Profile

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Profile Research Directions Workshop

• March 28, 2006

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Jim Barber

• Deputy Vice Chancellor
• Academic

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Daine Alcorn

• Pro Vice-Chancellor
• Science, Engineering Technology

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Workshop Objectives

• To discuss the Portfolio visions for programs and
  research.
• To gain input from senior staff on implementation
  of the vision.

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What you said in March 2005

• SET should be known for
• Strong industry links (research teaching)
• Fewer, but more flexible programs
• Double degrees
• Good articulation between TAFE HE
  international institutions
• Life long learning
• Focussed research
• Outcome focussed research

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Profile Changes

• 2005 2010

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HE undergraduate common courses
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Shared courses
Health
WIL
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Where we are now

• 2006 profile
• Currently 108.5 of CSP target
• In a good position to achieve CSP and AFP targets
  in SET and most schools
• International acceptances higher than 2005 but
  SET at 95 of target
• P profile currently 4 over target
• L profile 42 of target

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Onshore HE Enrolment
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Onshore TAFE Enrolments
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Drivers for Change

• Sustainability
• Projected program cost increases greater than
  projected income
• Reputation
• RMIT ranks poorly by many measures
• Improving the quality of the student experience

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Vision for SET Programs

• Science, engineering and health programs at RMIT
  will be profession and industry-driven,
  sustainable programs which provide a flexible,
  high quality student experience preparing
  graduates for work in the dynamic global
  environment.

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SET Program Characteristics

• Program design will be based on interactions with
  professions and industries.
• Professions or industry interaction will be an
  integral part of the student experience.
• Program structures will ensure flexible and
  effective pathways.
• Programs will prepare students to operate within
  the global community.
• Programs will be underpinned by contemporary
  discipline research and scholarship and be
  supported by our research strengths.

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Where do we go from here?

• Criteria for sustainable programs
• For discussion today
• Research sustainability
• Initial discussion today
• Main topic of next workshop

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Criteria for Sustainable Programs

• Aligned with RMIT strategic plan and SET
  initiatives
• Objective is long term sustainability of SET
  programs
• Building on our strengths
• Supported by Heads of School SET executive

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Criteria for Sustainable Programs

• Current Examples
• SET Heads of School

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Program design based on interactions with
professions or industries

• Ken Greenwood

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Accreditation determined content

• Nursing, psychology, chiropractic, osteopathy,
  Chinese medicine etc
• Content, hours, student staff ratios, etc.
  specified
• Issues
• High cost of delivery
• Content may be out of date
• Content may be limiting graduate capabilities

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Solutions

• Influence accreditation bodies through membership
  and lobbying
• PAC membership more representative of current
  industry

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Career outcome

• UG curriculum restricted
• PG program design driven by career specialisation
  
• Paediatric chiropractic
• Midwifery
• ..

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Programs underpinned by discipline research and
scholarship and supported by our research
strengths

• Heiko Schroder, John Hearne

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Research and teaching

• Enthusiasm
• Relevant and modern
• Context
• International alignment

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Service Teaching and Research

• Problem
• Perceived irrelevance
• Lack of motivation
• Weak base
• Research active in the field
• Better context
• Relevant examples
• Easier to motivate

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Scholarship of teaching the discipline

• 3 TL advisors supporting teaching
• Additional BPs for experimental teaching
• Staff publish research on teaching the discipline

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Quality, relevance, viability

• Harry Majewski

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• Quality excellence. Excellence is not volume
  teaching, how many lab sessions
• Excellence is an outcome and relates to specific
  and general attributes the student walks away
  with.
• How to get there Teamwork promote discussion
  of teaching and learning
• 2006 School Projects
• Student assessment feedback/workload/no
  supplementary exams 2007
• Teaching of Large classes
• Focus on reducing failure rates in key courses
• Plus 10 staff initiated projects
• Two redesigned laboratory areas
• Ongoing projects
• Transition course development
• Course team operations
• Staff working for high performance
• New program structures

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• Relevance Relevance is what allows the student
  to have future opportunities.
• How to get there
• We need to create clear vocational paths but
  within programs these need to be balanced by
  other factors which prepare the student for a
  vocationally diverse future and challenging roles
  in society.
• School projects 2005
• Define the mission of the program
• Align structure content and experiences to
  mission
• School projects 2006
• Revise program advisory boards 4 new boards
• Development of 3 year strategy for each
  discipline

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• Viability
• Not profit loss Its sustainability within the
  framework of achieving aligned work outputs
  balancing staff teaching and learning with
  scholarship (research, development).
• Are we viable if the dollar profit loss is
  positive? No, not until the work balance is
  appropriately aligned with University objectives,
  and staff opportunities.
• How to get there
• Redirect resources from direct teaching and
  learning and administration through to research
  and development
• School projects 2005
• All programs revised and courseware retired
• School projects 2006
• Simplified administration system
• Course level efficiencies content, overlap,
  assessment
• Examination of further program changes
• Promotion of research through grant scheme
• Work load assessment metric to plot changes

