UNSW in partnership with Keypath welcomed the first cohort of fully online students at the beginning of July in the Master of Data Science and Master of Analytics postgraduate programs.
Liz Smith, Director of UNSW Online, is delighted with the early results. “Our initial targets of 15 students per course have been well exceeded, with 111 students enrolled in our first hexamester*. Strong growth is already evident with 172 students enrolling in the subsequent hexamester,” she said.
The flexible learning model has attracted students across Australia and overseas with study locations including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Bangladesh and Canada. Associate Professor John D’Ambra, Program Director for the Master of Analytics says the standard of student applicants has been very high and their engagement in the first course was excellent.
Data Scientists and Analytics professionals are in high demand across the globe. UNSW is responding to the need for highly qualified professionals through these new Masters programs. “Through this flexible model, students are able to accommodate their commitments and study when suits them. They can build core technical skills and also prepare for more senior and management roles with higher salaries,” says Associate Professor Yanan Fan, Program Director for the Master of Data Science.
The UNSW Online and Keypath partnership is building the broader capability of UNSW in the area of online learning and design with staff from 3 faculties engaged in developing online courses and teaching in the fully online programs. Staff are being encouraged to share their experiences with others who are teaching online.
“Staff teaching into UNSW Online have access to online orientation and a personalised induction to familiarise them with expectations,” said Liz. “Sharing their experience will provide valuable insights for colleagues new to online teaching and design as this becomes a more familiar mode of delivery at UNSW”
* The UNSW Online calendar utilises an accelerated model with 6 intakes of 8 weeks per year. A study term is referred to as a hexamester.
For more information and contact details for UNSW Online visit the SharePoint site. For more information on the partnership with Keypath visit the UNSW Newsroom.