Academic Governance and the Role of Academic Board at La Trobe

1. Title of presentation Name of presenter Title of presenter School / Faculty / Division xx Month 201x • ACADEMIC BOARD • INDUCTION PROGRAM • 2019

2. Welcome • Thank you for contributing to academic governance at La Trobe. • We value your participation on Academic Board and hope you enjoy your time with us.

3. Today’s Agenda • La Trobe’s mission and the role of Academic Board • Academic Board and its role in the governance structure of the University • Academic Board and its role in ensuring compliance • Contributing to Academic Board meetings and the work of Academic Board • Some contemporary issues facing Academic Boards

4. La Trobe’s Mission and the Role of the Board

5. La Trobe University Act Preamble La Trobe's founding mission was, and remains, to serve the community of Victoria for the purposes of higher education, for the education, economic, social and cultural benefit of Victorians and for wider Australian and international communities. From inception, La Trobe has been particularly focused on providing access to quality higher education to those from disadvantaged backgrounds and has become an internationally recognised leader in this field. Innovation in teaching and research was, and remains, central to its mission. A.Gilbert@latrobe.edu.au

6. Academic Board • Works with others in furthering the mission of the University. • Responsible for Academic Governance • Principal policy-making and advisory body on all academic matters • Assuring academic standards and quality • In partnership but independent of the VC and senior management • Accountable to the Council – a sub-committee of Council • Origins in tradition of a university as a community of scholars –model of consultation, collegiality and broad-based representation. • Members are Academics, Students & Professional Staff

7. Role of Academic Board Approve and monitor the implementation of policy on academic matters Consider and advise the Vice-Chancellor and the University Council on academic matters and any other broad issues which affect the academic excellence of the University. Provide a forum to facilitate information flow and debate within the University.

8. Breadth of Academic Policies Research and Research Training Teaching and Learning Assessment Courses Incoming students International & Third Party Quality Assurance Student engagement Technologies Equity - Well being - Integrity • Intellectual Property • Research Conduct • Research Management • Research Training • Research Centres

9. At its heart the role of the Board is to ensure that La Trobe as a self-accrediting institution is capable of ensuring the quality of the qualifications that it issues; the Board is the cornerstone of the quality assurance process of our University

10. Academic Board Membership

11. Academic Board and its Place in the Governance Structure of La Trobe

12. The tripartite governance model of Australian Universities(after Shattock, 2012)

13. COMMITTEESTRUCTURE Council CorporateGovernanceAudit and RiskCommittee  Senior Committee Finance and ResourcesCommitte Legallyrequiredcommittees Committee HumanResources Planning Committee  Sub-Committee Infrastructure and Estates Planning Committee Consultativegroup/forum Academic Board Studentrepresentation FoundationCommittee Managementoversight Management AcademicGovernance ViceChancellor Staff/StudentConsultative Forums UNIVERSITY SeniorExecutiveGroup AcademicBoard Agendabasedaroundstandingitems CourseworkCommittee Academic Promotions RegionalCommittee SeniorLeadershipGroup Committee EducationCommittee CoursePortfolio and ScholarshipsCommittee Professional Forum CommitteeonOutside StudiesPrograms CourseScholarshipsSubCommittee Hallmark BoardofStudies AdmissionsCommittee Research StrategyCommittee Issuesaredirectedtorelevantsub-committees Academic QualityCommittee Research AdvisoryGroup Research and GraduateStudiesCommittee Occupational Health and SafetyCommittee BoardofGraduateResearch UniversityHumanEthicsCommittee La TrobeInstitutional BiosafetyCommittee Animals EthicsCommittee COLLEGE CollegeExecutiveGroup CollegePlanningandResourcesCommittee CollegeAcademicCommittee Reportstorelevantsenior portfoliomanagers CollegeResearch Committee CollegeStaffForum Occupational Health and SafetyCommittee CollegeCourseworkCommittee CollegeStudentForum HumanResearch EthicsCommittee April2016

14. Role of Council • Appoint Vice-Chancellor and monitor performance • Approve strategy and budget • Establish policy and monitor risk • Monitor academic activity • Approve commercial activities • Delegates to Academic Board responsibility for academic matters • Receives reports from Academic Board at each meeting

15. Composition of Council • Ex-Officio • Chancellor – Professor Richard Larkins AO • (as of 29th March 2019, The Honourable John Brumby AO will commence as Chancellor) • Vice-Chancellor – Professor John Dewar • Chair Academic Board – Professor Christine Bigby • Governor-in-Council appointedCouncil appointed • Mr Andrew EddyDr Philip Moors AO • Commissioner Michael Gay Mr Peter McDonald • Ms Deborah Radford Ms Christine Christian • Ms Yvonne von Hartel AM Mr Adam Furphy • Professor Edwina Cornish AO • Elected Members • Dr Jillian Murray Ministerial Appointment • Mr Nathan Croft Ms Margaret Burdeu

