‘Not about the money’: UNSW dumps controversial trimesters
The overhaul aligns with the university’s strategy, which has the stated purpose of progress for all and ensuring their degrees set them up for success in an increasingly automated world where artificial intelligence can perform routine tasks.
“How do I make sure my undergraduates are AI-proofed? The bulk the undergraduate students and bulk of the postgraduates, what they really want, particularly in today’s world, is longer, deeper learning time,” Brungs said.
Sofia Miranda, 19, said she did not mind trimesters, but Grace Spiteri, 20, was in favour of the traditional semester model.Credit: Louise Kennerley
While the decision to introduce trimesters caused a furore more than five years ago, Brungs said demand during that time has never been higher from both domestic and international students. The university has topped the Financial Review’s league tables for employability.
Grace Spiteri, 20, said she would prefer going back to semesters as there was only a two-week break between terms at the moment.
“You don’t get much of a breathing period before you have to go back to another class,” she said.
“I would prefer we go back because a lot of my high school friends and other friends are at UTS and they have the full term, our breaks never line up.”
Sofia Miranda, 19, said she did not mind trimesters but said the workload could be immense.
“The workload tends to be really big, especially the amount of reading we have to do,” she said.
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