Transcript for video UTS College: your way to UTS.
Fiona Davidson:
Welcome everybody. Welcome to our session today, your way to UTS. My name is Fiona Davidson and I’m from UTS College, and I’m your host this morning.
Fiona Davidson:
I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation upon whose ancestral lands UTS now stands. I would like to pay our respect to the elders, both past and present, as the traditional custodians of knowledge for this land.
Fiona Davidson:
I also acknowledge the challenges of the past two years for many of us, and I appreciate many of you here today may not have achieved the results you were hoping for.
Fiona Davidson:
So I trust we have an agenda that will cover your information needs as you are looking for options. What we’ll be going through today is what is the pathway and what we do at UTS college. We’ve got a student panel, so you can hear from the students themselves. We’ll go through what our pathway programs are, the type of student support there is for you, and how to apply.
Fiona Davidson:
We’ll also have a live Q and A function at the end, but please, if you’ve got questions, please enter them through the seminar. We’ve got a team behind to answer any of your questions. So use the Q and A function for that.
Fiona Davidson:
So to help explain our pathway programs, I’d like to introduce Sue Sherringham, one of our program managers at UTS College. Sue has over 25 years experience in education, across secondary, vocational, and tertiary education sectors. And she leads the curriculum design that focus on the development of 21st century skills and knowledge integration and thinking, specifically to prepare students for university.
Fiona Davidson:
Hi Sue.
Sue Sherringham:
Hi Fiona. Thank you for that introduction.
Fiona Davidson:
Well, it just goes to show how much research goes behind the program. So it’s great to have you today. Can you explain what a pathway is exactly?
Sue Sherringham:
Yes, I can. And before I do that, I’d just like to welcome everyone who’s joined us today. And got lots of good information for you.
Sue Sherringham:
So what is a pathway program? Well, essentially it’s an alternate entry to university, and it provides the opportunity for students who have just missed out on direct entry into university. And it allows them to start university studies with us.
Sue Sherringham:
You’ll be studying the same subjects and progressing in the same way that students at the university will be progressing. And it means that you don’t lose any time. And you are learning the same things as students at UTS.
Sue Sherringham:
We also offer pathways that lead to the majority of courses at UTS and the majors that they entail, and this means that students coming to study with us are pretty… Well, spoiled for choice, really. There’s unlimited choice for their destination degree at UTS.
Fiona Davidson:
Great. Thank you, Sue. And can you tell us why first year at university is so important, and how this informs the design of pathway programs?
Sue Sherringham:
Yes, first year is a critical time for students. Moving from high school to university study is quite a big step. And for most students it can be quite daunting and sometimes overwhelming.
Sue Sherringham:
You’ve got new faces, new places, new expectations and ways of doing things, and sometimes the adjustment is really just too much for some students. Entering a new culture, an academic culture, can be quite foreign, and students are really expected to comprehend and do things on their own in many situations. So it’s really critical for students to get off to a good start.
Sue Sherringham:
So pathway programs are designed to address many of these challenges and to help students transition to university study. This means helping students to really develop their confidence, feel connected to their studies, to their peers and to their teachers, and to develop academic capabilities and resourcefulness so they can be independent and proactive and really purposeful learners.
Sue Sherringham:
So pathways help students to do this, but also to build their identity. What does it mean to be an economist, a designer, a journalist, or a scientist? Or whatever their chosen discipline is?
Sue Sherringham:
So the approach to learning in our programs strengthens the students goals and their identity, which helps them be committed to their studies and to be successful learners.
Fiona Davidson:
I can imagine that really helps, because if they’re not quite confident of their direction in first year, we can really help them with that along the way.
Sue Sherringham:
Absolutely.
Fiona Davidson:
So how is UTS college pathway course different from a typical first year at university?
Sue Sherringham:
Well, it very much builds on what I was just saying, Fiona, that our programs recognize that this is a transitional time for students, and they need to adjust to academic studies and the university environment.
Sue Sherringham:
So it does require students to develop that independence and be proactive in their learning. And we do this really by having smaller classes than the university has, and this enables students to get to know their teachers really well and also their peers. And this creates a friendly and personalized learning environment.
Sue Sherringham:
And really it means that everyone’s part of a collaborative and supporting learning community. And our teachers, who are all excellent teachers, really care very much about the students and put in a lot of effort to ensure student success.
Fiona Davidson:
And what is the personalized support that is offered to the students?
