhance learning available to all VCE students at our College.

There are many features that make Study Pulse a useful study resource for VCE students. Recognising that completing past papers, exam style questions and practice SACs is the best way to prepare and improve in VCE, a number of staff have been looking to use AI to create resources. 

Study Pulse makes this much more viable, extending on this with features including:

• Authentic VCE Practice: Study Pulse generates questions directly from past official VCE exams (Unit 3/4) and school assessment papers (Unit 1/2) at a minimum. Students build exam confidence by responding via typed text or by uploading photos of handwritten work. Cutting and pasting into the platform is not permitted.
• Instant, Targeted Feedback: Using official VCE assessment guidelines along with other teacher refinements where applicable, Study Pulse instantly marks student submissions, provides actionable feedback, and allows students to refine and resubmit their work for reassessment. They are able to track their improvement and it is recorded so the teacher can see it as well.
• Personalised Support: The platform is able to group questions by topic area or area of study, tracking individual progress over time and allowing the teacher to see where students are doing well and areas that may need revisiting. It also features an interactive AI tutor to guide students through challenging concepts.
• Teacher-Curated Learning: Teachers can tailor practice materials based on the specifics of the school task by using previous examples- including past SACs and exam samples- creating and allocating question sets to suit varying ability levels, ensuring every student is supported and challenged.

Our current Unit 1/2 and 3/4 students have access to this to enhance their independent study across all subject areas for the remainder of this school year. In 2027, Study Pulse will become a compulsory resource for all VCE students. With our staff currently undertaking specialised training to integrate it into weekly learning programs, there is the potential for significant impact. Anecdotally, the combination of both AI and teacher guidance has proven highly beneficial, and we encourage all VCE students to log in and start taking advantage of this powerful study tool today!

Exam Periods Years 9 to 12

Our exam periods for Years 9 – 12 are getting closer by the day. With our Unit 3/4 formal classes (Year 12) having ceased already, the students are hard at work in preparation for their exams which commence next week.

In the subsequent weeks, Years 10 and 11 also cease classes to undertake exams, with Year 9s attending classes for periods 1 & 2, completing exams in periods 3 & 4 and then being dismissed for study in period 5. 

The exam periods and timetables are as follows: 

Unit 3/4 Written Exams (Year 12): Tuesday 26 October to Tuesday 17 November 

Unit 1/2 Exams: Monday 9 November to Friday 20 November 

Year 10 Exams: Tuesday 17 November to Friday 20 November

Year 9 Exams: Monday 16 November to Thursday 19 November. 

Details regarding the Years 9 to 11 exams will be sent to Parents / Carers in a School Activity Permission notice on PAM in coming weeks. Permission is required for students to engage in the exam period as student times are altered. If permission is not granted, students must remain at school for the entirety of the school day.

Flying Start

From Wednesday 25 November, our Years 7 to 11 students will commence Flying Start, where they begin their 2027 academic school work in their newly assigned homerooms and tutor groups. This program gives students a head start on their learning, the expectations of their subjects and closes the year with some familiarity, allowing for a more seamless start to Term 1 2027. 

Further information will be emailed to students and families in the coming weeks. 

Brenden Mair

Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning