2014-16 Mission-based Compact
Between:
The Commonwealth of Australia
and
Victoria University
CONTENTS
3
Context
A. Policy Setting
4
B. The Purpose and Effect of this Compact
4
C. Establishment of the Compact
4
D. The Principles of Commonwealth Funding Support
4
E. The Structure of this Compact
5
Part One: Focus & Mission
6
Part Two: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Access and Outcomes
13
Part Three: Innovation and Engagement
17
Part Four: Teaching and Learning
24
Part Five: Research and Research Training
37
Part Six: General Provisions
44
Page 2
This compact is between
The Commonwealth of Australia (Commonwealth) represented by and acting through:
The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research
Assisted by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and
Tertiary Education (DIICCSRTE)
ABN 77 599 608 295
Of
Industry House
10 Binara Street
Canberra ACT 2601
And
Victoria University
ABN 83 776 954 731
A body corporate under the Victoria University Act 2010
Of
PO Box 14428
Melbourne Victoria 8001
Australia
(University)
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CONTEXT
A. Policy Setting
The Australian Government believes all Australians are entitled to a productive, fair and
prosperous life and our higher education system is crucial to achieving this. Universities impart
the skills and knowledge Australians need to realise their personal and professional aspirations
and contribute to the broad economic and knowledge base of our society including the cultural,
health and civic wellbeing of the community.
Over the term of this mission-based compact (compact), Australian universities will confront a
range of opportunities and challenges in fulfilling their social and economic remit. These
opportunities and challenges include, but are not limited to, changing national and international
educational markets, dynamic global financial arrangements including the rise of the Asian
Century, new approaches to teaching and learning, rapidly changing information technologies and
evolving priorities for research and innovation.
Australia’s universities are well equipped to harness the opportunities and meet these challenges
that lie ahead. The 2014-16 compact supports this process by articulating the major policy
objectives and the diverse approaches and commitments universities will adopt to achieve these
strategic goals over the term of the agreement.
B. The Purpose and Effect of this Compact
This compact is an agreement between the Commonwealth and the University. Entering into a
compact is one of the quality and accountability requirements which a higher education provider
must meet under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) as a condition of receiving a
grant. Specifically, subsection 19-110(1) of HESA requires Table A and Table B providers must, in
respect of each year for which a grant is paid to the provider under HESA, enter into a mission
based compact with the Commonwealth for a period which includes that year.
The compact demonstrates the Commonwealth and the University have a shared and mutual
commitment to provide students with high quality educational experiences and outcomes and to
building research and innovation capabilities and international competitiveness.
The compact recognises the University is an autonomous institution with a distinctive mission,
operating within a state or territory, national and international higher education environment.
The purpose of this compact is to provide a strategic framework for the relationship between the
Commonwealth and the University. It sets out how the University’s mission aligns with the
Commonwealth’s goals for higher education, research, innovation, skills development,
engagement and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access and outcomes.
The Commonwealth and the University agree this compact will be published on Commonwealth
websites and may be published on the University website.
C. Establishment of the Compact
The Commonwealth and the University agree the Term of this compact is from 1 January 2014
until 31 December 2016.
D. The Principles of Commonwealth Funding Support
The Commonwealth articulates its vision for the higher education sector, through Transforming
Australia’s Higher Education System (available at the DIICCSRTE website), and the role of
universities in driving our national innovation system, through Powering Ideas (available at the
DIICCSRTE website).
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In supporting Australia’s universities, the Commonwealth seeks to promote:

academic freedom and institutional autonomy;

a diverse and sustainable higher-education sector;

opportunity for all;

access to university based on merit;

world-class teaching and learning that advances the international standing of Australian
education;

world-class research and research training that advances knowledge, critical thinking and
Australia’s international standing; and

responsiveness to the economic, social and environmental needs of the community, region,
state, nation and the international community through collaborative engagement.
To ensure Australia’s higher education system remains robust and of high quality in a globally
connected and competitive world, the Australian Government has adopted and implemented a
number of system-wide quality measures including establishing the Higher Education Standards
Framework, and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
E. The Structure of this Compact
Part One provides for the Commonwealth’s focus for the compact and a description of the
University’s Mission Statement and Strategic Priorities.
Part Two provides for matters related to improving access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people. It contains Commonwealth objectives, university strategies and
performance indicators and targets.
Part Three provides for matters related to innovation, industry and skills and engagement. It also
contains Commonwealth objectives, university strategies and performance indicators and targets.
Part Four provides for matters related to teaching and learning including student enrolments,
quality, equity and infrastructure. It contains Commonwealth objectives, university strategies and
equity targets.
Part Five provides for matters related to research and research training including research
performance and research capability. It contains Commonwealth objectives, university strategies,
performance indicators and targets.
Part Six provides for general provisions of the compact including compact review, privacy,
confidentiality and information sharing, changing the compact and notices.
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PART ONE: FOCUS & MISSION
The Commonwealth’s Focus for this Compact
The Commonwealth's ambitions for higher education include:

providing opportunities for people from all backgrounds to participate to their full potential and be
supported to do so. This includes supporting the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people through improved access and support arrangements. The Commonwealth is committed to
ensuring the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people participating in undergraduate and
higher degrees by research (HDR), as well as staffing and academic representation, reaches
population parity;

providing students with a stimulating and rewarding higher education experience;

producing graduates with the knowledge, skills and understanding for full participation in society and
the economy;

better aligning higher education and research with the needs of the economy, and building capacity
to respond to future changes in skills needs;

increasing universities’ engagement with all parties and linkages between universities and Australian
businesses in particular;

playing a pivotal role in the national research and innovation system through the generation and
dissemination of new knowledge and through the education, training and development of world class
researchers across a wide range of intellectual disciplines;

improving knowledge transfer and commercialisation outcomes;

consistent with the Asian Century policy framework, ensuring education is at the forefront of
Australia’s engagement with Asia; and

being amongst the leading Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
countries in terms of participation and performance.
In support of these objectives, the Commonwealth encourages universities to consider the following
important measures in their planning and delivery:

developing partnerships with schools and other organisations to improve the participation of people
from disadvantaged backgrounds in higher education;

working with business, industry and Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers to provide the
Australian economy with the graduates it needs;

the suite of performance measurement tools being developed through the Advancing Quality in
Higher Education initiative, work on quality in research training, and a feasibility study on research
impact assessment (including the possible implementation of a mechanism, separate from Excellence
in Research for Australia, to evaluate the wider benefits of publicly funded research);

applying the principles and procedures required to support a continuous improvement model for
intellectual property; and

the National Research Investment Plan, including the need for a strategic outlook to address
Australian Government priorities and principles at a national level.
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1
THE UNIVERSITY’S MISSION AND STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
1.1
The purpose of the University’s Mission
The University's Mission sets out its values and aspirations, what it does and how it can best serve
the interests of its students, staff and key stakeholders. The Commonwealth and the University
recognise the University's Mission may evolve.
The University and the Commonwealth recognise the University is an autonomous institution
which is responsible for the determination of its Mission and for its aspirations and strategies for
their achievement.
1.2
The University’s Mission and Strategic Priorities
Vision and Mission
In October 2011, the University Council endorsed Victoria University’s (VU) new Strategic Plan for
2012-16, Excellent, Engaged and Accessible: Victoria University’s strategic plan to be a great
university of the 21st century, 2012-2016. This is an ambitious plan, being pursued in a
challenging environment in a new demand-driven tertiary education market. This will require us
to operate with great agility and efficiency and to be very focused on providing outstanding
teaching, research and knowledge exchange services, especially in our distinctive areas of
specialisation, to our clients, i.e. our students, the industries on which we focus, government and
the broader community.
VU’s vision is to be excellent, engaged and accessible and internationally recognised for its
leadership in:
 empowering a diverse community of students to grow their capabilities and transform their
lives; and
 engaging with industry and community to make the world a better place, through the
creation, sharing and use of new knowledge.
In pursuing this vision we have five objectives. By 2020, Victoria University intends:
 to be an outstanding learning and teaching institution that empowers students to grow their
capabilities and transform their lives.
 to be in the top twenty universities in Australia for research (the top half), with an emphasis
on applied and translational research.
 to be an Australian leader in knowledge exchange with business, government and the
community to make the world a better place with a focus on particular industries and places,
especially our heartland – the West of Melbourne.
 to be nationally and in some cases world-renowned in our areas of distinctive specialisation
(firstly in the field of Sport, Active Living and Health).
 to be a dynamic and prosperous organisation and an employer and partner of choice.
Implementing the Strategic Plan
To deliver on this ambitious plan significant reform is required across the University to ensure
that it is fit-for-purpose. The University is pursuing these significant reforms to position itself
strongly in the tertiary education sector, as a leading provider of a quality and student centred
education experience. The extent of this reform was foreshadowed in the release of The VU
Agenda in April 2012, which included:
 Organisational Reform
 Curriculum Reform
 Campus and Infrastructure Reform
 Workforce Reform and Organisational Development
The case for these reforms is built on four needs:
 The need to increase the demand for our services and grow the size of the University.
 The need to enhance our reputation for excellence.
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

