In an Australian first, QUT has introduced an innovative new curriculum that all commencing undergraduate students will have the opportunity to experience from 2025 onwards.
With QUT You, QUT will prepare students for real-world careers that are impacted by complex local and global challenges, from artificial intelligence to climate change, health epidemics, data and food security, and geopolitical unrest.
The curriculum also focuses on diversity, inclusivity, cultural respect, and Indigenous Australian knowledges, priority areas supported by the federal government’s Australian Universities Accord review into higher education released in February 2024.
QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Programs and Partnerships) Professor Gene Moyle said QUT You aligned well with the Australian Universities Accord.
“The Universities Accord highlights the need to produce the skills, knowledge and intellectual ambition needed to meet the nation’s current and emerging social, economic and environmental challenges,” Professor Moyle said.
“To achieve this, students will need skills that span disciplines and careers to support their resilience in adapting to, and impacting positively upon, an ever-changing world.
“QUT You has a strong focus on engagement and the provision of unique experiences for students, and how to prepare them for not just one but multiple careers in the future, and how to work respectfully in collaborative ways.”
QUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic) Professor Robina Xavier said the curriculum has been three years in the making, with world-leading academics, researchers, learning designers, students and the wider community working on its development.
“When you come to university as a student, you are an individual, but you are also part of a local community as well as being a global citizen,” Professor Xavier said.
“QUT You is designed to help you thrive in all these environments, strengthening your sense of belonging, connection and resilience, no matter what career path you are on.”
From next year, commencing undergraduate students will choose from 10 specially designed, cross-disciplinary QUT You units. Up to four units will be incorporated into every undergraduate student’s course, depending on the course and degree structure.
Each unit boosts critical and creative thinking, global citizenship and digital fluency while delivering featured content ranging from artificial intelligence, Indigenous Australian knowledges and data science through to coding, the art of pitching, how humans and robots collaborate, and identifying fake news.
Students from across all faculties and year levels will undertake QUT You units, promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration while also considering how the unit content and skills gained can apply to their specific study stream.
Industry experts have shared their lived experiences of meeting real-world challenges and opportunities to help shape parts of the QUT You curricula including Logan Hospital Assistant Director of Nursing, Emily Smith, who contributed to one of the units.
Ms Smith said she was excited by the opportunity for students to think outside their study discipline.
“Engineering is a good example. We have a huge amount of engineering support in health care because of all the infrastructure that has been happening,” Ms Smith said.
“People don’t realise how often different service streams cross. You’re working with trades people, engineers, suppliers, dock managers. You can even be in a role and it may change and being brave and taking a risk is helped by having transferrable skills.”
QUT You Senior Learning Designer, Dr Richie Young, said community engagement was a vital component of the QUT You units.
“QUT You supports students to think about their responsibility in their local and global communities and to connect with that community meaningfully,” Dr Young said.
In 2024 more than 2,150 students have completed their chosen QUT You units, ahead of the official launch in 2025, with Student as Partner reviewers helping fine-tune unit content and delivery.
Fourth year Bachelor of Engineering Electrical and Science Physics double degree student, Madison Wonders, said her degree focus on project output meant communication skills were often not prioritised.
“I think everyone has these skills to some extent, but we forget about them,” Madison said. “So taking a step back and having time to reflect through a QUT You unit makes you think about what you already know, listen to the opinions of others and think, maybe I should put my hand up and speak because my voice is valuable.”
Among the first cohort to experience a QUT You unit as part of her degree has been first year psychology student, Aditi Kapoor, who studied the unit on Living and Working Collaboratively, Ethically and Inclusively.
“In India we don’t talk about things like disability so openly, so I was very new to this idea. I really appreciated the way it was presented and explained,” Ms Kapoor said.
“It has helped me learn better ways and be more mindful which will help me as I’m aiming to become a psychologist in the future.”
While first year Bachelor of Information Technology student, Angela Suresh Thomas, said QUT You units with a focus on the developing fields of data science, robotics, AI and computational learning had clear career benefits across disciplines.
“QUT You units include a lot of activities which make the sessions more interactive and understandable and because of this, I was able to make some good friends from the same, as well as different courses,” Ms Thomas said.
Main picture: First year Bachelor of Information Technology student Angela Suresh Thomas. Picture: QUT / Tony Phillips
For more information on QUT You visit the QUT You webpage.
QUT Media contact:
Debra Bela: 0412 417 552 or debra.bela@qut.edu.au
After hours: media@qut.edu.au
