Future Queensland University of Technology students will be required to participate in a new mandatory and cross-disciplinary curriculum from 2025.
The program, titled QUT You, will consist of four units worth six credit points each. The program will begin offering units from 2024 and will officially launch the following year.
A spokesperson from QUT said the curriculum will encourage students to engage in interdisciplinary units, bringing students from all study areas and year levels together, and will offer opportunities for students to develop skills like creative thinking, self-awareness, and digital fluency.
The units will run during Semester 1 and 2, from week 1 to week 6, and again from week 8 to week 13. This means students will complete two QUT You units per semester, for a total of 12 credit points per semester.
The units will be available both online and on campus, at Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove.
Each faculty has redesigned its undergraduate courses to incorporate the 24 credit points this program is worth. This means that some units have been removed from the syllabus and course learning outcomes have been incorporated into other areas of the degree.
Students will choose four options from a suite of ten QUT You units. Students will typically have one tutorial or workshop per week. There will be one assessment task for each unit, usually due in the last week of the teaching period. There will be no exams or group assignments.
An anonymous source from within the University has provided information to Glass about the units, which include ‘Think Like a Computer and Change the World’, ‘Data Science for Society’ and ‘The Art of Pitching’.
As well as the QUT You units, the University will host a non-compulsory “festival” during Welcome Week. This event will provide students the opportunity to “participate in shared immersive experiences designed to foster new connections and create a sense of belonging”.
Development of the program began in 2021, with a committee of senior university staff and faculty members from each department brought together to explore potential new curriculum models, generate ideas, and engage with the QUT community on the project.
The goals of the curriculum were established early on and include building life skills, developing “thinking” students with strong connections to others, creating resilient and innovative alumni, and being socially responsible.
The name of the program was developed through feedback from focus groups and polling of students. ‘QUT You’ was identified as best reflecting the purpose, intent and potential of the new curriculum.
When asked why it was decided to implement this curriculum and how it will benefit students, a spokesperson from the University said that industry leaders and employers have identified certain key skills and capabilities as critical for graduates to be able to navigate the rapidly changing, post-COVID world.
“QUT You enables students to engage in interdisciplinary experiences with students across all disciplines and year levels, replicating the world of work in how people collaborate together to address challenges and drive positive impacts for broader society.
“With a focus on creating a sense of connection and belonging with various internal and external communities at QUT, QUT You also aims to support the development of resilience to effectively deal with the real world.”
There is currently no detailed information about QUT You available for students on the QUT website or HiQ.
Glass will continue to cover this story, as more information becomes available.
