Meeting 1/97 of the Education Committee was held on Wednesday 5 February 1997 at 10:00 am in the Sir George Lush Room, University Offices, Clayton Campus.
There were present:
Professor PLeP Darvall, Chair
Associate Professor R Alfredson, Engineering
Dr C Browne (for Professor G Taylor), Medicine
Mr M Cabrie, MSA
Associate Professor N Cameron, Science
Associate Professor M Evans, Business and Economics
Associate Professor J Hurst (for Mrs A McMillan) Computing and Information Technology
Professor M King, PhD and Scholarships
Ms K McGillivray, MUGSU
Ms H Morgan (for Mr J Welikala), MPA
Mr J Poussard, MUSU Inc, Peninsula
Ms B Presutto, MUBSU
Professor J Redmond, Art and Design
Dr K Stewart (for Associate Professor L Roller), Pharmacy
Mr G Tickell, Education
Associate Professor N White, Arts
Professor CR Williams (for Associate Professor S McNicol), Law
Professor W Young, Co-Opted
In Attendance were:
Ms ER Brooks, Secretariat
Mr R Burnet, Student Services
Ms H Dunne, Executive Assistant to Vice-Chancellor
Ms J Newham, Secretariat
Professor DA Robinson, Vice-Chancellor
Professor A Sohal, Business and Economics
Apologies were received from:
Ms O Cornelius, Academic Registrar
Professor T Hore, CHED
Professor T Threadgold, Arts
Mr M Williams, MUSU, Inc (Caulfield)
MINUTES
* 1. CHAIRING OF THE COMMITTEE
The Interim Chair of the Committee, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), Professor P LeP Darvall, advised the Committee that he would act as Chair until June 1997. He introduced the Vice-Chancellor, Professor DA Robinson, and his Executive Assistant, Ms H Dunne, who were present as observers, and spoke briefly about his view of the role of the Committee. The Education Committee should have an increasing focus on the policy issues affecting the University, and in particular its teaching activities. Professor Darvall advised members that in his view, the closer international connections now possible meant that teaching would become more internationalised, and that university teachers would need to develop the same kinds of international networks as is customary with their research. In addition, the need to streamline and rationalise the university's offerings would remain a priority, as would the development of more co-operative ventures with other universities. The importance of the role of the Centre for Higher Education Development was noted.
The Committee welcomed the Interim Chair and the Vice-Chancellor and his Assistant.
* 2. STARRED ITEMS
The Committee noted that certain items had been starred as requiring discussion, nominated items 4.1 and 13.3.1 to be starred, and then endorsed the recommendations for items other than those starred.
* 3. MINUTES
The Committee approved the Minutes of Meeting 8/96 held on Wednesday 18 December 1996 subject to
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
4.1 Matters requiring Resolution from Meetings 6/96, 7/96 and 8/96
The Executive Officer presented a report to the Committee. This document is attached to these Minutes. (Attachment 1)
Professor Darvall also commended the Executive Officer for her work on behalf of the Committee.
The Committee noted that there were now no matters relating to course and subject proposals requiring resolution from Meetings 6/96, 7/96 and 8/96.
* 5. ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MEETING 1/97 OF THE ACADEMIC BOARD
An extract from the unconfirmed Minutes of Meeting 1/97 of the Academic Board, held on 29 January 1997, is attached for information. (Attachment 2)
* 6. INFORMATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF DEANS
The Executive Officer advised the Committee that there were no items for the attention of the Committee raised at Meeting 1/97 of the Committee of Deans, held on 28 January 1997.
* 7. FACULTY PASSES FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN "EX-FACULTY" SUBJECTS
The Committee received and noted the discussion paper submitted regarding the matter of conceded passes. Associate Professor White spoke to the Committee, explaining that the paper presented the view that the current system was inequitable, and confusing, and that our marking system served a number of masters, from defining the performance of a student in an individual subject to determining progress in a degree to providing information about the student to a potential employer.
It was agreed that the matter required further consideration and the development of a specific proposal for consideration by faculties. Associate Professor White, Mr Tickell, and Associate Professor Cameron were asked to form a small working party to develop a recommendation.
