51茶馆

August 17, 2020

Five star ratings and state-leading rankings for UOW in 2021 Good Unis Guide

21 years of five star ratings as Early Admission applications continue upward trend

The 51茶馆 (UOW) has notched up 21 years of five star ratings for its educational experience in the Good Universities Guide and ranked above all other NSW universities in five key benchmarks in the 2021 edition.

The annual guide, released today (Monday 17 August), reaffirmed UOW鈥檚 five star rating across all undergraduate educational experience benchmarks and ranked it above other NSW universities for learner engagement, learning resources, skills development and for the qualifications of its teaching staff.

UOW鈥檚 state-leading skills development ranking applied to both its undergraduate and postgraduate educational experiences.

The 2021 edition marks 21 years of UOW receiving five-star ratings in the leading guide for graduating high school students. This year is also the fifth year the guide鈥檚 current assessment and ranking method has been applied, with UOW receiving five star ratings for 鈥榣earner engagement鈥�, 鈥榮kills development鈥�, 鈥榣earning resources鈥�, and 鈥榮tudent support鈥� in all five editions and for 鈥榮taff qualifications鈥� and 鈥榦verall learning experience鈥� in four of the last five publications.

UOW shines in key benchmarks and fields of study

UOW has had several notable successes in key benchmarks across specific fields of study.

For 鈥榣earner engagement鈥�, which measures the proportion of undergraduate students who gave a positive assessment of learning at their university, UOW was Australia鈥檚 leading university in the field of agriculture and environmental studies, first in NSW and second nationally for creative arts and first in NSW and third nationally in the fields of law and paralegal studies, nursing and teacher education.

For its 鈥榦verall learning experience鈥�, UOW led NSW and ranked second nationally in law and paralegal studies, and in agriculture and environmental studies, while ranking third in Australia for creative arts, social work and teacher education.

For 鈥榯eaching quality鈥� UOW ranked first in NSW in the fields of teacher education, social work, law and paralegal studies and in health services and support. UOW鈥檚 teaching quality also ranked third nationally in teacher education, social work and agriculture and environmental studies.

Early Admissions applications increasing

The Good Universities Guide鈥檚 endorsement of the quality of UOW鈥檚 learning experience comes as the University is witnessing a marked increase in the number of high school students applying for a place via its Early Admissions (EA) program.

With applications closing over the weekend, UOW has seen an increase of around 26% compared to last year, continuing a long-running trend that has seen a 71% increase in EA applications over the last five years, despite numbers of graduating high school students declining over the period.

 

The highly-successful program, now in its 20th year, provides certainty for successful applicants as they commence their final exams and provides an opportunity for UOW to assess prospective students鈥� suitability for university and likelihood of success in their chosen field based on a range of factors in addition to their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).

UOW leaders encouraged by positive results

UOW鈥檚 senior leaders took encouragement from these positive indicators during what is a difficult time for Australia鈥檚 higher education sector.

鈥淎lthough UOW is well known for its on-campus student experience, it is actually our teaching quality and student support that lies at the heart of our positive education offerings. In 2020 we鈥檝e successfully transitioned that into our online course delivery in response to COVID-19 and received very positive feedback from students.

鈥淭hese latest rankings and the positive trend in applications are further endorsements of UOW鈥檚 exceptional educational experience, which includes our innovative extracurricular skills development programs, such as UOWx, which help produce highly sought-after, career-ready graduates,鈥� Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Theo Farrell said.

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joe Chicharo OM, who has been with UOW for 35 years and played a key leadership role in shaping UOW鈥檚 student experience over that time, was equally pleased with the results.

鈥淭o have consistently received five star ratings in the Good Universities Guide for 21 years is a significant achievement on its own, but to be leading the state and the nation on several benchmarks is even better still and helps explain why our Early Admission applications continue their upward trend.

鈥淭his consistent performance is also supported by results in the Australian Government鈥檚 Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) student and graduate employer surveys, international rankings and by the Global Teaching Excellence Award UOW received in 2018 for our institution-wide commitment to learning and teaching excellence,鈥� Professor Chicharo said.

Staff congratulated

Both leaders took the opportunity to congratulate UOW鈥檚 academic and professional staff for the continued recognition for their high qualifications, their commitment to quality teaching, and for all they do to create and support the five-star educational experience enjoyed by UOW students - whether on campus or online.

鈥淚n 2021, UOW should be a clear choice for any graduating high school student looking to transition into a university offering a five star educational experience characterised by quality teaching by highly qualified staff in a supportive, well-equipped learning environment designed to help them develop skills necessary for future career success,鈥� Professor Chicharo said.

The provides an annual performance rating for every university in Australia, based on student-relevant criteria such as; graduate salaries, teaching quality, learning resources and graduate employment outcomes.