File Ref: F68752

MINUTES OF THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING
HELD ON WEDNESDAY 14th JUNE 2017 AT 12.30 PM IN THE SENATE ROOM

PRESENT

Dean of Coursework Studies as Chair (Professor Grady Venville)

Nominee of the Chair of Academic Board (Professor Robyn Carroll)

Nominee of the Dean of Graduate Research School (Dr Sato Juniper)

Academic Secretary (Dr Kabilan Krishnasamy)

Nominee of the Director, Future Students (Recruitment) (Mr Joel Wittwer)

Associate Director, Admissions (Mr Rick Ackerman for Ms Zoe Morrison)

Academic Coordinator, Bachelor of Philosophy (Hons) (Dr Kathy Sanders)

Nominee of the President of the Postgraduate Students’ Association (Mr Owen Myles forMs Manpreet Kaur)

Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) of each faculty or nominee and the nominee of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Education):

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education (Professor Philip Hancock)(Deputy Chair)

Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (Professor Michael Johns)

Faculty of Science (Associate Professor Peter Hammond) (Associate Chair)

Executive Officer (Ms Kath Williams)

IN ATTENDANCE

Ms Sally Jackson, Office of the Dean of Coursework Studies

APOLOGIES

Dr Daniela Ulgiati,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Associate Professor Grant Revell, School of Indigenous Studies

Ms Lina El Rakhawy, Nominee of the President of the UWA Student Guild

Ms Manpreet Kaur, Nominee of the President of the Postgraduate Students’ Association

Ms Zoe Morrison, Associate Director, Admissions

Ms Di Regan-Roots, Senior Manager, Student Services

DECLARATIONS OF POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICT OR PERCEIVED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The Chair declared a potential conflict of interest with item 9.

  1. MINUTES – Ref: F68752

Members noted that minutes were available from the Committee’s web page; and

RESOLVED – 18/17

to confirm:

  • minutes of a meeting of the Curriculum Committee held on 22nd May 2017.
  1. rescission of PRE-2012 units from 2018

Code / Title
ASIA2214 / Japan in Changing Asia
ASIA2217 / Shifting Identities in Japan
LAWS3310 / Evidence
LAWS3322 / Corporations Law
LAWS4030 / Commercial Practice
LAWS4404 / Legal Theory and Ethics
LAWS5533 / Advanced Torts Law
LAWS3302 / Environmental Law
LAWS3307 / International Commercial Arbitration
LAWS3320 / Legislation in Practice
LAWS3327 / Advanced Evidence and Proof
LAWS3338 / Introduction to Intellectual Property
LAWS3346 / Jessup International Moot Competition
LAWS3347 / Supervised Research I
LAWS3354 / Public International Law
LAWS3356 / Law Review Part 1
LAWS3357 / Law Review Part 2
LAWS3360 / Employment Law
LAWS3362 / Income Taxation Law
LAWS3370 / Consumer Law
LAWS3371 / Mining and Energy Law
LAWS3383 / Insurance Law
PHYS3340 / Physics Vacation Project I
PHYS3341 / Physics Vacation Project II
PHYS5422 / Medical Physics Thesis Part 2
PHYS5423 / Medical Physics Thesis Part 3
PHYS7400 / Dissertation (Physics Honours) Part 1
PHYS7401 / Dissertation (Physics Honours) Part 2
PHYS7441 / Special Topics in Physics IV
[Executive Officer’s note: The decision to rescind the unit PHYS5524Medical Physics Thesis Part 4 has been reversed due to the fact that the Faculty has confirmed that this unit is required for 2018.]
RESOLVED – 19/17
to approve that the Pre-2012 units listed above be rescinded from 2018.
  1. rescission of units in uwa courses from 2018

