Review of Academic Programs
Rationale: Why is a Review of Academic Programs necessary?
At the time of the review of academic structure, it was foreshadowed that the review would be followed by a university-wide examination and renewal of our curriculum. It is now necessary to ensure that our curriculum serves to position us to achieve the goals for excellence in teaching and research as set out in Macquarie@50. We need to refresh our approach to Learning and Teaching to attract high quality students.
While there is significant awareness in the university sector of Melbourne University's development of its new "Melbourne model" curriculum, and the subsequent steps taken by the University of WA in that direction, it is not intended that our curriculum renewal project should in any way be "me too" in its approach or outcomes. Rather it is intended that this is both an opportunity to re-visit and honour our roots, and an opportunity to look forward, to be future oriented: to grapple with what it is that students, and future generations of students, will require to become successful global citizens.
We are working in a highly competitive environment locally, nationally and internationally, and we need to find ways of increasing the number of students selecting Macquarie as their first choice. It is an opportunity to re-invent and re-position ourselves.
Undergraduate education represents the core educational mission for a public research university. Ensuring the best possible quality of academic experience for our students is the highest single priority, yet while we have regular programme reviews it appears that there has not been a comprehensive university wide examination of the curriculum. Our quality enhancement framework requires a systematic assessment of curriculum.
From our initial, and revolutionary, single degree, Macquarie now has a confusing multiplicity of courses and degrees. The curriculum has evolved since 1964 largely by adding and only occasionally by subtracting courses and programs. In all we have 142 undergraduate degrees and their associated units of study. Although Macquarie can still claim to be more flexible than many other universities, there has been a hardening of the arteries over time: a degree of rigidity has crept in. Different definitions of load and complexity of requirements now limit transparency and ease of movement for students. We need to reduce and simplify the number of courses and degrees and progression requirements.
While our curriculum has been evolving, there have been major changes within the university and the external environment. Internally, Macquarie is making significant progress in developing as a research intensive university: we need to ensure that the research-teaching nexus is systematically addressed within the curriculum. How do we achieve greater access to research activities and findings for our students? How do we integrate research experiences?
Our student population is itself enormously diverse, with some 27 % of undergraduate students coming to Macquarie from overseas, and a steady increase in the number of domestic students coming from non-English speaking backgrounds, reflecting the changing face of the Australian population. Yet we have not systematically addressed the curriculum challenges, or examined the opportunities implicit in this.
Students are now increasingly required to pay or contribute to the cost of their education. For many students there is an attendant need to work part time, and/or a desire to compress their studies in order to move rapidly into the workforce. How do we best address these pressures? What are the implications of this for the curriculum?
Globalization is only one of the major new challenges facing today's graduates. What do students require to be successful global citizens? In common with many other universities we have in place a framework to encourage students to include international experiences as part of their studies - but what part should international experience play in our curriculum and how do we achieve greater access to that experience for more of our students? What does it really mean to "internationalise" the curriculum?
These are some of the major issues that we need to ensure we address in a systematic rather than piecemeal way, and which mean that we need to undertake a university-wide renewal project rather than relying on individual programme reviews to move us forward.
2. Scope and Broad Process:
The project will take part in two stages. The end product of stage one will be a white paper, accepted by Academic Senate, that spells out both what a Macquarie degree is, and what constitutes a Macquarie Humanities, Science, and Professional Degree. A methodology to be applied in Stage 2 will also be agreed. It is envisaged that Stage 1 will be completed by end June 2008.
In stage two, faculties, as identified in the new academic structure, will work with an agreed process to arrive at changes required to move from their existing curriculum to a curriculum that reflects the Macquarie degrees as outlined in the white paper. A project manager will facilitate this process. It is envisaged that this process will take place over a six - nine month period, with a view to having necessary changes in place within university systems and publications during 2009, to allow new courses to commence in 2010.
Interpretation of the term "curriculum"" can vary according to perspective and context.
In this project our focus will be the learning experiences we require of our students to complete a degree successfully, and the way in which those experiences are structured.
- To achieve the outcome of being student focused, we shall start by asking ourselves what we consider to be the desired characteristics or capabilities of the university's graduates into the future. What knowledge and skills do students need to develop to prepare them for future life and work?
- We shall then examine the link between the student experience and the development of the desired capabilities, and ask the university community what experiences (of what quality) are required to develop the desired capabilities? And how do we build these into our curriculum? Do we have the appropriate mix and range of courses of study?
- From this flow questions relating to the structure of the study course, modes of delivery and assessment, weights of units and credit points, and distribution requirements. How many degrees should we have? What is the role of double degrees? How is articulation between degrees best achieved? Can we obtain consistency of credit points? How should courses be "owned"?
- Following consideration and an initial degree of resolution of these issues at the university level, we shall tackle them at the level of Humanities, Sciences, and the Professions.
- The outcome will be a policy document (white paper), which will form a framework for the (new) faculties to use in a structured process of assessing their existing curriculum and proposing changes.
3. Guiding Principles
It is intended that the resulting curriculum should
- be more student-focussed, and meet the long term needs of students, employers and other stakeholders
- better align with Macquarie@50
- align with the university's ethical framework
- better align with Learning and Teaching plan
- align with the new academic structure
- offer research experience and research enhanced teaching in a research intensive environment
- promote social and community engagement
- provide broad-based learning experience
- develop life-long learners
It is important that the curriculum structure and content should be
- intellectually robust
- transparent and accessible
- coherent
- practical
- distinctive
- recognisable
4. Process Steps:
Only the steps and timing involved in Stage 1 will be fully outlined at this point, since Stage 2 will necessarily be more complex and may be undertaken according to different timelines within different faculties.
Stage 1
The approach to be taken in the first stage envisages facilitating an academic working group in addressing a structured series of questions, with input gathered from the university community, followed by the development of papers for circulation to the university community for comment. In this way the time frame will be condensed, but the principle of widespread consultation can be maintained.
- Framework paper containing rationale, guiding principles, process, and goals made available to the university community (staff, students and alumni), via the internet. A range of key questions, seeking responses are then posted to the internet.
- Focus groups will be held with a number of groups of senior students drawn from Macquarie partner schools. Information will also be gathered from Marketing, including information from newly enrolling students.
- A workshop will be held with student administration and systems staff to identify system constraints regarding curriculum structure.
- Responses to the internet questionnaire and information obtained by 29 February will be analysed and used as input for a workshop (March 6-7). The workshop will explore and make recommendations on the educational emphases of a Macquarie degree, and on its shape, structure, standards and relevant policies).
- A green paper will be drafted and circulated to the university community for comment.
- Workshops will be held for Humanities, Science and Professions using input received to date, to address specific issues relating to those degrees. Membership of these working parties is yet to be determined, but they will if possible include student and alumni representatives.
- Three green papers will be circulated to the university community for comment.
- A white paper addressing material obtained in response to the original green, and initial material received in response to the three secondary green papers will be circulated at end April for consideration and comment by end May.
- Material will be analysed and a final white paper will be considered by Executive and Academic Senate by end June.
- A process will be developed for assessing all existing undergraduate degrees (courses) to ensure that they conform to the new shape, structure and standards as outlined in the white paper.
Stage 2
- July 2008 - Mar 2009 Using the process developed in step 10 above, faculties will examine all existing undergraduate degrees (courses) against the framework agreed in step 9 to ensure that their courses are (i) aligned to the vision and specification of the relevant Macquarie degree (ii) aligned to Macquarie's strategic plans and priorities and (iii) financially sustainable.
- Recommend and implement changes to the curriculum, to be effective January 1, 2010.