The need to make more efficient use of resources and focus them on our core mission.
The need to build the University's capability through an organisational development strategy.
Learning and Teaching and the Student Experience Priorities
VU aims to be internationally renowned for its distinctive curriculum and approach to learning
and teaching, emphasising work-integrated learning, learning-integrated work, problem solving
and cross-cultural skills. In meeting the needs of 21st century learners, we aim to provide
purposeful qualification pathways, both linear and non-linear, that allow modular progression
towards successful outcomes.
The VU Curriculum Blueprint
With this is mind and with a view to access as well as excellence, VU undertook considerable work
in 2012, focusing on curriculum reform and renewal to develop The VU Curriculum Blueprint. VU
will develop a suite of integrated, higher level VET, undergraduate and postgraduate
qualifications underpinned by 21st century graduate capabilities and a consistent, principlesbased approach to ‘purposeful blended learning’. The VU Capabilities for the Future will be
developed through disciplinary learning and through inter-disciplinary sets of units and capstones
specifically aimed at developing graduate capabilities in the context of large, complex problems or
issues. Courses at VU will be developed as modular and integrated qualification suites with inbuilt
pathways, not as stand-alone courses with retrofitted pathways e.g. diploma/associate
degree/bachelor and graduate certificate/graduate diploma/masters.
VU will develop two categories of undergraduate degrees: general Bachelor Degrees and
specialised Professional Bachelor Degrees. From 2014, VU will offer a small suite of Career Start
Bachelor Degrees to improve outcomes for less prepared learners, as modification of - or in
addition to existing general undergraduate degrees in areas which already admit a significant
proportion of students from non-traditional and less academically prepared backgrounds. The
first tranche of these degrees is being designed during 2013. Consistent with the Australian
Government's policy to raise participation, access and equity in higher education, these degrees
will be widely accessible and designed to support success.
Specialist Professional Bachelor Degrees will build on existing programs that already have a strong
reputation and are likely to have higher barriers to ATAR entry levels. These degrees will be
designed to attract and retain more academically well prepared prospective students. Where
appropriate, they will align to our areas of distinctive specialisations identified in the Strategic
Plan, where we intend to be nationally and in some cases internationally renowned. These
clusters of distinctive specialisations include: Sport, Active Living and Health; Sustainable, Liveable
and Creative Cities; and, Education and Lifelong Learning. The distinctive specialisations provide
the opportunity to rethink the value and positioning of the University’s degrees to ensure they
are indeed distinctive and meeting student, industry and community needs. We are also
developing a range of initiatives to attract and retain high achieving students including
Chancellor’s Scholarships, prestigious industry or research placements and innovatory
interdisciplinary opportunities.
VU is also rethinking its postgraduate qualifications to create a more strategic suite of scholarly,
professionally aligned, and AQF compliant postgraduate coursework offerings. This will include a
consistent approach to research skills development; continuing professional education programs
for industry, community and professions based on modularised units, and implementation of high
quality workplace based pedagogies for postgraduate qualifications.
Achievement of these curriculum goals will rely upon building collaborative communities of
internal and external partners to design these new approaches to learning and assessment design
and teaching; and on encouraging a scholarly approach to tertiary teaching and adding value to
the student experience through evidence-based practice. These changes will be systematically
implemented over three years, with each College reviewing its qualifications in the context of
student demand and the distinctive specialisations and a coordinated program of curriculum
development work aligned to a set of Tertiary Curriculum Principles and Guidelines.
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The Colleges
An important element of the University’s organisational reform program was the integration of
VET and higher education delivery into a more focused college structure, allowing for stronger
pathway and development opportunities for students from 2013. Importantly, our existing
strengths in learning and teaching and research and knowledge exchange have driven the design
of the seven new integrated Colleges. The new Colleges, established 1 January 2013, are:
 College of Arts
 College of Business
 College of Education
 College of Engineering and Science
 College of Health and Biomedicine
 College of Law and Justice
 College of Sport and Exercise Science
These seven integrated Colleges join the existing VU College which supports language and
learning development for students across the institution, together with the newly established
Trades College which focuses on vocational training and pre-tertiary curriculum approaches.
During 2013, each of the Colleges will develop a strategic plan which outlines how they intend to
deliver on the objectives of the Strategic Plan. These new academic entities will be critical to
delivering VU’s aspiration of providing our diverse range of students a high quality, wellsupported and exciting learning experience.
Learner Support
Empowering students from diverse countries and cultures, socio-economic and educational
backgrounds through a distinctive, excellent and supported learning experience is a priority for
VU. Successful transitions at all levels will be supported by a transitions pedagogy approach which
draws upon a range of evidence-based teaching and learner support strategies to increase
retention and completion. These approaches include peer to peer learning support, embedded
literacy and numeracy development, co-curricular academic skills development, and structured
formative assessment and feedback processes. Transitions pedagogy at particular hot spots such
as the first year of the proposed Career Start Bachelor degrees will be a focus.
VU College provides expert support in transitions pedagogy and learner support in general, and
supports the integrated Colleges in collaboration with the Educational Development Team within
the Centre for Collaborative Learning & Teaching. These new support services coupled with the
new integrated College structures will provide a sound basis from which we can focus on
improving the quality of the student experience.
Blended Learning
The implementation of an innovative, institution-wide approach to blended learning will be
central to learning and teaching development strategies. The Blended Learning Strategy at VU, as
part of the VU Curriculum Blueprint, prioritises the purposeful blending of face-to-face and online
learning through sustainable approaches that are focused on supporting intended learning
outcomes; and include consideration of the design, use and evaluation of both physical and
virtual learning spaces and learning locations. This approach acknowledges the distinctiveness of
our student profile and the distribution of our campuses and learning sites (including home and
workplaces). It is built upon a growing staff interest in aspects of e-learning, the introduction of a
new e-learning environment, the recent construction of technology rich learning spaces and the
University’s strong tertiary focus on workplace delivery and international partnerships. Coupled
together these factors provide an opportunity for the University to extend its approach past a
traditional mix of face-to-face and online delivery in order to include a richer and more engaging
dimensions for learning at VU.
As part of a new approach to course development, proposals for course accreditation and review
will be required to be certified as meeting (or exceeding) the blended learning standards.
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Research and Knowledge Exchange Priorities
VU connects our research and knowledge exchange (innovation) agendas with the overarching
aim to solve the complex questions facing industry and community sectors. To ensure continuing
relevancy to industry and community sector issues, VU is adopting a collaborative partnership
model to inform our research and knowledge exchange programs.
VU has set the target of being in the top twenty universities for research in Australia by 2016. To
support this ambitious research agenda, VU must greatly expand its research funding alongside
the quality and quantity of its research output. We will continue to invest in our research priority
areas with our distinctive specialisations being a key driver. Our international reputation will be
based on inter-disciplinary, applied and translational research focused in our areas of distinctive
specialisation. To build our reputation in research we will focus on the following key outcomes
over the medium term:
 Culture and Participation - to develop a vibrant research culture that embraces and sustains
creativity, critical inquiry, innovation, and integrity.
 Capacity and Research Reputation - to continue to refine and develop existing areas of
research strength while also providing avenues and support for the development of new
areas of research strength.
 Research Training - to be recognised as a research training institution offering a high quality
and supportive program that graduates students in a timely manner with excellence in
research outcomes.
 Research Engagement - to engage with external organisations in order to undertake research
that achieves outcomes at local, national and international levels of high quality.
Our recent Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2012 outcomes saw us achieve our 2020
ambition to be at or above world standard in at least 15 discipline areas and we believe that this
is an early indicator that we are on the right path.
Closely aligned with our research ambitions is our desire to be an Australian leader in knowledge
exchange with business, government and the community. In developing distinct and
differentiated industry and community engagement services, VU will focus on knowledge
exchange opportunities that align with VU’s distinctive specialisations and research strengths. As
a matter of priority, we are developing our capacity and reputation as an innovative provider of
customised learning programs in the workplace. VU’s strategy will be further developed to
ensure ongoing expansion, enhancement and integration of our research and knowledge
exchange programs.
Becoming a Dynamic and Prosperous Organisation
Professional, Education and Research Services
In 2012 a series of projects commenced intended to deliver a ‘dynamic and prosperous
organisation’ through a program of organisational redesign and reforming of processes, systems
and governance. One key outcome of this program was the establishment of a shared services
model for professional, educational and research services, to support the new Colleges from the 1
January 2013. Considerable work was done throughout 2012 to focus support structures to be
more closely aligned to our mission and to further rebalance our investments between academic
and professional staffing levels. Efficient and effective professional, educational, and research
services have been established to ensure academic and teaching staff can focus on high quality,
efficient and innovative delivery of a distinctive curriculum and the highest quality research and
knowledge exchange in areas of distinctive specialisation.
The University intends to continue this work focusing on a program of continuous improvement
through:
 a focus on cultural change leading to improved staff capability, a service focus and improved
efficiency.
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
process improvement and capability development initiatives, including curriculum
management, student admissions to graduations process management, Colleges’ finance,
contract and resourcing management; and enterprise value management capability.
Importantly, through ongoing organisational development, the University intends to design and
develop internal capability, through an optimal organisational structure, streamlined processes,
improved quality and effective governance, and a capable workforce, to build excellence and to
become an integrated collaborative institution and deal effectively with the dynamic competitive
environment.
Integrated Workforce
In our Strategic Plan, VU has the goal to be a dynamic and prosperous organisation and an
employer and partner of choice. Critical to this is the University’s most important resource, its
people. The quantity and quality of human resources will drive improved learning and teaching
outcomes; student experience; and research performance. We need to increase the proportion of
salary costs spent on direct teaching staff, while acknowledging all parts of the workforce have
important roles to play, including teaching and research staff, professional and technical staff and
management.
The VU Agenda is also about the way that different parts of the workforce work together. For VU
to not only compete, but to excel in its delivery of learning and teaching, research and knowledge
exchange across its distinctive specialisations, requires significant reform to our current
organisational structure and workforce. A key issue in the new College structure will be how
effectively our higher education staff and vocational education staff work together as an
integrated tertiary workforce, to bring together the best knowledge and practices of each sector
to improve student experience and outcomes. Another key issue will be how effectively the staff
providing shared professional and education and research services work with the academic staff.
This will require capability building, teamwork and cultural change in order to improve the value
proposition of Victoria University as an employer of choice for current and future employees. Put
simply, if VU is to reshape our service offering to students and industry partners, it is incumbent
upon the University to retain, develop and attract high-performing staff and to provide an
