Academic Board Digest - 25 November 2020

Academic Board Digest for the Meeting of 25 November 2020

Membership

The following membership changes were noted:

• the retirement of Professor Greg Craven, Vice Chancellor and President and Ex-Officio Academic Board member
• the resignation of Professor Michelle Campbell, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Ex-Officio Academic Board member; and
• the completion of the Term of Office for student members Ms Wendy Morrison and Ms Deborah Vukic.

Report from the Chair of Academic Board

The Chair thanked the following outgoing Academic Board and staff members for their service to
the University:

• outgoing Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven, for his leadership and vision, evident to those who worked with him first-hand;
• Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Professor Michelle Campbell, for her service to ACU and the Academic Board;
• Academic Board student members Ms Wendy Morrison and Ms Deborah Vukic for their contribution; and
• outgoing National Manager of Governance Nicole Ranieri, for her support and knowledge of governance and related matters.

The Chair reported:

• that ACU’s report on its response to the Sustainable Development Goals is to be released soon;
• having recently attended a forum on Governance and Regulation convened by Dr Omer Yezdani; and
• his intention to engage with Senate members in relation to the forthcoming Governance Day
  on 16 February 2021

Academic Board noted:

• the TEQSA discussion paper Making and Assessing Claims of Scholarship and Scholarly
  Activity;
• a thank you letter to Academic Board from outgoing student member Wendy Morrison; and
• a report on ACU Student participation in Academic Governance from the Chair of Academic
  Board.

Academic Board Committees: Revised Terms of Reference

Proposed changes to the Academic Board committee structure are expected to enable the Academic Board to fulfil ACU’s academic governance commitments to TEQSA, and help deliver its strategic aims and maintain an excellent student experience at ACU.

The Academic Board approved the following:

• the revised Terms of Reference for the University Learning and Teaching Committee, Internationalisation Committee, and Courses and Academic Quality Committee;
• both the transition of the Academic Administrative Committee to the Student Administrative Lifecycle and Policy Committee and the Terms of Reference for the new committee;
• the Terms of Reference for the new Student Experience and Retention Committee; and
• the proposal to disband the Standards and Compliance Committee.

The revised Terms of Reference for the University Research Committee were referred back to the Committee for further amendment.

Vice-Chancellor and President’s Update

The Vice-Chancellor addressed the following matters:

• He was pleased to see the constructive reforms to governance that have occurred during his time as Vice-Chancellor at ACU, citing especially the functioning of ACU’s Academic Board;
• ACU will face connected challenges due to the collapse of the international market: the immediate budgetary losses and consequent loss of jobs, the uncertainty of the future, and the potential cannibalising of domestic students by Australian universities who can no longer rely on the international market for income;
• He expressed his confidence in ACU as an institution and in Professor Zlatko Skrbis as the incoming Vice-Chancellor.
• The Vice-Chancellor thanked all ACU colleagues for their support and generosity during his thirteen years at ACU.

Office of the Interim Provost

The Interim Provost spoke to the following points:

• ACU is anticipating a successful first year for Blacktown Campus, with enrolment numbers tracking well.
• The Interim Provost will deliver a report on ACU’s Innovation Preparedness to the Executive Planning Group meeting in the following week.
• The Interim Provost drew attention to the key role of industry engagement in ACU’s academic activities, and the benefit of optimising the relationships between education, industry and research.

Academic Board:

• recommended the Graduate Attributes to Senate for approval
• approved the rescission of six outdated Policy Framework documents noted the Academic Integrity Review report from the Acting Deputy Provost.

Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) responded to questions about his report on journal rankings and internal research funding, noting:

• a continuing high correlation between quality journal lists and ERA 4 and 5 rankings and
• the different types of investment in research across the university. 

Academic Board approved updates to:

• the Research Training Program Scholarship Policy
• the Research Active Definition Policy
• the Policy for Accreditation of Higher Degree Research Supervisors
• the Higher Degree Research Supervision Policy

Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Coordination)

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Coordination), in response to a question about his report, informed the meeting that the four advertised positions for the Ramsay Centre had attracted a significant number of high-calibre applicants.

Academic Administrative Committee

Academic Board approved proposed amendments to:

1. the 2021 Academic Regulations
2. the Student Conduct Policy and Managing Misconduct Procedures
3. the Scholarships and Awards Policy, and the Administration of Scholarships and Awards Procedures
4. the Student Results Procedures
5. the English Language Proficiency Requirements – Undergraduate Law Courses
6. the Defence Reserves and Emergency Services Personnel Support Policy
7. Examinations Policy and Procedures
8. Conferral and Graduation Policy, Procedures for Conferral of Award, and Procedures for Graduation Ceremonies
9. Academic Dress and Regalia Policy

Academic Board also noted a rescission of an award conferral.

Courses and Academic Quality Committee

Academic Board noted a verbal update from the Committee Chair.

Academic Board recommended the following New Courses to Senate for approval:

• Master of Spiritual Direction
• Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction (exit point)
• Graduate Diploma in Supervision

Academic Board approved the following major course changes:

• Graduate Certificate in Education
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)
• Bachelor of Speech Pathology
• Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)
• Master of Social Work (new title: Master of Social Work (Qualifying))
• Bachelor of Information Technology (new location)
• Bachelor of Information Technology / Bachelor of Business Administration (new location)
• Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) / Bachelor of Laws
• Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) / Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
• Master of Theological Studies
• Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies
• Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies

Academic Board approved consequential changes to course rules for the following courses, necessitated by data entry requirements of the new Curriculum Management Approval System:

Faculty of Education and Arts

• Diploma in Educational Studies (Tertiary Preparation)
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Global Studies
• Bachelor of Creative Arts
• Master of Teaching (Secondary)

Faculty of Health Sciences

• Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Bachelor of Midwifery (Graduate Entry)
• Bachelor of Nutrition Science
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
• Bachelor of Physical Activity and Health Science
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)
• Bachelor of Social Work
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
• Bachelor of Speech Pathology
• Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)
• Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing
• Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport
• Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation
• Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)
• Bachelor of Psychological Science
• Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation

Faculty of Law and Business

• Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Laws
• Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
• Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Biomedical Science/Bachelor of Business Administration

Faculty of Theology and Philosophy

• Bachelor of Theology
• Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Philosophy
• Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Laws
• Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Laws (Hons)

Academic Board approved the following course discontinuations:

• Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary)
• Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) / Graduate Certificate in Religious Education
• Bachelor of Education (Fourth Year Upgrade) with Specialisations in Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary
• Doctor of Practical Ministry

Office of Planning and Strategic Management (“OPSM”)

Academic Board noted:

• the Staff Trend Report – Cumulative 2020
• the Student Enrolments and Load Report
• the update on Graduates’ full-time employment outcomes from the 2020 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal
• the Rankings Year in Review Report
• feedback to OPSM on the Student Experience and Outcomes Report