Connecting with students and their families
28 June 2008
Earlier in the month, the University held its first information night specifically targeting parents of future students and more than 160 people attended. The evening was developed out of recognition that parents are often not sure about the options available to their children when planning to articulate from high school to university or for that matter the choices available once university is entered. Presenters also addressed application processes, financial considerations and other administrative matters that can often prove confusing. De-mystifying higher education is a particular challenge for a university operating in a region that didn’t have a university until little more than a decade ago and where the majority of students are the first in their family to attempt education at this level.
Events such as this are becoming a much more regular part of the University’s profile in the community with related activities now spread across the year. The most popular of these has been the Options’ Evening, held each December. Last year this attracted over 500 people and has been followed this year by a planning your career workshop, a mid-year options presentation, a Guidance Officer day and University Showcase school visits. Year 11 and 12 participation in the Headstart program has reached 200 in 2008. Headstart facilitates enrolment in university courses and provides students with a genuine exposure to what university is all about. At USC, we see this as an important contribution to building confidence in young people and broadening their horizons.
Upcoming events will concentrate on invitations for campus visits, a USC Open Day (17 August), admission and returning to study sessions, and culminate in another Options Evening in December. For the University, the level of interest in, and demand for, activities of this type is a welcome trend. It signals greater awareness in the Sunshine Coast community of the tertiary education sector and growing confidence in the role of USC as a source of relevant and reliable information. It is affirming that there is a clear expectation that we should be providing these services.
Starting university study at this time of year is also far more common than it was just a few years ago. The delivery of new information sessions around mid-year is a reflection on this recent trend. With the exception of a handful of professional programs, students can commence most USC degrees in semester 2 and complete in the standard number of semesters. For part-timers the options are broader still. With our annual growth in student numbers averaging about 11 percent per annum over the last four years, a large number of students are expected to join us for the start of second semester in July. An orientation week program ensures they will receive a similar introduction to the institution as occurs during the main enrolment period in February.
Another trend that is gaining recognition in universities Australia-wide is the number of students wishing to complete additional study over the traditional summer break. Given the increasing amounts of part-time (or for that matter full-time) work being undertaken by university students, picking up a course or two over Christmas often allows a normal progression rate to be maintained. For other students it is a mechanism to fast-track their degree. USC has offered a limited suite of summer-semester courses for a number of years now and we are currently looking at consolidating these choices and maximising the benefits they provide to students. To publicise these opportunities, we’ll be in a position to build on the success of our community information sessions and run a similar program internally for the university student community.
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor at the University of the Sunshine Coast.