environment that fosters staff performance and engagement. In addition to the development of
appropriate workforce and career structures, high quality management and leadership is an
imperative for a successful organisation. As a matter of priority, considerable work is being
undertaken on the development of an Integrated Workforce Strategy, which supports our
requirement to have a fit-for-purpose staffing profile to deliver our Strategic Plan.
Campuses
The University is reengineering the institution’s cost structure and campus footprint, to ensure
sustainability, and to focus our resources on VU’s core mission of learning and teaching, the
student experience, research and knowledge exchange. It is evident that our campus foot print is
not fit-for-purpose, with too many campuses for the size of the student population and too few
campuses in popular locations for students. As a generalisation, Footscray and the City are the
most popular locations, particularly for higher education students. The Strategic Plan provides an
updated framework for Victoria University’s long term campus planning with a focus on the
following priorities with respect to higher education:
 Fostering the concept of Footscray as a University Town.
 Implementing a plan to consolidate course delivery in the CBD.
 Developing a plan for St Albans with Health delivery as a major focus
 Developing a plan for Melton that fosters effective collaboration with industry and the
community
 Developing a Community-Integrated Learning model which can be rapidly established at
relatively low cost to meet local learning needs using an innovative, technology-rich delivery
models.
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Overall, the key element in making informed decisions on the future requirements for Victoria
University’s campuses is understanding student demand. The competitive environment,
contestability in TAFE, the removal of caps in higher education, volatility in international student
markets and the recent vocational education reforms have significantly affected student load and
made forecasting more difficult. We will continue to have a presence in the West of Melbourne,
especially to support our access agenda and have identified locations outside of Footscray and the
City, in Melton, Werribee, St Albans and Sunshine, as a base for particular specialisations or
developing community integrated learning spaces to provide greater access to tertiary studies.
We anticipate that as we progress the organisational and curriculum reforms and implement the
Strategic Plan this consolidation will continue, along with building satellites to ensure that
students have a quality experience and we meet the needs of industry and community
stakeholders.
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PART TWO: ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ACCESS AND
OUTCOMES
2
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ACCESS AND OUTCOMES
Part Two recognises the important role universities play in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people’s personal and professional aspirations through the provision of accessible and
supportive higher education programs. Increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher
education participation and success is important given the direct benefits for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities and broader economic and social benefits for
all Australians.
Universities are asked to detail their strategies and targets to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander access and outcomes over the compact period in this section. Principal Performance
Indicators are compulsory and institutions may voluntarily nominate Optional Performance
Indicators and targets considered reflective of individual institutional goals.
The Commonwealth recognises that universities have diverse missions and, consequently, targets
and performance will vary between institutions. Each university should develop performance
indicators and targets to reflect its individual performance and strategic direction.
2.1
Commonwealth Objectives
The Commonwealth is committed to enhancing the participation and outcomes for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people in higher education consistent with the Closing the Gap initiative
addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage.
In realising this objective, the Commonwealth has set an aspirational national parity target for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff in higher education. The parity target
equates to the proportion of the population aged between 15 and 64 years which is currently
2.3%.
To help achieve this aspirational national target, the Commonwealth has introduced a new focus
on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reporting in the compact as recommended by the Review
of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Universities should report high level Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student and staffing
plans and strategies in this part of the compact including performance targets for student
enrolments, completions and numbers of general and academic staff. Universities may also report
on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives under the Innovation and Engagement,
Teaching and Learning and Research and Research Training parts of the compact.
2.2
University Strategies
Indigenous Education Strategies
The VU Agenda Blueprint, released publicly in September 2012, is a detailed roadmap of how VU
plans to achieve the goals outlined in the Strategic Plan. As part of the major changes within the
VU Agenda, in November 2012 VU commissioned Professor Larissa Behrendt to work with the
Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit and the VU community to develop an Indigenous
Education Strategy (IES). The IES is still in ‘draft’ format subject to official endorsement from VU
Council. The IES provides the framework for a Vice-Chancellor led, whole of University
engagement with Indigenous education and scholarship to improve indigenous participation in
education and research at Victoria University to levels proportionate to Indigenous
representation in the community.
In accordance with the IES, the Vice-Chancellor will lead the Implementation Plan, assign
accountability for key aspects to members of the Senior Leadership Team, who will report on
progress at dedicated meetings. The planned IES covers goals for student support, academic
programs, research, community engagement, pathways and employment.
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The objectives of the IES include:
 Achieve Indigenous undergraduate and postgraduate student enrolment rates that are
reflective of state population parity of 0.7 per cent for Victoria.
 Achieve Indigenous undergraduate and postgraduate progression and completion rates that
are equal to those of other undergraduate and postgraduate students at VU.
 Ensure that all courses specifically offered to Indigenous students are of high quality,
appropriately supportive, academically rigorous, and are aligned to the expectations of
students and requirements of potential employers.
 Develop Indigenous competency amongst all VU students by striving to create an
environment in which students have the opportunity to gain knowledge of Indigenous
Australians.
 Develop and promote Indigenous research across VU.
 Raise the visibility of Indigenous people and culture across VU.
 Achieve Indigenous staff employment rates that are reflective of the Indigenous working
population, and Indigenous retention rates and levels of seniority are commensurate with VU
non-Indigenous staff.
 Offer Indigenous staff appropriate professional development opportunities to enable them
to fully realise their potential within their discipline or profession.
Access and Outcomes
VU currently coordinates its Indigenous education and scholarship work via the Moondani Balluk
Indigenous Education Unit. All staff of Moondani Balluk are Indigenous and are actively involved
in community projects and external committees such as Community Arts Centres, Aboriginal
Cultural Heritage, Health Services or local co-operatives and Indigenous networks. Moondani
Balluk staff assist local councils and service providers in building and maintaining relationships
with the Indigenous population of the region and in the design and implementation of
Reconciliation Action Plans. Recent activities of Moondani Balluk include:
 Engaged recruitment activities in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne.
 Further development of pathways into higher education for western metropolitan
Indigenous population via Mumgu-Dhal Tyama-Tyit pathways course and Community
Services blended delivery.
 Submission of an Indigenous focussed VU Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship application.
 Updating VU Indigenous web pages and developing a Reconciliation Event at the VU
Sunshine campus.
 Finalising the VU online cultural training package for all staff.
 Promoting the Special Study Program (SSP) to Indigenous staff.
 Employing Bachelor of Arts (Kyinandoo) graduates as sessional lecturers.
VU is cognisant of the growing numbers of Indigenous people in the Melbourne’s West, however,
there are a number of factors that make it difficult to engage with this population. Moondani
Balluk, from their work in the region, are aware that more than half of the population: have low
educational achievement; are long-term unemployed; are single parent families; are unsure of
their Indigenous identity; have diabetes or other illnesses; have children under protective orders;
have been in contact with the criminal justice system; have an inherent fear of ‘authority’ and
‘the mainstream’; have limited or no access to Indigenous service providers and communitybased organisations; and live across the region in isolation, rather than in one or two suburbs.
The one Indigenous community-based organisation has now closed. VU is working with the
Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group to undertake a Community Engagement Survey
to provide data to improve access and outcomes for VU programs, services and community
engagement activities.
Curriculum
Currently Moondani Balluk delivers the Bachelor of Arts (Kyinandoo) a culturally appropriate and
relevant higher education degree specifically for Indigenous people. Completion of the Mumgudhal vocational program provides Indigenous students a pathway into Kyinandoo. Units of study
Page 14
in Kyinandoo are available to students as electives within their degrees and are delivered as
Summer and Winter School options. Moondani Balluk academics provide ‘service teaching’ in
Indigenous perspectives e.g. the Sociology of Indigenous Health unit delivered to Midwifery
students; and, the Indigenous Australian Knowing unit delivered as a core unit of the Bachelor
Arts in Criminal Justice Studies, Legal Studies, Social Work and Youth Work. Commencing delivery
in 2012 was Re-thinking Australian Studies, a core unit of the Bachelor of Education developed by
Education Indigenous academics in collaboration with Moondani Balluk, and teaching of
Indigenous Literacies and Indigenous Art for the Bachelor of Education and the Bachelor of Arts.
The Indigenous curriculum designed and delivered by Indigenous academics and other Indigenous
staff is based on Victorian Indigenous traditional and contemporary knowledge and heritage. The
majority of Indigenous academics and general staff are either Victorian traditional owners or have
lived in the Victorian Indigenous community for many years. All Indigenous staff work on
enhancing the status of Indigenous heritage, knowledge and traditional owners to increase the
cultural competency of all staff and students.
Indigenous Employment Strategies
The current Indigenous employment strategy Yannoneit was implemented in 2006 for the
attraction, recruitment and retention of Indigenous staff. The Indigenous Community Liaison role
and the Manager Staff Equity and Diversity promote the employment of Indigenous Australians at
every opportunity and assist managers to identify opportunities for Indigenous people.
VU currently supports participants in the Indigenous Traineeship through a unique mentoring
component, “Indigenous Mirror Mentoring Program” to:
1. provide support to mentees outside of their immediate work area;
2. provide a forum that contributes to two-way learning; and
3. increase awareness of Indigenous Culture within the University community.
To ensure alignment to the principles of diversity and commitment to the growth and progression
of young Indigenous women, mentors are selected using rigorous criteria and are required to
attend a full day Cultural Awareness program. Mentors and mentees are introduced at an
informal gathering with Indigenous Elders from VU to support the trainees and to meet the
mentors. A portal provides all mentors with information and tools to support successful
outcomes. Indigenous cultural support is provided throughout the mentoring relationship by the
Director, Moondani Balluk.
The new Indigenous Education Strategy for implementation in 2013 aims to “achieve Indigenous
staff employment rates that are reflective of the Indigenous working population, and Indigenous
retention rates and levels of seniority are commensurate with VU non-Indigenous staff.” The IES
will ensure advancement of Indigenous staff by providing targeted recruitment, cultural support,
cultural awareness training, leadership engagement and professional development opportunities.
The strategy commits VU to:
 Develop a targeted employment approach by creating alignment between prospective staff
(registered on the database) and recruitment processes and practices.
 Strengthen the University’s relations with AFL sports ready and the College of Sports and
Exercise Science, to increase Indigenous representation within the traineeship cohort, by
identifying effective recruitment and engagement initiatives.
 Continue to support the current on-campus Childcare Trainees to complete the requirements
of the traineeship, which includes the attainment of their Certificates, Diploma and further
educational standards within the time allocation of the traineeships.
 Introduce a new traineeship program, targeting community members, to work within specific
disciplines.
 Work with Moondani Balluk to identify Indigenous students who may be interested in
working as part of the “Students as Staff” Program and ensure employment placements are
appropriate.
Page 15






