Information for students

UTS: Education caters for a broad range of educational practitioners' professional development needs, from primary through to adult workplace teaching and learning. Undergraduate and postgraduate courses in teacher and adult education provide a rich program combining theory and practice with unique opportunities to discover more about learning in a variety of contexts — in schools, vocational colleges, corporations and learning centres in Australia and overseas. UTS: Education is located on City campus and Kuring-gai campus.

Credit recognition policy

UTS: Education recognises both formal and informal prior learning. For more information consult the policy on credit recognition at:

Student support

UTS: Education helps students develop their learning skills through services provided by the following support units.

Academic liaison officers

As part of UTS: Education's equity plan, an academic liaison officer is available at each campus to help students with physical, psychiatric and medical issues and other special needs. The liaison officers negotiate with lecturers on students' behalf for any reasonable adjustments required to ensure equity of educational opportunity. This may include provision of signers, notetakers, extensions of time, alternative assessment tasks and special exam conditions.

Computing facilities for UTS: Education students

City campus

At Building 10 (CB10) on City campus, UTS: Education has a digital media learning space. This facility incorporates leading-edge concepts in educational design and technology. The computer facility provides powerful Macintosh computers with a suite of common up-to-date software installed for document production, web authoring, video and image editing, internet and email access. They are compatible with a range of foreign language fonts. Printing and scanning facilities are also available for students. UTS: Education students have access to these facilities when classes are not in progress.

Presentations in Building 10 teaching spaces may be complemented by data projectors linked to electronic lecterns. These integrate an internet-connected computer, DVD player, VHS player, document imager and sound system for media rich learning experiences. A number of mini-studios with camera, lighting and playback facilities allow students to videotape and review presentations. Building 10 also contains a general access computing laboratory and a computer kiosk on the street level. These are available to enrolled students 14 hours a day.

Kuring-gai campus

There are five computer laboratories for students' use at Kuring-gai campus. Four of these have Windows-based computers installed and offer an excellent range of software. The largest lab is the Macintosh lab where many of the courses are conducted. This lab contains 30 new networked multimedia computers, a laser printer and a scanner. Students have free access to this lab and a large range of software when classes are not in progress. There is also a collection of educational software and a digital art facility. Students have access to the internet and their own email account from all the computers in the laboratories.

International links

UTS: Education has a history of strong international links and has offered programs in Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, the South Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa.

UTS: Education has seen increasing numbers of international students from Japan, China, South Korea and from countries in Africa and the Middle East. The most popular courses with international students are in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), a language major in secondary teaching, e-learning, and individual subjects done in study abroad programs.

In the teacher education courses students have the opportunity to do overseas practicums in Thailand, Samoa and China. The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies is also available as a combined degree with UTS: Education undergraduate degrees and offers students the opportunity to live and study overseas in a country of choice for two semesters.

Teacher education

UTS: Education offers pre-service teacher education courses at Kuring-gai campus for beginning teachers in primary and secondary education.

Primary education is offered in a full-length Bachelor of Education degree, which may be taken as a four-year Bachelor of Education in Primary Education (C10206) or as a five-year combined Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (C10208). Both courses provide a fully recognised teaching qualification in primary education. There is also a non-teaching qualification exit option, the Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies (C10209), for students who complete three years of study.

Secondary education is offered as a graduate-entry program, the Bachelor of Teaching in Secondary Education (C08002) for students with an undergraduate degree in an area of specialisation. It is available in the following specialised areas: English; languages; mathematics; personal development, health and physical education; science; visual arts; English/history; mathematics/science; mathematics/computer studies; and business studies/economics/commerce.

Other postgraduate courses are designed for qualified and experienced teachers who wish to extend their professional skills. These include master's courses in e-learning, TESOL, education and applied linguistics.

People considering teaching as a career should be aware that teachers need:

• high levels of competence in literacy and numeracy
• high levels of competence, or the willingness to achieve competence, in information and communication technologies, and
• a fundamental interest in learning.

Initial teacher education courses

The initial primary teacher education courses available are:

• Bachelor of Education in Primary Education (C10206)
• Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (C10208), during which students prepare for primary school teaching and acquire knowledge and understanding of another language and culture.

