Flexible Learning Approach

Postgraduate students are very busy people. These courses offer you the opportunity to do your business, curriculum, or personal writing and apply it as well as receive help and qualifications in developing your writing skills.

• Students will be able to work entirely online. Electronic laboratories will be available for students who wish to work at Swinburne Lilydale Campus and at the University's library facilities on all campuses.
• These courses give students access to the best materials in print and online as well as to experts in their field. They will maintain up-to-date expertise through the World Wide Web. Students will be supported by online mentors and tutors. Students working on campus would receive appropriate face to face tutorial assistance.
• Subjects are delivered in virtual reality mode online and via CD ROM (video cd's) and print by experts in the field supported by online eTutors.
• The electronic delivery of these units will result in flexibility, the formation of virtual communities and the ability to deliver globally. It will provide students with the capacity to interact via email, chatrooms and discussion threads both synchronously, that is in real time, and asynchronously, that is at any time you choose. Students will thus develop familiarity with the main modes of 21st century information delivery and with lifelong learning skills in the use and utilisation of the new technologies.
• Each unit will have the support of dedicated web sites, CD ROMS and print materials.

The unit web sites include:

• Well designed pages for each unit and each of the 12 modules within each unit
• Links to relevant learning materials and online tutorials for each unit module
• References and information available via the World Wide Web
• A bulletin board for frequently asked questions and notices
• Chatrooms for synchronous interactions in 'realtime' between students and their eTutor
• Discussion threads for asynchronous interactions at times students wish to 'talk' in a virtual tutorial with other students and/or their eTutor; email connection to the eTutor
• Hypertext links which enrich the stable information on the unit CD ROMs and keep the students up to date with latest information and references

Unit CD ROMs (VCDs) support materials include:

• Videos of all lectures and guest lecturers
• Print facilities
• Video clips of the virtual lecturer with PowerPoint summaries of the content
• Links to unit web pages
• Relevant expert interviews

Students are offered advanced studies in professional and creative writing which span print to online technologies. They can utilise their professional work requirements for academic qualifications. This is in line with the globalisation of information and knowledge and the development of new economies.