2.3
The Indigenous Community Liaison role will provide an informal induction for all new
Indigenous staff, to advise them of specific cultural leave, options regarding mentoring and
support to fulfil their roles.
Continue to promote online and face-to-face, Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training.
Engage the Leadership Community to identify suitable opportunities to increase Indigenous
staff representation, aligned to their responsibilities in the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
2014-2016.
Investigate relevant ways to improve the application of Indigenous staff to VU Professional
Development programs, in particular the Special Studies Program (SSP).
Identify effective means to improve participation of Indigenous staff in Professional
Development offerings, including the SSP and Academic Promotion application process.
Review the Promotions Policy to enable Indigenous specific roles to be incorporated into
applications.
Performance Indicators and Targets
The purpose of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performance indicators and targets is to
assist the University and the Commonwealth in monitoring the University’s progress against the
Commonwealth’s objectives particularly its contribution to reaching national parity.
The University will aim to meet the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander targets set out in the
following tables.
Note: All calendar year references below refer to the previous year’s data collection.
Principal Performance
Baseline Progressive
Progressive
Progressive
Indicators
2012
Target 2013
Target 2014
Target 2015
Number of all Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander student 52
67
65
65
1
enrolments
Number of all Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander student 3
12
14
17
2
completions
Number of all Aboriginal and 13
12
14
16
Torres Strait Islander
professional/general staff3
Number of all Aboriginal and 6
7
9
11
Torres Strait Islander
academic staff4
1
Refers to total undergraduate, postgraduate and HDR students by headcount
2 See
footnote 1 for definition
3 Refers
4 See
to number by headcount
footnote 3 for definition
Page 16
Target
2016
70
18
18
13
PART THREE: INNOVATION AND ENGAGEMENT
3
INNOVATION AND ENGAGEMENT
Part Three recognises the important role of universities in our national innovation system, in
boosting economic productivity contributions to improved social and environmental outcomes
and growth, and in engaging, advancing and inspiring their communities. It also recognises that
universities make an important contribution to building connections and partnerships that
broaden and deepen Australia's understanding of Asia.
Under three themes: Innovation; Industry and Skills; and Engagement; universities are asked to
detail their strategies and targets over the term of this compact. Principal Performance Indicators
are compulsory and institutions may voluntarily nominate Optional Performance Indicators and
targets considered reflective of individual institutional goals.
The Commonwealth recognises that universities have diverse missions and, consequently, targets
and performance will vary between institutions. Each university should develop performance
indicators and targets to reflect its individual performance and strategic direction.
3.1
Innovation
3.1.1 Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth seeks to build an innovation system that ensures Australia can meet the
challenges and grasp the opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Commonwealth
encourages innovation by supporting industry-led research, promoting knowledge-transfer
activities and the commercialisation of research.
3.1.2 University strategies
Victoria University's (VU) Strategic Plan 2012-2016: Excellent, Engaged and Accessible – places a
strong emphasis on the expansion of the University's knowledge exchange activities. The
Research and Knowledge Exchange Strategy is focussed on applied and translational research
with the integration provided through the distinctive specialisations, specifically:
 Sport, Active Living and Health through research and industry engagement;
 Sustainable, Liveable and Creative Cities through research, and also through the
development of the Eco-village at Werribee in conjunction with industry partners; and
 Education and Lifelong Learning through working with schools and community partners in
the West.
Examples of world class innovative practice include the applied and translational Institute for
Sustainability and Innovation with a focus on water treatment and management under the
guidance of an industry advisory board. VU is a foundation member of the innovation precinct in
Werribee for sustainable food and structures. The precinct is being developed in conjunction with
the CSIRO and Dairy Innovation Australia Limited. It is intended to up skill researchers to increase
our capacity to work more closely with industry. VU recently established the Mitchell Institute for
Health and Education Policy to engage with industry, government and community organisations
on how to interpret research for policy applications.
To drive and support an increase in industry training programs, consultancy and
commercialisation, the Office for Knowledge Exchange - Industry (OKEI) was established late in
2012 with the purview to extensively refocus the University’s knowledge exchange activities. This
work is in the early stages of development with OKEI having the immediate task of developing
frameworks and systems for the improved management and expansion of knowledge exchange
activities for the University.
Knowledge Transfer and Commercialisation Initiatives and Outcomes
VU currently provides a broad range of services designed to address the needs of industry via a
collaborative partnership model. Activities with industry include specialised consultancies,
multidisciplinary contract research and industry training solutions, all of which can be customised
to suit the particular needs of industry, government or community. A centralised business
Page 17
development team will work to build knowledge exchange activity predominantly within VU's
interdisciplinary distinctive specialisations. In building our reputation and capacity, VU will focus
on knowledge exchange opportunities that are a strategic fit for the University. Specific priorities
for 2013-2016 are:
 A dedicated Corporate Training Entity to be launched in October 2013 which will initially
focus on leadership, governance and management training predominantly for identified
industry and community sectors of strategic fit and where VU can leverage existing products
and partnerships for market penetration. Further areas of focus have been identified and
are currently being scoped for successive deployment.
 Development of a contemporary delivery model for customised learning programs with
industry, government and community sector that involves appropriate learning and teaching
resources that embed adult learning principles as well as language, learning and numeracy
support as appropriate.
 Design of the VU Corporate Offer for industry, government and community sector training as
a flexible, modular (building block) delivery of qualifications and skill sets with multiple entry
and exit points and an experiential learning and mentoring option. VU will identify
partnerships to enhance and expand the delivery of unique and marketable programs to
create scalable national delivery options.
In engaging in consultancy and contract research, VU seeks to utilise University expertise to solve
complex industry, government and community sector problems and to transform these sectors
through applied and translational research. For example, HR strategy in the current skills
environment was a recent research project in collaboration with other universities and included
the needs of multinationals particularly in providing an Asian focus. VU will measure success of
our knowledge exchange activities in repeat business and the opportunity to co-create
publications detailing industry innovations. VU's business development, tender writing and
management services focus on an innovative and commercially sustainable business model
involving collaborative resourcing across the University for commercial projects. For
Collaborative Research, VU partners with industry and other research organisations for projects in
local, national and international markets.
In relation to Intellectual Property (IP) Commercialisation, VU has a modest portfolio of patented
IP with a small number of active revenue generating licenses. VU is currently negotiating further
licensing deals to exploit research IP with industry partners in the future. For example, VU is
currently working on licensing the Membrane Distillation Module and Heat Exchange System with
various industry partners nationally, and internationally. VU is engaging Commercialisation
Australia to provide financial assistance and expertise to assist with the commercialisation of VU
research.
VU is also currently investigating enterprise activities that provide knowledge- based products and
services directly to customers and facilitate the repeated use of University intellectual assets,
rather than their transfer to external parties.
VU has mutually beneficial relationships with a range of external community partners that
demonstrate our commitment to improving social and economic outcomes for communities. For
example, the University's ongoing partnership activities with The Smith Family, such as the
National Partnership Extended School Hub Project aims to use the professional skills of University
students, and staff to assist in improving the educational capabilities of people from educationally
disadvantaged communities and the staff who support them.
VU's Research Institute of Sustainability and Innovation promotes and enables sustainable
outcomes for industry and the community, based on environmental and innovative technologies.
We provide industry and community solutions in water treatment technology, resource
management, asset management, social and behavioural research, and environment.
Page 18
Building Innovation-Focused partnerships in Asia
VU currently has a range of partnerships and collaborations in place in Asia and projects with
concomitant funding from Asian based organisations. VU agreements with Asian partners include
strategic partnership agreements, collaboration agreements, consultancy arrangements and
contract research commercial projects. The current level of partnerships or collaborations that
VU undertakes within the Asian comprises:
 Nine personnel dedicated to projects in the Asian region.
 Fourteen projects between VU and Asian based organisations, including "Reforming public
finance in China" with the Central University of Finance and Economic, China, and
"Association Rule Analysis for Complex Physiological and Genetic Data" in conjunction with
Step High Technology China and Beijing Genomics Institute.
 Sixty projects that contain linked funding with Asian industry and enterprises, for example,
