28 April 2006

UC & CIT launch collaborative student pathways project

A project that will see greater collaboration between University of Canberra and Canberra Institute of Technology will be launched on Wednesday May 3 at 11.30am at the University of Canberra.

Beyond Articulation will be officially launched by Professor Roger Dean, Vice Chancellor of the University of Canberra and Dean Vaughan Croucher representing the Chief Executive of Canberra Institute of Technology. The project aims to increase student choices and opportunities for pathways between the two institutions. With funding of $326,000 over 2.5 years, the project is the only DEST funded project allocated under the Collaboration and Structural Reform program for cross-sectoral collaboration.

Professor Dean said the University of Canberra and Canberra Institute of Technology have a history of successfully working together on articulation arrangements, by providing credit for Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses into related undergraduate degrees.

"The project will allow an expansion of the articulation arrangements by providing better information and communication with students before and after they enrol. It will also provide an opportunity for staff at both institutions to work together to develop a shared understanding of fundamental issues to do with learning and teaching. Without this understanding collaboration will remain limited to articulation arrangements," he said.

He said the partnership also highlighted the University's commitment to building community relationships.

"Working with the community is central to the University's mission which extends to developing cooperative partnerships within our local region."   

Vaughan Croucher said that Canberra Institute of Technology is also committed to expanding its regional cooperative partnerships to benefit students and the wider community.

"The collaborative project meant students will benefit from sharing resources, services and facilities. The project will enable students to develop a broad range of skills and options and will be particularly relevant to students seeking an educational experience that combines elements of vocational and higher education, " he said.

The University of Canberra delivers joint degrees with Canberra Institute of Technology in design, communication and new media, and early childhood studies. The current agreement guarantees a place at University for graduates of the Institute's Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas.

University of Canberra Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor John Dearn said students articulating from CIT perform at least as well as those already at the University.

Highlights of the project will include improved articulation arrangements for some courses, an informative and interactive website designed for articulating students, staff placements and sharing of resources between the two institutions in both academic and corporate areas.

Profile 1 - Jonathan Lang

Jonathan Lang, an honours student at the University of Canberra has had a chance to experience first hand the benefits of collaboration between the Canberra Institute of Technology and University of Canberra.  

Like many students Jonathan was unsure of what he wanted to do following Year Twelve at Erindale College. He took a year off before deciding to enrol in a two year Diploma of Business at CIT.

Jonathan learnt through his teachers of the collaboration between the institutions where students graduating in Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas are guaranteed a place at University of Canberra.

"My teachers believed I was capable of extending myself and encouraged me to continue studying," he said.

He enrolled in a Bachelor of Management at the University of Canberra and is now doing a Bachelor of Philosophy for his Honours year.

Jonathan said the focus on practical industry tuition at CIT complemented his University degree which has allowed him to develop his analytical skills to a higher degree.

He finds the university environment offers abundant opportunities and said the "brilliant" academic staff are very supportive, with guidance always available.

It was this encouraging environment that led Jonathan to challenge himself and begin his Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours). He is currently working on his thesis that focuses on critiquing new Australian tourism legislation from a civil liberties perspective.

While Jonathan finds his honours year a challenge he says time management and applying yourself are crucial elements to being successful.

"You have to be smart about your workload. Everyone works differently so figure out what works for you, and figure out what is expected of you."

Jonathan recommends the program, which he says should be seen as a stepping stone rather than an easy way to get into university,

"I had to work hard to obtain the grades to get into University," he said.

He currently works for the Commonwealth Ombudsman and hopes to continue working in the government, particularly in public sector management.
 
Profile 2 - Sally Redhead

Sally Redhead enrolled in the Advanced Diploma of Interior Design at Canberra Institute of Technology with the knowledge that it fed into the Bachelor of Interior Design at University of Canberra.  

Interior Design is one of the courses that the University and CIT offer as part of the partnership between the institutions with the first two years undertaken at CIT and the final year at the University of Canberra. While the design industry accepts an advanced diploma as a recognised tertiary qualification, Sally said the articulation into the Bachelor of Interior design could be easily achieved through the articulation agreement.

Sally believes it was in her best interest to further her studies and graduate from University of Canberra with a degree that would give her a "cutting edge advantage into the industry."

"Particularly in design it is important to have an overall perspective of creative processes as well as an understanding of how to effectively execute and communicate your ideas and concepts within the workplace.   Through studying at both institutions, I believe that a balance of this knowledge was achieved with CIT providing excellent fundamental design and technical industry based skills, complemented by the more conceptual and lateral thinking offered by UC to maximise your potential as a designer," Sally said.  

Sally graduated with a Bachelor of Interior Design in December 2005 and works for a local architecture company who offered her employment following her work placement.

"The CIT experience was definitely beneficial in the way of being industry ready and included a ten week work experience stint. Studying at UC allowed me to really focus on the theory and concept behind design, stretching my boundaries to produce a much freer expression."   

Contact: 0419 605 274

UC Communications

Gaye Morrison
T: 02 6201 5855
M: 0409 470 755

Kaddie Pass
T: 02 6201 2681

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Last Updated on August 1, 2005