Professional Learning Model in Higher Education

1
Professional Learning Model in Higher Education

• Professor Margaret MazzoliniPro Vice Chancellor
  (Learning Teaching)Acting DVC
  (Academic)Swinburne University of
  TechnologyAugust 2009

2
The Professional Learning Model

• Within the Swinburne Professional Learning Model,
  undergraduates
• Undertake a range of real-world learning
  activities,
• Receive feedback on their development of
  employability skills
• Become increasingly capable in their chosen
  disciplines.

adding value to students' learning, to their
employment prospects on graduation and to their
career skills and options for the future.
3
Professional Learning Model - Implementation

• 3 main initiatives
• The Curriculum Framework Project
• 5 year renewal process across the undergraduate
  programs in all Faculties,
• Emphasises real world student-centred learning,
  and
• Based on existing examples of good practice that
  can be generalized across Higher Education.
• The Swinburne Flexible Academic Calendar, and
• The Swinburne Flexible Degree Structure for
  3-year degrees.

4
Professional Learning Model - characteristics

• The Professional Learning Model development
  opportunities for students include
• Real world learning opportunities,
• Complementary studies,
• Career development,
• Professional placement options,
• International study options,
• Industry-focused capstone projects as a
  transition to professional practice.
• Flexibility and options to speed up, slow down or
  spread out studies.

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The Professional Learning Model Features

• Swinburne Real World Learning opportunities
  include
• Industry, community and research-based projects
• Industry-Based Learning, professional placements
  and internships
• Industry and research visits and speakers
• Case studies and scenarios
• Study tours and external profession-based
  competitions
• Problem-based studio-based learning

6
The Professional Learning Model Features

• Professional Learning development opportunities
  include Complementary Studies
• Electives Plus
• Minor Studies designed to strengthen
  employability and broaden career skills,
  including Establishing and Running a Business,
  Sustainability, Effective Communications, Design
  for non-designers,
• Wide range of major, co-major and minor study
  combinations
• Possible cross disciplinary combinations such as
  Design with Innovation, Psychology with
  Marketing, Commerce with Japanese,

7
The Professional Learning Model Features

• Professional Learning development opportunities
  include Career Development
• Careers in the Curriculum
• All Swinburne undergraduates complete a
  zero-cost unit to develop career planning and
  career management skills
• Normally undertaken in second year
• Delivered by Careers and Employment Unit
  Extensive support offered in final year to
  graduating students
• Continuing support available for 2 years, post
  graduation

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The Professional Learning Model Features

• Professional Learning development opportunities
  include Professional Placement Options
• Industry Based Learning (IBL)
• Scheme in place for over 40 years
• Placing typically 500 second year students each
  year
• Design Industry Placements
• Internships, Work Integrated Learning projects
• Professional Year opportunities

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The Professional Learning Model Features

• Professional Learning development opportunities
  include International Study Opportunities
• One of top 10 Australian universities for student
  mobility
• Study Abroad options
• Wide range of study tours
• Study with Swinburne in Kuching, Malaysia
• Full semesters
• Winter Term Electives Plus
• Study Tours

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The Professional Learning Model Features

• Professional Learning development opportunities
  include industry-focused Capstone Projects
• providing professionally focused learning
  experiences as the transition to professional
  practice,
• real-world activities and challenges in a
  supportive, collaborative environment,
• externally-sourced industry and community
  projects, competitions, research-based projects
  or internally developed briefs.

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The Professional Learning Model Features

• Structured support for student learning
• Academic Orientation coordinated across all
  Faculties
• Academic Success Programs
• Language and Academic Support, Analysing
  Writing English
• Student Advocacy, Counselling, Health services
• Swinburne Student Amenities Association

12
The Professional Learning Model Features

• Swinburne digital learning environment
• All campuses fully wireless networked,
• Late lab computer access,
• Laptop loans,
• Extended hours library access online access,
• Blackboard course management system,
• Student News blog,
• Lectopia podcasts, iTunesU

13
The Professional Learning Model Degree Types

• Swinburne undergraduate degrees include
• Wide range of 3 year degrees with professional
  outcomes
• Specialist 3-year degrees (incl. Aviation,
  Bachelor of IT)
• New tagged 3-year degree outcomes,
• 4 year engineering degrees (incl. civil,
  mechanical, electrical, robotics mechatronics,
  telecommunications, product design engineering)
• Flexible double degree combinations
• 1 year Honours degrees

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The Professional Learning Model 3 Year CMS
Degrees

• New Common Modular Structure for Major, Co-Major
  and Minor studies
• Standardised rules
• Ensuring sufficient depth of knowledge and skills
  
• Providing greater choice to take broadening
  studies or further specialist studies (breadth
  or depth)
• Professional Majors incorporating Professional
  Learning features
• Emphasising choices of Major/Co-Majors/Minor
  studies rather than individual units of study
• Creating new industry-relevant degree
  combinations from across disciplines

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The Professional Learning Model Professional
Majors

• 3 year CMS degree types and typical Professional
  Majors
• Bachelor of Arts Digital Media, Journalism,
  Sustainability Mgt, ...
• Bachelor of Commerce Entrepreneurship
  Innovation, Commercial Law ...
• Bachelor of Business Management, Public
  Relations, Tourism Mgt,
• Bachelor of Science Biotechnology, Environmental
  Sustainability, ...
• Bachelor of Social Science Community Health,
  Politics Public Policy, ...
• Bachelor of ICT Network Design Security,
  Multimedia Games Devt.,
• Bachelor of Design Communications, Industrial,
  Multimedia, Interior ...
• Bachelor of Communications Public Relations,
  Media Communications, ...
• Bachelor of Film Television Film Television

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The Professional Learning Model Structure

• 3 year CMS degrees consist of 24 units of study,
  made up of
• Professional Majors (16 units)
• Clear career outcomes
• Integrated Professional Learning features
• plus
• Wide range of complementary Co-Majors/Minors
• Co-Majors (8 units), or
• Minors (4 units), including Electives Plus minors
• allowing choice of depth or breadth
• Options Plus (new).
• 18 units in the case of Accounting

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The Professional Learning Model Flexibility

• Flexibility of common degree structure
• Ease of movement between programs
• New options to extend single degree studies ?
  double degrees
• Simplified progression from TAFE diplomas into
  Bachelor degrees
• Flexibility of delivery
• Open Universities Australia (OUA) undergraduate
  degrees (Business, Behavioural Studies,
  Information Systems)

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The Professional Learning Model Flexibility

• The Flexible Academic Calendar

• Allows students to speed up, slow down or spread
  out their studies by enrolling in one or two
  units in 6-week Winter Summer Terms,
• Electives Plus and other Minors on offer in
  Winter Term,
• Winter Term Electives Plus in Sarawak, Malaysia.

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The Professional Learning Model In to the future

• Likely future expansion of flexibility and
  options for our students
• Integrated TAFE-HED pathways VET quals embedded
  into degrees
• Postgraduate coursework programs what could be
  common features, what is the Swinburne learning
  experience?

Swinburne combines teaching, research and
industry expertise, within a supportive real
world learning environment which produces great
professional outcomes for its graduates.
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Professional Learning Model in Higher Education

• Professor Margaret MazzoliniPro Vice Chancellor
  (Learning Teaching)Acting DVC
  (Academic)Swinburne University of
  TechnologyAugust 2009