Smoothing the learning pathways from TAFE to University and reducing the ‘culture shock’ in moving between the two sectors are the aims of a new national research project being led by Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic, Dr Cathy Down.

 

She has this week been awarded a $ 71 000 grant from the National Centre for Education for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).  

 

“There is much evidence that teaching styles in the VET and university sectors are vastly different and this affects how students learn and ultimately whether they finish their course,” said Dr Down, from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga

 

The research comes as partnerships are developing between Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers and Universities in a bid to promote further education in fields such as accounting, social work and teaching.

 

“There’s been a lot of work done on the transition between VET and university but it’s been largely structural and concerned with matching subjects and academic requirements. What hasn’t been looked at is how the style of teaching makes a big difference to whether students feel isolated, uncomfortable or out of their depth,”  she said.

 

The new project, Transition from TAFE to University: What are the pedagogical issues?, led by Dr Down, includes academics from four Australian universities. Students from universities and TAFE institutes in Western Australia, Victoria and NSW will be asked about their different learning experiences. Teachers will also be interviewed as part of the research.

 

“Generally, TAFE teachers begin with the practical and weave the theory in. In universities it is often the opposite; lecturers start with the theory and weave the practical in. These approaches are significantly different and for a person in transition it may create barriers to learning. We want to understand these barriers and how it hampers the transition.

 

“The overall goal of the research is to identify the impediments to learning, come up with strategies to reduce these barriers and improve the graduate rate of students at both TAFE and university,”

Dr Down said.