My name's Tayla. I'm studying the Diploma of Civil Construction and I'm an online student here at Southern Cross University.

I'm using my diploma as a pathway to get into the Bachelor of Engineering Systems so that I can do Civil Engineering as my specialisation.

The Southern Cross model is changing the way that students are able to study. So instead of you do doing your 13, 12-week session, you actually finish your unit in that first six-week block and then you have a break and then you do your next and your next.

You can take a term off if you need to or you can study more full-time.

It just allows room for you to just be a person.

So, I've already completed two of the units in this new study mode and I love it. It's so good. The teachers are just so on top of it and it's a new thing for everybody, but they're really, really good with it. Everyone's so understanding with it. And while you go a lot faster over that six-week course, it doesn't actually feel difficult. It doesn't feel like you're doing more work. It's just really, really well laid out.

And it gives you a lot more opportunity to study one thing and more in-depth because you're able to study more in a shortened period of time and actually still absorb all of it really well. So instead of doing four subjects at a time you can do two. Which means that you actually pay more attention in your subjects. It means that there's less subjects to divide your attention between. It's easier to concentrate on your assessment tasks and keep track of them and everything like that. It's so much easier as a student.

You can really see the finish line. It really motivates you to stay focused and just it's much easier to stay on topic.

So, I was studying the 12-week model in other universities and it wasn't going well, really wasn't suiting me.

But since coming to Southern Cross, I've gone immediately into this new model and getting high distinctions. And it's a relief and it's incredible. It's so nice.