Dr Clayton said the new campus will also open more opportunities for the community to be involved, due to its proximity to the CBD.
She said one of the key attractions of the new campus is how it will enhance the education experience for students, through interactive learning, greater connectivity in the social spaces and its accessibility to the community.
“With exciting new courses being offered at the new Cradle Coast campus, more people will have the option to stay where they have families, jobs and other community connections,” Dr Clayton said.
“For students with families and other commitments, moving away to study is often not an option and some dislike the idea of online learning.”
In the final year of her degree, Dr Clayton completed her Honours research project on why North West college students choose French as a subject, and then expanded on this in her PhD to investigate why Tasmanian students in Years 9-12 do or don’t choose to enrol in an elective second language (L2) class at school.
“I got a taste of researching and planned to return to the University in a few years to do my PhD. Early in my teaching career though, I found that I really missed studying. I enjoy academic writing and was keen to further investigate my Honours topic,” Dr Clayton said.
“After submitting my thesis, I went to France for four months to work as an English assistant in a high school.
“I gained a lot of confidence from this as it was something I always wanted to do but never thought I’d be brave enough. I didn’t speak French all that well, so it was very interesting, but I got by and learnt a lot about myself.”
In her role as Lecturer in Curriculum Studies (Primary) and Professional Experience Leader (North West), Dr Clayton is passionate about helping students to lay a strong foundation for their studies and learn skills that will help them in their future careers.
“I really love working in my first year unit which teaches education students about academic writing, academic integrity and referencing, communication, and the expectations and requirements of them as educators,” Dr Clayton said.
“It is a great starting unit that helps our students become the best learner they can and have a successful study journey at the University.”
Dr Clayton is a proud North-West Coaster who believes she has the best of both worlds right on her doorstep.
“We have amazing beaches at our fingertips (the new campus is literally right next to one), and then only an hour away we have Cradle Mountain, along with plenty of waterfalls in the region and rainforests, we are so lucky,” Dr Clayton said.
“We then have great restaurants and cafes on the coast, you get to know staff at your local shopping and dining places, people are friendly and it’s a relaxed living pace.
“I love the drive along to coast to and from campus, it’s so beautiful and I really love living in Tasmania.”
The University of Tasmania’s new Cradle Coast campus officially opened this month. To check out what courses are available visit: https://www.utas.edu.au/about/campuses/cradle-coast