November Meeting
by Dr John Yu, AC, Chancellor


Naming of new physics courtyard
Council approved the name, the Russell Lawn, for the new courtyard entrance to the School of Physics, after the late Professor Graeme Russell who passed away earlier this year.

Professor Russell made an outstanding contribution to the School, the University and the discipline of physics over more than three decades. He was one of the University’s earliest graduates (first class honours in physics, 1962) and subsequently devoted his entire working life to the School. He was an accomplished scientist and made an unparalleled contribution to undergraduate teaching. Professor Russell possibly contributed more to physics education in New South Wales over the past quarter century than any other individual.

Guidelines for commercial activities
In accordance with the Universities Legislation Amendment (Financial and Other Powers) Act 2001, Council has been working on the establishment of guidelines for University commercial activities. Council approved the UNSW Guidelines for Commercial Activities in February 2002 and submitted them to the Minister for Education for approval. The guidelines were found to require clarification and elaboration in some areas and have subsequently been revised. The revised guidelines will be re-submitted to the Minister by the end of the year.

Best practice for Council
Over the last few years, university governance has become a prominent issue in the context of the higher education review and the changing nature of universities. One of the constant themes that has emerged at university governance conferences and in other arenas is that orientation and ongoing development for Council members is essential. With this in mind, an orientation and ongoing development program for Council members is being developed.

New ADFA agreement
The Vice-Chancellor was pleased to report that he and Senator Robert Hill were scheduled to sign the new Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) agreement at a ceremony in the Officers’ Mess at ADFA on December 11.

Meeting dates for 2004
The last Council meeting for 2003 will be held at 2pm on December 15 in the Council Chambers, Chancellery. Council meetings for 2004 will be held on February 23, April 19, June 21, August 16, October 11 and December 6 at 2pm. Council meetings are open to all members of the University.

Dr Yu is chair of the UNSW Council. For more informawtion on Council, contact Victoria Finlay, v.finlay@unsw.edu.au, Ph 9385 3068. Check www.secretariat.unsw.edu.au for Council minutes.

Guildelines on learning that inform teaching at UNSW
Academic Board meeting of November 1

by Kevin McConkey

Academic Board approved guidelines on learning that inform teaching at UNSW. These guidelines will be used to facilitate effective teaching and learning approaches and priorities and will be included as part of staff development activities with a view to developing a compendium of good practice.

The guidelines include the following: effective learning is supported when students are actively engaged in the learning process; effective learning is supported by a climate of inquiry where students feel appropriately challenged and activities are linked to research and scholarship; activities that are interesting and challenging, but that also create opportunities for students to have fun, can enhance the learning experience; students become more engaged in the learning process if they can see the relevance of their studies to professional, disciplinary and/or personal contexts; the educational experiences of all students are enhanced when the diversity of their experiences are acknowledged, valued and drawn on in learning and teaching approaches and activities; clearly articulated expectations, goals, learning outcomes and course requirements increase student motivation and improve learning; when students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, they are more likely to develop higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation; learning can be enhanced and independent learning skills developed through appropriate use of information and communication technologies; effective learning is facilitated by assessment practices and other student learning activities that are designed to support the achievement of desired learning outcomes; and, meaningful and timely feedback to students improves learning.

On the recommendation of the committee on research, Academic Board endorsed the development of a combined French-Australian doctoral degree in cotutelle. Cotutelle is a national system in France that facilitates international study and experience for PhD candidates who will undertake work in both France and Australia. Candidates graduate and receive testamurs from both universities that identify the award is under a cotutelle agreement.

Academic Board endorsed the recommendations of the Human Research Ethics Review Panel Report on the Review of Human Research Ethics Committees and Processes at UNSW. Through these recommendations UNSW will continue to improve its processes and procedures in the developing field of research ethics review. We also endorsed the development of a conflict of interest policy, to manage conflict of interest through disclosure by developing policy and procedures that would elaborate the principles outlined in the UNSW Code of Conduct.

We noted the UAC statistics S1 2004 entry, the report on misconduct cases from S1, the timetable for elections to fill the offices of one President and two Deputy Presidents of the Academic Board, and a memorandum from the School of Education.
We approved the renaming of the combined Bachelor of Planning programs to Bachelor of Planning Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Planning Master of Commerce, and Bachelor of Planning Master of Environmental Management.

Academic Board congratulated Professor Denzil Fiebig on being appointed a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. We also congratulated Associate Professor Desley Luscombe on her appointment to the position of Dean, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology, Sydney

If there are issues that you would like Academic Board or its committees to consider, or if you would like to attend a meeting, please let me know via k.mcconkey@unsw.edu.au, Ph 9385 2393.

Kevin McConkey is president of Academic Board.