the Vietnam Institute of Trade, the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China and the
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
In developing knowledge exchange activities in Asia further, VU will create strategies to better
leverage alumni connections with businesses in Asia.
Management of Intellectual Property Creation, Development and Commercialisation
Identification, protection and commercialisation are all necessary elements in the management of
University intellectual property (IP). VU policy and procedures clearly define and manage
intellectual property rights within the University. The commercialisation of Intellectual Property
will be driven by a newly created role focused on Innovation and Intellectual Property. To ensure
continuous improvement, VU has a dedicated Innovation and Intellectual Property team who
undertake a range of functions to identify, protect and capitalise on intellectual property.
Page 19
3.1.3 Performance indicators and targets
The purpose of the innovation performance indicators and targets is to assist the University and
the Commonwealth in monitoring the University's progress against the Commonwealth's
objectives and the University's strategies for innovation.
The University will report principal performance information and aim to meet the innovation
performance indicators and targets set out in the following tables.
Note: All calendar year references below refer to the previous year’s data collection.
Principal Performance Information5
2012
Number of patent and plant breeder’s rights Filed
Issued
Held
families filed, issued and held
2
2
22
Number of all active licences, options or
No.
Value($)
assignments (LOAs)6 executed and income
8
$42,360
derived
Number and value of research contracts and No.
Value($)
consultancies executed7
96
$2,963,175
Investment in spin-out companies during
Investment ($)
Value($)
the reporting year and nominal value of
$0
$0
equity in spin-outs based on last external
funding/liquidity event or entry cost
*One patent due to lapse February 2013.
Note: All calendar year references below refer to the previous year’s data collection.
Principal Performance
Baseline
Progressive Progressive Progressive Target 2016
Indicator
2012
Target 2013 Target 2014 Target 2015
Category 4 Income
$0
$0
$0
$100,000
$120,000
3.2
Industry and Skills
3.2.1
Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth encourages universities and employers to work together so that courses
meet the needs of employers, where relevant. This may include integrating work and learning,
meeting professional accreditation requirements and involving employers in course development
and delivery.
3.2.2
University strategies
From 2014 onwards, Victoria University will offer a suite of Career Start Bachelor Degrees, see
section 1.2. Alongside this suite of Career Start Bachelor Degrees, there will be a larger suite of
Professional Bachelor Degrees and Professional Masters Degrees aimed at supporting career
pathways and career development. Examples include teaching, nursing, paramedicine,
osteopathy, biomedical science, engineering, accounting, finance, logistics, enterprise resource
planning, tourism and hospitality, sport science and exercise. VU’s consideration of Australian
workforce needs in deciding the number of students admitted to each course is addressed in
section 4.2.2.
5
This set of performance information does not require targets. Universities will be asked to advise their baseline performance and will report on
their future performance in the context of the Institutional Performance Portfolio Information Collection commencing in 2013. Patent and plant
breeder right family refers to a group of patent or plant breeder rights applications or grants emanating from a single filing. Note: this question
only concerns patent and plant breeder rights families, and is not in reference to families of other forms of registered IP (i.e. trade marks).
6 A LICENCE agreement formalises the transfer of technology between two parties, where the owner of the technology (licensor) grants rights to
the other parties (licensee). An OPTION agreement grants the potential licensee a time period during which it may evaluate the technology and
negotiate the terms of a licence agreement. An option agreement is not constituted by an Option clause in a research agreement that grants
rights to future inventions, until an actual invention has occurred that is subject to that Option. An ASSIGNMENT agreement conveys all right,
title and interest in and to the licensed subject matter to the named assignee.
7 Please use the definition of contracts and consultancies utilised in the National Survey of Research Commercialisation (NSRC). A copy of the
survey is available at this URL: http://www.innovation.gov.au/Section/Innovation/Pages/TheNationalSurveyofResearchCommercialisation.aspx
Page 20
The University will launch a Corporate Training entity and a new Corporate Offer in October 2013.
The industry training and development offerings will be designed in line with the skills and
experience gaps outlined in the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency's (AWPA) 2012
Future Focus report. Industry training will be designed in collaboration with industry stakeholders,
and our learnings will feed back into our curriculum design and development for more traditional
programs.
Victoria University's new Strategic Plan identifies a number of distinctive specialisations that align
to the skills shortage scenarios outlined in AWPA's Future Focus report. VU is also currently
reviewing its Indigenous strategy which will determine priority courses, tailored to Indigenous
students that have strong demand and career opportunities.
As a dual sector provider, VU has a strong history of consultation and collaboration with industry
to develop learning and teaching materials. The relationships and techniques initially formed in
the Vocational Education side of our business continue to roll out into our Higher Education
offerings. The Strategic Plan and associated Curriculum Blueprint will further drive our
engagement with industry to ensure our higher education graduates are equipped with the skills
required in their industries and sectors.
VU prides itself on its commitment to applied learning that supports industry needs for work
ready graduates. This commitment is exemplified by the Learning in the Workplace and
Community (LiWC) program, VU’s Work Integrated Learning (WiL) framework. LiWC is an
umbrella term that encompasses the many models and integrative approaches to teaching,
learning and assessment that involve learning in and through the workplace and community.
LiWC experiences throughout a student’s program increasingly align the student with the
expected professional practices and the development of graduate capabilities.
Victoria University aims that all students in a coursework program of 12 months or longer, have
the opportunity to undertake a range of LiWC experiences within real or simulated industry,
community or university workplaces. VU uses a variety of arrangements to provide WiL
opportunities. These include:
1. practical and clinical placements;
2. Fieldwork;
3. industry and or community projects on behalf of organisations; and
4. cooperative education and internships to undertake activities related to coursework.
Student preparation, agreed learning outcomes and ongoing communication between the
involved parties are all important elements which contribute to the provision of rich and
contextualised learning experiences that promote reflection and self-directed, active learning.
The nature of partnerships developed for LiWC are broad and varied and range from small local
businesses, community and not-for-profit organisations and key strategic partners of VU.
Examples of LiWC partnerships include arrangements with: our key strategic partner, Western
Bulldogs, which among many LiWC opportunities includes a public clinic at Whitten Oval to
provide clinical hours for students in Clinical Exercise Practice; Kindred Studios a performance
venue to provide specialist music, sound and performance learning in an immersive setting; and
the delivery of the Kinda Kindergarten program by education students in over 30 schools and
libraries in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne.
The LiWC assessment activities link to course learning outcomes to deepen students’ knowledge
of practice in realistic contexts, to further develop their employability and generic skills and make
a significant contribution to graduate work and career readiness.
(Note: Employers may include industry and professional associations as well as businesses,
governments and community groups who employ higher education graduates.)
Page 21
3.3
Engagement
3.3.1
Commonwealth objectives
As part of its social and economic remit and as an important precursor to innovation, the
Commonwealth encourages universities to engage with all levels of government, other
universities, businesses, schools, the vocational education and training sector, employers, the
professions, research institutions and the wider community including international partners
particularly those in the Asian region.
3.3.2
University strategies
Research Engagement
A formal approach to research partnerships has existed at VU since 2004 and is coordinated
within the OKEI portfolio. OKEI provides the University with a management framework for
strategic partnership approaches and opportunities and will have a core team of staff dedicated
to engagement and business development with industry and community.
Through the implementation of a new organisational structure, VU is well positioned to leverage
and improve its relationship management through a combination of client relationship
management systems and a business development team that will aim to increase business
opportunities with our existing industry and community partners.
Through its research activities the University aims to undertake work which provides creative and
evidence-based insights into and solutions to important contemporary problems in the west of
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the Asia-Pacific and globally. By example, in 2012 the Australian
Building Codes Board undertook consultation to assess options for improved activation of smoke
alarms and resident notification time in the event of a fire, compared with current provisions in
the National Construction Code. The consultation was informed by a research report from Victoria
University.
As a major strength of the University's research is its applied and translational focus, we recognise
the importance of being able to demonstrate and measure research impact. To this end in 2012,
the University undertook to develop a research impact model, using as a case study the
University's water research being undertaken in the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation.
The model will be further developed in 2013 to enable improved measurement of the impact of
our research.
Industry and Community Engagement
Partnerships that encompass a broad spectrum of strategically aligned connections and
