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The UTS model of learning

The UTS Model of Learning requires an integrated approach to curriculum design that enables students to experience diverse forms of professional practice, international and intercultural engagement, research and cutting edge technologies. All courses will enable students to experience the UTS Model of Learning in ways appropriate for their disciplines and areas of professional practice. Each subject in a course may focus on only one aspect of the model or on several aspects, but the course as a whole will embed all aspects. 

The UTS Model of Learning outlines three important aspects of a practice-oriented education:

As UTS students progress from orientation to graduation, their courses should provide rich and varied opportunities for them to experience the aspects of the model and to bring them together, developing the attributes of graduates from their courses and enabling them to be life-long learners.

This series of slides provides a useful Summary of the UTS Model of Learning (pdf 4.8MB) and its three components.

Integrating the UTS Model of Learning into the curriculum

Students experience the UTS Model of Learning through the curriculum of UTS courses and their engagement in extra-curricular activities and university life. Within the curriculum, the UTS model implies an integrated approach to curriculum design across the different years and subjects of a course.

Integration across years means that students will begin to engage with all aspects of the model in their first year and broaden and deepen their engagement as they move through their courses. Integration across subjects means that students will experience the whole model and how the themes relate to each other within their overall course experience. Most subjects will not address all aspects of the model, but will focus on one or more of them as appropriate for the subject and disciplinary or professional field. Some subjects might focus on practice orientation, others on international or intercultural engagement and others on research integration, while others will bring combinations of these together so that students experience their connections.

Student engagement with the UTS model in the curriculum

The following descriptions of hypothetical UTS students Emma and Cheung provide two examples of how students might experience the UTS model of learning in an integrated way inside and outside the course curriculum. The vignettes from Emma and Cheung illustrate possibilities for student engagement with the UTS model and highlight a few of the opportunities that exist for students at UTS and there are many more.

Emma’s experience of the UTS model of learning

Emma is a school leaver from Western Sydney. She starts at UTS with a course orientation game where her cross-cultural team investigates a current issue and presents what they’ve learned about the topic and each other’s cultures. In one first year subject, she is inspired by lecturers and research students who talk about their research and its relevance to society. In another, her team interviews a professional from industry and makes a podcast to share with other students. Other groups have interviewed professionals from other countries and cultures, and Emma writes a blog entry where she discusses similarities and differences. She likes listening to people who have worked in developing countries and decides that she would like to have some overseas work experience. She registers with the BUiLD program and participates in seminars where students share what they have learned on international experiences.

By the end of second year, Emma has done several subjects that have engaged her with current practice, research and technologies. She knows that the inquiry and analytical skills that she is learning will be useful for her future career. She has engaged in simulations and does experiments in virtual labs where she can log in from home to the latest industry equipment, and test out ideas. She has a practice experience as a volunteer with an international organisation, and uses her e-portfolio to reflect on her experiences and share what she’s learning with peers.

In her final year, before her capstone project, Emma chooses a subject where cross-disciplinary teams design, build and market a sustainable product. Emma’s team includes students from every Faculty and they collaborate with an Indigenous community group to develop a healthcare product for people in Indigenous communities. Their project is chosen to enter a national competition. By the time she graduates, Emma has an impressive e-portfolio that demonstrates the professional, cross-cultural, research and creative attributes that she has developed. She takes a graduate position with a multinational company and joins their community volunteering program.

Cheung’s experience of the UTS model of learning

Cheung arrives from China just in time for international orientation. Peer networkers introduce him to other students from his course, talk about learning at UTS and introduce him to the Aussie BBQ. In one of his first subjects, he learns intercultural and disciplinary communication and teamwork skills and uses vodcasts from professionals and graduates that show different career paths. In another, professors give examples from their research in lectures, and Cheung’s team does a small inquiry project and creates a poster for the subject showcase.

In Cheung’s second year, he is accepted as an international peer networker. He is aware of how his view of different cultures and countries has broadened and how he has learned to think critically about ideas. Several of his subjects use case studies of practice and one involves a computer simulation where Cheung’s team interacts with teams in Asia and Europe. His favorite subject involves a research project where students collaborate with lecturers to collect and analyse data from a range of countries and cultural groups. He becomes interested in research, joins the Student Jobs@UTS program and gains a job as a student research assistant doing literature searching.

In third year, Cheung chooses the same cross-disciplinary subject as Emma and is in her successful team. By the time Cheung completes his undergraduate course, his portfolio emphasises the research and intercultural skills that he has developed. He decides to do Honours and hopes to go on to a PhD.