Students were asked to rate their lecturers. This is what they said

2 weeks ago 2

When Olivah Tisbury-Brown finished year 12, he was not entirely sure what, or where, he wanted to study. So, after achieving good marks in history and watching the television program Suits starring Meghan Markle, he enrolled in a bachelor of laws at Australian Catholic University and coupled it with a bachelor of arts in Western civilisation.

The degree, which spans the study of philosophy, literature and politics from Ancient Greece to Rome, is delivered by a small team of academics.

Australian Catholic University students Sophie Margossian and Olivah Tisbury-Brown said the quality of teaching at ACU was outstanding.

“Staff in the Western civilisation degree, they are so passionate, and they are so motivated, and they love what they do, which makes us love what we do even more,” he said.

“This team of teachers, they are so good at what they do, they are so amazing ... and we’re so fortunate to have them.”

Australian Catholic University has ranked among the best in the country on national league tables that score institutions on teaching quality, peer connection and overall educational experience. The figures are based on the responses of 257,865 Australian university students to the QILT Student Experience Survey.

“When I speak with students, they talk about the sense of familiarity in their classes, how welcoming and approachable their tutors are, and how comfortable they feel asking questions and engaging in their learning,” said ACU deputy vice chancellor of education Professor Tania Broadley.

A survey of graduate employers last year found 90 per cent of employers had an overall satisfaction with Australian Catholic University graduates.

Sandstone and research-intensive universities such as UNSW, the University of Sydney and UTS were outperformed by smaller institutions in the QILT survey, including Charles Sturt, the University of New England and the University of Wollongong, which was the best public university in the country for student experience.

“This outstanding result shows that our students feel supported, connected and inspired to succeed, and that is exactly what we strive for,” said University of Wollongong vice chancellor G.Q. Max Lu.

The report said 18.3 per cent of undergraduates and 16 per cent of postgraduate students had seriously considered leaving their institution in the survey year but had not yet left.

Independent careers adviser Gina Bell said students’ university decisions were often based on their visit to campuses on open day, university reputation, parental opinion and peer group university selection.

“When they actually go to university, there is often a mismatch between reality and what students thought the experience would be,” she said.

Bell said students were making big career decisions, without career guidance, that have big financial consequences. Students at Australian universities can expect to accumulate sizeable HECS debts of $50,000 and above.

“This can alter the course of their lives for the coming decades,” she said, adding that career development education was vital for young adults.

“Not enough thought goes into choosing a specific degree or university or the motivation for choosing it ... career choice [should be driven by] much more than the choice of university, their ATAR score or their favourite subject at school.”

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