During discussion it became apparent that the Committee considered that the retention of the PII grade (or something like it) was essential, but that there should be a greater degree of consistency between faculties. It was also agreed that while amending a mark for reasons of special consideration was an acceptable and usual practice, amending a mark for administrative purposes was not. This latter was best illustrated by the example of two students with marks of 47 at a Board of Examiners: one being from a faculty permitting the use of PII, receives a PII 47, and continues to semester two; the other, from a faculty without a PII grade, has the mark amended to P 50 to allow progression.
It was also noted during discussion that the varying practices regarding the availability of supplementary examinations was a matter of some concern in terms of equity, although the Committee received advice that some faculties had discontinued or reduced the practice of allowing supplementary examinations when the University moved to a semesterised system several years ago and academic staff workloads had increased.
Action: A/Prof N White, A/Prof N Cameron, Mr G Tickell, Ms E R Brooks
* 8. EFTSU WEIGHTING FOR SUBJECTS
The Committee received a memorandum from Associate Professor Evans, (Attachment 3) recommending an amendment to the suggested policy detailed in the Minutes of Meeting 8/96.
There had been some concern that the introduction of the policy would require double degrees to be either 4.5 or 5.5 years in length. This was not the intent, and the policy statement (to be referred to the Academic Board) now reflects this flexibility.
There was discussion of the marketing implications of extending the length of our double degree programs, and of whether the increase in fee liability which would follow would discourage students from selecting double degree programs. It was pointed out that the university was offering its double degrees at a loss at present, and that some faculties might be unable to continue to teach within the double degree structure unless the EFTSU allocations were amended as proposed. The educational merits of double degree programs were extolled, and a student member commented that advertising that a degree should take an additional semester could reduce the likelihood of students to fail subjects as a result of overwork. It was agreed that students would be encouraged to complete the courses in a shorter time (eg 4 years if a 4.5 year course) but that this would not be required of them. It was also noted that the Education Policy equated workload, credit points and EFTSU, and that our current practices had made these links difficult to retain. The proposed policy would allow a return to a straightforward link between the three.
It was agreed to refer the policy (below) for approval by the Academic Board, for immediate introduction. It was further agreed that faculties should, as a matter of urgency, consider whether there would be severe implications for any of their degree programs, and report their concerns to the next meeting of the Education Committee. Within the next six months, faculties would be asked to provide full details of all double degree programs, with course structure information, and a statement of the length of the course (where 48 points equals 1.0).
Faculties would be encouraged to consider carefully their double degree courses during this time, as it was pointed out that faculties might be able to amend some courses with overloads at present so that the course fit into a 48 points x 4 years structure.
Double degree courses should be extended by a period corresponding to their permitted overloaded credit points, based on a standard 48 credit points per year. In this way, EFTSU would once again have a unique, directly proportional relationship to the credit point value of a subject, and students would be obliged to pay only 1.0 EFTSU per year. It would also be usual, however, for a student to choose to undertake the program in a more accelerated manner, but they would then be undertaking a voluntary overload, and the EFTSU levied would not be adjusted to equal 1.0. In many double degree courses, this will require an extension of the advertised length of the course, so that it reflects the number of 48 point years in which the course would be completed (eg 4.5 for a 216 point course, 5.5 for a 264 point course, 4.66 for a 224 point course).
Action: Faculty Registrars
* 9. DISCIPLINE STATUTE REVISIONS
The Committee received and noted the document prepared by the University Solicitor's Office regarding the development of revisions to the current University Discipline Statute (Statute 4.1). It briefly considered the recommendations contained therein.
In general, the Committee found the Solicitor's draft very helpful. However, the Committee specifically queried the recommendation made by the Solicitor's Office that fines be a permissible sanction for a student found to have committed an academic misdemeanour. It was agreed to advise that academic penalties were considered to better fit the nature of the misconduct. Examples of academic penalties range from revision and resubmission of the work in question, disallowing the work or the subject result, suspending the student for a semester or for a longer period of time, or suspending the student for life (ie excluding the student).
The Committee also considered that the statute needed to be as broadly applicable as possible, and requested that the Solicitor's Office a) consider redefining the term "student" in order to include students at many different campuses, and through as many different modes of study as possible, and b) ask that agreements which precluded inclusion of a student in the definition be considered for renegotiation. The Education Committee's previous suggestion for the applicability of the statute (for academic misconduct) is referred for information:
"any person
The Committee recommended that the Solicitor's Office commence drafting the revisions to Statute 4.1 Discipline, taking intoaccount the concerns noted above.