Sue Sherringham:
Okay, so both teachers and coordinators are responsible for monitoring student progress and engagement, and they work closely with students to overcome the challenges that they might be facing.
Sue Sherringham:
So understanding particular content or assessment requirements, for example, or teachers and coordinators can also differentiate the learning requirements if students are facing external challenges or have particular learning needs or disability.
Sue Sherringham:
The learning requirements can be adjusted, so personalized, to really accommodate students different learning contexts.
Fiona Davidson:
And how does UTS College help those students that could be at risk at falling behind or falling through the cracks?
Sue Sherringham:
Yes, that’s a good question. So alongside the teacher engagement and support, we use something that’s called dropout detective, which is part of our learning management system.
Sue Sherringham:
And in the background, this monitors student activity and engagement with the course materials and assessments. And it helps identify students who are at risk, who may not be participating or submitting assignments.
Sue Sherringham:
And once students have been identified, we have an early intervention strategy. And this means that students can be referred to HELPS, which is our learning support unit. They have access to Studiosity, which is a 24 7 online tutoring service that really supports them across a range of learning areas. They have study success advisors, and study success advisors can help on many fronts in including course choice, helping changing subjects, but also helping with challenges outside the classroom.
Sue Sherringham:
There’s also a really strong focus on what we call teacher presence, and this is really about the teacher being available and being contactable and responding to students. And students are made aware of how they can reach out for that support and know when and how the teacher will respond to them. And often regular check-ins are set up so we can make sure students get back on track, stay on track, and can achieve really successful outcomes.
Fiona Davidson:
Yeah, that’s so huge that teacher presence piece, because as we all know from our own education and for those of us parents with the kids, if you’ve got an amazing teacher, makes a big difference.
Fiona Davidson:
And I love the idea of Studiosity, of the 24 7, as I myself used to maybe do some late night all-night essays. Not that our students would do that because they’re taught time management, but it’s sounds like a good service.
Sue Sherringham:
Yep, there’s always those occasions when that 24 7 helps, it’s really, really great.
Fiona Davidson:
Absolutely. Awesome, well thank you so much, Sue.
Fiona Davidson:
And if you’ve got more questions for Sue please them in the Q and A and we’ll bring her back at the end of the panel.
Fiona Davidson:
So thank you, Sue.
Fiona Davidson:
Great, so now we get to hear from the students and their experience of studying at UTS College, and going through a pathway. So they’re all successful, well-rounded students, we’re proud to say.
Fiona Davidson:
We have Chris who’ll be leading our panel, and we have Suad and Talia.
Fiona Davidson:
Hi guys.
Chris:
Hello hello.
Fiona Davidson:
Hi, I will leave you to it.
Chris:
Sure thing.
Chris:
Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much for attending and congratulations on getting your results, whatever they may be.
Chris:
But we’re here to look to the future now.
Chris:
I’m here with Suad, Talia, and myself, and we’ll be just sharing a bit about our student experiences studying at UTS College.
Chris:
Now I thought I’d start off, today’s a bit of a throwback for all of us when we do get our marks and do look to our options to go to UTS College.
Chris:
Let’s start off with Suad, how were you feeling when you got your results and what motivated you to go to UTS College?
Suad:
Okay, so when I got my results I was really stressed out, because it was not high enough to get into the course I wanted to at UTS. So I was just in a frantic trying to find pathways into it.
Suad:
And then I took a break from that, went on Facebook, and an ad popped up for UTS College. And because our phones are listening to us, listening to me cry, I then clicked on the ad because I had a really good feeling about it. And then I read up on the website about what UTS College is, who they are, what they do. And I thought it was perfect for my situation at the time.
Suad:
And I applied and now I’m here. So that’s what got me to apply to UTS College.
Chris:
Mm, lightning strikes with ads.
Suad:
Yeah.
Chris:
Talia, how about you?
Talia:
So yeah, I think I definitely was very anxious. And I think sounds very common with students getting their ATAR is they worry about everyone else and how you’re going to do in comparison to all your friends and whatnot. So I was really worried about that.
Talia:
And I didn’t get the ATAR I needed to get into the course I wanted, but through the UTS handbook I found the pathway section and it mentioned UTS College. So I applied for that.
Talia:
And what really motivated me to go forward with my application to the college was that it allowed me to fast-track into second year after my diploma, and that made me feel like I wouldn’t lag behind everyone else and all my friends that went to university straight away.
