Personalised education, wide-range impact

While Personalised Learning (PL) and its focus on individualised instruction seems to be a promising concept, a critical question remains: Does PL improve student learning? Research suggests it does. Educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom’s 1984 research paper claimed that students who received “personalised instruction” outperformed 98 percent of those who did not. 

Personalised learning is differentiated through its tailored practices and prioritises a clear understanding of the needs and goals of each individual student. By planning personalised learning for students, schools and teachers optimise learning experiences and maximise student engagement, taking into consideration how they want to learn and what they want to learn. 

Often confused with blended learning — which uses technology to help students master the content and learn skills — personalised learning caters the educational experience for every student by embracing individual strengths, needs, interests, and culture, and elevating student voice and choice. It is authentic, flexible, student-driven, and competency-based.

Here are a number of institutions offering personalised learning qualifications: 

Macleay College

At Macleay College, you learn by doing. Industry-focused programmes provide an experiential pathway from diploma to degree to career. The College offers diplomas in Accounting; Advertising and Media; Digital Media; and Journalism — all of which can be completed in up to 12 months. Graduates can progress straight into their chosen Macleay bachelor’s degree in Accounting; Advertising and Media; Business; Digital Media; or Journalism. All programmes are built around real-world projects, internships and industry engagement. Both bachelor and degree programmes are available as full-time or part-time programmes.

Source: Macleay College

The Macleay difference lies in its personalised learning that ensures you graduate job-ready, with real-world skills, networked and connected to industry. Class size is limited to 25 students. Lecturers are active professionals with the latest insights and valuable connections to future employers. From pitching ideas to entrepreneurs to recording ads in the studio, project-based learning is a daily experience here, connecting curriculum to the real world. Then, there are internships and placement programmes with hundreds of industry partners students can choose from to complement all of the above.

Graduate Ilias Bakalla who is now a cadet journalist at SBS Australia says, “My lecturer organised for me to interview Jo Puccini, the Head of the ABC Investigations Unit, for the college’s weekly guest lectures. This guest lecturer helped me secure an internship with the nightly current affairs programme ‘The 7:30 Report’ at the ABC.”

Those eager to get into the workforce can also fast track their journey with Macleay’s two-year degrees. Whatever the duration of their programme, Macleay guarantees quality. In the 2019 QILT results, Macleay outperformed all public universities in Australia in learner engagement, skills development, student support, teaching quality and the quality of the entire educational experience. To learn more about Macleay College, click here.

TAFE International Western Australia

With over two million people and cultures from all around the world, Western Australia provides international students with a safe environment to gain a quality education — a place you can call home. 

Source: TAFE International Western Australia

TAFE stands for​ Technical and Further Education. TAFE International Western Australia.

(TIWA) is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) regulated by the Australian Government’s Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), which delivers nationally accredited courses to international students in partnership with Western Australian TAFE colleges. 

TIWA offers 135 career-focused courses offered including Accounting, Business and Management; Animal Care and Aquaculture; Automotive, Engineering and Oil and Gas; Building and Construction; Hospitality, Cookery and Tourism and more. Students get to choose the types of courses they want with each programme, representing a different 

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level: Level two – Certificate II; Level three – Certificate III; Level four – Certificate IV; Level five – Diploma; and Level six – Advanced Diploma. Students who choose to start their studies at TIWA have the opportunity to further their education at partner Universities such as Curtin University, Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Murdoch University. 

“Everything about TAFE is very practical. We learn how to use professional equipment and the lecturers are always there to advise us. I learned so much over the short amount of time I’ve been here — from photography and videography to sound and film,” said alumni Mehreen from Mauritius.

Torrens University Australia

Torrens University is home to over 19,000 students who are equally divided into small class sizes, focusing on personalised learning. The University offers courses in Business, Design, Hospitality, Technology, Sports Management, Nursing and more. Torrens University has partnered with some of the world’s most prestigious schools such as APM College of Business and Communication, Billy Blue College of Design and Chifley Business School to provide world-class qualifications. 

Source: Torrens University

Every career has its own pathway. Torrens University offers a range of diploma courses which transition into bachelor’s degrees along with Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma courses which, in turn, can be pathways into master’s programmes. Bringing students high-standard qualifications, Torrens University is registered with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

“Torrens University presented itself as an institution 100% committed to higher learning that could be applied directly and meaningfully in the workplace. Now that I’m a year into my master’s course, I haven’t been disappointed,” said Master of Education student Steven Sengstock.

The Gordon

The Gordon prides itself on delivering vocational ‘hands-on’ training, equipped with industry-trained professionals. The institution is home to students from over 75 countries, with three main campuses — two located in Geelong and another in Werribee — and one of the largest regional TAFE institutions in the state of Victoria, south-east Australia.

Source: The Gordon

Campuses are student-centric. Each class size is between 15 and 22 students, which allows for more support and close attention from teachers. The Gordon works with secondary schools, universities, employers, and the community by curating programmes that deliver benefits, while forging strong international strategic partnerships with major Asian economies like China and Indonesia.   

Programmes offered range from courses in Accounting; Aged Care; Agriculture to Beauty Therapy; Building & Construction Trades; Health, Pathology & Sterilisation and more. At The Gordon, students get to combine paid work with structured training that is customised to suit specific workplaces through the development of an Individual Training Plan by employers, apprentices and trainees. The institution’s collaboration with Geelong Technical Education Centre (GTEC) provides a unique programme for students in Year 11 and Year 12, combining Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), trade training and work experience that leads to students securing apprenticeship opportunities.

Graphic Design student Sarah Gross said: I’m currently working for Factorie (The Cotton On Group) as a Graphic Design Intern, and find working while studying to be a great experience which will prepare me for my future design career. I gained more knowledge than I thought was possible at the Gordon.”

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International