The Committee also requested that the full existing statute, along with the recommended amendments, be presented when the revisions are submitted for consideration.
Action: University Solicitor
* 10. QUALITY ASSURANCE OFF-SHORE
That the Education Committee received and noted the document "Quality Assurance Off-Shore", which described the Quality Assurance Procedures currently in place for the approval and review of courses taught off-shore, and noted further that this matter may need to be revisited once a decision has been taken regarding the place of the Off-Shore Quality Assurance Committee of Council in the committee hierarchy of the University.
Action: Mr M Simmonds
11. REPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN
The Education Committee received and noted the summary of Library Impact Statements submitted to the University Librarian for the period August 1996 to November 1996.
Action: Professor E Lim
12. FACULTY OF ARTS
The Committee received the Report of Meeting 7/96 of the Board of the Faculty of Arts held on Wednesday 4 December 1996 and considered each item requiring action separately for submission to the Academic Board.
Action: Ms C Jordon
* 12.1 Bachelor of Arts - Approved Arts Disciplines
The Education Committee approved the proposal:
"that for the purposes of defining the structure of the Bachelor of Arts, disciplines and subjects referred to as "Arts" be considered to be those taught by departments of the Faculty of Arts in an approved schedule."
The Committee noted the advice of the Faculty that within the structure of the Bachelor of Arts there would remain sufficient scope (52 points) for students to complete subjects in disciplines other than those taught by the Faculty of Arts. This scope, it was further noted, would permit students to complete a 52 point major from another faculty (for example, psychology from the Faculty of Science) along with the minimum Arts requirements of a major, minor and first year sequence.
12.2 New Subject Proposal
The Education Committee noted that Faculty Board approved the action of the Dean in approving and forwarding to the Education Committee (7/96, Minute 13.2.1) the subject proposal for GES 3610 - Geographical Information Systems for Geodemographic and Local Government Applications.
13. FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
The Committee received the Report of Meeting 6/96 of the Board of the Faculty of Business and Economics held on Friday 13 December 1996 and considered each item requiring action separately for submission to the Academic Board.
Action: Ms A Pilgrim
* 13.1 New Course Proposals
13.1.1 Bachelor of Pharmacy / Bachelor of Commerce
The Committee noted that this course proposal was approved at its Meeting 8/96 (Minute 14.1.1).
13.1.2 Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Education
This course was proposed for introduction from Semester One 1998 on the Clayton campus.
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the proposal of the Faculty of Business and Economics to establish a new course, to be titled Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Education.
* 13.2 Amendments to Existing Courses
13.2.1 Bachelor of Business - amendment to Accounting major
This amendment was proposed for introduction from Semester Two 1997, with appropriate transition arrangements made available for current students.
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the proposal of the Faculty of Business and Economics to amend the Accounting major of the existing Bachelor of Business available at the Gippsland campus as detailed in the document presented.
13.3 New Subject Proposals
13.3.1 Bridging Subject in Mathematics for International Students
13.3.2 GBU2016 Financial Accounting and Reporting
13.3.3 GBU3017 Financial Accounting Issues
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the subject proposals listed in items 13.3.2 and 13.3.3, and noted that the proposal to establish the bridging subject (item 13.3.1) referred to a hurdle requirement for new students and should not have been referred for approval by the Committee.
13.4 Monash University Grading Scale
The Committee referred the information provided by the Faculty of Business and Economics regarding additional grades in use by the Faculty to the Examinations and Certifications Branch.
* 13.5 Student Grade Rankings
The Faculty of Business and Economics had recommended that academic transcripts be amended to include the percentile ranking of students in subjects taught by the Faculty. Advice from the Examinations and Certifications Branch indicated that this would not be feasible, given the length of time it takes to incorporate amendments into the program to produce transcripts. In any case, members of the Committee considered that this was a matter best considered within an individual faculty.
The Committee agreed that the Faculty may wish to issue Faculty certificates with the percentile rankings of students in specific classes. However, any such certificate should not bear any resemblance to an official university transcript, and that a draft of the proposed document should be submitted to Mr R Burnet for endorsement of its style.
13.6 Guidelines for Assessment in Undergraduate Subjects and Responsibilities of Examiners
The Committee received and noted the document entitled "Guidelines for Assessment in Undergraduate Subjects and Responsibilities of Examiners".
