University of Technology Sydney Open

What it is

UTS Open is the short-course arm of the University of Technology Sydney. Its site describes it as "the University of Technology Sydney's offering of short courses, microcredentials and free online learning," and sums itself up in three phrases: "Career-focused. Industry aligned. Academically certified." It is built for working adults who want a university-run course without enrolling in a degree, and for employers buying training for their staff, who get a separate "For your organisation" section with the promise "The skills your employees need."

One catalog holds three course types: assessed microcredentials, paid short courses, and free courses. Every listing shows the same set of facts up front: duration, weekly hours or total hours, price, delivery method, teaching mode and next start date. The footer identifies UTS as an Australian university, and in-person courses run on campus in Sydney or at other in-person locations.

Microcredentials

The microcredentials page defines the format in one line: "Certify your expertise with formally assessed stand-alone courses that specialise in an area of practice at the university-level." It promises courses "designed and taught by industry experts" and a credential with a path onward: "Receive a UTS credential when you successfully complete a course which can be put towards a UTS degree." That last point is the main reason to choose a microcredential over a short course: the work can count toward a UTS degree later.

The microcredentials shown are all online and listed at 6 wks, with an average load of 10 to 14 hours a week. Most run as scheduled sessions with a fixed start and end date; a few show "Enquire now" in place of a date. The listings, with the prices the page gives:

• Futures Thinking, $3,045, averaging 10 hours a week. It goes "beyond strategic foresight methods to co-create possible futures and innovate across industries."
• Creative Intelligence Catalyser, $3,043, also around 10 hours a week, on using creative intelligence to generate ideas and solutions to complex problems.
• Applied Data Science for Innovation, $1,670, and Advanced Data Science for Innovation, $1,674, both averaging 14 hours a week. The first teaches how to solve business problems "using machine learning and related data science tools"; the second takes that a step further with advanced tools.
• A learning design series of four courses at $1,615 each, around 12 hours a week: "Create: Creating Interactive Multimedia Objects", "Predict: Current and Future Trends in Learning and Technology", "Analyse: Evaluation and Assessment in Learning Design" and "Critique: Issues in Learning Design".
• Supervising Indigenous Higher Degree Research, $1,480, the one microcredential marked 100% self-paced, which explores Indigenous research theories and methodologies for people who supervise research students.

So the microcredentials shown cost between $1,480 and $3,045. For an educator or instructional designer, the four-part learning design series is the most complete set; for a manager or strategist, Futures Thinking and Creative Intelligence Catalyser are the closest thing to classic executive education in the catalog.

Short courses

Short courses are the practical, often in-person side of UTS Open. The featured list on the home page falls into four groups.

Lean Six Sigma. A three-step ladder, all on campus in Sydney with scheduled sessions. Lean Six Sigma Foundations is a 1-day introduction (8 hours) at $990. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt runs 5 days at $4,990, and the site says it lets you "Become a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt facilitator and gain the skills to drive greater efficiencies at work." Lean Six Sigma Black Belt costs $9,990 and is taught in two five-day blocks over two weeks, aimed at people who will "lead highly complex continuous improvement processes" inside their organization.

Building regulation and certification. Three courses at $3,089 each. Building Regulation runs four weeks as four 8-hour sessions in a mixed online and in-person format, and covers "the essential skills required to understand and implement building regulation in NSW." The Certification Short Course runs five weeks online (32 hours) with a direct purpose: "Become a registered certifier or renew your registration with this Certification Short Course." Advanced Building Regulation runs four weeks online (32 hours) and is aimed at the building certification professional, from surveyors, certifiers and architects to the builders and planners who work within the certification system.

Urban planning. The Movement and Place Course is a 1-day, 8-hour session on campus at $798, built around the real-life application of the NSW Movement and Place Framework.

Everyday data skills. Practical Cybersecurity, Practical Data Privacy and Practical Data Security cost $100 each. They run 2 hours, online, 100% self-paced, and can be started at any time, with downloadable resources for securing information at home, at work and in transit.

Free courses

The free courses are the low-risk entry point. The site says they "are available for everyone to get a taste of career-focused education at university-level," and calls them "A free taste of UTS postgraduate online learning." Each is described as "Convenient online short courses, delivered digitally & accessible from any device."

There are eight of them, every one 2 hours long, online, 100% self-paced and open to start at any time:

• "Genetic Counselling", on how genetic counselors work with families living with hereditary conditions.
• Living Well with Palliative Care, on supporting people with a life-limiting illness.
• Measuring Social Impact, in two parts: the first on tools and processes for measuring social impact programs, the second on evaluation methods and showing that impact to funders.
• Modern Slavery, covering modern slavery internationally and in Australia, and Modern Slavery in the Home, on identifying and responding to it within Australian households.
• Outcomes Based Funding, on "the how, what and why of payment by outcomes."
• Safeguarding in Sport: Understanding the Risks, on risk assessment and responses to keep athletes safe.

These sit in five study areas: Business & Transformation, Communication & Media, Health, Law, and Public Policy & Governance. They are short introductions, useful for testing interest in a field before paying for an assessed course.

Subjects and browsing

The full catalog is organized into study areas: Analytics & Data Science, Architecture, Built Environment, Business & Transformation, Communication & Media, Design Innovation, Technology, Health, Law, Public Policy & Governance, Systems & Operations, Engineering, Bridging Courses, Science & Mathematics, and Education. Some areas break down further. Technology covers business technology, AI and machine learning, telecoms, data science and key technology trends. Law covers law and technology, substantive law, industry accreditation and professional skills. Public Policy & Governance covers evidence evaluation, community engagement, governance, local government, leadership, policy and program delivery, and strategic planning.

A filter panel narrows the catalog by course type, delivery method (online, on campus in Sydney, another in-person location, or mixed), teaching mode (scheduled sessions or self-paced), cost band from free upward, and start date, from "Start anytime" to within the next year. Courses go into a cart and are bought online, and learners log in to an account.

Who it suits

UTS Open suits professionals who want a university name on a short course and a credential that may count toward a UTS degree later. The microcredentials fit managers, analysts and educators who can give 10 to 14 hours a week to an online course with scheduled sessions. The learning design series fits instructional designers and teachers. The Lean Six Sigma ladder fits operations and process improvement staff, and their employers, who can send people to Sydney. The building regulation courses serve a specific professional audience in NSW, including certifiers who need to register or renew. The $100 data courses and the free courses suit anyone who wants a quick, self-paced start.

The limits follow from the format. The Lean Six Sigma courses and the Movement and Place Course are taught on campus in Sydney, so they suit people who can attend in person. The building and planning courses are tied to NSW regulation and frameworks. The free courses are two-hour introductions, a way to sample a subject before paying for an assessed microcredential. Learners who want a full qualification should treat a microcredential as the first step toward a UTS degree rather than a replacement for one.