TRIM / Code / Title / Curriculum
F47088 / ENRL5580 / Delivering Public Value [ANZSOG] / None
F47191 / ENRL5581 / Government in a Market Economy [ANZSOG]
F47092 / ENRL5582 / Designing Public Policies and Programs [ANZSOG]
F47087 / ENRL5583 / Decision Making Under Uncertainty [ANZSOG]
F47189 / ENRL5584 / Governing by the Rules [ANZSOG]
F47245 / ENRL5585 / Leading Public Sector Change [ANZSOG]
F47485 / ENRL5586 / Work-based Project [ANZSOG]
F46943 / ENRL5587 / Accounting (Public Sector) [ANZSOG]
F47460 / ENRL8550 / The Machinery of Government 500 [308350 Curtin]
F47375 / ENRL8551 / Public Policy Analysis and Design 500 [308351 Curtin]
F47265 / ENRL8552 / Markets and Government 500 [308352 Curtin]
F47260 / ENRL8553 / Managing in the Public Sector 500 [308353 Curtin]
F47377 / ENRL8554 / Public Sector Communications 500 [310076 Curtin]
F47242 / ENRL8555 / Law of Government 500 [310077 Curtin]
F47163 / ENRL8556 / Ethics, Public Values and Policy 500 [308349 Curtin]
F47486 / ENRL8557 / Work-based Project 500 [310075 Curtin]
F47259 / ENRL8558 / Managerial Leadership 561 [5248 Curtin]
F47335 / ENRL8559 / Organisational Behaviour 550 [5698 Curtin]
F46944 / ENRL8560 / Accounting (Public Sector) 567 [5706 Curtin]
F47244 / ENRL8561 / Leadership in a Dynamic Global Environment 520 [11390 Curtin]
F47425 / ENRL8562 / Social Policy 501—Social Policy in Australia [301843 Curtin]
F47426 / ENRL8563 / Social Policy 505—Theoretical Perspectives on Social Policy [301846 Curtin]
F47427 / ENRL8564 / Social Policy 507—Economic Foundations of Social Policy [301847 Curtin]
F47428 / ENRL8565 / Social Policy 602—Social Policy Practice [301848 Curtin]
F47227 / ENRL8566 / International Health and Primary Health Care 600 [301948 Curtin]
F47150 / ENRL8567 / Economics (Public Finance) 568 [10978 Curtin]
F43615 / LAWS5533 / Advanced Torts Law
F43602 / LAWS5585 / Limitation of Actions
F47214 / LAWS8577 / Industrial Relations Law
F32034 / MUSC3351 / Gongs, Punks and Shadow Plays
F32131 / MUSC3354 / Music, Mind and Medicine
F32291 / PHYS1022 / Applied Physics B / Unattached elective
F61085 / PHYS5017 / Master's Dissertation—Theoretical Physics Part 7 / None
F61086 / PHYS5018 / Master's Dissertation—Theoretical Physics Part 8
F61093 / PHYS5027 / Master's Dissertation—Experimental Physics Part 7
F61092 / PHYS5028 / Master's Dissertation—Experimental Physics Part 8
F61100 / PHYS5037 / Master's Dissertation—Computational Physics Part 7
F47295 / PHYS5411 / Medical Physics Thesis Part 1 / 51630 Master of Medical Physics (thesis and coursework) – currently being taught out.
F47296 / PHYS5412 / Medical Physics Thesis Part 2
F47297 / PHYS5413 / Medical Physics Thesis Part 3
F47298 / PHYS5414 / Medical Physics Thesis Part 4
F52194 / PHYS5438 / Master's Dissertation—Medical Physics Part 8 / None
F42694 / PHYS5564 / Master's Dissertation—Astronomy and Astrophysics Part 7
F42694 / PHYS5565 / Master's Dissertation—Astronomy and Astrophysics Part 8
Members noted that the units listed above were no longer required in any course.
RESOLVED – 20/17
to approve that the postgraduate units listed above be rescinded from 2018.
  1. changes to undergraduate curriculum from 2018

Planned annual changes to undergraduate curriculum might occur at the unit level and/or major level and/or honours level and would need to take place, where relevant, in line with the University Policy on Changes to Units and University Policy on Courses – Undergraduate.