13.7 Guidelines for the Conduct and Responsibilities of the Board of Examiners
The Committee received and noted the document entitled "Guidelines for the Conduct and Responsibilities of the Board of Examiners".
14. FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
The Committee received the Report of Meeting 5/96 of the Board of the Faculty of Engineering held on 6 November 1996 and considered each item requiring action separately for submission to the Academic Board.
Action: Mr D Secomb
14.1 Minor Amendment to Existing Courses
The Faculty of Engineering had agreed to recommend a minor amendment to existing courses as follows:
The Committee noted the minor amendment to existing courses of the Faculty of Engineering as listed above.
14.2 Disestablishment of Subjects
The Faculty of Engineering had agreed to recommend the disestablishment of the following subjects and/or alternative codes for subjects:
The Committee noted the disestablishment of the subjects listed above by the Faculty of Engineering.
15. FACULTY OF SCIENCE
The Committee received the Report of Meeting 6/96 of the Board of the Faculty of Science held on 4 December 1996 and considered each item requiring action separately for submission to the Academic Board.
Action: Dr P Rodan
* 15.1 Amendments to Existing Courses
15.1.1 Bachelor of Applied Science - Amendment to structure and title
The Faculty of Science had recommended the introduction of a new course structure on the Gippsland campus for the existing Bachelor of Applied Science and its associated tagged degrees.
The new course structure would take effect from Semester One 1998 on the Gippsland campus and by Distance Education, and would affect all courses with the current Bachelor of Applied Science as a component of a double degree.
The Bachelor of Applied Science would have no further intake after 1997. There would be no further transfer into the tagged degrees associated with the Bachelor of Applied Science after 1998.
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the proposal of the Faculty of Science to amend the existing Bachelor of Applied Science as detailed in the document presented, and to amend the title of the course so that it becomes Bachelor of Science. The Committee noted that this amendment affects all double degrees associated with the existing Bachelor of Applied Science.
15.1.2 Bachelor of Applied Science - tagged degrees - amendment to structure and title
The Faculty of Science, as part of the restructure of the existing Bachelor of Applied Science, had recommended that the tagged awards associated with the Bachelor of Applied Science also be revised.
The new streams and titles would be available from 1998, but would not be made available for intake at the first year level. It is intended by the Faculty that existing students would be transferred into the new streams at the end of 1997, although arrangements would be made for any individual wishing to continue with their current stream.
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the following tagged degrees, indicating streams of the Bachelor of Science to be available to students on the Gippsland campus, noting that these tagged degrees are available only for later year intake:
15.1.3 Bachelor of Science - amendment to major/minor structure
The Faculty of Science had recommended that the structure used to define the course requirements for the Bachelor of Science be amended as detailed in the document presented.
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the proposal of the Faculty of Science to amend the structure of the Bachelor of Science so that the course requirements would be as follows:
"A candidate for the degree must include subjects to the value of at least 144 points, including:
two major sequences
or
a major sequence and a minor sequence
or
a linked-major package."
15.2 Amendments to Existing Subjects
The Faculty of Science had agreed to recommend amendments to existing subjects as follows:
The Committee noted the amendments to existing subjects of the Faculty of Science as listed above.
16. VICTORIAN COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
The Victorian College of Pharmacy had submitted proposals for a number of individual subjects to be taught within the Master of Computational Chemistry (approved at Meeting 8/96 of the Education Committee.
Action: Mr M Watson
16.1 New Subject Proposals
16.1.1 MCC413 Basic Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships
16.1.2 MCC414 Ab Initio Quantum Chemistry
16.1.3 MCC415 Molecular Mechanics and Dynamics
16.1.4 MCC526 Advanced Molecular Modelling
16.1.5 MCC527 Advanced Ab Initio Quantum Chemistry
16.1.6 MCC528 Advanced Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships
16.1.7 MCC539 Research Project
The Committee endorsed for submission to the Academic Board the subject proposals listed in items 16.1.1 to 16.1.7 inclusive.
17. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
17.1 Review of Terms of Reference of Education Committee
The Committee noted the advice of the Interim Chair that the terms of reference of the Education Committee were due for reconsideration. It was noted that Professor Lindsay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Planning)-designate, should be involved in this process.
The current Terms of Reference are attached to these Minutes for reference. (Attachment 5)
It was agreed that members with comments regarding the terms of reference for the Education Committee or for the Associate Deans (Teaching) should be forwarded to the Executive Officer or to Professor Darvall's office.
