BY ALICE PEART
The University of
Newcastle has announced plans for the development of a multi-campus presence on
the Central Coast following an 18 million dollar investment from the federal government.
The expansion will
take the form of a health and innovation hub for university students alongside
the Central Coast Medical School and Research Institute forecasted to open in
2020, creating a health precinct in Gosford’s CBD.
The investment,
following on from the previous federal funding of
85 million, seeks to address the estimated additional 4300
workers needed in healthcare and social assistance roles needed over the
coming years on the Central Coast.
The precinct will have an emphasis on
entrepreneurship and community engagement using technology such as augmented
and virtual reality.
The university has already piloted virtual reality
teaching programs in health with The Road to Birth designed to teach skills which would either be otherwise too dangerous or expensive to be experienced
in the classroom.
This will be expanded by the
innovation hub to provide enhanced teaching, conference, community engagement
and social learning facilities.
Many courses offered by the new
precinct will be unique to the Gosford campus says the Dean Dr Brok Glenn, such as
the proposed Master of Medical Imaging and Master of Professional Prescribing.
The investment from the federal government
represents just part of the 250 million dollars needed to complete the
multi-campus university.
Image by the University of Newcastle.
