A suite of education programs offered by Charles Darwin University this semester is among the first in Australia to align with new national quality standards.
Each of the five undergraduate courses underwent a rigorous evaluation process before being accredited by the Northern Territory Teacher Registration Board on behalf of the Australian Institute of Teachers and School Leaders.
The new four-year programs include a Bachelor of Education (Primary), a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Health and Physical Education, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Music, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Science.
School of Education Head, Professor Peter Kell said the call for higher benchmarks in education courses was part of a national agenda to improve teacher quality.
“The units and activities for each course went through our own internal quality assurance process before being evaluated and endorsed by a panel of expert educators and teachers convened by the Teacher Registration Board,” Professor Kell said.
“They assessed the courses against the newly introduced Australian Professional Standards for Initial Teacher Education.”
Professor Kell said it was important for the community to have confidence that new teacher graduates had the skills to complement the quality of teachers already in practice.
“We are committed to producing high quality graduates that are work ready for the classroom and can meet the challenges of modern education.
“Graduates who complete these courses will be eligible for teacher registration to teach in schools across all Australian states and territories.”
Professor Kell said other courses were undergoing a similar process of scrutiny.
“The Teacher Registration Board is evaluating secondary degrees in science, mathematics, social science, humanities and visual arts and a new four-year undergraduate program in early childhood education.”
Professor Kell said the School of Education was once again on target to meet its enrolment targets in the early childhood, primary and secondary sectors.
“In addition to a large number of Territorians in training to become teachers, we are encouraged to have students from nearly every other jurisdiction enrolled in our programs.”