Academic Board Digest

A summary of the meeting held on 30 March 2022 is detailed below.

Chair of Academic Board’s Update

The Chair updated Members on policy consolidation and review, particularly with respect to review of the Course Accreditation, Amendment, Review and Discontinuation Policy.

Academic Board:

• Noted the follow up to the 2021 Student Priority List, which called for action to adjust the default unit release date to one week prior to semester start, where feasible.
• Endorsed the ACU Review of Faculty Boards Draft Action Plan.

Vice-Chancellor and President’s Update

The VCP updated Members on the following matters:

• ACU Ethos event held on 15 March 2022
• Commemorative event on the 700th anniversary of Dante Aligheri, hosted by ACU in conjunction with the Italian Cultural Institute
• Book launch of The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick and Slavoj Žižek
• VCP’s Rome visit
• VCP’s 2022 priorities
• Federal Government budget

Provost’s Update

The Interim Provost welcomed Professor Ryan, FEA Executive Dean to her first meeting and reported on:

• Enrolment load
• Admissions cycle
• Faculty teaching awards
• Connect 2 Uni
• The new Centre for Education and Innovation, previously the Learning and Teaching Centre and development of the ACU Distinctive Curriculum

The FTP Executive Dean was invited to present. He highlighted:

• Grants/awards and initiatives to support excellence in learning and teaching
• Leadership for Mission
• Laudato Si’ Action Plan

Academic Board:

• Noted the 2021 Scholarships Annual Report.
• Noted the Terms of Reference for the Policy Development Working Group.
• Discussed and noted the ‘Changes to Unit Offerings Post Unit Publication’ paper.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprises (DVCRE) Update

Academic Board:

• Noted the Research and Enterprise Plan 2022-2023.
• Noted the Terms of Reference for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Committee.

ACU Online Demonstration

An interactive presentation was delivered by the Digital Education team:

• Mr Vincent gave an overview of the Canvas Learning Management System for ACU Online
• Dr Wai explained how digital learning design is used to develop foundations for active learning
• Ms Hobbs demonstrated how the Style Guide achieves uniformity, consistency and continuity in ACU’s course material
• Dr Elliott provided three examples of how creative solutions could be utilised to enhance interactivity: ‘Teach-agotchi’, ‘Terminal-ogy’, and ‘Annotated bibliography’

Reporting Committees

Courses and Academic Quality Committee (CAQC)

Academic Board approved:

• Proposed amendments to CAQC’s Terms of Reference
• The proposal to rescind the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Teaching Policy
•  The following Major Course Changes:
  • Master of Teaching (Secondary) and Related Degrees – PR000264
  • Undergraduate Secondary ITE Courses – PR000277
  • Bachelor of Arts – PR000279
  • Master of Social Work (Qualifying) – PR000296
  • Bachelor of Paramedicine – PR000245
  • Bachelor of Commerce – PR000254
• The following Course Discontinuations:
  • Bachelor of Inclusive Education and Disability Studies – PR000269
  • Bachelor of Media Studies – PR000267
  • Master of Health Science Research – PR000246
  • Master of Paramedicine (and nested courses) – PR000239
  • Master of Business Administration – PR000215
  • Master of Finance – PR000130
    
    

Student Administrative Lifecycle and Policy Committee

Academic Board:

• Approved the amendments to the Conferral and Graduations Policy and Procedures for Graduation Ceremonies
• Noted the 2021 Savings Clause Report
• Noted the 2021 Student Complaints Report
• Noted the 2021 Student Appeals Report
• Noted the 2021 Academic Misconduct Summary Report

Student Experience and Retention Committee

Academic Board:

• Approved the proposal to disband the Student Experience and Retention Committee as a subcommittee of Academic Board

Faculty Boards

Internationalisation Committee

University Learning and Teaching Committee

University Research Committee

Academic Board noted minutes and updates.

Reporting

Academic Board:

• Endorsed the Declaration of Interest Policy and Procedure – Staff and Affiliates
• Noted the Progress Report on Thematic and Functional Reviews, which would come into effect from 1 March 2022