2007 Media Releases
Friday 7 December, 2007
Demand for Graduate Teaching Courses up Dramatically at La Trobe’s Regional Campuses
The Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton campuses of La Trobe University have seen a substantial increase in student demand for pre-service postgraduate teacher education programs.
Data released by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) reveal that applications for the 2008 intake of the Graduate Diploma in Education (P-12) at Albury-Wodonga have increased by 17 per cent compared to the number of applications received for the 2007 academic year.
The P-12 course qualifies candidates to teach from Prep through to Year 12 in a single year of intensive postgraduate study. It caters for most secondary teaching methods and includes supervised teaching practice in both primary and secondary school environments, as well as additional experience in the field.
Convenor of the course, Ms Christine Bottrell, said graduate teachers are in high demand in the Albury-Wodonga region, and a number of P-12 graduates have already gained ongoing positions.
Applications for the Graduate Diploma in Education (Middle Years) for the 2008 academic year in Shepparton have also increased by 12 per cent over the number of applicationsfor the Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary) course in Shepparton in 2007, according to a VTAC report issued recently.
The Shepparton program qualifies candidates to teach in primary and secondary schools with a special focus on the middle years of schooling, from Year 5 to Year 10.
The Registrar for the Faculty of Education, Mr Peter Barton, says applications for the Shepparton program have come not just from the Shepparton area, but from other parts of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Possible reasons included the blended nature of the new course, which is an innovative combination of distance learning and on-line supported modules. Students attend classes at the Shepparton campus for just five weeks broken into three periods of intensive face-to-face classes, and are able to complete the practicum requirements outside the Shepparton geographic location.
As a further enticement, the Faculty of Education offers ten $1,000 accommodation scholarships for prospective students applying for the Middle Years course, to assist with relocation or accommodation expenses.
It is not too late to apply for either course. Applications can be made directly to La Trobe University by December 21.
For course details and application forms:
Albury-Wodonga: Helen Eyre (Course Administrator) T: (02) 6024 9865 E: h.eyre@latrobe.edu.au
Shepparton: Dr Caroline Walta (Academic Coordinator) T: (03) 5833 2732 or (03) 5833 2589 E: c.walta@latrobe.edu.au