17.2 Evaluation Panels for 1997
With the loss to the Committee of Mrs A McMillan, the composition of the Evaluation Panels required revision.
The Panels for 1997 are as follows:
Postgraduate Matters:
Panel One:
Panel Two:
Panel One will consider proposals relating to the Faculties of Arts, Medicine, Education and Computing and Information Technology and the College of Art & Design.
Panel Two will consider matters relating to the Faculties of Law, Business and Economics, Engineering and Science and the College of Pharmacy.
17.3 Membership Matters
The new student members were welcomed to the Committee by the Chair. They are:
It was noted that vacancies remain for a representative of Graduate Diploma students and for a representative of the students of the Victorian College of Pharmacy.
18. NEXT MEETING
The Committee noted that the next Meeting of the Education Committee would be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday 19 March 1997, and that course and subject proposal submissions for that meeting would be due on or before 19 February; full reports would be due on or before 7 March.
Members also noted that this would be the final meeting at which proposals for courses to be included in the 1998 VTAC Guide might be approved.
Action: Faculty Registrars
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Confirmed as an accurate record
Chair...............................................
Date.................................................
Professor P LeP Darvall (Chairman)
Associate Professor R Alfredson, Engineering
Mr M Cabrie, MSA, Clayton
Associate Professor N Cameron, Science
Associate Professor M Evans, Business and Economics
Associate Professor J Hurst, Computing and Information Technology
Professor M King, PhD and Scholarships Committee
Ms K McGillivray, MUGSU, Gippsland
Mr J Poussard, MUSU Inc, Peninsula
Ms B Presutto, MUBSU, Berwick
Professor J Redmond, Art and Design
Associate Professor L Roller, Pharmacy
Professor G Taylor, Medicine
Mr G Tickell, Education
Mr J Welikala, MPA, Masters
Associate Professor N White, Arts
Mr M Williams, MUSU, Inc, Caulfield
Professor R Williams, Law
Professor B Young, Co-Opted
Vacant, MPA, Graduate Diploma
Vacant, MUPSA
Mr R Burnet, Student Services
Professor A Sohal, Business and Economics
Professor T Threadgold, Arts
Vacant, Pharmacy
Faculty Registrar/Manager (in rotation) - Mr D Secomb, Engineering
Ms ER Brooks, Secretariat
Attachment 1
Minutes of the Education Committee 1/97
Matters requiring resolution from Education Committee Meeting 6/96.
At Meeting 6/96, Minute 16.1, the Committee approved a proposal to offer the course Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Education on the Clayton campus in addition to the Peninsula campus from 1997 subject to the provision of appropriate resource implication statements.
These have now been provided.
Also at Meeting 6/96, Minute 16.2, the Committee approved a proposal to offer the course Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Education on the Clayton campus in addition to the Peninsula campus from 1997 subject to
The rationale for overload was overlooked in the original documentation, and advice received that the mathematics subject in the BEd described as a pedagogical rather than an academic subject (those in the BSc are considered academic). Associate Professor Evans has re-evaluated the proposal and is content with the additional information.
There are now no further questions remaining relating to subject or course proposals presented to Education Committee Meeting 6/96, held on Wednesday 11 September 1996.
Matters requiring resolution from Education Committee Meeting 7/96.
At Meeting 7/96, Minute 20.1.1, the Committee was advised that a fully revised version of the proposal to establish a Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Education was to be submitted to the Committee at Meeting 8/96. This was not required.
There are now no further questions remaining relating to subject or course proposals presented to Education Committee Meeting 7/96, held on Wednesday 6 November 1996.
Matters requiring resolution from Education Committee Meeting 8/96.
At Meeting 8/96, Minute 14.1.2, the Committee approved a proposal to establish a Master of Computational Chemistry, subject to aproval of the three remaining subjects to be made available for the first year of the course.
These subjects are to be considered for approval at Meeting 1/97.
If approved, there are now no further questions remaining relating to subject or course proposals presented to Education Committee Meeting 8/96, held on Wednesday 18 December 1996.
Attachment 2
Minutes of the Education Committee 1/97
ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
from the unconfirmed Minutes of Academic Board Meeting 1/97
held on 29 January 1997
Items brought forward from the Education Committee which have not been included in this extract were approved, as recommended by the Committee, with no discussion.
