Approved Policies

Policies in learning and teaching at UNSW are informed by research as well as the insights, experience and knowledge of members of the University community. These policies become meaningful and useful when they are contextualised in ways that are relevant to students and staff within the Faculties and Schools.

The Chair of the Academic Board, Professor Tony Dooley has established working parties to review a number of the policies below to ensure alignment, relevance, implementation by December 2007.

The Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching at UNSW is an official policy of the UNSW Academic Board. The Guidelines are 16 statements about student learning, based on the educational research literature and acknowledged best practice in teaching. Because the Guidelines focus on the student experience of learning, they provide a practical and well-researched means of enhancing this experience. To find out more about the Guidelines, go to the website of the Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching.

The Guidelines have been designed so that staff can use them as a tool in course or program design and review. For example, staff can use the Guidelines at the beginning of the course design process to help conceptualise student-centred learning experiences. Staff can also use the Guidelines when they are reviewing a course, because they can help in thinking about how to make courses more student centred. The Guidelines can also help with evaluation of courses, and in considering how to respond to student feedback.

The Guidelines are continually refered too in developing learning and teaching policies and sharing practice at UNSW.

The Guidelines website includes a Toolkit designed to help staff in reflecting on the effectiveness of their practices in learning and teaching in the context of continual improvement of those practices.

On another supporting webpage, staff can read an introduction to using the Guidelines for course or program design and review; access idea sheets for implementing the Guidelines; and become aware of case studies of the Guidelines in action.

The 2005-2007 Learning and Teaching Plan was developed from the UNSW Strategic Plan and its vision, purpose, strategic priorities and common priority goals as they relate to learning and teaching.

The Plan builds on the successful initiatives associated with the 2004 Learning and Teaching Plan. The 2005-2007 Plan sets out nine goals and related strategies for learning and teaching at UNSW. These goals and strategies focus on: engaging staff and students in learning and teaching (including involvement in policy development); enhancing curriculum, particularly through acknowledging and drawing on diversity; supporting the development of graduate attributes within programs; and ensuring that our students' learning is enhanced through the experience of research-teaching links. The Plan emphasises the importance of providing support for staff and students throughout all stages of their careers and learning experiences. It also highlights the value of developing learning and teaching communities across the University.

The Plan was intended to be a living plan and although it covered three years and there was a process to monitor progress and revise strategies in the light of ongoing developments and circumstances. At the end of 2005 and 2006 the Plan was revisited to ensure that goals remained relevant and that the strategies were being implemented in ways that were meaningful for Faculties and staff throughout UNSW.

The 2008-2011 Learning and Teaching Enhancement Plan is now availble.

The UNSW Assessment Policy (approved by the Academic Board on 5 November 2002) incorporates existing policy, such as the Student Academic Grievance policy and freedom of access to assessment information, and includes changes in areas such as anonymous assessment (3.1), pass with distinction (3.2.25) and academic standing (3.3). The Assessment Policy is accessible in either PDF or HTML format.

The Academic Board is currently reviewing this policy.

The Strategic Action Plan is intended to support Schools and Faculties in their development of systemic employment, management and professional development policy and processes for sessional staff. You may also be interested in reading the latest report on the progress of implementation of the Sessional Teaching Staff Strategic Action Plan, submitted to the Committee on Education in February 2006.

On behalf of the Council of Australian Directors of Academic Development, Learning & Teaching @ UNSW is hosting and co-leading a project, "Recognition, Development and Enhancement of the Contribution of Sessional Teachers to Teaching and Learning: a Suite of Resources for Policy Makers, Professional Developers, Faculty and Sessional Teachers". This project has been funded by The Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC).

The UNSW Course Outline Template is intended as a guide for the preparation of the course outlines that are to be distributed to students enrolled in any postgraduate and undergraduate course. The categories of information that have been identified in the template should be provided to students enrolled in any course at UNSW.

This guide is intended to assist in the preparation of new and revised program or course (subject) proposals and to ensure that all the information necessary for consideration of a proposal by the relevant committees and other approval authorities is included in the submission. It identifies the committees which must consider different types of proposals and the approval process for each. The guide also indicates what procedures to follow when proposals include the imposition of University charges for tuition fees.

The Academic Board is currently developing policies, procedures and toolkits relevant to Program and Course approval and review

The Plagiarism and Academic Integrity website functions as the central resource and hub for staff and students at UNSW. This site contains the "Procedures for Dealing with Student Plagiarism: Handbook for Staff" and the "Guidelines and Rules on Student Plagiarism: Handbook for Students". The University takes an educative rather than punitive approach to issues of plagiarism.