To this end, the Committee were asked to consider the following change proposals:

TRIM / Curriculum item / Change summary
F29706
F17/1479F17/1477
F17/1476
F17/1478 / MJD-MTHST Mathematics and Statistics
MATH3002 Network Science
MATH3024 Complex Systems
MATH3033 Geometry
STAT3063 Spatial Statistics and Modeling /
  • Change to unit sequence
  • Four new units

RESOLVED – 21/17
to approve:
  • the proposed changes to MJD-MTHST Mathematics and Statistics and the associated new units (MATH3002, MATH3024, MATH3033STAT3063), as set out in the agenda attachments, for offering from 2018; and
  • thestatus of Broadening Category A for MATH3002, MATH3024, MATH3033 & STAT3063.

  1. changes to postgraduate curriculum from 2018

Planned annual changes to postgraduate curriculummight occur at the unit level and/orpostgraduate course level andwould need to take place, where relevant, in line with the University Policy on Changes to Units and Courses – Postgraduate Coursework.

To this end, the Committee were asked to consider the following change proposals:

TRIM / Curriculum item / Change summary
F41170 / 53560 Master of Physics (coursework and dissertation) /
  • Change to rules

F79016 / 62530 Master of Data Science (coursework or coursework and dissertation) /
  • Change to rules
  • Change to course structure

RESOLVED – 22/17
to approve the proposed changes to:
  • 53560 Master of Physics (coursework and dissertation), as set out in the attachments, for offering from 2018; and
  • 62530 Master of Data Science (coursework or coursework and dissertation), as set out in the attachments, for offering from 2018.

  1. NEW undergraduate UNATTACHED ELECTIVE UNITS From2017

TRIM / Curriculum item / Degree
F17/1815 / CHEM3391 Chemistry Research Part 1 / BSc
F17/1760 / SVLG1005 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship(0 credit points) / None
Members discussed the new unit proposal SVLG1005 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship (0 credit points) noting that:
  • under current arrangementsthis had been managed via the creation of special units;
  • there currently were service learning units pitched at level one;
  • although zero point units do not attract any fees, they can be taken as part of an award course;
  • this allowed for the internship to beacknowledged on the student’s academic record;
  • this allowed students to undertake an internship where they may have exhausted the number of level one units that can be taken or where they may not have room in the course;
  • a consistent approach to the creation and approval of zero point units was required; and
  • a review of Work Integrated Learning units was currently been undertaken, which would incorporate principles for the creation of zero point units.
RESOLVED – 23/17
to approve CHEM3391 Chemistry Research Part 1 & SVLG1005 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship (0 credit points) as unattached electives from 2017.
  1. NEW undergraduate UNATTACHED ELECTIVE UNITS From 2018

TRIM / Curriculum item / Degree
F17/1818 / CHEM3392 Chemistry Research Part 2 / BSc
RESOLVED – 24/17
to approve CHEM3392 Chemistry Research Part 2 as an unattached elective from 2018.
  1. NEW postgraduate UNIT From 2018

TRIM / Curriculum item
F17/1761 / SVLG5900 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship (0 credit points)
RESOLVED – 25/17
to approve SVLG5900 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship as an unattached postgraduate unit for offering from 2018.
  1. New progression from Honours to a Master of Research – REF: F17/1835

Members noted that similar to how students can progress from Honours to a master's degree coursework course; the Graduate Research School (GRS) were in the process of developing a new Master of Research course whereby students would be able to progress into this course from an end-on Honours course.

During the discussion the following points were made:

  • It was the intention that students would not take out the end-on Honours award;
  • Initially this would be trialled in the Schools of Earth Sciences and Social Sciences;
  • this may result in a split funding model whereby the end-on Honours course would be covered by a commonwealth supported place (CSP) and the research component covered by the Research Training Program (RTP);
  • the work undertaken in the dissertation of the end-on Honours course may be classed as preparation for the Thesis; but this was noted to be under consideration by the Board of the Graduate Research School;
  • the administrative process for managing student transfers from end-on Honours was noted to be under deliberation;
  • communicating this progression pathway to students may be challenging;
  • the proposal was strongly supported by the PSA, subject to clarifying the requirements for admission to the Master of Research and other administrative details.

