Monash University

Education Committee Meeting 1-2002

The Chair, Professor A Lindsay, welcomed new members Ms Glenice Ives, Mr Terry Pritchard (in absentia) and Mr Chad Brooks. Professor Lindsay also welcomed Mr David Secomb, Ms Bronwyn Shields, Mr Neil Adolphson and Ms Amanda Lazar, who were invited to attend for particular items, and observers Mr Ian Hall and Ms Bec Tomlinson.

Apologies were received from Professors A Farley, W Young and M Evans, Associate Professor T Luff, Mr S Szewach, Ms D Brown, Mr T Pritchard and Mr C Vernon.

The Committee noted that certain items were starred as requiring discussion. No further items were starred at the meeting.

RMO2000/0883

At its Meeting 2/2000, the Academic Board approved the Report of the Education Committee Working Party to Review Exclusion for Unsatisfactory Academic Progress. The amended Statute 6.2 and Regulations that would enable the implementation of the new system for exclusion and appeals was endorsed at Academic Board Meeting 2/2001.

Prior to its consideration of the revised legislation for approval, the University Council formed a small working group to consider matters that had been raised as concerns by members in relation to the devolution of the exclusion for unsatisfactory progress process to the faculties and the preservation of student equity in the exclusion process.

RMO2001/1114

At Education Committee Meeting 6/2001 (refer minute 5.3), the Committee approved a procedure that a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (eg. warnings) would be created and maintained in each faculty. The register would be accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees), and, where requested, students concerned would have access to their own details in the register. It was noted that the Deputy University Solicitor would prepare a standard letter to be sent to students for such instances. Students would be advised (in the letters) that copies of the letters would be kept on the faculty register.

Two draft letters to students were circulated with the agenda as prepared by the Deputy University Solicitor, Ms A Lazar (p 1-2). A single draft letter, that replaced the two draft letters originally circulated, was circulated prior to the meeting. The replacement letter was accompanied by procedures for filing copy letters to students on the registers. (The single replacement letter and accompanying procedures are attached to the minutes – Attachment A.)

Professor A Lindsay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Planning), spoke to this item and outlined the key issues and tasks for the year ahead including:

• Update of the Learning and Teaching Plan (LTP). The revised LTP, to be received by Council at its November meeting, would be divided into two sections with an enduring set of general strategies and the detail about responsibilities set out in a separate document that would be more regularly updated. The major areas of focus would be international developments and Electronically Supported Teaching and Learning (ESTL). (Mr Avram reminded Associate Deans Teaching (ADTs) that ESTL responses were due by 28 January. Brief discussion occurred regarding faculty progress with responses and the ESTL-related topics for the LTP.);

• Completion of the Monash Institutional Self Review and ongoing work by CHEQ, the faculties and the Academic Board on quality issues and academic standards;

• Structural issues including:

  • the creation of a half time position following the 50% appointment of Professor M Evans as Director of the Monash London Centre. This role would include oversight of the LTP update and the Academic Board related elements of the quality review process. An advertisement would be put out shortly to the university community. ADTs were invited to express interest in this position to Professor Lindsay;

  • a summary of the changed role of the Director of Planning and Academic Affairs and related changes to the involvement of the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Planning) in offshore planning;

  • two ADTs would become key contacts for academic policy advice in the areas of course-related policy and student-related policy. These people would link into the areas of policy development (via the Education Committee) and administration and other support areas (eg. Student Services). Professor Lindsay invited expressions of interest for the two roles by 1 February. The Chair advised that informal support groups would be identified for the two roles. Consideration would be given to these support structures and whether support may be required from the Secretariat;

  • a call for expressions of interest or nominations for the position of Chair of the Coursework Scholarships Committee, to replace the existing Chair, Professor M Evans, to be received by 1 February;

• Course portfolio overview. One paper would be prepared for discussion at the Education Committee in July (Meeting 4/2002) and receipt at Council Meeting 6/2002. The topic for this paper was under consideration; and

• Other matters such as possible consideration of the Assessment Policy and quality/evaluation/review issues.

RMO2001/1726

Mr D Secomb, Faculty Academic Manager, Faculty of Engineering, Ms B Shields, Faculty Manager, Faculty of Arts and Mr N Adolphson, Consultant, ITS Development, were invited to the meeting.

Members noted that further information about the CUPID Project was available at:

http://www.its.monash.edu.au/projects/cupid/

Professor Lindsay introduced this item noting the broad input into the Project to date and the planned capacity of the CUPID system. In addition to its primary roles, CUPID would allow a range of reporting mechanisms to assist the university with relevant functions.

Mr Secomb, Chair of the CUPID Steering Committee, informed members about the Project’s background, current status and planned future developments. Members noted that the system would provide a single university location for the authoritative course record and a tool for extracting a wide variety of information required for publications. Mr Secomb invited members to provide suggestions about reporting requirements from CUPID.