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Our programmes prepare students to operate in a
global engineering community

• John Buckeridge

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WashingtonAccord (1989)
Purpose To recognise equivalency of
accreditation systems of organizations holding
signatory status, and the engineering educatn
programmes accredited by them.
Outcome Graduates of programmes accredited by
national accreditation organizations are thus
prepared to practice engineering at the entry
level.
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International Benchmarking

• For Washington Accord engg. programme
  accreditation is required
• Current benchmarking - Wismar University of
  Business Technology Design

• Internationally recognised qualification

• International perspectives within programme

• Involves academic staff visiting RMIT- benefits
  for our university and students

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International relationship benefits

• Staff gain global perspective

• Students experience global education

• Shared programmes

• Increased international recognition of RMIT
  University

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Profession or industry interaction as an integral
part of the student experience

• Cheryl Underwood, Nelson Chen

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TAFE

• Many different models with varying amounts of
  industry experience
• Programs run in quick response to industry needs
• Students exposed to industry through the many of
  the staff who are primarily employed in the
  industry
• Funded time release of staff to industry to
  improve industry currency

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Certificate IV Dental Radiography

• Developed through extensive consultation with
  stakeholders
• Consultations with ADA, Dental Hospital, Dept
  Human Services, OTTE employers
• Delivery project based, workplace component,
  theory and practical component
• Mostly in workplace students must be employed
  in industry

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SAMME HE final year projects

• Year long project
• Work in teams
• Each team works on different aspect
• Projects sponsored by industry through money or
  components
• Industry advisors
• End of year presentation of projects with
  industry guests

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SAMME HE

• Program Advisory Committees
• Industry sponsored final year projects
• Formula SAE Racer project
• International Industry Experience and Research
  Program
• Industry practitioners delivering postgraduate
  courses

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Common course architecture with consistent
frameworks for delivery assessment

• Irena Cosic

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Program structure for BP200 EngineeringStem
Stream Model
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Common course architecture

• Advantages of the model
• Flexibility
• Students can change stream
• Possible to complete 2 streams
• Quick response to change in industry needs
• Issues
• Good communication with staff and students during
  change is essential
• Careful marketing necessary so students can see
  the specialist endpoints

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Frameworks for delivery assessment

• Common structure means it is easier to ensure
• All students have a range of learning experiences
• Capability development in the engineering context
• Contact and workloads are consistent

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Flexibility of pathways within SET and explicit
pathways between other Australian International
TAFE and HE providers

• Peter Coloe, Olga Gredeskoul

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Other formal articulation examples

• NMIT g RMIT TAFE
• Start program at NMIT complete at RMIT
• HE g TAFE
• Technical experience after degree
• Microscale Fabrication in Photonics TAFE
  program
• Singapore Polytechnic g RMIT HE
• 2nd year Singapore students visit RMIT

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Obstacles overcome

• VTAC process avoided by direct application for
  articulating students
• Selection officers informed of articulation
  agreements
• Clearer international agreements

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Improving articulation

• Better communication needed between HE and TAFE
  staff
• Better information about articulation for TAFE
  students
• Need clear RMIT requirements and program
  structure particularly on web
• Simplify the approval process Degree/Cert IV
  programs
• Market specialist degrees after completion of
  first general degree

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TAFE PATHWAYS

• TAFE (pre-apprentice) g TAFE (apprentice)
• Marketing aimed at employers, NAC, students
• Formalised pathway 6 months less off-the-job
  training
• Improved communications/feedback with employers
• APPRENTICESHIPS g DIPLOMA /
• ADVANCED DIPLOMA (RPL, workplace training)
• The Age Printing Centre

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Margaret Gardner

• Vice-Chancellor

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RMIT 2010 THE VISION

• Global in outlook and action, offering our
  students and staff a global passport to learning
  and work.
• Urban in orientation and creativity, reflecting
  and shaping the city of the 21st Century.
• The first choice provider of work-relevant
  learning in Australia, preparing students for
  professions and vocations of the future.
• One of Australias top research universities,
  internationally known for our applied focus and
  for excellence in research and research education
  in our chosen fields.

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ENACTING THE VISION RMIT BUSINESS PLAN 2006-2008

• Has a three year horizon (refreshed annually)
• Contains profile and budget targets (based on the
  financial platform required to achieve our goals)
• Identifies the major operating priorities for
  2006 to achieve the outcomes outlined in our
  Strategic Plan
• Includes KPIs reported against twice yearly to
  Council.

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WHY DO WE NEED A SURPLUS?
The 2006 2008 Business Plan identifies the
following priorities for investment

• Deliver improvements in student experience
  (including teaching quality)
• Build research capability and performance
• Fund consolidation and improved performance of
  RMITs property assets.

