Computing, Communicating and Contracting: A First Year Experience in Lifelong Learning

The emerging education, training and graduate work environment is exerting considerable pressure on university teaching and curriculum. The Mission statement of the University of Ballarat addresses these pressures and is intended to inform the work of curriculum planners and teachers. This paper will describe and critically evaluate a curriculum development initiative by the Bachelor of Computing course in responding to the demands for:

• seamless pathways between post-compulsory education, further education, training and work;
• lifelong learning and transferable/generic skills;
• liberal/general education;
• vocational education;
• curriculum breadth, depth, balance and coherence;
• deep rather than surface learning -- enhanced learning;
• thorough inductions into the way of knowing of a field of study;
• informed student choice within a flexible framework.