Talia:
So yeah, I was able to do that pathway and still be up to speed with everyone else.
Chris:
That’s right, and that’s one of the main reasons that we chose UTS College, all of us, very much so. Suad, so just wondering, obviously going from high school to university is quite daunting for everyone who chooses to. What was your experience transitioning from high school to studying at the UTS College, getting a taste for what university work is like?
Suad:
So my experience, I feel like the transition was actually pretty easy. I went into uni thinking that the teachers wouldn’t care and that it would be all on me, very individual learning. And then I went to UTS college and the classes… Because the classes are smaller it’s like high school. And that means there’s more one-on-one learning, which was really helpful for me. Because as mentioned before, when teachers get a feel that you’re not doing too well, if you need more help, they put that olive branch out for you to grab it. And it actually really changed my experience. It made it so much better and it pushed me to do so much better too with my marks.
Suad:
So the teachers actually caring really surprised me, but they do really care if you pass, and they will push you to pass which is really just amazing. And it surprised me so much.
Suad:
So the transition wasn’t like just a very 100 step up, it was just like, oh, you’re in uni now. But teachers still care and you’re still getting that one-on-one learning, which was great for me.
Chris:
Yeah, that definitely… The support of the tutors do help a lot, both… Honestly, in my experience, and I’m sure both of you too, both at UTS college and UTS very much so.
Chris:
But they don’t just offer the support from the tutors, there’s also additional support.
Chris:
Talia, we do have some additional support services as Sue talked about, Studiosity and all that. Have you had much experience with those support services during your time at UTS College, and how were they?
Talia:
Yeah, so I think one of the biggest things for me going to UTS College was in high school I had disability provisions, and when I applied for the college they really made sure to cater to my disabilities and any provisions I would need for exams or assignments.
Talia:
So when I’d applied I had a success advisor call me up straight away, discuss my provisions and how they could make me comfortable in my learning. So that was really helpful.
Talia:
And yeah, I used Studiosity quite a lot for a lot of my reports and chem and stuff, and I found that super helpful as well. So they really do cater to disabilities and just helping you learn in general.
Chris:
Mm, all those additional needs people might have, very much so.
Chris:
Okay, so I guess the pressing question on everyone’s mind is that… The spicy one is obviously students, for the audience, students want to transit directly into UTS, and UTS College gives them that opportunity through our guaranteed entry that we can provide.
Chris:
Now, obviously transitioning from UTS College from high school, huge thing, but also from UTS College to UTS. Suad, how was your experience in terms of going into UTS from UTS College? Like how’s the transition? How prepared did you feel once you started studying at UTS?
Suad:
I felt pretty prepared because the courses… The deployment that I did at UTS College, it built that foundation of knowledge. And then the transition was pretty seamless for me as well, because UTS College provided an information session where you could go into campus, because it was after lockdown, which was really exciting.
Suad:
And then I went into campus, there was information session, and they provided all the information you needed to transition. And they also provided contact details if you needed assistance after you left the session. And so I just followed those steps, and it was very internal, which was very easy. And then I just switched over to UTS and it was really simple.
Chris:
And also just for disclosure, just to disclose, we’ve been around the campus, UTS Campus, while still studying at the UTS College. So I’m sure we’ve already had a… We definitely spent a lot of time at the various buildings while still studying at the college, right?
Suad:
Yep, I was a UTS College student but I was there so much, as soon as lockdown opened I was at the UTS campus all the time, level seven, just sitting there studying, doing all my assignments with all my UTS College friends. It was the best.
Chris:
So many lovely buildings to choose from.
Suad:
I know, there’s so many options.
Chris:
Okay, so just to wrap up, let’s discuss some advice or quick tips that we would have for students looking to study at UTS College, but also going into university in general.
Chris:
Talia, do you have anything to share?
Talia:
I think if you’re considering going to UTS College I’d say go in with an open mind. I know when you’re leaving high school and you get your ATAR, a lot of people around you are going to be going straight into university.
Talia:
And if you need to take a pathway course, that’s okay. And I think that should be kept in mind when you are looking at all your options, you don’t have to go the conventional route to get into uni. And we can provide that support to help you get to where you want to be.
Chris:
Mm, very much so. A pathway’s just a pathway to get you to the next step.
Chris:
Suad, how about you?