collaborations with external organisations include: the Western Bulldogs Football Club, Australian
Sports Commission, Australian Institute of Sport, City West Water, Western Health and the GPT
Group. These partnerships create opportunities for shared use of teaching and training facilities;
capacity building opportunities for the community and region; joint external applications for
research funding; workplace learning opportunities for students; and the provision of industry
experts.
The Corporate Training Entity will act as a vehicle for the University to provide knowledge
exchange activities to industry on a commercial basis. A particular focus of Knowledge Exchange
will be targeting the skills and experience shortages in middle management roles for the health,
community and human services and education sectors. As per the Australian Workforce and
Productivity Agency Future Focus paper, planning under all explored scenarios demonstrates that
there will be increasing demand for education and training in these areas.
Asian study programs
In line with its strategic priority to enhance Asia engagement in general (and with China and India
in particular), over the coming years VU will grow the number of its students studying in Asia
through increasing the range of programs e.g. semester exchanges, short-term courses, study
tours, etc. and partnerships. Its longstanding offshore teaching partnerships in China, Malaysia,
Page 22
Singapore and Hong Kong will provide an excellent platform on which to build, and the
forthcoming $30+million AsiaBound government funding will also play a key role in achieving
success.
Philanthropy and industry investment
Victoria University has taken a strategic approach to philanthropy and has been building its
fundraising capacity over a number of years. VU plans to use the occasion of the 2016 Centenary
of the founding of its predecessor institution, the Footscray Technical School, to stimulate
philanthropic support for the University and will be undertaking a targeted fundraising campaign
as part of its Centenary Program.
3.3.3
Performance indicators and targets
The purpose of the engagement performance indicators and targets is to assist the University and
the Commonwealth in monitoring the University's progress against the Commonwealth's
objectives and the University's strategies for engagement.
The University will aim to meet the engagement performance indicators and targets set out in the
following table.
Note: All calendar year references below refer to the previous year’s data collection.
Principal
Baseline
Progressive
Progressive
Progressive
Performance
2012
Target 2013 Target 2014 Target 2015
Indicators
Number of active
130
150
155
160
collaborations8 with
industry and other
partners in Australia
Number of active
7
17
19
21
9
collaborations with
industry and other
partners overseas
Category 3 Income
$4,334,000 $5,000,000
$5,764,000
$6,647,000
8 Collaboration
Target
2016
165
23
$7,666,000
involves active joint participation with other organisations, by contributing resources such as intellectual property, knowledge,
money, personnel or equipment, with the aim of obtaining a shared goal or objective. Straight fee-for-service arrangements, such as contracts
and consultancies, are deemed not to be collaborative and are therefore excluded. Collaboration with Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) is
also to be excluded. This definition is in line with the ABS and OECD definitions of collaboration.
9
See footnote 8 for a definition of collaboration.
Page 23
PART FOUR: TEACHING AND LEARNING
4
TEACHING AND LEARNING
4.1
Student enrolments
4.1.1
Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth is committed to expanding higher education to provide high quality
opportunities for people of all backgrounds to participate to their full potential. An expanded
higher education system will educate the graduates needed for Australia's future economy, which
will be based on knowledge, skills and innovation.
The main objectives of the Commonwealth are to ensure that:
 by 2025, 40 per cent of all 25 to 34 year olds will hold a qualification at bachelor level or
above;
 by 2020, 20 per cent of undergraduate enrolments should be students from low socioeconomic backgrounds;
 national parity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff is achieved over
time; and
 universities are producing graduates that meet the nation’s skills needs.
These objectives are supported through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme and, in particular, the
demand driven funding of students in bachelor level courses.
4.1.2
University strategies
University enrolment planning
Victoria University’s mission and strategic goals in relation to student enrolments are outlined in
some detail in two earlier sections of the Compact (Part One: Focus and Mission – The VU Model
and Part Three: Innovation and Engagement, section 3.2.2). To summarise, Victoria University is
pursuing a number of strategies to support building a reputation for excellence and increasing the
demand for our services to grow the size of the University. Among these strategies are:
 As part of curriculum renewal of current offerings, Career Start Bachelor Degrees designed to
improve outcomes for Victoria University's less well-prepared incoming students.
 Specialised Professional Bachelor Degrees, linking with the distinctive specialisations clusters
(see section 1.2, page 8) and designed to attract and retain academically well-prepared
incoming students. These degrees will be renewed under the curriculum reform agenda to
reflect the VU Model and ensure they meet the needs of students, industry and the
community.
 Tighter integration of the VET and higher education delivery through the introduction of a
college structure delivering suites of courses from the higher level VET qualifications to
undergraduate, postgraduate and research qualifications. This configuration will facilitate
movement between AQF levels and clearly delineated pathways.
 The design, structure and content of current postgraduate offerings are to be reviewed in
2014 with the aim of developing continuing education programs for industry, community and
the professions grounded in workplace based pedagogies.
Many of these strategies will be implemented over the period 2014-2016. Given the competitive
marketplace in which all institutions are operating and Victoria University’s current positioning
within that marketplace, these strategies will take a number of years before yielding significant
influence on the growth of student numbers. Significant growth is most likely to begin to impact
in the period following this 2014-2016 Compact. Based on current load projections and
discounting the impact of these strategies, Victoria University aims to increase its bachelor degree
load by between one and three per cent annually up to 2016.
Page 24
Australian workforce needs are taken into consideration through a variety of strategies including
seeking input from industry representatives/ advisory boards in terms of course and curriculum
design, review and modification. Additionally, the University uses the workforce information
contained on the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations’ Job Outlook and Occupational Skill Shortages Information websites to understand
projected workforce demand and to use as a guide to decision-making on the introduction or
phasing out of courses.
Victoria University makes a substantial contribution to the Commonwealth’s target for 20 per
cent of undergraduate enrolments to be students from low socio-economic backgrounds by 2020.
According to the most recent DIISTRE Institutional Performance Portfolio, in 2011, 22.00 per cent
of Victoria University’s undergraduate enrolments were drawn from this segment of the
population (low SES interim indicator). The Benchmark comparator institutions sat at 16.98 per
cent and the sector at 14.61 per cent.
As indicated in the Compact Part One, Victoria University is re-orienting its specialisations and
expertise around the concepts of three distinctive specialisations – Sport, Active Living and
Health; Sustainable, Liveable and Creative Cities; and Education and Lifelong Learning – and seven
colleges – Arts, Business, Education, Engineering and Science, Health and Biomedicine, Law and
Justice and Sport and Exercise Science. Planning around these entities and concepts is now
beginning and will build upon existing expertise and linkages with business and professional
groups. For example, one area under examination is the development of a sport and exercise
science hub which would build on existing Victoria University partnerships with the Australian
Sports Commission, the Western Bulldogs and the Australian Institute of Sport; various
collaborations with sporting associations, sports and health foundations; and link with
Maribyrnong College a local high school specialising in sport.
With the introduction of the integrated college model, there will be a consolidation of VET and
higher education delivery to specific campuses. This will not result in the closure of campuses,
but a stronger focus on particular disciplines within a campus. In pursuing its mission to grow
capabilities and transform the lives of students, Victoria University is also developing its
Community-integrated Learning model (see Section 1.2 Campuses and Section 3.2 Industry and
Skills) to meet local learning needs in the outer west and north-west of Melbourne.
Victoria University is in the process of designing an international college business model for
onshore international students. During the course of 2013 a suitable partner will be identified
and implementation plans established. At this stage, operations are not likely to begin until
2014/2015.
In terms of areas of specific linkages with business and professional groups, including teacher
practicum and clinical placements, Victoria University has extensive links. Many of our courses
are professionally accredited through bodies such as Engineers Australia, the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission, the Australian and New Zealand Osteopathic Council, the
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council, etc. A further example of links for the
Sport specialisation can be found at http://www.vu.edu.au/institute-of-sport-exercise-and-activeliving-iseal/strategic-partnerships-and-collaboration.
With respect to clinical placements, the College of Health and Biomedicine organises these across
a range of disciplines and in a variety of organisations. The key providers of clinical placements
are as follows:
 Nursing & Midwifery: Western Hospital, Western Health Epworth Healthcare, Werribee
Mercy Hospital, St Vincent’s Private & Public, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Epworth Healthcare,
Royal Children’s Hospital, Royal Women’s Hospital, Peninsula Health, Dandenong Hospital,
Northern Hospital, and regional based placements at: South West Health Care, Kilmore and
Districts Hospital, Goulburn Valley Health.
 Dietetics: there are five categories of placement:
Page 25
o
o
o
o
o




