VTAC Preferences and the Melbourne Model

[Collin Li]

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to report that early 2009 VTAC preference data shows strong student response to the University's New Generation degrees and to our other undergraduate programs for 2009.

First preferences for Melbourne Model courses in 2009 have risen by 10 per cent and total preferences by 17 per cent.

In only their second year, these six courses - Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce, Environments, Music and Science - have captured around 10 per cent of all first preferences (and more than five per cent of total preferences) in the VTAC system, with a total of 5803 first preferences (and almost 21,000 total preferences).

Melbourne Arts, Science, Biomedicine and Commerce all have a record number of timely first and total VTAC preferences.  

Biomedicine has seen a 47 per cent increase and Science, a 20 percent increase in first preferences (total preferences up 13 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively).

Arts is up seven per cent in first preferences and 24 per cent in total preferences, and Commerce, up five per cent first preferences and three percent total preferences.

Environments' first preferences are similar to last year though total preferences are up 16 per cent.

Science's strong performance is particularly pleasing as it again runs counter to a sector-wide decline in students choosing to study Science and highlights the strength and reputation of Science at Melbourne.

This early VTAC data backs up our own feedback that students see the value of being able to undertake depth in their discipline plus breadth of study, and that they like the flexibility of career pathways that the Melbourne Model offers.

For 2009, in the second phase of the implementation of the Melbourne Model, undergraduate courses have been reduced from 29 to 22 following a reduction in 2008 from 96.

Courses, including Medicine and Education (which will be offered at Graduate level only in the future) accounted for more than 2000 first preferences in the previous year. Melbourne received a total of 9771 first preferences in 2009 - a reduction of just over 800 on the previous year.

Because we no longer offer courses such as Medicine and Law at undergraduate level, it is inevitable that the overall number of applications will fall. But when you take the 2000 plus preferences for discontinued courses out of the 2009 equation, you can see just how strong Melbourne's performance is.

Other courses have also performed strongly.  For instance, Engineering has seen a 20 per cent rise in first preferences; and at the VCA, Production, is up 25 per cent, Dance up 13 per cent, and Dramatic Art up 12 per cent.

The introduction of the Melbourne Model in 2008 set the University of Melbourne apart from other Australian universities. Now some other Australian universities are embracing both substantial and partial elements of this significant educational reform.

This year we welcomed the first cohort of students into our New Generation degrees and graduate programs.  It is therefore good to see prospective students again confidently putting the New Generation degrees as their first preference.

Our success in the VTAC popularity polls is for the most part down to the large numbers of academic and professional staff across the University who have helped to spread the word about the Melbourne Model.  They talk to students and parents and teachers, prepare informational materials and advertising. Our thanks go to them all.

Glyn Davis

This was sent out to all unimelb staff (I have my sources? - credits to "max")

[annymaxs]

yay for positive publicity for unimelb!
-vested interest in seeing unimelb do well-

[Collin Li]

I credit the strong performance of Science to valuable undergraduates such as Ahmad and Neobeo, hahaha.

[transgression]

interesting

<robbo> LOL
<robbo> ENTER SCORES GO UP
<robbo> SHIT PRAV
<robbo> !!!
<relapse> hm
<relapse> yes
<relapse> D:
<+AppleXY> OH FUCK
<+AppleXY> NO
<+AppleXY> GET THE FUCK OUT

[Collin Li]

It should be noted that since Melbourne cut down to 6 degrees (from 50+?), that it should be expected that demand would increase. In that sense, the statistics are misleading (or if not, they are not surprising, and even disappointing in some cases).

[annymaxs]

yeah i was just talking to you about that before coblin - i reckon figures might have gone down but it's been dressed up a tad.
then again we haven't been given any absolute values from the past either so blerh.

-overlooks the technicalities and still hopes unimelb is all good- it'd be a pity if unimelb's reputation went down

[killsdow]

Yeah it was dressed up i'm guessing from the results from this article...

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24545608-12332,00.html