Monash University

Education Committee Meeting 3-2002

Meeting No. 3/2002 of the Education Committee will be held on Wednesday, 8 May 2002 in the Sir George Lush Room, Administration Building 3A, Clayton Campus, commencing at 2:15pm.

Apologies: Please telephone: 9905 5061; or e-mail to: Samantha.Rose@adm.monash.edu.au.

Ms K Wilson-Reid

Executive Officer

No apologies have been received to date.

The Committee welcomes Associate Professor Chris Browne, newly appointed Associate Chair of Academic Board (membership to be formalised by Academic Board), and new student members Mr Michael Josem, student representative, MONSU Caulfield, Ms Shen Narayanasamy, student representative, MSA, and Mr Richard Morgan, student representative (masters by coursework), MPA.

Farewell and thanks are extended to retiring member Associate Professor David Garrioch, Associate Dean (Teaching) for the Faculty of Arts, who will finish his appointment as ADT at the end of the first semester.

Dr Heinz Kreutz, Convenor, German Section, Faculty of Arts, has been invited to the meeting. Dr Kreutz will be Associate Dean Teaching, Arts, from semester two, 2002.

Associate Professor H Edwards, Quality Advisor, Academic Programs, Audit and Training, CHEQ, Dr L Webster, Director, Educational Development and Flexible Learning, Faculty of Law, and Ms C Harboe-Ree, University Librarian, have been invited to attend the meeting.

The Committee should note that certain items have been starred as requiring discussion.

Additional items may be starred at the discretion of the Committee.

RECOMMENDATION:

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee approve the Minutes of Meeting 2/2002, held 13 March 2002, that were circulated previously.

Items that were forwarded by the Education Committee from its Meeting 2/2002 were noted at Academic Board Meeting 2/2002.

p 1 - 4

A document is attached.

Associate Professor C Browne, Associate Chair of Academic Board, will speak to this item.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee note the information presented and provide advice regarding the update and enhancement of the Learning and Teaching Plan.

p 5 - 32

Quality Update documentation is attached.

Professor G Webb, Director, Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ), will speak to this item. Associate Professor H Edwards, Quality Advisor, Academic Programs, CHEQ, has been invited to attend. (Dr L Webster, Director, Educational Development and Flexible Learning, Faculty of Law, may also attend.)

The new ‘Guidelines for Course Review’ (referred to in the Quality Update documentation presented) are also attached. These provide specific information about course review further to the broader ‘Guidelines for Academic Review’ that went to Academic Board Meeting 3/2001. (As detailed in the Education Policy, course reviews are encompassed in faculty reviews.)

RECOMMENDATION:

That Education Committee:

• note the report and the advice presented regarding an update on quality; and

• consider and endorse the ‘Guidelines for Course Review’ presented for submission to the Academic Board for approval.

p 33 - 34

A document is attached.

Professor M Evans, Director, Planning and Academic Affairs, will speak to this item.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee receive and note the update report from Professor M Evans, Director, Planning and Academic Affairs, regarding the Academic Policy Bank Project.

p 35 - 44

A report is attached.

This report was initially considered by the Committee of Associate Deans Teaching (CADeT). At CADeT Meeting 5/2001, the working party agreed to consider issues that were raised at that meeting and liaise with the Examinations Branch before bringing a revised version of the paper and recommendations to the Education Committee in 2002, for anticipated implementation for the first semester examination period in 2002.

Associate Professor M Page, Chair of the Working Party, will speak to this item.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Education Committee consider and endorse the ‘Report of the Working Party on Extra Examination Time for NESB (Non-English Speaking Background) Students’ presented.

p 45 - 48

A document is attached.

Mr P Yates, Director, Services and Systems, will speak to this item.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee receive and note the report from the Director, Services and Systems, Mr P Yates, regarding implementation of previously approved academic transcript matters.

At its Meeting 6/2001, the Education Committee endorsed a set of recommendations provided by the Working Party on Protection of Courseware on the Web.

These recommendations were put to Academic Board Meeting 1/2002, where discussion occurred regarding the potential for conflict between enabling information to be widespread, accessible and accurate and the retention of control and copyright over the information. In the light of this discussion, the Chair deferred decision on the recommendations and referred them to the University Solicitor for comment and advice prior to the next Academic Board.

Ms A Lazar, Deputy University Solicitor, provided information for consideration by the Working Party. The Working Party has considered the further information and has made minor modification to the original recommendations to clarify copyright issues.

Associate Professor J Hurst, convenor of the working party on protection of courseware on the web, will speak to this item.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee:

• note the advice provided by Associate Professor Hurst; and

• endorse for submission to Academic Board the slightly amended set of recommendations below that clarify copyright issues:

That access to web based course materials be based on the following levels:

1. Open public access. Must only be material which Monash owns or has a licence to use. Staff publishing such material must be aware of the need to observe copyright and privacy restrictions.

2. Monash staff and students only.

3. Students enrolled in and staff teaching specific units.

4. Nominated individuals or groups requiring access to the teaching and learning resources/sites or materials for the purposes of collaboration, research, or other joint activities.

All units should have at least one page at level (a) to enable students to make an informed choice on unit selection, and to provide some public exposure of teaching quality within the university. Such a page should be available as a link from the handbook entry.

That where staff wish to enter into contractual partnerships and/or arrangements with other institutions, a) these must be governed by an agreement drafted by the University Solicitor's Office, and b) this agreement must specify conditions of access to learning materials in all media. This agreement is subject to Australian law.

That faculties be asked to implement a default level of access (as defined by Recommendation 1), that will be reported to the Education Committee, bearing in mind the types of course material made available within units offered by the faculty. The default level of access should reflect the above considerations about third party copyright and privacy.

That the university publish guidelines for staff about their rights and responsibilities in preparing web-based materials.

p 49 - 50

The Education Committee membership structure is attached.

This structure has been extended to include both positions of Associate Chair of Academic Board (recently been filled by Associate Professor C Browne), and the Director of Planning and Academic Affairs (Professor M Evans).

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee endorse for submission to Academic Board an extension of the Education Committee membership structure presented to incorporate both the positions of Associate Chair of the Academic Board and Director, Planning and Academic Affairs.

There are no items for inclusion under this section.

The next scheduled meeting of the Education Committee (Meeting 4/2002) will be held at 2:15pm on Wednesday, 24 July 2002. All final submissions for the agenda for that meeting are due by no later than Wednesday, 10 July 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