Chenali Amaratunga

Future Students Advisor, Victoria University

Future Students Advisor, Victoria University

Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Bachelor of Information Technology and the Bachelor of Cyber Security pathway session. My name is Chenali and I'm a Future Students Advisor at Victoria University.

In this webinar, we will be talking to you about possible pathway options you can consider taking from Victoria University Polytechnic to Victoria University for these courses.

And joining us is:

  • Diana Rector, Pathways Coordinator – Admissions
  • Dr Hao Shi – Associate Professor and Course Chair for the Bachelor of Information Technology
  • Scott Murray, Manager Pathways and Retention at Victoria University.

Before we start, I would like to acknowledge my country and pay my respects to the custodians of the land we live, work and study on today. And I would also like to pay my respect to the elders, past, present and emerging.

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Acknowledgement of Country

Chenali

So as a student who's completing or already completed a program at VU Polytechnic, why transfer to university? There's a few reasons. You would have an easier transition to university from TAFE where you can enhance and expand your scope of knowledge. You also have a wider range of career options and would be able to get your degree in a shorter period of time as you will be granted credits for your previous study. This also means you'll finish off with two qualifications. And most importantly, you'll be studying in our award-winning block model.

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Why transfer to university?

  • Easy transition to university from TAFE
  • Enhance and expand your learning
  • Wider range or career opportunities
  • Obtain a degree in a shorter period of time with credits
  • Two qualifications
  • Victoria University Block Model.

Chenali

At Victoria University, we have revolutionised tertiary education with our award-winning block model. The block model allows students to focus on one subject at a time, rather than juggling multiple subjects over a six-month period, like at other universities. And is offered to students in all years of our undergraduate degree. With the VU Block Model, you'd be fully focused on each subject.

If you are fascinated by one particular subject, you can immerse yourself in it and enjoy all that subject has to offer. And if you don't enjoy it, you will be pleased to have it finished in only four weeks without having to wait until the end of the semester to know your result.

Up next is a brief video to show what your year is going to look like while studying under the block model at Victoria University.

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VU Block Model

The first university delivering undergraduate degrees using a block model of teaching.

  • 1 subject at a time
  • 87% pass rate^
  • 40% distinction or above^
  • Under 35 students in a class
  • Results within 3 days

^Units undertaken by domestic students YTD, October 2019

The VU Block Model video plays

Narrator

We've been teaching the same way for hundreds of years now. But the world around us has changed and along with it, employer and industry needs.

So at VU, we changed the way you learn with our Australian-first VU Block Model.

Traditionally, you juggle the demands and deadlines of four units at once. Instead, the VU Block Model has you focus on one unit at a time.

Each semester will be broken into four blocks which run for four weeks. You focus on one unit in each block completing all your assessments before moving on to the next.

So instead of this...

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Traditional university, with a diagram showing 4 units running at the same time each semester.

Narrator

…The VU Block Model looks like this.

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A graphic shows VU’s Block Model, with one unit at a time across each semester.

Narrator

VU Block Model gives you greater focus by studying just one unit at a time in smaller more collaborative classes and provides flexible study options to suit your lifestyle.

With the introduction of Block Model, students success is soaring.

More students are passing first year and second year too. And over 40% of students are now enjoying grades at or above distinction levels.

VU students more engaged and satisfied with their uni experience.

Employers have also noticed the difference ranking VU graduates in the top 10 of more than 40 universities for work readiness. And more than 90% of graduates are ranked highly for employability.

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  • Improved student success
  • Pass rate up 13% first year
  • Pass rate up 90% second year
  • 40% distinction level
  • 82.2% overall student experience (commencing undergraduate students – 2019 QILT Student Experience Survey)
  • Top 10 for work readiness (2020 QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey)
  • 90% ranked highly for employability (2020 QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey)

Narrator

So when you study with the VU Block Model, you know it's proven to give you the support and skills you need to succeed.

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Graphic of a degree certificate and an employment contract.