These are interlinked courses designed to prepare students for teaching in primary schools. The two courses share a common core of professional experience, key learning areas and contextual studies. This common structure enables students to change courses at the end of their first year, subject to places being available.

In addition, the Bachelor of Education in Primary Education allows students to study a choice of electives. Meritorious students can instead choose to complete an honours program. In the Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, students undertake a country major choice instead of electives or honours.

Professional Experience

Professional Experience contains two interlinked elements:

• campus-based studies that examine the range of theoretical issues, skills and procedures central to effective pedagogical practice, and
• field experiences where students engage in a variety of professional interactions in schools and other educational settings.

These combined elements foster the development of professional knowledge, skills and attitudes with which teachers should begin their careers. Students may apply to undertake field experience in an existing international professional experience program in Thailand, China or Samoa.

Through its provision of developmentally sequenced and integrated campus- and field-based experience, the Professional Experience stream promotes learning about learning, learning about self, learning about school life and learning about teaching.

UTS: Education rules specify that failing a professional experience subject for the first time places the student on probation and failing the same teaching practicum for the second time leads to exclusion.

All students participating in the internships that require them to supervise students without the presence of a qualified teacher are subject to a criminal records check by the NSW Department of Education and Training. The department, on the basis of the criminal records check, reserves the right to reject or suspend the participation of any student in such programs. It is expected that such security checks also apply to schools other than NSW departmental schools.

Criminal records checks are carried out only with the student's consent. All students are requested to complete a form that authorises a criminal records check to be undertaken. Any refusal to undergo the check results in the student being unable to complete the course requirements.

Full details are provided in general information.

Key Learning Areas

The subjects in this stream fall into the following curriculum areas:

• English education
• information technology education
• mathematics education
• music education
• personal development, health and physical education
• science and technology education
• social and environmental education
• visual arts education.

Contextual Studies

Subjects within the Contextual Studies stream encourage students to draw on perspectives gained from all components of their degree, so that in the latter part they can refine and articulate their personal theories of learning and justify them with reference to research evidence from classroom practice and theoretical insights.

Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies

Students who were originally admitted into the Bachelor of Teaching in Secondary Education, Bachelor of Education in Primary Education or Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Arts in International Studies have the opportunity of changing to a three-year degree: the Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies (C10209) (subject to the approval of the course coordinator). This degree does not provide qualifications to teach.

For further details contact:

Adult education

UTS: Education offers adult education undergraduate and postgraduate courses for people who work, or wish to work, as:

• human resource developers
• education and learning consultants
• vocational educators and trainers
• language, literacy and numeracy educators, and
• Aboriginal educators and community managers.

Adult education courses are shaped by the following educational principles derived from adult learning theory.

• Learning is a collaborative endeavour involving the mutual negotiation of meaning and understanding.
• Learning is enhanced through the recognition and use of experience and the acquisition and application of knowledge in practice-based activities.
• Learning is a lifelong and socially embedded activity, dependent on mutual respect, diversity of approach and the recognition of relevance to learning.
• Learning involves the appreciation and application of theories in the different and changing contexts of professional practice.
• Learning is enhanced through discussion, critical thought and reflection on taken-for-granted assumptions and practices.
• Learning involves mutual obligations based on the valuing of difference, respect for diversity, responsible and ethical self management.
• Learning is a developmental process involving the recognition, articulation and transformation of knowledge, personal values and theoretical frameworks.

Workplace/flexible learning

Recognising the competing demands of work and home life for students, UTS: Education offers adult education courses in a variety of study modes, which can be tailored to meet student needs. Students can choose to study full time or part time. Many subjects are offered in a variety of learning modes including weekly classes, blocks (intensive, face-to-face learning programs conducted over a number of days each semester, often during school holidays) and weekend workshops. Many of the master's courses can be done by distance, supported by email contact with lecturers and UTSOnline web-based conferencing tools to keep students in touch with others in their course.

Training and Development Services

Training and Development Services provides consultancy services and workplace training programs in the fields of training, human resource development and vocational education.