16. Council & Senior Management Committees Council • Corporate Governance Audit and Risk Committee • Finance and Resources Committee • Human Resources Planning Committee • Infrastructure and Estates Planning Committee • Academic Board • Foundation Committee Senior Management Committees • Senior Executive Group • Regional Committee • Course Portfolio and Scholarships Committee • Research Strategy Committee • Occupational Health and Safety Committee

17. Academic Board Committees

18. Academic Board Policy Committees • Research and Graduate Studies • Promotion of research and the consideration of research priorities • Academic Quality • Monitor and advise on compliance with key academic policies, and external standards including third party delivery • Admissions • Review articulation agreements and policies re entrance requirements • Coursework • Review new course work proposals, revision, suspension and closure • Education • Improve and monitor quality of curriculum, teaching, and learning processes and outcomes.

19. Academic Board and its role in ensuring compliance

20. Academic Quality and Academic Board • Academic quality is the responsibility of all University staff; • Academic Board Committees monitor and ensure quality; • Important mechanisms: • Quality and standards of courses • Monitoring of all research elements • Internal compliance with, and legislative alignment of, policies • Educational quality monitoring, including admissions and performance.

21. Significant regulatory authorities and frameworks • Higher Education Support Act 2003 - Governing higher education funding in Australia • Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011; Higher Education Standards Framework Act 2015 - Primary legislative body and legislative instrument regulating and assuring the quality of higher education in Australia, including the application of the AQF and ESOS • The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) - Sets out the qualification levels and nomenclature recognised for issuance in Australia - defines their characteristics including volume of learning and broad learning outcomes • Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS) and Code of Practice (2018) - Governing delivery of education to onshore international students, including ELICOS and 11 detailed standards on provision of educational services.

22. TEQSA • The Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) is an independent statutory authority established in 2011 after the Bradley Review – replaced AUQA • Sits within the portfolio of Australian Government Dept of Education and Training. • Registration and review of all providers, accreditation of courses for non-university providers. • Has substantial powers in the regulation of Australia’s higher education sector, including conditions and deregistration. • Decisions are public. • 2015 Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards), all providers must meet to enter and remain within Australia’s higher education system. • Part A The Standards for Higher Education (a framework for monitoring the quality of our activities) • Part B Criteria for Higher Education providers (categorisation of institutions as self-accrediting or not)

23. Threshold Standards 2015 • 7 Domains, 24 Sections, 103 Statements • Student participation and attainment - admissions, credit, transition and academic support mechanisms, learning outcomes, assessment, qualification issuance • Learning environment – the nature, access to and fitness for purpose of the learning environment, diversity, equity and wellbeing, mechanisms for dealing with grievances • Teaching – course design and outcomes (including AQF adherence), quality of staffing and learning resources • Research and research training – governance and management of research and research training, including research integrity and environment • Institutional quality assurance – course approvals and QA, policy framework and academic integrity, monitoring and improvement; compliance with the HESF • Governance and accountability – the effectiveness of overarching academic and corporate governance • Representation, information and information management – well-managed, accurate, ethical, complete and appropriate information provision to students Introductory module - https://latrobe.learningseatlms.com/Dashboard

24. Key concepts under the HESF • Students are front and centre, including consideration of sub-groups, approaches to support and integrity of our approach. • All providers, all of the standards, all of the time. • Transparency and consistency of processes. • Accurate and complete information. • Detect and correct • How do we close the loop? • How do we resolve problems? • How do we keep ourselves to account for quality? • Academic Board has a significant role in monitoring and assuring these questions can be answered • 14 days – standards@latrobe.edu.au

25. Contributing to Academic Board meetings and the work of Academic Board

26. Being involved in and outside meetings Formal informality – papers and agenda Use of Video Conferencing Proposer and seconder for motions Rare need for formal voting Everyone is encouraged to speak, introduce themselves and be treated respectfully Report from the VC - opportunity to hear and to ask questions Reports from committees and major portfolio holders Panel discussions – spectrum of perspectives on key issues Opportunities for involvement outside meetings – reviews

27. FAQs How do I ask a question in the meeting? Will there be debate and discussion? Can I raise a matter in the meeting? Can I ask for matters to be put on the agenda for upcoming meetings?

28. Contemporary issues facing Academic Board

29. Food for Thought Tension between academic management and governance Can the Board perform all its roles effectively? Which is the most important? Are staff and students sufficiently engaged in its work? Are membership and committee structures fit for purpose? Is there a better way of doing the business of the Board? Is the Board simply a rubber stamp?

30. Academic Board Contacts • Professor Christine Bigby • Chair, Academic Board • c.bigby@latrobe.edu.au or 9479 1016 • Professor Paula Baron • Deputy Chair, Academic Board • p.baron@latrobe.edu.au or 9479 5694 • Samantha Ashton • Senior Executive Officer, Governance & Policy Services • s.ashton@latrobe.edu.au or 9479 3233