From: kaic@mamura.ee.mu.oz.au (David Chan)
Subject: Re: Australian Universities failed
Organization: Electrical and Electronic - University of Melbourne 
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 05:43:41 GMT

eln235s@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au (mr  h    hui) writes:
>ystan@fawlty10.eng.monash.edu.au (Mr YS Tan) writes:
>>u926009@postoffice.utas.edu.au (C-Loh) writes:
>>>	# stuff deleted 
>>>
>>>Prof Ian Falconer, the deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide,
>>>however, emphasize that the post-graduate courses in Australia take longer and
>>>show the guaruantee of quality education.

	Eh? I thought a guarantee of quality is good equipment, good support
(technical or administrative), good supervisors (who are also aware of the
differences between an overseas students and a local one, who are sensitive
to the slightly different needs of an O.S.), superb working environment etc.
Not the average length of time of a post-grad course!

>What kind of logic is that the longer the courses, the better the
>quality? While I must admit the longer you work on the same topic, the
>more familiar you are in the field. But, is it all that for "EDUCATION"?
>We have had a lot of discussion on the quality of education in the
>country. However, I think what one hopes for the "quality" of education
>really depends very much on one's expectation. Thus, such claim of

	Hear, hear!

>Luckily (or unluckily), you've finished up your Elect degree. If you
>argue this way, why hadn't we started studying Computer Science or
>engineering in the early secondary? Then, we would have  "saved" much
>more time. I think the border line is that we've got to have a
>sufficient base of knowledge before we can proceed to the details.

Granted. However, for most Universities here in Australia, where technical
courses like science and engineering are concerned, some stuff covered in 
their first year could have been comfortably covered in High School - like 
higher maths. Most Victorian high-school graduates do not have the requisite
mathematical knowledge needed for the technical course. Thus, a year or
half a year is required to bring them up to par. A lot of my friends (who
are overseas students) commented that the year 12 maths was very easy, and
even the first year maths aren't as hard as they thought it might be.
Some say (including me) that they have already covered a fair bit of what's
taught in first-year maths at the high school level in their home country.

Also, since computers are becoming (or have become) such an integral part of  
our society nowadays, computer science (at least at the introductory level) 
or programming could be introduced in high school even. This will save many
first year students the grief of having to pick up those languages and the
basic knowledge needed to help master the finer points of computer science.

I think courses at 
the tertiary level may be shortened provided, as you say, the students have
a sufficient base of knowledge. This can't happen until the secondary 
school education here can be improved so as to provide the required basic
knowledge.  

>For example, biology and elect. eng. are quite different subjects. But,
>as I learnt more, there are many interdiscipline problem between these 2
>fields. Examples of researcher working in this interdiscipline area are
>numerous.
 
        I couldn't agree more - an example would be BIOMEDICAL engineering,
a stream in Elect. Eng that applies control engineering techniques in the  
field of medicine. 

Regards,
DC

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