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2006 PRIORITY ACTIVITIES
NB Investment and returns identified where
appropriate

• 3 projects overseen by Major Projects Committee
• Student Lifecycle
• Industry Engagement
• Services Integration
• Twice yearly reports on progress to Council

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OTHER PRIORITY ACTIVITIES
Incorporated in DVC/PVC work plans

• 1. Targeted Income Growth increased return on
  teaching activity (supported by 2 and 3)
• 2. Academic Plan
• 3. International partnership consolidation and
  development
• 4. Improving research performance
• 5. Improved student learning outcomes and
  experience
• Leveraging dual sector advantage
• Workforce Planning
• Improving Infrastructure

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Mark Shortis

• Acting Dean Academic Development

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Sustainable Programs

• Quality
• Measured by CES, SES, SSCCs, CEQ etc
• Reviewed annually by PARs as part of the PQMS
  procedures
• Viability
• Measured by financial return to the School
• Re-established by the business case whenever the
  program undergoes a major amendment
• Relevance
• Monitored by Program Team and PAC
• Measured by graduate employment rates
• Future need for graduates predicted by DEWR

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Drivers
PQMS (PARs) and Profile Management
Internal eg EOL
Program Sustainability
Program Team
External eg PACs, industry
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Bottom Up

• PARs are an opportunity for self-review of
  program sustainability by Schools and Program
  Teams
• Course rationalisations are being forced by
  falling class numbers and staffing changes
• In turn this leads to simplification of program
  structures through fewer courses or common course
  architecture

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Top Down

• Requirements to participate in EOL (12cp,
  semesterisation, lt25 courses in elective lists)
  are leading to simplified program structures and
  course rationalisation
• PARs are also a compliance issue that leads to
  scrutiny outside of the School
• University requirement from 2006 to provide a
  business case with any major amendment to a
  program

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QVR Feed into Profile Management
Identified for possible increased profile
Top 25
QVR Indicators (over 2 or more years)
Loss of profile, renew the program or phase out
the program (lowest QVR indicators)
Bottom 25
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Massification

• Program and course rationalisation will
  inevitably lead to larger classes
• Some of the (many) consequences
• Larger lecture groups
• Larger tutorial groups
• More laboratory classes (finite numbers or
  limited resources)
• Increased requirements for assessment and
  feedback

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Impact and Review

• Questions for discussion by Program Teams, School
  TL Committees and ADC
• How much contact is appropriate for a 12 credit
  point course? In first year? In final year?
• What are the best delivery modes for larger
  classes?
• How can assessment modes and feedback be changed
  yet still be effective?
• How should forward planning of teaching spaces be
  altered?

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Case Study

• First year electrical engineering at UoM
• 600-800 students in EE101 3 lectures repeated
  2-3 times, 2x30 tutorials
• Larger lecture theatre, online courseware and
  audio recording removed lecture repeats
• One tutorial per week replaced with an online
  exercise with a timed release
• Automated online tutor, comprehensive FAQs and
  electronic submission/marking tool assisted with
  feedback
• Staff alerted to non-submission by students

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Next Steps

• Policy guidelines on
• Balanced approach to contact hours and effective
  use of resources
• Balanced approach to formative and summative
  assessment
• Provision of more online resources that
  incorporate tutorials and feedback
• To be progressed via
• SET Program Leaders workshop (late April)
• SET Academic Development Committee

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David Mainwaring

• Dean, Research and Innovation

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Vision for SET Research

• Science, engineering and health research at RMIT
  will be characterised by innovation, enterprise
  and knowledge transfer that aligns high quality
  research to its valued outcomes in society,
  industry and commerce.

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SET Research Characteristics

• The impact of SET research will be influential,
  enhanced by being outcome driven, responsive to
  its partners community needs.
• SET will address cutting edge research issues
  ensuring that it is relevant valued in
  Australia internationally.
• SET research is focussed to enhance research
  strengths collaboration in research.
• SET research outcomes are recognised for their
  academic technological excellence.
• The SET research environment will support
  challenging valued research training.

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Context of the draft vision for SET research

• Process for further expansion of the SET Research
  vision and its implementation
• SET position at the end of 2005
• Increase in nationally competitive grants whilst
  maintaining the total overall SET (DEST) research
  income
• Increase in numbers and breadth in research
  publications

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Challenges for 2006 onwards

• What is recognised as distinguishing SET
  Research? (influential, outcome driven, industry
  orientated, responsive) (relevant and valued)
  
• Impact
• And how can we demonstrate it?
• How can research strengths be enhanced, and
  collaborative and outcomes recognised for
  excellence? (focused) Quality

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Challenges for 2006 onwards

• How will RMIT science, engineering and health
  research respond effectively to a national RQF
  environment, and align with RMIT Strategic plan
  for inclusion within top 15 Uni research
  performers?
• Is research performance and strengths a
  University priority towards the RQF exercise?
• Is SET research responding to RMIT University RI
  priorities appropriately?
  

Research Institutes investment
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Discussion of Sustainable Program Criteria and
Research Vision