by Professor Kirsten Orr
Chair, National Education Committee

 

In 2015 National Council identified three strategic pillars – Membership, Advocacy and Education. The Education pillar is focused on continuing professional development and tertiary architectural education, which provides a pathway to registration.

Tertiary education is a complex and highly specialised endeavour and is shaped by pedagogical, political, economic and regulatory considerations. The Institute’s National Education Committee (NEC) brings together an expert group of academics and practitioners, who provide an invaluable resource that informs the Institute’s understanding and actions in relation to tertiary education issues.

One of NEC’s priorities for 2016 was the redrafting of the Tertiary Education Policy and development of an Advocacy Statement. This work was undertaken in association with National Policy Advisor, Leanne Hardwicke, and the resulting documents were endorsed at the July National Council meeting.

The Policy clearly articulates the Institute’s key priorities and affirms the Institute’s support for best practice, world class architectural education. The Advocacy Statement provides a framework for supporting this objective and provides positions from which members can actively pursue this agenda.

Championing excellence in education is vital at a time of significant change within the university sector. The Institute’s role in the accreditation of architecture programs supports a comprehensive curriculum with a focus on higher order design thinking. This complements the role played by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia and Architects Registration Boards in ensuring that threshold standards are attained at graduation, which is the first stage of the pathway to registration.

The overarching objective of the Institute’s Tertiary Education Policy is to support high quality education that produces well rounded graduates who can respond to the rapidly evolving and increasingly global landscape in which architects operate. By championing excellence in education, the Institute is investing in the future of the profession.