International programs

ACU is involved in three different types of international programs:

1. programs offshore – where the University has partnerships with overseas institutions and delivers, or helps deliver, courses or examines and awards degrees
2. international students onshore – full-fee-paying international students, onshore, at our Australian campuses
3. international exchanges – arrangements for our students to study overseas and for the partnering institution’s students to study here.

• Read about international programs and students in 2008.

Students in the community

The University’s emphasis on community engagement meant that most students took part in such activities during 2008. Some courses have a compulsory requirement for community involvement. These include:

• a practice requirement in all undergraduate education courses
• completion of a unit of volunteer experience in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design
• a professional experience unit in the Bachelor of Business
• community placements in social work courses.

There are also numerous voluntary community opportunities for students including:

• education courses at the Brisbane Campus, offering students opportunities to help with a literacy project for Sudanese refugee children and to teach in Korea during the holidays
• a second-year nursing elective working in Broken Hill with Indigenous health workers
• nursing study tours to Vanuatu, China and the Philippines
• a first-year education (Brisbane Campus) program for students to help with bush regeneration
• volunteer tutoring for homework clubs
• training soccer teams of young people who are homeless for the Homeless World Cup.

World Youth Day

In 2008 the University and its students were also involved with World Youth Day (WYD) by:

• providing financial sponsorship of pilgrims from East Timor and Papua New Guinea
• volunteering to welcome, accommodate and guide visitors
• assisting young people with disabilities
• hosting a number of associated events, including interfaith forums and discussion groups, art shows and musical and dramatic youth festivals.
  

The influence of WYD on those who attended was researched during the year in the project Pilgrims’ Progress 2008, by Professor Webber and Dr Father Michael Mason CSSR of the University’s Quality of Life and Social Justice Flagship, with Dr Andrew Singleton of Monash University.

Large-scale surveys and interviews involving up to 112,000 young people took place both before and after the event.

 

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