Get a jump start on your ICT degree
 |
Primary school students visiting the Macquarie ICT Innovations Centre sample the latest technology. |
A new specialisation in the Master of Education program at Macquarie University will provide postgraduate students with the chance to become skilled in, or enhance their knowledge in, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
The Master in Education in ICT will officially be offered for the first time by the School of Education in Semester 1, 2007, but students who are keen to commence study in 2006 are able to take some of the subjects which will be part of the new program, according to Professor John Hedberg, Chair in ICT & Education in the Australian Centre for Educational Studies at Macquarie University.
"You can't formally apply for the specialisation this year, so students who want to do the units available now can apply for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education and take the ICT subjects," says Hedberg. "They will then be able to transfer across to the Masters program in 2007 with full credit for the completed units."
Master of Education in ICT
The Master of Education in ICT is an extension and refocusing of the original Master of Education program, which is designed to cater for the increasing interest in educational uses of technology. The primary aim of the program is for students to start thinking about clever ways in which technologies can be used in teaching and learning.
"We've pulled together some existing units and added some new units that would provide a background for a person to develop education materials, manage ICT-based projects and give them a focus, so that at the end of their time they could have a degree with a specialisation," explains Hedberg.
There will be a variety of units on offer from the Australian Centre for Educational Studies including the Institute of Higher Education and Research Development (IHERD), the School of Education, the Macquarie ICT Innovations Centre and the Macquarie e-learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE).
"What we are also trying to do is encourage students to study other aspects of education," says Hedberg. "It is very flexible, students are required to take two or three core units and then can negotiate to do other units which are particular to their interests. They could even take subjects from the Institute of Early Childhood."
Use of technology in education
With a shift away from the traditional model of learning - one-way communication, educators will need to change the way in which they approach teaching as well as assessment.
"The world is changing," says Hedberg. "We have increasing use of wireless and, decreasing size of hardware. You need a real computer and internet access. We can start creating our own websites and even produce movies. In the years ahead there will be pressure on institutions to provide access and increasing demand to look at alternative forms of assessment. A multiple choice test will not pick up all the learning processes and strategies."
The many advantages for undertaking the Master of Education in ICT include becoming more aware of technology and how it assists thinking; construction of meaning and interaction with others; career enhancement; and the chance to make ICT changes in the workplace.
For further information contact Professor John Hedberg via email at john.hedberg@mq.edu.au or Academic Support Manager Maree McEvoy at maree.mcevoy@mq.edu.au To find out more about postgraduate study options in the School of Education, visit www.aces.mq.edu.au/educ_st_pg.asp