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New IT professional development program for teachers
The introduction of two new scholarships for teachers undertaking postgraduate studies in information and communication technologies (ICT) is just one way that Macquarie University is helping the teaching profession tackle a national skills shortage. According to Associate Professor Dominic Verity, Academic Director of the Postgraduate Professional Development Program in Macquarie University’s Division of Information and Communication Sciences, the shortage of qualified science and ICT teachers needs immediate attention. “Recent studies show that 40 per cent of Year 11 and 12 physics teachers lack a physics major, and that one in four haven’t studied physics beyond the undergraduate first year level,” Verity says. “Similar statistics are reported across all the sciences. “Low teacher salaries and rapid growth in technology have restricted schools from building expertise in ICT in the past. Now, however, the use of ICT in all classrooms has been mandated and we need to work out how best to develop the skill base required.” The ICT teaching void has contributed to a growing lack of interest in ICT careers amongst high school and university students, which has the potential to leave Australia lagging behind in the high-tech sectors. “The immediate challenge is to change the perceptions of our teenagers," Verity says. “Seventeen to 19-year-olds generally recognise that a solid understanding of ICT will improve their career prospects, but they also believe that ICT careers involve sitting in front of a computer all day. Most worryingly, 55 per cent of secondary students report that ICT subjects do not inspire them, that there is not enough choice and that ICT classes are boring.” The solution, according to Verity, is for universities to partner with schools to strengthen general ICT literacy amongst teachers and to provide tailored and coherent learning opportunities in the technical fundamentals such as software engineering, information systems and networking. This will require that universities provide flexible learning opportunities for teachers in terms of cost, accessibility and variety of content (so that teachers can include physics, maths or astronomy, for example, with their ICT training). “Macquarie is currently investigating a number of teacher-focused initiatives,” says Verity. “These include partial scholarships to bring down the cost of our Diploma and Masters programs; delivering more of our existing units of study in short course, flexibly delivered, mixed mode form; and trying to strengthen interdisciplinary opportunities between our graduate degrees in education and other disciplines.” To find out more about these initiatives, please contact Associate Professor Dominic Verity at dominic.verity@mq.edu.au To investigate postgraduate ICT options at Macquarie University, visit http://www.ppdp.mq.edu.au/ More Education stories here |
Important
Dates
Coursework
16 Dec 2005
FINAL closing date for external distance applications for first half year 2006
13 Jan 2006
FINAL closing date for internal/on-campus applications for first half year 2006
Research
8 Dec 2005
Closing date for further applications to research programs for first half year 2006
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