Suad:
I would definitely say go out there and educate yourself and know all your options, because there are options out there for you. Don’t be discouraged because of your ATAR mark, you can do it. If you put your mind to it I think you can achieve amazing things. And definitely follow your gut feeling and your heart, because I had a good gut feeling when I saw that ad after it heard me. And I followed it and now I’m at my dream course at UTS.
Suad:
So I definitely… That’s number one, follow your gut and your heart.
Chris:
Excellent. And if I had any advice for myself, it’s time to start learning as an adult. So it’s important to build those skills up even earlier at the UTS College. Going to all your classes, meeting as many people in your classes as possible, and building a community around you so that you all succeed as you work together and to study together. That’s very important for UTS College, but it’s also very important once you do transition over into UTS.
Chris:
That wraps up our section now. Thank you very much, I’ll hand it back to Fiona. And good luck everyone. Thank you very much.
Fiona Davidson:
Great. Thanks Chris. Thanks Suad and Talia. And great advice, Chris, about… And really studying that journey of becoming an independent learner, so thank you very much.
Fiona Davidson:
Right, so next. And so Chris and Suad and Talia, they are all available at our information booth. So if you’ve got more question for them, come and visit us. We’re right at the end, keep scrolling. Keep scrolling left and you’ll find our virtual booth. So it’d be great to have those one-on-one chats with them if you’ve got extra questions.
Fiona Davidson:
But you can also… They’re going to be here for a little while so put your questions in the Q and A with us as well.
Fiona Davidson:
So now we’re getting down more into the nuts and bolts. So we’ve heard about the what’s, the whys. So I’d like to introduce Alene, she’s going to talk to us really about how our diplomas are that first year, and the different types of diplomas, and how you just catch up with your friends with most of our diplomas.
Fiona Davidson:
So I will hand over to you, Alene.
Alene:
Thank you, Fiona, and welcome everyone.
Alene:
Yes, I’m going to explain a bit in more details the diploma we offer, the kind of pathway, what it looks like, and how we can help you go to UTS.
Alene:
So let’s have a look at the diploma programs we offer. We have six diplomas. We have the diploma of business, the diploma of communication, diploma of design and architecture, diploma of engineering, diploma of IT. And the diploma of science.
Alene:
Majority of them will lead straight into the second year, with some exceptions. For instance, diploma design and architecture, if you’re interested into this diploma please talk to us or on the chat after this session and we can explain to you how it works. Because you will get some credit points so we can waive some subjects for you, we can explain everything later.
Alene:
Let’s have a look also at the majors that you can elect once you have chosen your discipline. So it’s not just one area, it’s not because you do business it’s just going to be business. You have different majors that you can choose.
Alene:
So among business you’ve got about eight majors, which can be finance, can be marketing and other things. Diploma of design and architecture, you’ve got several options as well. I’m not going to go through all of them, but what I advise you to do is actually go online on our website. If you click on the program and the discipline you want to study, then you have the list of the majors and the credit points. So meaning how many credits you will get once you go to UTS. So that’s where got all of the information that you need.
Alene:
The diploma of communication, you’ll have… You can choose between six majors, for instance, can be journalism, political science. Can you go back one slide as well, please?
Alene:
Yeah, diploma of engineering you can choose between 10 majors, and the diploma of IT you’ve got several as well. And the diploma of science many majors that you can choose.
Alene:
So you can choose at the time of application, but why you study the diploma with us? If you change your mind just before you start at UTS, you can do that as well, as long as you speak with your study success advisors. We’ve talked about them just before with Sue. So yeah, these are the options that you have.
Alene:
Now, let’s have a look at all of the options you have in terms of duration. So we have six diplomas, as I said, depending on the discipline you want to study. But we also have three different durations. So it really depends on when you want to start with us and when you want to start at UTS, but also your academic skills. So it really depends on the results you have as well. And I get back into that a bit later throughout this presentation.
Alene:
So we’ve got the accelerated diploma, this one is eight months. We have the standard diploma, this one is 12 months and I’d say probably the most popular one. And I’ll explain why. And we have the extensive diploma, this one is longer, it’s 16 months. So you basically have to study a bit of more subjects than the rest.
Alene:
Accelerated and standard, you study exactly the same number of subjects. So obviously the accelerated one, the eight months one, the workload is a bit more intense because it’s the same number of subjects but condensed within eight months.