Individual Case Management: Western Hospital, Latrobe Regional Hospital, Williamstown
Hospital, ISIS, Victorian Rehabilitation Centre
Public Health and Community Nutrition: Community Health Project Work: ISIS Western
Region, Dianella; Fair share, Second Bite, Health West, Nutrition Australia
Food Service: Werribee Mercy, Meals on Wheels – Municipal Shires, Community Chef Care
Facilities
Research Placement: Baker IDI, Western Bulldogs, Williamstown FC
Professional Management & Practice: Sports Clubs – Bulldogs, Nestle, Suisse Vitamins
Paramedics: Ambulance Victoria
Osteopathy: Student led clinic experience at City Flinders and St Albans campuses
Nutritional Therapy: Student led clinic experience at City Flinders, Footscray Park and St
Albans campuses.
Dermal Therapy: Student led clinic experience at City King campus.
Partnerships with schools and other education settings (early childhood, primary and secondary)
form the basis of teaching and learning in pre-service teacher education programs at Victoria
University.
Partnerships involve supervised teaching and long-term applied curriculum projects which
provide opportunities for curriculum inquiry, curriculum development and teaching practice for
pre-service teachers while contributing positively to the educational development of
school/settings’ students, programs and communities. The partnership enables each pre-service
teacher at each level of their course to work on complex educational tasks negotiated with
mentor teachers.
A feature of Victoria University’s approach is the commitment to, and investment in, site-based
pre-service teacher education: the University has developed partnerships with primary and
secondary schools that involve teams of practitioners – university educators, partnerships support
colleagues, partnership coordinators in schools, mentor teachers and pre-service teachers –
working collaboratively on issues that arise through day-to-day teaching, applied curriculum
projects and research activities as well as matters related to governance, local decision-making
and community life in the partner schools, whether individual or in local precincts or school
clusters.
The provision of teacher practicum in partner relationships with schools/settings entails securing
placements for more than 2,800 pre-service teachers (which equates to approximately 3,500
distinct placements) in over 1,200 schools/settings throughout Melbourne, regional and
rural/remote Victoria and in interstate locations.
Professional bodies and network groups with whom the University is affiliated include:
 Engagement Australia
 the Victorian Teacher Education Forum
 the National Association of Field Experience Administrators and
 the Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLEN).
Sub-bachelor planning
Currently Victoria University has an agreed target of 456 eftsl in sub-bachelor degree load. The
University is aware load for sub-bachelor level courses is capped and protocols are in place to
ensure over-enrolment does not occur. The load at this level is currently split fairly evenly
between enabling load and the University’s Integrated Education Programs (IEP). This latter
program is made up of a range of undergraduate diplomas designed to provide a supportive
teaching environment using a lower cost teaching model and is aimed at those less prepared for
university studies. These diplomas are offered in areas not covered by the national VET diplomas.
The diplomas provide full articulation to the second year of a bachelor degree. The Diploma of
Educational Studies has excited the most demand from students with approximately 80-90 eftsl
generated for this course in last two years. Data to date indicates a good transfer rate to other
programs at VU. The IEP diplomas are designed to be particularly attractive to those seeking to
Page 26
undertake a one year program only and are especially relevant for use within the communityintegrated learning hubs (see Section 1.2, Campuses).
The enabling course is oriented towards science and engineering, but is sufficiently broad to allow
students to choose from a variety of study units. Currently students transition to a range of
programs within Victoria University with the majority moving into the first year of degree
programs.
Bachelor degree planning
As mentioned previously and given the current competitive climate, the initial effect of the
renewal of VU bachelor degree courses to form suites of Career Start Degrees and Professional
Degrees is expected to lead to lead to steady, if small, increases in student demand during the
period of this Compact. Leaving aside any increases associated with these strategies, growth at
the bachelor degree level is predicted to be 1-3 per cent per annum, focussed on areas where
student demand is strong and covers the disciplines of teacher education, health, and for our
College of Arts, an expansion on existing strengths in psychology and social work. Additional
demand within engineering is expected to be small and will arise from the introduction of new
streams within existing programs; for example discussions are underway with Engineers Australia
on sports engineering.
The discipline of Business has experienced the greatest downturn in demand in recent years and
it is expected that this may continue in the short to medium term. As the need from industry is
still strong for many of the key areas within the management and commerce field, Victoria
University will seek to address this with the Career Start Degrees model. The Career Start model
is in particular being designed to increase retention into the second and third years of the course,
thereby improving student outcomes, and in the process increasing load.
As the University builds its reputation for its distinctive specialisations, especially in relation to
Sport, Active Living and Health, it is expected that stronger growth will occur for courses
associated with disciplines in these areas. However, much of this growth may be outside the
2014-2016 period of this Compact.
Refer to section 4.2.1 to gain an understanding of the structural changes underpinning curriculum
reform.
Postgraduate planning
Proportionately, Victoria University has a smaller cohort of total coursework postgraduate
students than the benchmark institutions or the sector as reported in the 2012 Institutional
Performance Portfolio (p8). By 2014 Victoria University predicts that it will have just over 1400
eftsl at the postgraduate coursework level in total. This breaks down to 600 eftsl for Australian
Fee-Paying load, 532 eftsl Commonwealth Supported load (capped) and 290 eftsl for International
on-shore student.
The majority of the capped Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) are allocated within the
discipline of Education with most programs leading to initial teacher registration. Other than
Education, the majority of other courses are either health or psychology with these courses
providing initial entry to the profession. In 2013, there is a very small amount of residual load in a
few courses which have traditionally received CSP and this is being phased out.
With the Education discipline the current programs offered are Graduate Diplomas, and
additional load has been sought from the Commonwealth to enable the move to the two-year
Master of Teaching being required for initial teacher registration. If additional load is not
forthcoming, Victoria University may need to reduce the number of teaching graduates produced.
Starting in 2013, Victoria University is reviewing and revising postgraduate course offerings to
align them with the VU Curriculum Blueprint renewal process, the requirements of the
strengthened AQF, and the needs of industry and the professions. Many courses will be offered
in a modular, nested basis, via blended learning approaches and often delivered within the
workplace. Such courses would predominantly be offered on a full-fee paying basis.
Page 27
4.2
Quality
4.2.1 Commonwealth objectives
A focus on teaching and learning quality underpins the Commonwealth’s vision for Australia to be
one of the most highly educated and skilled nations in the world.
The Commonwealth has made a commitment to provide more autonomy to universities through
the removal of funding caps on Commonwealth supported bachelor level places. In turn, the
Commonwealth requires the University to participate in the higher education quality
arrangements which are overseen by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. The
arrangements are designed to support academic autonomy while ensuring that the achievement
