News Archive

Over the December and January period, an enthusiastic group of students pondered many existential questions in Dr Nin Kirkham’s popular Summer School unit PHIL1002 Introduction to Critical Thinking.

The 82 philosophy students were part of a cohort of more than 1300 students across the University who took part in UWA’s biggest Summer School to date, with more than 63 units on offer.

A large number of these units were offered through the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education, with options available to study language units in French, German, Italian and Spanish, and even to study overseas in China, Greece, Italy, Japan and Indonesia. Some of the units were supported by successful bids for New Colombo Plan grants from the federal government.

Delivering an enhanced and comprehensive Summer School within a revised teaching calendar – and with little lead time – did present some challenges. However, feedback from students and relevant stakeholders is already being gathered to inform the planning phase of the next summer offering. Comments already received from students highlighted the many benefits of Summer School, some of which included reduction of study load during semester to accommodate academically challenging units, work schedules or family commitments.

Other feedback emphasised a welcome opportunity to accelerate learning or make up a study load, making the rest of the year far more manageable for our students. There are 22 students currently enrolled in honours or postgraduate study after completing a degree with units taken during the Summer School.

In addition to having great units on offer in the summer period, the key to a successful program is great logistical support and ensuring the close liaison between faculties and marketing to maximise the opportunity for our students and external participants in the Summer School.

Interested in offering a unit over the 2018/2019 Summer School period? Contact the Curriculum Officer in your Faculty.