Discussion occurred and suggestions and comments were noted regarding:

• the link between Callista and CUPID for constant information update and accuracy;

• management of unit information where more than one version existed;

• reporting requirements for the Education Committee and Academic Board, AUQA audit and quality processes. (Professor Webb would provide information regarding AUQA and quality requirements. Ms Wilson-Reid would forward the Education Committee’s biannual reporting requirements for approved courses and units.) Professor Lindsay noted that, following the next round of biannual reports to Education Committee 2/2002, future course and unit development reports would be run from CUPID;

• the distinction between the faculty level approval process and the final record of the program that would be retained in CUPID. CUPID would be used during the course approval process which should at that stage be restricted to faculty level access. The final version would be stored in CUPID following approval and access to this information should be university-wide. (CUPID would also archive approved records.);

• a mechanism to record when programs were due for/had been reviewed, including the possibility of generating lists of programs in a faculty/department due for review. (It was suggested that this mechanism could also flag alias units to avoid duplication.);

• the need to distinguish between the term ‘version’ in Callista and CUPID records, and the relationship between CUPID and Callista with regard to ‘versions’ of programs;

• the possibility of recording course and unit links. Ms Shields advised that course links for units no longer applied. It was noted that recording links from courses to relevant units may be appropriate where courses were structured;

• a mechanism to search for courses or units in relation to certain fields (eg. free text search on a word/phrase);

• use of a basic template for unit pages in Web CT in order to draw on fields from CUPID and ensure that such information came from a single authoritative source;

• access issues. Members noted that Monash staff were the intended primary users of CUPID. It was anticipated that students would have access to handbook information via the portal. Different levels would be required for internal and external access to information, via relevant interfaces (eg. the handbook), that was stored in CUPID; and

• a minimal number of units throughout the university that would require multiple listings in CUPID as they were units of more than one faculty (eg. ‘Science unit’).

The Chair thanked Mr Secomb, Ms Shields, Mr Adolphson and Mr Hall and welcomed the anticipated developments that would streamline and assist the work of ADTs and faculties.

9. CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS RMOR1998/056

RMO2001/1183

Members noted that the Victorian Information Privacy Act 2000 commenced in September 2001, and that the enforcement provisions would come into effect in September 2002. A university-wide committee, Chaired by Ms S Wales, Director of Policy and Consultancy, Student and Staff Services, had been set up to develop a Privacy Management Plan and Privacy Guidelines for particular areas including faculties and central administration.

Advice was received from the Deputy University Solicitor, Ms A Lazar, that the current university ‘Policy on Confidentiality of Student Records’ accorded with most of the information privacy provisions in the Information Privacy Act.

Members noted that the university should continue to observe the ‘Policy on Confidentiality of Student Records’, located at: http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/unisec/pol/acad32.html

RMO1997/0395

The Library Impact Statement for 2001 was circulated (p 3-4).

RMO1997/1134

A document was circulated regarding 2002 subject quotas in the Faculty of Science (p 5-6).

The next scheduled meeting of the Education Committee (Meeting 2/2002) will be held at 2:15pm on Wednesday, 13 March 2002. All final submissions for the agenda for that meeting are due by Wednesday, 27 February 2002.

Other information about the Committee can be located on the Secretariat web site at:

http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/unisec/com/ec/index.html

Education Committee Meeting 1/2002

Tabled Paper – Item 6.1

At its Meeting 6/2001, the Education Committee approved a procedure that a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (eg. warnings) would be created and maintained in each faculty. The register would be accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees), and, where requested, students concerned would have access to their own details in the register. It was noted that the Deputy University Solicitor would prepare a standard letter to be sent to students for such instances. Students would be advised (in the letters) that copies of the letters would be kept on the faculty register. The Committee noted that it may be appropriate to review the implementation of the registers in one year.

• It is proposed that the copy of the letter be filed on the register within the faculty of enrolment. In the case of a student enrolled in a double degree (or a single multi-faculty award), the copy of the letter would be placed in the registers of both faculties.

• If the student takes a unit/elective in an additional faculty and is found to have plagiarised in that unit, the lecturer should check with the faculty of enrolment. If there is no letter on the register, information about the counselling should be provided to the faculty of enrolment/ managing faculty in order for a letter to be sent to the student and kept on the register.

• The copy letter should be removed from the relevant register(s) and destroyed when the student has completed the course.

STANDARD LETTER

Dear (insert name of student)

(Insert name of unit/assignment)

This letter records that on (insert date) you were counselled by (insert name of lecturer) regarding the nature of plagiarism and the system of referencing used in the Faculty of (insert name of faculty).

A copy of this letter will be retained on a Register kept by the Associate Dean Teaching (or nominee) of the Faculty of (insert name of faculty) and may be accessed by the Associate Dean Teaching (or nominee) in any other faculty in which you are studying. Should you be enrolled in a double degree (or a single multi-faculty award), this letter will also be filed on the Register of the other faculty.

Should you be charged in future with cheating under the University’s Discipline Statute, a copy of this letter would be produced in evidence. The copy of the letter will be destroyed when you complete your course.

Yours sincerely,

(Insert name and title of ADT or nominee)