About the OPL

The Office for Professional Learning (OPL) oversees the professional experience component of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Early Childhood (EC) courses. It is responsible for the development of professional experience programs, liaison with students (teacher education students) and with education providers, and record keeping of all ITE teacher education students' professional experience components.

What is Professional Experience?

Professional experience is a required component of all Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Early Childhood (EC) courses offered by the School of Education. It allows the teacher education students to take theoretical knowledge attained throughout the ITE and EC courses and apply knowledge to the relevant setting. All professional experience placements in a school are assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers while ACECQA's framework applies to Early Childhood Education and Care settings.

Professional experience allows for a chance to apply theoretical understanding to the practical world to help build your skills for the classroom. It is a mandatory component of each degree that will contain a different number of days of professional experience ranging from 20 days overall to 135 days overall.

There are certain requirements you will need to know regarding professional experience. Specific professional experience requirements for each degree can be found in the Professional Experience Placement Guide. Please also read the Key Information about your Professional Experience page. It is mainly targeted at current students but will also let you know other requirements once you begin your degree.

For professional experience placements, teachers within schools/services/centres are selected as educators to supervise teacher education student(s), assisting to develop essential teaching competencies and integrating theoretical components of academic units to enhance teacher education students' skills.

Where are Professional Experience Placements Undertaken?

Depending on your degree, you will be required to complete a placement in one or a combination of the following settings:

• Early Childcare centres;
• Primary schools;
• High schools;
• Special Education units; and/or
• English Language Centres.

Specific Requirements for each degree can be found in this site in the Placement Guide, relevant to your degree. For specific unit information on 'PREX', please visit the UNE Handbook.