The article looks at the benefits of block model teaching as well as the challenges of implementing it—a process VU is all too familiar with, having founded the award-winning First Year College (FYC).
Key Takeaways:
- The prominent online publication Times Higher Education (THE) has acknowledged Victoria University as a global leader in block model teaching.
- Unlike traditional university programs, which require students to juggle multiple subjects over the course of a semester, VU lets students focus on just one unit (subject) at a time.
- The article examines the advantages of block model teaching as well as the difficulties of putting it into practice—a process that VU is all too familiar with.
The FYC is Australia’s only college committed to assisting students in gaining the skills, motivation, and confidence necessary to achieve beyond the first year as they navigate the well-known tough transition to university.
Other schools, such as the University of Suffolk in England, have turned to VU for inspiration and help since VU was the first in the world to roll out this teaching methodology at scale in 2018, according to the report.
Unlike traditional university models, where students juggle many subjects simultaneously over the course of a semester, VU allows students to concentrate on one unit (subject) at a time.
Each unit is completed in a four-week ‘block’ and students usually complete their block on a Friday and receive their findings the following Monday, eliminating uncertainty and a lengthy wait for results.
VU student engagement, contentment, pass rates, and employability have all improved since the block model was implemented, and these achievements have been widely recognized and acknowledged.
Approximately one-third of VU students either repeated or failed courses prior to block teaching, compared to about 9 percent presently.
Pass rates for non-native English speakers, which includes international students and those from immigrant households, have risen from 82 percent in 2017 to 93 percent in 2020, and 93.4 percent in 2021, under the new approach.
VU students’ employability has also improved as a result of block teaching, with the institution ranking first in Australia’s national Employer Satisfaction Survey in 2020, which polls businesses about their recent employment of university graduates.
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