3.1 Quality Assurance Procedures
The Board was advised that a document which the Education Committee had submitted for approval at Meeting 8/96 of the Academic Board had instead been omitted from the papers for that meeting, the item having been presented as a proceeding of the report (12.1).
The document was circulated (pp 1-4). A minor correction to page 4, item 6 was noted: proposals were required to be submitted using the new formats for Education Committee Meeting 2/97, rather than Meeting 1/97 as was indicated in the document.
The Board was asked to approve the procedures.
The Academic Board approved the procedural document "Quality Assurance Procedures" provided by the Education Committee.
5.2 Preparation for 1998
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor DA Robinson, informed the Board that a group had been established to assist with corporate planning, headed by Mr D Phillips, Special Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Planning and Review), and including Mr P Summers, Ms D Lampard, Ms C Mingins, and Mr I Dobson. Professor Robinson advised members that this group would work to ensure that the University would be well positioned for entry into the 1998 academic year, and have a clear direction for its achievement and identity in the coming years. He stated that during the development of an academically driven corporate plan, the group would take into account the work already done and reflected in the two published volumes of Directions for the Future. The Vice-Chancellor invited Mr D Phillips to speak to this item, which also encompassed item 5.3, "Corporate Planning".
Mr Phillips spoke about the immediate issue of preparation for 1998 and about the process of working with senior central and faculty management to develop a five year corporate plan. He informed members that Deans had been asked to provide advice on new corporate and academic opportunities in response to the changing tertiary environment, particularly in terms of the current and future reductions to Government funding.
Mr Phillips advised the Board that an academic framework would be used for the corporate plan, and that the planning process would include work on influencing factors such as long-term resourcing scenarios, likely outcomes from enterprise bargaining, student demand profiles, the preservation of flexibility, costing, marketing and demographic research, and graduate outcomes. He informed members that a corporate plan would be brought to the Academic Board for comment before being presented to the July Meeting of Council.
Members of the Board discussed information technology and multimedia issues as a significant part of the changing learning environment. Professor A Lindsay advised the Board that a group would be established to aid the University's corporate planning in relation to information technology. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Development), Professor PLeP Darvall, informed members that following the 1996 Review of Technology and Computing Infrastructure, a policy was being developed for Information Technology, to be a key University policy along with the Education, Research and Community Service Policies.
The Board also discussed the further development of the University's research management plan. The Vice-Chancellor highlighted collaboration between universities as one model for growth in research.
The Academic Board noted the advice of the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Mr D Phillips regarding the University's preparation for the 1998 academic year, and the short and long-term corporate plans to be developed with the assistance of the recently established corporate planning group.
9.2 Appointment of Sub-Dean
The Academic Board approved for submission to Council the proposal of the Board of the Faculty of Engineering to appoint Associate Professor RJ Alfredson as Sub-Dean (Clayton) from 1 January 1997 to 30 June 1997, and noted that Associate Professor Alfredson would continue to perform his present duties as Associate Dean (Teaching) and would retain that title.
*10.3 School of Arts and Science (Peninsula)
The Board of the Faculty of Arts considered this matter at meeting 8/96, held on 6 December 1996. Oral advice received had indicated that the Faculty Board was in agreement with this recommendation. The Dean of the Faculty of Arts confirmed that advice at the meeting.
The Academic Board noted from the individual comments of the Deans of the Faculties of Arts and Science that the proposal had been agreed to with regret from the Faculty of Arts and enthusiasm from the Faculty of Science.
Noting the agreement of the Board of the Faculty of Arts, the Academic Board approved for transmission to Council the proposal of the Dean of the Faculty of Science to disestablish the School of Arts and Science, Peninsula.
11.1.1 Appointment of Associate Deans for 1997
The Board of the Victorian College of Pharmacy had recommended that the Associate Dean (Teaching) be described as "Associate Dean (Education)". This was altered by the Steering Committee in accordance with usual University practice.
The Academic Board approved for submission to Council the proposal of the Board of the Victorian College of Pharmacy to appoint the following Associate Deans for 1997:
11.2.2 Appointment of Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) for 1997
The Academic Board noted that the Board of the College of Pharmacy would consider the matter of the vacancy in the position of Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) for 1997 at its first meeting in 1997 (to be held on 5 March).