The New Way To Do Uni

VU logo

Chenali

Once you successfully complete your diploma you may be eligible for a guaranteed pathway to the mentioned bachelor-level courses at Victoria University. What it means by a guaranteed pathway is that you have a confirmed entry to a course once you meet all the admissions criteria stated in the conditional offer letter.

As you can see, once you successfully complete the Diploma of Information Technology, you may be eligible for the listed credits once you transition into the Bachelor of Information Technology or the Bachelor of Cyber Security at Victoria University. Certain bachelor degrees might also have additional admissions criteria to be met, which will be listed on the course web page.

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Your pathway to University

Pathway course (course code, credits awarded):

  • Diploma of Information Technology (VDIT, 96)

This leads to VU course Bachelor of Information Technology – NBIT and Bachelor of Cyber Security – NBCS.

*Please refer to the VU and VUP course pages on the website for additional information.

Chenali

I would now like to hand over to Diana, who is the pathways coordinator for admissions, to talk to you about the admissions process relating to pathways.

Diana Rector

Pathways Coordinator – Admissions

Thanks Chenali.

So what is a pathway conditional offer? A pathway conditional offer means you have a guaranteed place into an eligible pathway course upon successfully completing your current course and meeting any additional admissions criteria that may be required for the course.

So what is the conditional offer process? New conditional offers currently go out twice a year in approximately May and October. At the same time as new offers are sent, acknowledgement emails are also sent to those that have previously accepted their pathway conditional offer. These emails are sent to your student email account. Information regarding next steps and pathway processes are also provided in both emails.

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Admissions – pathways

What is a conditional offer?

A pathway conditional offer means you have a guaranteed place (and in some cases with advanced standing) upon:

  • successfully completing your current course
  • meeting any additional admissions criteria for the higher education course (if required).

Conditional offer process

New offers sent – twice a year.

Accepted offer acknowledgements sent – twice a year.

Once offer accepted:

  • completion in your current course is monitored
  • additional entry requirements for the higher education course are validated (if required).

Diana

I'm going to talk a little bit now about the full offer process.

So once successful completion in your current course is confirmed, and we have validated that you have met any additional admission criteria, if required, we will process your offer, as well as any eligible advanced standing. From there, you'll be sent your enrol now email with your full offer into the pathway course for the next available admissions intake.

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Admissions – pathways

Full offer process

Once completion and any additional entry requirements are confirmed:

  • The offer is processed
  • Eligible advanced standing is processed
  • Full offer ‘Enrol in your Pathway course’ email into the Bachelor is sent for the next available admissions intake.

Diana

Enrolling into the bachelor. To enrol into the bachelor, you need to simply follow the prompts within the email, log into your myVU portal, accept the full offer and enrol into available units. If you're ever worried about your conditional or full pathway offer or have any questions about pathway processes, please email Pathways and we'll be happy to assist you further. Thanks, Chenali.

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Enrolling into a higher education course

Follow the prompts within the email:

  • Log into your MyVU portal
  • Accept the offer
  • Enrol into available units.

More information?

Email: [email protected].

Chenali

Thank you, Diana. I would like to hand over to Dr. Hao Shi, who is the associate professor and course chair for the Bachelor of Information Technology to speak to you about industry insights and a bit more about this course.

Dr Hao Shi

Associate Professor at the College of Engineering and Science

Hello, I'm Dr Hao Shi, Associate Professor at the College of Engineering and Science.

IT covers all area, so including programming and networking area and it could cover big data, data analytics and artificial intelligence. IT is always in demand but also a challenge as well and you need to have both hard skills and soft skills. And the hard skills we refer to like technical skills. And also, you may learn from your lecturers and hands-on labs and the soft skills, that's including those like project management, time management.

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Career pathways

Dr Hao Shi

We do offer a number of courses, start from TAFE diploma and Bachelor of IT and Master of Applied IT coursework and also Master by Research and PhDs.

