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Everyone wants to get the best education. A much heard cliché says
'knowledge is power' and I agree with this. Ideally, learning promises to lift
people out of poverty and improve life outcomes.
For students trying to choose which campus to attend this decision can be
difficult to make. When it comes to choosing an overseas campus to study at the
decision becomes even more complex.
This week I received an email from a reader who sought clarification
regarding Australia's education system.
Primarily, the issue was whether it was important to select a university
based on reputation alone. For example here in China most students and their
families dream of getting into Peking University or Tsinghua. Is this the
situation in Australia similar?
Fortunately, the answer is no.
From my experience students, families, communities and the wider business
sector have trust in our campuses – be they world famous or lesser known. As a
result there are pros and cons for choosing to attend any campus, be it in
downtown Sydney or in tropical, less built up Darwin.
It was a good question and one that particularly strikes at the heart of
Australia's competitive advantage in regards to education provision in the
global marketplace.
Essentially in my country the government has created the Australian
Qualifications Framework. This set of structures requires all universities and
vocational colleges to meet agreed upon standards. Not only does it provide
bridges between the two sectors but also between various campuses
themselves.
In addition, a student who graduates from a regional campus with a law
major is expected, required, and to a point as far as possible, guaranteed to
have learnt and acquired the same skills that a graduate from a metropolitan
campus received.
This sees students often using the same course materials and following the
same examination system – whether they are from this or that university.
It often involves cross campus subject provision, e.g. a student in the
north may enroll in elective subjects that are offered in a southern campus.
Increasingly online, distance education is being provided creating more
flexibility.
When it works well the system sees the nation's education providers working
together to maximize resources and offer the best service available across the
board.
Thus after completion of studies, graduates are market ready and employers
are willing to look at the individual and their study performance, work
experience, character etc rather than just focus on the reputation of the campus
where they studied at.
So if I was to be asked the question,
"I am interested in completing a Masters in Accounting, but I am not too
sure whether to choose this Sydney based campus or this other Sydney based
campus"
my answer would be to first realize that the two programs may very well be
offering the same course material.
That in a field like accounting that is regularly administrated and tightly
managed with certification skill competencies at a national level; does the
wider society prefer graduates from this campus or from that?
Possibly the answer is, they don't care. They look beyond that. They look
at your face and inside your character and your academic performance and try to
ascertain whether you will fit in well within their organization.
Remember although George Bush Jr went to Harvard Business School, since
becoming president the US economy has gone from a budget surplus under Clinton
into an incredible, never seen before budget deficit under Bush.
Does this make Harvard a bad campus?
The point is for true, sustainable success and performance we shouldn't be
relying on the reputation of other people or organizations to bring us up
there.
There is no short cut to competence and quality. |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:52:01