14.1 Policy on Cancellation of Subjects - Faculty of Business and Economics
The Steering Committee had discussed this matter and agreed to recommend that a University-wide statement of policy on cancellation of subjects be developed by the Education Committee following advice from the University Solicitor.
The Academic Board approved the policy of the Faculty of Business and Economics on the cancellation of subjects as detailed in the document presented (subject to the advice of the University Solicitor), and requested that the Education Committee revisit this issue with a view to the development of a University-wide statement of policy on the matter.
*14.2.4 Master of Computational Chemistry
The Education Committee asked the Board to note that this course was the first of its kind (combining largely electronic instruction with a brief period of on-campus instruction and research) to be introduced at Monash. A number of academic staff who had examined the proposal documentation in some detail considered it to be an excellent proposal.
The Vice-Chancellor drew the course to the Board's attention as an example of innovative course design with the use of technology.
The Academic Board:
22. ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MINUTES OF COUNCIL
The Steering Committee had considered the status of the Offshore Quality Assurance Committee of Council, and suggested that it would be better placed in the structure of academic management if linked with the Academic Board. It was noted that this Quality Assurance Committee was the interface between academic and international affairs, and as such, retained an important place in the development of new programs for the University.
The Academic Board noted the Items of Interest from the unconfirmed Minutes of Council Meeting 8/96, held on Monday 16 December 1996, and agreed to recommend to Council that the Offshore Quality Assurance Committee of Council be re-constituted as a standing committee of the Academic Board.
Attachment 3
Minutes of the Education Committee 1/97
TO: Randi Brooks
FROM: Merran Evans
SUBJECT: EC1/97, Item 8
DATE: 4 February, 1997
__________________________________________________________________
The Education Committee suggestion as stated might be interpreted as reducing the maximum overload from 8 to 6 points per year, but my understanding is that this is not so, and that the intention is to define the normal length of a degree as that undertaken with a standard annual workload of 48 points, but to allow students the choice of overloading to complete their course in a shorter time.
A solution could be amend the EC suggestion after the colon as follows.This would allow faculties the option of giving students a choice of completing their overloaded course in a minimum or standard time.
"that Monash abide by the following new standard for double degree courses: that they MAY be extended by A PERIOD CORRESPONDING TO THEIR PERMITTED OVERLOADED CREDIT POINTS, BASED ON A STANDARD 48 POINTS PER YEAR.
In most cases overloaded 4 year degrees have a maximum of 4x6=24 additional points, so could be extended by one semester, such that they would become 4.5 years in length, and
therefore have an allowable overload for students of one semester or 24 points in total.
This would not rule out courses with up to the maximum permitted 8 points annual overload: such a 4 year degree would correspond to 4 x (56/48) = 4 2/3 years at the standard rate so be undertaken over 5 years, but students could choose again to overload and complete it in 4. Similar arguments apply to 5 year degrees.
In this way, EFTSU would once again ..........equal 1.0."
If this principle were recommended to and accepted by Academic Board, then I assume proposals for specific degree programs would need to be considered at the next EC meeting if changes were to be incorporated in the VTAC guide.
Attachment 4
Minutes of the Education Committee 1/97
M O N A S H U N I V E R S I T Y
MEMO
School of Applied Science
TO: Secretary, University Education Committee
FROM: Associate Professor M.A. Hooper
Head of School
SUBJECT: RATIONALE FOR INTRODUCTION OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STREAM WITHIN B.Sc.
DATE: February 5, 1997
This tagged degree in resource management will have a strong focus on the management, science and utilisation of the resources of the Gippsland Region, and will now be developed in 1997 for offering in 1998. The Bachelor of Science is being proposed for introduction onto the Gippsland Campus to replace the present Bachelor of Applied Science. Resource Management is to be an associated tagged degree.
There has been an assessment of the market and there is strong community support for a course which focuses on Gippsland's resources. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has recently moved to require a degree qualification for its professional and technical officers. This adds a further dimension concerning upgrading of current staff. Many of these staff hold TAFE awards. The East Gippsland Institute of TAFE is keen to establish an articulation arrangement and cooperate in the development of a 4 year double award program.