So for the student who finish the TAFE diploma, they can carry one-year credit into the bachelor degree. So they only need to spend two years with us to finish the bachelor degree. And if they want to continue to the master's degree and they actually have one semester credit, they can carry forward.

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Leading industry partnerships

Dr Hao Shi

All our IT courses are credited by the Australian Computer Society, that's including the bachelor degree, Bachelor of IT and also Bachelor of IT Professional, as well as Master of Applied IT.

It does award with the skills ready and available for your job opportunity.

We have a very close relationship with our IT industry partners, that's including like Microsoft, Cisco and Amazon. We use their technologies and also we use their hardware, software and provide students with online and also hands-on skills.

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Immersive, hands-on learning

Dr Hao Shi

Our IT courses emphasise a lot on the hands-on experience and we source our final year project from our industry partner and that give you student real-world experience in IT field and help them kickstart their career.

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Graduate opportunities

Dr Hao Shi

We have graduates actually end up with a different kind of industries, that's including like banks, NAB, or Commonwealth Bank or ANZ. Or we also have students actually working in the IT industry, such as IBM and also in Telstra in Canberra and on also kind of secure project and also students working in the three-dimensional data companies and also working in WA BHP, networking projects.

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Choose VU

Dr Hao Shi

So basically, we are aiming to help the students achieve their professional goals. So we try to help them not just set into the course or start individual units. We also provide a plan for their career and how they can achieve the best throughout the course.

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The New Way To Do Uni

Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Chenali

Thank you, Hao Shi. Last but not least, I would like to hand over to Scott who is a Manager, Pathways and Retention to speak to you about VU Employ and opportunities at VU.

Scott Murray

Manager – Pathways and Retention

Thanks very much Chenali.

One of the key services that we offer at VU, which will help many different pathway students decide on whether or not to take up their pathway opportunity is VU Employ.

VU Employ is our careers service and we offer career advice through email, consultations, one-on-one appointments with a qualified careers consultant, a range of different resources, including the VU Employ Collaborate space, Careers Toolkit and the VU Employ Career Directory, a range of different programs offered throughout the year, including Talent Connect Mentoring, Beyond VU and GVIP, as well as a huge calendar of events, including fairs and expos, industry events and a range of different workshops.

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VU Employ services

  • Career advice – email support
  • Consultations – career chats (15 minutes via phone), career counselling (45 minutes via Zoom)
  • Resources – VU Employ Collaborate, Career toolkit, VU Employ career directory
  • Programs – Talent Connect Mentoring, Beyond VU, GVIP
  • Events – career fairs and expos, industry events, workshops.

Scott

VU Employ can help you with the decision-making in transitioning to higher education and what you need to consider.

We can assist you in identifying values, skills, interests and personal situation when deciding what it is that you want to study. Work with you in exploring the different course options that are available. Provide the tools to research whether or not the study path will lead to strong job opportunities after graduation or beyond. And explore the different job opportunities available after you complete your HE degree.

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VU Employ can:

  • help you with the decision-making and transitioning to higher education study and what you need to consider
  • assist you in identifying values, skills, interests, and the personal situation when deciding what to study
  • work with you in exploring the course options available
  • provide the tools to research whether the study path will lead to strong job opportunities after graduation or beyond
  • explore those job opportunities available to you after you complete your HE degree.

Scott

This is one of many different opportunities available to VU students. These include VU Learning Hub, which is staffed by a dedicated team of staff and student mentors. The study abroad program, financial advice, VU Vollies, which is our volunteer program, student mentors in the library, leadership opportunities, wellness and counselling services, as well as a huge range of different student clubs and societies.

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Opportunities at University:

  • VU Learning Hub
  • study abroad
  • financial advice
  • VU Vollies
  • student mentors in library
  • leadership opportunities
  • wellness counselling
  • student clubs.

Scott

If you have any questions about anything that we've spoken about today:

We'd like to thank you very much for listening to this webinar.

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The New Way To Do Uni

Victoria University