Alene:
So if you feel like you can keep up and you meet the entry requirements, you could do that. For instance, if you wanted to take a bit of a break after your diploma before going on to UTS, you could definitely do that.
Alene:
So yeah, these are the main difference. The extended one, if you miss out on the entry for standard or accelerated, we still have this option for you. You just have an extra four months to study so that you can basically catch up and just be with the rest of the students.
Alene:
So why students choose our pathway? You have different options obviously, lots of pathway options, but the only one that will take you straight forward to UTS is UTS College. And we have different reasons why.
Alene:
As we said before, the entries [inaudible 00:24:00] into UTS. And the reason why is because all of our courses are actually designed with UTS, so it’s always relevant with what UTS students are also studying. It’s the same first year subjects. That’s why most of them, you can go straight into the second year at UTS or you can get some credit points and waive some subjects once you go to UTS.
Alene:
Susan has explained quite a lot as well about the support. And we have a list again of those support, and I’ll get back to that later. And on top of everything else, you also have access to UTS facilities. And I have a little map to show you right after.
Alene:
So we are part of UTS campus. We’re part of UTS facilities and the family of UTS as well. So you are considered as being a UTS student. You can go and join the clubs at UTS, and they have more than 100. We also have our own club at UTS College, and we encourage you to join the club so that you can make lots of friends.
Alene:
You also can have access to the library, to the campus, I said that, to the social activities, lots of things happening at UTS. So we are very much part of UTS family. And yes, it’s the most straightforward pathway for you guys if your heart is set on UTS.
Alene:
So this is what a pathway looks like, and that’s what your journey would probably look like. It’s just an example if you were studying business with us. So we look at your high school… I’ll get back into that, but we look at your high school results not your ATAR. Once we know what your HSC results is then you can determine which direction you want to do. So the eight months, the 12 months, or the 16 months.
Alene:
And then we will determine your GPA at the end of the diploma. GPA is a grade point average, and that’s what you will leave so that you can secure your place at UTS into the second year if you were doing business, for instance.
Alene:
Yeah, and then you get the 48 credit points so you can go straight into the second year.
Alene:
I think there is a map right after, yes. So we are right in the city. So UTS, you might know, it’s just across central station, very easy to get to. UTS College is right there as well, so you can see the little blue building which is right in the middle. And we have several buildings as well on Harry Street. So very much part of this innovation hub in Sydney. So very easy to get to, very easy to go to the library if you need to as well.
Alene:
Yeah, so that’s UTS campus. And I invite you to have a look. It’s very easy to go to the city. Now, just a quick snapshot of all the support that we offer. And remember, it’s not extra support, but as Susan explained just earlier and the student actually explained as well quite well, it’s personalized support. So we have the study success advisors that are here to help you academically, obviously, but if you have some other challenges in your life, please go and talk to them because they can give you really good advice so that you stay on track with your studies.
Alene:
And we make sure that you guys go to UTS, so take advantage of all of the support that they can offer to you. We also have study success workshops that are organized throughout the semester, peer support and one-on-one tutorial as well. Peer support is a great initiative that we’ve put in place, and this is run by former students UTS College that are now at GTS. So they know what it’s like. They know what it’s like to study at UTS College, they were in your shoes a few years before you, so it’s very easy to relate and to have proper conversation.
Alene:
So don’t hesitate to use this service as well. We’ve got the hub center, which is a support center for learning. We’ve talked about Studiosity several times as well, so great way to ensuring that you’ve got live assistance with your writing skills and any assignment that you’ve got to hand in.
Alene:
We also have to acknowledge that it’s been weird, the weird two years that we’ve had were very challenging for everyone but especially on students, knowing that you had to study from home.
Alene:
So we’ve put in place Talk Campus, it’s an app where you can just connect with people. And if you have any challenges in your life, use this service to help you. Don’t think that no one is around to help, there’s always someone to help and listen. We also have IT support if you have any technical challenges, and we also organize sessions for you once you go to UTS.
Alene:
So it’s not just we help you out once you are at UTS College and then we let you go to UTS, we ensure that you know what’s going to happen at the end of the semester before you transition to UTS.
Alene:
So we have those sessions organized, and people from UTS come and explain to you what the next steps will look like and what’s ahead of you. And what’s going to happen once you go to UTS. So we ensure that we support you along the journey.
Alene:
So this is a snapshot of all the support we offer. Now let’s talk about the fees, the fee-help that you can have as well, the entry requirements. I guess this is what you want to hear about, and the intake dates because we’ve got several.