According to "Enabling Skills at UNSW: A Discussion Paper", "enabling skills encompass the following set of interrelated skills: basic computer and information technology skills, academic literacy, academic English language skills and fundamental information literacy. Enabling skills are essential for the effective commencement of academic study: in other words they enable a student to undertake university study."

The Academic Board endorsed "Enabling Skills at UNSW: A Discussion Paper" on 3 August 2004 and resolved that:

"all commencing UNSW students will complete within their first session, a generic online information literacy program that is broadly contextualised to disciplinary domains, commencing Session 1, 2005."

Evaluation of the Enabling Skills initiative in 2006 has led to a comprehensive review of the Information Literacy component.

The myUNSW website contains information on examination policies, procedures and rules; guidance notes for course examiners and course assessors in the production of examination papers; and assessment tables.

Provision for 12 UNSW Graduate Attributes was established by a policy approved by the Academic Board on 7 October 2003. Graduate attributes are important because the disciplinary knowledge that students develop at university is not adequate in itself as the basis for their future lives. Instead, graduates need qualities and skills that equip them for lifelong learning. These include critical thinking and problem-solving skills, communication skills, information literacy skills, and group work skills. Graduates also need to be flexible and able to operate in a diverse and globally oriented society. Both government and employer groups point to the need to develop these attributes in graduates as part of their university education. A university education should also produce graduates who can make a positive contribution to their communities.

The policy is supported by a website that provides staff with information about the UNSW Graduate Attributes, as well as ideas and resources for integrating them into courses at UNSW.

Learning & Teaching @ UNSW has developed a series of toolkits to support staff in the development and assessment of graduate attributes at UNSW. The toolkits have been developed to provide staff with: questions and ideas to help reflect on how particular skills are valued in particular disciplines; tools to support the development of learning outcomes, activities and assessment tasks for particular attributes; and strategies for supporting students in the process of reflecting on their development of particular skills.

A key strategic priority for 2008 -2012 will be the development and assessment of contextualised Graduate Attributes within our programs, and this will form part of the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Plan 2008-2012.

Applicants for academic promotion can choose a research, teaching or combined track with the exception of research only positions, evidence of both reflective practice and teaching effectiveness (drawing on feedback from students and other information sources) and research activity must be provided with additional requirements depending on the track chosen by the applicant. A Carrick Institute funded project, led by UNSW and endorsed by the DVC (Academic), is piloting the process of external peer review of teaching.

The 2007 Academic Promotion Policy proceedures and toolkit includes a research, teaching and combined promotion track.

Please see the Academic Promotion section of the Human Resources website for updates, or direct queries to David Gleeson, Academic Promotions Coordinator on ext. 52716.

When meeting with their Head of School, staff on probation are expected to provide:

The current probation policy is under review. However, the HR55 form indicates that academic staff on probation must provide evidence of reflective practice and professional development.

The overriding aim of this peer mentoring manual is to assist those who want to develop and implement a peer mentoring program for a group of students.

The Carrick Institute for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education has awarded UNSW (in collaboration with four other Australian unitversities) funding to develop and implement a "pilot prorgamme of external peer review of teaching in four Australian Universities"

This policy outlines the conditions for parallel teaching at UNSW

UNSW is committed to achieving continued improvement in the quality of teaching, courses, and programs. The Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (CATEI) Process is a key component of University policy in this area. As part of the University's commitment to quality teaching and to continued improvement, staff are expected to undertake at least one teaching evaluation each year. Staff are also expected to provide evidence of critical reflection on their teaching when compiling a teaching portfolio for promotion, grants, and awards.

The development of the CATEI Process had its roots in the identified need to significantly enhance UNSW's student feedback process relating to the quality of teaching and courses. Firstly the 2001 student survey told us that students had little confidence in our process for the evaluation of teaching. This was confirmed by the trial audit by the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). The Audit Panel strongly supported a recommendation to "continue with our plans for a revised set of policies and procedures on course and teaching evaluation".

The "Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (CATEI) Process: Information for Staff and Students" booket provides staff and students with information and guidance about the CATEI Process. The Learning & Teaching @ UNSW website also provides information and resources in support of the CATEI Process.

The Faculty Learning and Teaching Performance Indicators (LTPI) 2007-2008 have been informed by feedback from Associate Deans (Education) following the implementation of the LTPI in 2005 and 2006. Key changes are that: The weighting of input versus output indicators will be 50:50; The major proportion of output indicators relate to currently enrolled students or graduates one year out; the panel evaluating the performance will continue to include internal and external members; the scoring/evaluation rubrics are improved; levels of attainment in the scoring/evaluation rubrics have been set to serve as drivers for the development of learning and teaching; and all Faculties that achieve a score greater or equal to 65 will be eligible to receive a proportion of the reward monies.