The Gippsland campus of Monash University at Churchill is centrally located in the Gippsland region of Victoria. Gippsland is significant in having an abundant, yet diverse, range of natural resources. The Latrobe Valley, as the site of the largest deposits of brown coal in Australia, is responsible for the generation of a large proportion of Victoria's electricity and has the potential to be the source for a significant chemical industry. To the west is some of the richest agricultural land in Australia, and to the east, an enormous stand of old-growth Eucalypt forest. AMCOR, located between Morwell and Traralgon, is a large manufacturer of paper products and the manager of over 50 000 hectares of pine and Eucalypt plantations. The south and east Gippsland coasts are the home of a well-established fishing industry, while to the north of the region, the Australian Alps provide a wide range of important minerals, and serve as the catchment and store of water for irrigation farming and for the fresh water supply of Eastern Victoria and for the city of Melbourne. The region rich in resources has considerable tourist potential.
In recent years, it has become more obvious that the prosperity of the state as a whole is greatly dependent on the existence of these resources and on the viability of the associated industries. Clearly, such resources are sustainable only if they are properly protected and managed. Local industries have a role to play in this management, but equally the Gippsland campus of Monash University is an ideal position to exercise leadership, and provide research opportunities and academic expertise in a wide range of subject disciplines relevant to the overall theme of Resource Management.
With this in mind, the School of Applied Sciences has proposed the introduction of the new degree tag, Bachelor of Science (Resource Management), designed to provide an undergraduate experience of value to students in this area. This proposal draws on the considerable research focus and staff expertise of the School. It involves a re-focus of some activities and some staff development. New subjects introduced in this course are specifically designed to highlight important issues in resource management, and to provide the research, management and analytical skills necessary to appreciate and deal effectively with such issues. Areas in which the School would be seeking some development support are soil science (particularly as applicable to agricultural practice), timber technology and forest management practice. The structure of the degree provides the opportunity for students to select electives, or even a minor study, in other disciplines.
The program has been designed to allow the possibility of a minor study in a related field such as: (1) engineering infrastructure management (including areas such as hydrology and mining technology); business management, marketing and tourism; human resource management (psychology and sociology), (2) rural science/ agricultural practice, and, (3) articulation from appropriate TAFE award (eg Diploma of Applied Science(Natural Resource Management) from the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE).
A future proposal will introduce a double award, Bachelor of Science (Resource Management) (Monash University) and Diploma in Applied Science (Natural Resource Management) (East Gippsland Institute of TAFE) to be developed concurrently with the B Sc degree proposal. This double award would not involve any additional subject development by the School of Applied Sciences and would be based on the now standard TAFE/University program of 2.25 years of University study and 1.75 years of TAFE study.
Specific objectives for the Resouce Management stream will be provided as soon as possible, in time for the next meeting of the Committee.
Associate Professor Martin Hooper
Head, School of Applied Sciences
MAH:hja Rationle.Doc
Attachment 5
Minutes of the Education Committee 1/97
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
TERMS OF REFERENCE AND MEMBERSHIP
October 1996
Terms of Reference
The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows (these are to be amended following the final decision regarding responsibility for PhD and doctoral subjects, Masters by research and associated subjects and Masters by coursework subjects):
The Education Committee shall:
Last Revised 26/10/1995
The composition of the committee is as follows:
Current membership is as follows:
Professor Robert Pargetter (Chair)
Associate Professor Robin Alfredson (Engineering)
Ms Heather Anderson * #
Mr Josh Beggs #
Professor Joan Bowers *
Mr Bob Burnet @
Associate Professor Neil Cameron (Science)
Ms Bee Ling Chew * #
Associate Professor Merran Evans (Business and Economics) *
Mr Matthew Hamilton #
Professor Terry Hore @
Mr David Imber #
Shae Langford-Jones * #
Professor Max King
Associate Professor Sue McNicol (Law) *
Mrs Anne McMillan (Computing and Information Technology) *
Professor Colin Raper (Pharmacy) @
Professor John Redmond
Associate Professor Louis Roller (Pharmacy)
Professor Amrik Sohal (Business and Economics) @
Associate Professor Grahame Taylor (Medicine)
Mr Gerry Tickell (Education)
Associate Professor Naomi White (Arts) *
Mr Janeka Welikala #
Professor Jim Whitelaw (Arts) @
Professor Bill Young
Much of the membership is ex officio. (Shown in italics)
Female members are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Student members are shown with this symbol # Their terms of office expire on 31/12/1996.
Persons who attend meetings but are not members are shown with this symbol @