Course Changes in 2004

In 2004 the timetable for the UWA Master of Clinical Audiology was changed in a major way.
The course content on the other hand remained identical to previous years, and there were only two slight changes to two units.

First, some material was taken from one second-year unit Community and Workplace Audiology 612 and moved to another second-year unit, Audiological Practice Management 610. The material represents a number of audiological site visits and deconstruction assignments that fit equally well into CWA612 or APM610. The change evened out the point values of units so that both now represent 6 points, in keeping with the School’s and UWA’s policy. All units within the course are now either 6 or 12 point units.

The second change was in first year, and merely swapped the order of presentation of the two units Speech, Language and Communication 513 and Hearing Devices and Adult Aural Rehabilitation 515. This swap has been done to ensure that students cover basic hearing aid material in first semester, so that they are then better prepared for clinical practicals and part-time employment during the rest of their course.

Other than these simple changes, the course content remained the same, but we now deliver the material in a much more compact manner, again in keeping with getting the students up to running speed for clinical work and part-time employment. The course material is presented full-time (40 hours/week) over the five weeks of February and the first week of March. Examinations in these units are held in the normal examination week at the end of first semester, so that students have sufficient time to assimilate and integrate material with fortnightly tutorials, check their understanding with formative material to be supplied, and then remediate if necessary before the semester exams mid-year. In second semester, a similar 5 week delivery is used, with the starting date near the normal starting date for semester. Intensive in-house clinical tuition occurs in the first two weeks after the first 5-week semester.

We have application interviews in December, and a simple entrance examination in early January, so that students are pressured to do the required pre-reading before the intensive course starts in February. The intake is 30 students, which  makes the course more cost-effective, in the interest of UWA and students alike (keeping fees lower). The alternation of academic years also lessens the impact of the course on School resources and academic time (there are fewer timetable and equipment clashes). The move to these changes pre-date the Practising Student Audiologist Scheme, but facilitate it.