RESOLVED – 26/17

to endorse in principle, and recommend to the Academic Council that the proposal for students to be able to progress from end-on Honours to a Master of Research, as set out in the agenda attachment, be approved effective from 2018.

  1. proposed amendments to SCHEDULE A of the university policy on admission: coursework – Ref: F79902

Following on from the May meeting of the Curriculum Committee, whereby members had endorsed a change to the University Policy on Admission: Coursework (UP16/5), members considered an additional change to Schedule A (Part 4) which would further strengthen UWA’s English requirements.

Members noted that the countries identified in Schedule A differed depending on whether students had completed one or two years of full-time equivalent degree studies and that this was intentional. It was also noted that some countries had been excluded such as Nigeria.

RESOLVED – 27/17

to recommend to the Education Committee that the proposed changes to Schedule A (Part 4) of the University Policy on Admission: Coursework (UP16/5), as set out in the agenda attachment, be approved effective immediately.

  1. 2016 REVIEW OF COURSES (PHASE 2): DIPLOMAS, END-ON-HONOURS, BACHELOR OF PHILOSOPHY (HONOURS) AND UNDERGRADUATE PRE-2012 COURSES – REF F71207

Members noted that as part of its strategic planning and quality assurance, the University initiated in 2014 a systematic review of its courses over a three year period (2015 – 2017). Phase 1 review of courses, which focused on the University’s four undergraduate degrees (AQF Level 7 qualifications), was undertaken and completed at the end of 2015.

Phase 2 of the review of courses undertaken in 2016focused on a review of the remaining Cycle 1 courses namely, diplomas, end-on-honours, the Bachelor of Philosophy (Hons) and undergraduate pre-2012 courses.

The review was led by the Dean of Coursework Studies (Professor Grady Venville) and was undertaken by two key working groups.Members had before them a report detailing the findings of the Phase 2 Review including 9 recommendations, 7 commendations and 4 affirmations upon which they were requested to provide feedback.

During the discussion the following feedback was provided:

  • a suggestion was made to reverse the ordering of recommendations 2 and 3 in order to better demonstrate the academic pathway. Alternately it was suggested that the recommendation for the two Advanced Diploma courses be listed separately as these were not necessarily linked;
  • it was suggested that the proposed Master of Research be included in the section on pathways to Masters; however it was clarified that the focus of the review was Cycle 1 courses;
  • there was some discussion regarding the perceived dissatisfaction of some BPhil students with the requirement to undertake a language as part of the BPhil program. It was noted that over time, as the program became more established and prospective students had become more familiar with the requirements this had become less of an issue;
  • it was noted that there was no recommendation in relation to BPhil student’s lack of access to scholarships for study abroad. The Chair confirmed that this was a deliberate and considered omission. The amount of the Scholarship had been reduced by the previous Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education). It was suggested that a note to this effect might be usefully included in the executive summary;
  • It was clarified that consideration had been given to the Australian Quality Framework (AQF) level for undergraduate diplomas (AQF Level 5). It was noted that the AQF level was determined on the learning outcomes that a student achieved rather than the admission requirements of the course.

The Chair thanked the working groups involved with the Stage 2 Review, noting that next year’s review would focus on Cycle 2 courses.

It was notedthat the feedback on the report would be transmitted, via the Academic Secretary, to the Chair of Academic Board and the University Executive.

  1. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Curriculum Committee will be held on Wednesday 12th July at 2pm in the Senate Room. The cut-off date for submission of items for the committee’s agenda is Wednesday 28thJune. Please refer any issues for discussion to the Executive Officer, Ms Kath Williams ().

Signed:

CHAIR

21 / 6/ 2017

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