Victoria University is lauding its newly introduced first year learning model following a significant spike in the number of first round offers it was able to make.
In total, the university made 3804 first round offers through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre.
The number is a 6.5 per cent increase in the number of offers made by the university last year, despite the university having the same or, in some cases, higher entry requirements for courses in 2018 and fewer courses on offer.
The rise is the largest recorded among Victoria’s nine universities.
Victoria University vice chancellor Peter Dawkins attributed the rise to the new teaching model.
“This is a strong endorsement for our new First Year teaching model which will be unique to Australia,” Professor Dawkins said.
“The system of learning, which has been used throughout Sweden for 50 years and for more than 40 years in parts of North America, maximises the ability of students to master each unit of study.” Rather than juggling four study units throughout a 16-week semester, first year students at the university complete one unit every four weeks, studying in smaller groups with one lecturer.
“The new teaching model excited a lot of VCE students when we visited secondary colleges,” Professor Dawkins said. “It will be great for them as they transition from school to university and are able to see exactly how they are tracking every four weeks.”
Nursing proved to be the most popular course among school leavers, with 458 first round offers made for the university’s bachelor of nursing course.
Bachelor of business (255), bachelor of paramedicine (229) and bachelor of education (160) rounded out the top four.
While the new teaching model is designed to benefit school leavers, Professor Dawkins said mature age students will also enjoy its advantages. “Juggling work or home responsibilities with university can be a challenge but this teaching model, which we have seen first-hand, has shown us how much more helpful this learning model is.”