Alene:
So the fees. For this year actually, can you put the next slide piece? So accelerated and extended, so again, the eight months and the 12 months diploma, this year’s going to be $33,000. And the extended, the 16 months, it’s more expensive, $41,000, because you have an extra four months to study and more subjects to study.
Alene:
Yes, it’s more expensive than first year at UTS, but there are some reasons why it’s more expensive. First of all, as I said, you’ve got access to fee-help if you are a domestic student, if you are a citizen. So have a look at our website, we have a section… We have a webpage dedicated to this area, so have a look at the fee-help. And I think I’ve got a few notes as well to explain the documents you need to prepare to ask for fee-help.
Alene:
Also, yes, it’s more expensive, but remember that we are non-for-profit organization. So every cent we collect, we actually reinvest into education with [inaudible 00:30:12] to our campus, into our teaching facilities, into our teachers.
Alene:
So yeah, non-for-profit organization, but also we are not government funded. So unlike other public universities, we do not receive any money from the government. And the last reason also is because as we explained, the ratio per teacher and students is different. At university it can easily be 40 to 50 students in a tutorial, at UTS College we keep it to 20 students per classroom.
Alene:
So the ratio, all the support that we offer, obviously make the cost a bit higher as well. But again, you have fee-help, and this is what you need to prepare to get fee-help sorted.
Alene:
Now the entry requirements. So as I said just a few slides ago, we don’t look at your ATAR, I know this is what you guys have focused on because it’s been two years that we’ve been telling you your ATAR, your ATAR is what matters. For us, we look at the HSC results.
Alene:
So we make the average, we take the best, the four best board developed subjects, including English, and then we make the average. And once we have this average then we can determine whether you can have an offer for the accelerated, for the standard, or for the extended. Remember the three durations. So let’s have a look at what average we’re looking at.
Alene:
So for the accelerated, the eight months program, we look at an average of 75% for the 12 months program, the standard one it’s 67%, and for the extended one is 63%. So don’t panic if you don’t get 67 or 75, we still have the extended diploma of 63% that is available for you. So three different entry points, which is great.
Alene:
Now, the intake dates. So I reckon if you’ve done your HSC already and you’ve got your marks just yesterday, the next intake for you would naturally be the 28th of February. And which is why I was telling you the standard diploma would be probably the most [inaudible 00:32:14], it’s usually the most popular, because you start in February meaning that you will finish on time so that you can go on UTS the year after, you are not wasting your time, there is no gap. It’s a smooth transition, very… It’s all working well together.
Alene:
Now, if you want to take a bit of a break before you start your diploma with us, you can start in June, and we also have another intake in September. If you want to start in February, definitely do so And as I said, if you qualify for the accelerator then you can have a break in between your diploma and your start at UTS. So it’s really your choice.
Alene:
If you want to do architecture, please talk to us because the study plan might be a little different. I’m not going to explain here in too many details, but please log on later on onto our chat and we can explain what those differences are. Okay, these are the dates.
Alene:
The steps to apply, very easy. You don’t need to apply through [inaudible 00:33:08]. You go into our website, there is a section, apply now. It’s very easy, just a few steps, you just need to populate the fields that we are asking you to populate. And then you’ve got a offer letter. So if you already have your HSC results that you must have received yesterday and you qualify, you will receive a full offer letter, meaning that you can accept your offer straight after. So it should take just a few days before you can receive a full offer letter.
Alene:
So I’m going to tell you the sort of documents that you guys need. So fill in the application form as I said. You need a proof of identity, so it can be your Australian passport, your birth certificate, Australian citizenship, or a visa. And your student ID. Also, if you want to have fee-help, as we’ve said before, please prepare your TSN because you will need that so that you can get fee-help.
Alene:
And fee-help is very similar to [inaudible 00:34:00], I didn’t mention [inaudible 00:34:01], very, very similar to [inaudible 00:34:02]. There are some differences but it works pretty much the same. It’s the loan that you make with the government that you can pay back once you start working.
Alene:
If we do have some international students listening to us this morning, you can apply, but please do so with an education agent. If you don’t have an education agent yet or if it’s not an education agent that is authorized by UTS College, we have a list of all of the agents that we work with that are thoroughly screened and chosen. So have a look, talk to them and they can help you with the application, with the visa and everything else. So I encourage you to have a look and they can talk you through as well the scholarships options for you.
