Education – Student information

Information for Education students


Faculty mission statement International links Advanced standing policy Aligning staff and students' expectations and responsibilities Assessment procedures Adult Education Teacher Education Academic research groups The Faculty of Education at UTS is unique in Australia because it covers the professional development of educational practitioners across the broadest educational range from primary through to adult workplace teaching and learning. Undergraduate and postgraduate courses in both teacher education and adult education provide a rich program combining theory and practice with unique opportunities to discover more about learning in a variety of contexts – in specialist schools and community organisations, in corporations and in learning centres both in Australia and overseas. The Faculty is located on two campuses – City campus and Kuring-gai campus. Faculty mission statement Within the University's overall goals, the special mission of the Faculty of Education is to serve the community by providing higher education for professional practice in the full range of educational contexts – formal and informal, adult and school, vocational, community and general. The Faculty of Education is committed to: promoting lifelong learning connecting academic scholarship and research with practice encouraging service and leadership in the community developing students' capacity for both autonomous and group learning, and promoting education as a vehicle for social justice. International links Over the past 10 years the Faculty has built strong links internationally. Faculty staff are engaged in a variety of research and consulting activities overseas, particularly in the Asia–Pacific region. The Faculty has been commissioned to offer teaching programs in Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, the South Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. Increasing numbers of international students from Japan, Thailand, Korea, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam and China participate in Adult Education courses. The Faculty is currently running courses offshore in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and Japan. The Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change, offered by the Faculty of Education, is a joint initiative with UTS, University of British Columbia, University of Western Cape and Linkoping University. Through this course, students study in a virtual global classroom working simultaneously with students based in Australia, Canada, South Africa and Sweden. In Teacher Education courses, overseas practicums are offered in Thailand, Laos and China. The international major study available as part of the four-year Bachelor of Education offers students the opportunity to live and study in Sweden for one semester. Advanced standing policy The Faculty's of Education recognises formal and informal prior learning. For more information consult the Faculty's policy on advanced standing available online at: www.education.uts.edu.au/fstudents/index.html Aligning staff and students' expectations and responsibilities The Faculty's policy on Aligning staff and students expectations and responsibilities is available online at: www.education.uts.edu.au/fstudents/index.html Assessment procedures The Faculty of Education would like you to be aware of the assessment procedures which are followed in the preparation of results. This information is available online at: www.education.uts.edu.au/fstudents/assessment.html Adult Education Adult Education provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses for people who work, or wish to work, as: human resource developers education and learning consultants community educators vocational educators and trainers language, literacy and numeracy educators, and Aboriginal educators and community managers. Adult Education courses are shaped by the following educational principles derived from adult learning theory. Learning is a collaborative endeavour involving the mutual negotiation of meaning and understanding. Learning is enhanced through the recognition and use of experience and the acquisition and application of knowledge in practice-based activities. Learning is a lifelong and socially embedded activity, dependent on mutual respect, diversity of approach and the recognition of relevance to learning. Learning involves the appreciation and application of theories in the different and changing contexts of professional practice. Learning is enhanced through discussion, critical thought and reflection on taken-for-granted assumptions and practices. Learning involves mutual obligations based on the valuing of difference, respect for diversity, responsible and ethical self-management. Learning is a developmental process involving the recognition, articulation and transformation of knowledge, personal values and theoretical frameworks. Workplace / flexible learning Recognising the competing demands of work and home life for students, the Faculty offers adult education courses in a variety of study modes which can be tailored to meet student needs. Students can choose to study full time or part time, on campus or off campus. Many subjects are offered in a variety of learning modes including weekly classes, 'blocks' (intensive face-to-face learning programs conducted over a number of days each semester, often in school holidays) and weekend workshops. Many postgraduate adult education courses are offered in distance mode supported by email and telephone contact with lecturers and web-based conferencing tools, which keep students in touch with others in their course. A non-refundable administration fee applies to all subjects where students choose distance mode (to apply from 2004). This fee is $50 per distance subject¹. Footnote: 1. Pending final UTS approval. Contact details telephone (02) 9514 3900 fax (02) 9514 3939 email education@uts.edu.au www.education.uts.edu.au Teacher Education Teacher Education provides pre-service courses for beginner teachers and postgraduate programs for experienced teachers, in addition to a number of specialist courses. Courses are designed for people who work or wish to work as: primary school teachers secondary school teachers of Science secondary school teachers of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) special needs educators secondary school teachers of Mathematics music therapists visual arts educators or secondary school teachers children's literature specialists, and drama teachers secondary school teachers of English and ESL (English as a Second Language). The Faculty offers a set of three Bachelor degrees in Education at Kuring-gai campus which prepare students for teaching in primary schools and in special education settings. The Graduate Diploma in secondary education is available in four specialised areas – Science, Mathematics, Technology and Applied Studies, and PDHPE. From 2004, two further specialised areas will be available – English and Visual Arts (subject to final approval). Other postgraduate courses are designed for qualified and experienced teachers who wish to extend their professional skills. Contact details telephone (02) 9514 5619 fax (02) 9514 5556 email teached.office@uts.edu.au www.education.uts.edu.au Academic research groups The Faculty has established itself as one of the most productive and exciting centres for learning and research in a range of areas associated with adult and teacher education. It has the largest number of academic staff in any English-speaking university concerned with the education and training of adults. Adult and vocational learning has been identified as one of the first Key University Research strengths. The Australian Centre for Organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning (OVAL) Research is a Key University Research Centre undertaking collaborative research, development projects and consultancies focusing on productive learning at work. The Changing Knowledges/Changing Identities Research Group (CKCI) comprises people within the Faculty who have an interest in researching effective responses to educational change. This interest encompasses both the process and product of educational change and involves empowering educational practitioners with an understanding of the change process so that they can promote change; and assists them to respond appropriately to trends and initiatives for change. The research group Teacher Learning and Development (TLD) comprises people within the Faculty with research reputations in the area of teachers' learning and teachers' work. The focus of the group is to investigate the factors that facilitate and constrain best teaching practice and to develop strategies for supporting teachers in their quest for quality teaching and learning. Contact details telephone (02) 9514 3626 fax (02) 9514 3933 email Veronika.Culkin@uts.edu.au www.education.uts.edu.au