During the past few years, Australia has become a favorite destination for international students, attracting students from across the globe. There are many factors that make Australia one of the best higher education destinations in the world including high quality education, lenient laws for international studenhigh-quality opportunities. Each country has a unique education system and learning culture. So before deciding to pursue your higher education in Australia, it is ideal to have a basic understanding about the Australian education system.
Here are the five important things you should know about Australian Education System:
Australian education system offers specialized education
Australia has 37 public universities, three private universities and two foreign universities. The universities in Australia are divided into three categories based on their merits, types of education and degrees they offer and other factors. The categories are:
Group of Eight(Go8): Group of Eight universities are Universities of Queensland, New South Wales, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide & Western Australia, Australian National University and Monash University. They are the oldest and the most reputed universities, known for high quality of education and research.
Australian Technology Network(ATN) universities: This is a network of five universities. They are Curtin University of Technology, RMIT University, University of South Australia, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Technology, Sydney. These are the most innovative and enterprising universities in Australia focused on industry collaboration and real-world research with real-world impact.
Innovative Research Universities(IRU): A group of research-based universities, Innovative Research Universities(IRU) includes Charles Darwin University, Griffith University, Flinders University, James Cook University etc.
Australian education system follows Credit System
Australian Education System follows credit system and as per this system, a student has to earn required credit points to graduate. But the required credits vary for each course. For example, if a course needs 48 credit points, a student can choose eight subjects with six credit points each. While some universities limit the number of subjects a student can choose, some other universities limit the number of credits a student can earn per semester.
Australian education system promotes independent thinking
In the Australian education system, the students are encouraged to think independently and analyze their subjects, instead of merely memorizing textbooks. The students are expected to participate in debates and discussions. Various seminars and tutorials are also organized towards this purpose. During the tutorials, students are encouraged to challenge the ideas of others, including even their teachers and other academics. In short, the Australian education system is designed to promote innovation, creativity and critical thinking among students.
Australian education system has low power distance
Low power distance is a remarkable characteristic of the Australian culture, which is also reflected in the Australian education system. It means individuals are free to question authorities and has more participation in the decision-making processes. In the Australian education system, it means teachers are often addressed by their first name, students are encouraged to challenge their ideas and openly express their grievances.
Australian education system gives more importance to assignments rather than exams
In most of the courses in Australia, you can increase your grades by submitting assignments and essays than through exams. It means you will have to prepare many assignments and essays during each semester and submit them before deadlines. So you will have to manage your time really well. On the positive side, you get more time to prepare your assignments perfectly rather than proving yourself in a two-hour exam.
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