Alene:
I think it’s the end. Yes, I’ve covered everything, I think.
Fiona Davidson:
You did, you did. Great job.
Alene:
Good.
Fiona Davidson:
A lot of information.
Alene:
A lot.
Fiona Davidson:
A lot of information. So again, we’ll go to the Q and A. So if you’ve got more questions for Alene, she’s here. And we’ve got Sue as well.
Fiona Davidson:
So I’ll start with, we’ve got some… There’s a great question here.
Fiona Davidson:
Is UTS College, and I’m going to give this one to you, Sue, is UTS College basically an alternative pathway, but just make sure that you don’t waste any time when transferring into the main degree?
Sue Sherringham:
Yes, so essentially UTS College is an alternative pathway, as Alene said, we’re part of the UTS family so it’s a very smooth transition. And it means that students get between 36 and 48 credit points towards their degree, and this generally means students go straight into second year when they finish the diploma.
Fiona Davidson:
Thank you. I’ve got another one, kind of similar but we do get this question a lot, and it’s popped up. What is the difference between UTS and UTS College? Sue.
Fiona Davidson:
It’s like a guessing game here.
Sue Sherringham:
So UTS College is a company, and it’s a not-for-profit company that is actually owned by UTS. We specialize in pathway education, so we specialize in pre-diploma, pre-undergraduate studies, and also then diploma studies.
Sue Sherringham:
And UTS on the other hand is undergraduate up to masters and PhD. They’re a much bigger organization. And we’re quite a small organization which allows us to be much more focused and personal with our students.
Fiona Davidson:
Great. Now I’ve got a… The next question I’m going to throw to both of you, can mature students make it into the college?
Sue Sherringham:
Alene, would you like to answer that? I’ll say absolutely, yes. And you can…
Alene:
Yes, if you have your HSC results, you still have it with you, we will look at that. And if you have the right results then it’s pretty straightforward. It’s the same, whether you’re mature aged students or not. But if you don’t and you have work experience, we’ll have to have a holistic approach to your case and see what we can take into account.
Alene:
So it’s hard to say yes or no, it just depends on your qualification and it depends on your work experience and everything that you’ve done before. Or you might have actually had another qualification at [inaudible 00:37:31] or somewhere else, and we’ll definitely take that into account. Yeah.
Fiona Davidson:
Yeah, we’ve got Nook’s who’s doing a lot of our social, so if you want to check out our TikTok or Instagram account I think he’s online today, and he’s a mature age student. So he’s got some great stories to tell around that piece.
Fiona Davidson:
So we’ve got some very talented students coming through. So Alene, this is a question for you. When do applications open and close?
Alene:
So they are already open, so I invite you to actually lodge your application now if you want to secure your place.
Alene:
We have a date where we can close the application, it’s usually a week before our semester starts. So the semester starts on the 28th of February, so from memory I think the last day is 21st of February but I would just suggest you to do it right away so that you have your full offer and you’ve got this option locked and secure, and you can keep on going through January, February a bit more relaxed and enjoy summer.
Fiona Davidson:
Yeah, exactly.
Fiona Davidson:
And Alene, how long is the process of being accepted?
Alene:
So as I said, just the planning takes just a few steps and then you get your full offer letter. Now that you’ve got HSC results you should be receive your full offer letter if you do qualify for our diploma programs.
Alene:
Once you’ve got that, you can go back into our portal, upload the documents that you might have missed, and accept your offer. It’s just taking a few steps as well, it’s pretty easy. And once you’ve done that, then we take care of the rest. We take care of the TFN. And if you’re good to go then you receive an email to say that the next steps will be to enroll and to start at UTS College.
Alene:
So just a few days, it’s again, very easy. We’ve got a great team to help if you have some questions. We’ve got some videos as well on the website to help you with the process. So yeah, we take good care of you from application up until the end.
Fiona Davidson:
So the deadline to submit the application is-
Alene:
21st of February.
Fiona Davidson:
21st of February. Excellent. Sue, how will our lessons look like? Face to face, online?
Sue Sherringham:
Okay, so the college has a blended learning approach. We’ve actually just invested a lot of money in developing a new model, which is the integrated learning model. So state of the art curriculum and teaching practices, and it involves students coming to campus or face to face learning for a percentage of their subject time.
