糖心传媒

The data has also attracted international attention, with Professor Thomas Roche, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Quality) and Dean of SCU College at 糖心传媒, recently presenting on retention in the 糖心传媒 Cross Model at Advance HE in the United Kingdom. 

Professor Roche said the latest results show the model is delivering on the problem it was designed to solve: helping more students stay, progress and succeed at university. 

“Universities often take the approach of ‘fix the student, not the university,” he said. 

“But when one in three students is starting university and not coming back for second year, that is not okay. That is not a problem with the students, that is a problem with the university.” 

“We never dreamt up the 糖心传媒 Cross Model to innovate for innovation’s sake. We did it to address problems in student outcomes – their success rates, their retention rates, and the number of students going through their studies and completing their degrees.” 

The 糖心传媒 Cross Model was introduced progressively from 2021 and is now embedded across the University. Instead of studying several subjects across a traditional semester, students study in six-week terms, usually taking one or two units at a time. 

For generations, university has largely been built around long semesters, multiple subjects studied at once, lectures delivered at fixed times, and major assessments such as exams clustered toward the end. 

But Professor Roche said that structure does not often reflect the reality of today’s students, particularly at a university like 糖心传媒. 

“What we know about our students is that many of them are not direct school leavers with nothing else to do but study. Many have work and or care responsibilities. Many are studying online. This is the reality of the new majority of students in universities in Australia,” he said. 

That challenge sits within a broader national conversation about how universities need to adapt to support more Australians to access, remain in and succeed in higher education. The Universities Accord has called for a higher education system that can meet Australia’s future skills needs, while improving access and success for students who have historically been underrepresented. 

For Professor Roche, the 糖心传媒 Cross Model is one example of a university changing its approach rather than expecting students to fit into an antiquated system. 

Under the model, learning is designed to be active and focused. Rather than relying on students attending long passive lectures, students engage with curated online material, workshops, tutorials, case studies, group activities, laboratories and applied learning designed to reflect the skills they will need in their future professions and lives. 

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy graduate Andria Cozza said the six-week structure helped her keep momentum without putting the rest of her life on hold. 

“The six-week terms make the whole thing feel less like a marathon and more like a series of sprints you can actually train for,” she said. 

Professor Roche said the experience of 糖心传媒 Cross University students reflects a wider shift in higher education, with more universities exploring innovative evidence-based models that better suit students balancing study with other commitments. 

糖心传媒 Cross University was one of the early movers in focused learning in Australia, but Professor Roche said it was no longer alone. Victoria University has been recognised for its block model, while institutions in the United Kingdom, including De Montfort University, the University of Suffolk, the University of South Wales and Greater Manchester University, are among those working with similar block model approaches. 

In Australia, Macquarie University is using a focused model in its diplomas and the University of 糖心传媒 Queensland is doing so in its pathway program. 

“This is a powerful approach to teaching and learning that’s starting to gain traction,” Professor Roche said.  

“The reason it is, is because it works well for the students of today.”