Sue Sherringham:
So depending on the diploma, for each subject you might be spending between three and a half to five hours face to face for each subject. And then you’re expected to spend at least that much time, again, doing independent study. Some of that will be online and some of it will be just doing your own personal independent reading, research, and assessment work.
Fiona Davidson:
Great. Thank you, Sue. Alene, what happens if I fall a little short of the entry requirements?
Alene:
So again, we have three different entry points. So remember, 67 for the standard and 75 for the accelerated. So these are entry requirements for the main programs.
Alene:
If you’re just below 67 then you’ll get enough for the extended diploma, which starts from 63. If you’re just below, we might consider, but again we’ll have to have a look at other criteria. But usually this is the entry requirements that we will be sticking to.
Fiona Davidson:
Got it. Alene, good question for you. How do I speak with someone if I want more detail for international students?
Alene:
So reach out to your education agent, as I said just before, because international students can’t apply directly. And the reason why is because usually our students are a bit younger than students going into university, and with visa regulation and with all of those changes with borders reopening and everything it’s just too complicated.
Alene:
So we really want you guys, it’s just to help, that you’ve got the help of an agent. And usually ask… Their services are free, so if you don’t have an agent, again, have a look at our website, we’ve got a list of agents per country. We have a lot of agents that are here in Australia as well that we work with closely and we trust them, so that would be the first step. Find an education agent and we can help you out.
Fiona Davidson:
Thank you.
Fiona Davidson:
Sue, how many students are in each classroom, lectures, and tutorials?
Sue Sherringham:
Okay, so with the new model we don’t really have lectures anymore, which means that all of all of your classes are going to be much smaller. And our class size is really around the 20 student mark, so it’s a really great size to be able to develop those one-on-one relationships and really get to know your teacher and your peers.
Fiona Davidson:
Great.
Fiona Davidson:
Sue, another one for you. Where will the classes be held, UTS College or at UTS?
Sue Sherringham:
Okay, so essentially UTS College and UTS, as Alene demonstrated in her map, we’re all in the same precinct and we do share buildings. So essentially our campuses are pretty much enmeshed one and the same. And more and more as time goes by over this year, the UTS College campus is really going to be very much a part of the UTS campus. And we’ll all just be one family.
Fiona Davidson:
Sounds excellent.
Fiona Davidson:
Well, I think that’s pretty much it for our questions. Oh, yes Sue, sorry.
Sue Sherringham:
I just wanted to add one more thing. While you’re studying with us in the diplomas, if you have specialist areas of study, quite often your classes will be on UTS campus in the same facilities as the students. So science, engineering classes can be held in the main facilities on the campus. And of course the library and all the other facilities are open to you. So it really is just like one big campus.
Fiona Davidson:
And that super lab’s pretty fun.
Fiona Davidson:
Excellent. Thank you, and thank you both for your time today.
Fiona Davidson:
So look, I’ll start wrapping it up. So look, for the audience, if there’s… Look, what’s next for you. So we do have some more events so visit our UTS College website.
Fiona Davidson:
So we’ve got a good one. If you want to talk too one-on-one to those program managers, so the design program manager, the communications program manager, we’ve got some great one-on-ones so that’ll be over Zoom. We have another info session similar to this in the evening on the 2nd of February.
Fiona Davidson:
We’ve also, I’ll go through… We can talk to the students, but really apply now. It’s not like you actually have to pay for it. As Alene says, just apply now and you’ve got us in your system. So it doesn’t impact what you’re doing on UX, so if you change anything tonight, it’s… Well, tonight’s your deadline. Please do that.
Fiona Davidson:
So I’ll just go to the next slide. So we’ve got lots of extra activities. If you want to speak to our students, we’ve got our lovely students, they’ll be on Instagram live this afternoon. So any mature age students go, and I think Nooks will be on. But we’ve definitely got Suad who will be live there.
Fiona Davidson:
We’ve got our students who will be in the booth until three o’clock. If you want one of us to give you a call back, we’ve got a study success team, just scan that QR code and then you just fill in your information and when you want a call back. So lots of ways to get more information for you.
Fiona Davidson:
So I wish you all the luck today in finding your options. And if you’ve got some more questions you can put them in the Q and A, we’ll try and keep it open for a little bit so the team behind can answer your questions.
Fiona Davidson:
But thank you for your time. Good luck with finding your different way, and we hope to see you with us or with UTS in the very near future.
Fiona Davidson:
So take care. Thank you.