of standards can be demonstrated and that there is a strong focus on enhancing the quality of
teaching and learning while expansion of the higher education system meets national
participation ambitions.
The Commonwealth’s commitment to quality is demonstrated through initiatives such as the
Office for Learning and Teaching, which provides a suite of grants, awards and fellowships to
recognise quality and promote innovations in learning and teaching.
The University also has obligations under the quality and accountability requirements in Division
19 of HESA. This compact does not change those obligations.
4.2.2
University strategies
The Quality of Teaching and Learning
The VU Curriculum Blueprint for curriculum renewal, Capabilities for the Future, provides an
overarching framework for learning and teaching and will underpin improvements in the quality
and distinctiveness of the student experience. The Blueprint outlines how VU will offer a range of
distinctive curriculum products and pathway options designed to meet 21st century challenges.
Integral to this will be an emphasis on the development of, and feedback on, graduate capabilities
embedded in every course, spanning every AQF (Australian Qualifications Framework) level. As
one example in Bachelor courses, students can undertake ‘VU Global Challenge’ capstone
sequences investigating aspects of complex global challenges designed to develop capability as:
adaptable and capable 21st century citizens; confident and creative lifelong learners; and
responsible and ethical citizens. Professional Bachelor and Career Start degrees will be designed
to cater for the levels of academic preparedness within the diverse cohorts of students at VU.
Professional Bachelor Degrees will include extra challenge components to extend students’
discipline expertise, research and enquiry skills, capabilities development and leadership
capacities. Career Start degrees will integrate ‘transitions pedagogy’ approaches to academic
support. All students will be supported to attain AQF 7 outcomes, to develop capabilities for the
future to engage with major contemporary global issues and 'wicked problems' of the 21st
century, and to use a range of inbuilt, flexible course pathways to suit study interests and
intended career outcomes.
To support the implementation of the VU Curriculum Blueprint, a Centre for Collaborative
Learning and Teaching (CCLT) is being established, which will take an evidence-informed approach
to improving student learning and graduate outcomes.
VU will implement its strategy for purposeful blended learning, in order to cater for the diverse
learning needs and preferences of our learners – face-to-face, online and workplace delivery. VU
will match intended learning outcomes with appropriate resources and pedagogies for delivery
using flexible, technology-rich learning spaces. These approaches will be embedded within a
systematic, collaborative methodology for curriculum development and review. Specific priority
areas will be targeted for intensive blended learning development across AQF levels and in a
range of contexts, including multiple campus locations, workplace delivery and delivery by
external partners. A wide range of training and professional development sessions will be
conducted to embed blended learning. Standards are being developed for eLearning materials
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and unit of study sites on the new eLearning platform Desire2Learn, plus standards for the design,
maintenance and upgrade of VU’s physical learning spaces. Stakeholder consultation and
formative and summative evaluation of outcomes is being built into development and
implementation of standards and professional development approaches for both eLearning tools
and learning spaces at VU.
VU’s performance against national learning and teaching quality measures such as the CEQ has
declined in recent years, and internally there are clearly areas which merit improvement in the
learning environment and outcomes for students. VU is developing a more focused Learning and
Teaching Quality Framework which will prioritise a core set of learning and teaching measures,
tools, processes and benchmarking strategies to guide evidence-based approaches and evaluation
strategies underpinning learning and teaching improvement and curriculum renewal strategies.
VU’s approaches to quality assurance and improvement for course delivery will be renewed and
extended, at home and abroad. This includes a special focus on: increasing the impact of current
processes for annual and comprehensive course review; establishing, monitoring and
strengthening course pathways; and implementing and monitoring TNE quality assurance and
improvement principles and strategies in collaboration with TNE partner organisations.
As part of the VU curriculum renewal process, the Course Design Intensive (CDI) process,
developed at Oxford Brookes University in the UK, was piloted and will be adapted to the VU
context. This process, designed to improve the alignment of course design and delivery to support
effective and engaging learning, engages teams of staff in the collaborative development of
curriculum, including staff with expertise in areas such as learning and teaching, library, language
and literacy, and blended learning approaches. The introduction of the eLearning platform in
2014, will enable peer to peer networks on learning and teaching issues, and provide a repository
for teaching portfolios and completed professional development for reference in performance
review processes and completion of probation requirements.
Teaching Staff Development
VU plans to develop a strong, evidence-based approach to tertiary scholarship that strengthens
scholarly practice, produces peer-reviewed outcomes and improves teaching practice and the
learning experience at VU. Programs for educational induction, sessional support and practiceintegrated learning approaches will be developed. The VU Curriculum Blueprint plans to introduce
annual minimum participation requirements for all teaching staff, and the CCLT will support
teachers to take part in appropriate professional development activities, consistent with the
curriculum development and the needs of teaching teams.
For many years all new teaching-active staff have been required to undertake the Graduate
Certificate in Tertiary Education (GCTE). A recent review of the course, and development
approaches more broadly, has recommended a more coordinated approach to teacher induction
and support, and for integration of the GCTE as a nested component within a Master of Education
(Tertiary) to provide a greater emphasis on the development of tertiary scholarship skills in VU
educators. A comprehensive teacher induction and development framework is currently
receiving feedback prior to implementation. The framework, as an integrated, comprehensive and
flexible approach to ongoing development, is designed to develop and engage teachers from their
first day at VU. Both workshops and individual support are being provided as appropriate to
support teaching staff to apply for grants, citations and awards, with a particular focus on those
offered by the federal Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT).
The Vice Chancellor’s awards for teaching excellence are currently being reviewed, but will
continue to play an important role in the recognition of staff. As part of these reviews, teaching
performance measures are being included more systematically within academic recruitment,
performance and promotion activities from 2013 onwards. In 2013-2014, the University’s
academic promotions policy is being reviewed to ensure support of career pathways for excellent
and scholarly teaching staff. Teaching staff will be supported in the initial development of
personal learning and teaching portfolios which can be further developed and then used to
provide an evidence base for academic promotion. Currently VU's Academic Promotions Policy
Page 29
requires academics to present a teaching portfolio evidencing the scope and quality of teaching
performance, including the continual improvement of teaching; the teaching philosophy applied
and how it supports VU's learning and teaching strategy; as well as student and peer feedback.
To facilitate the nexus between research and teaching, academics with teaching responsibilities
are also expected to carry out research and/or scholarship activities, and the Academic Workload
Model makes provision for scholarly enquiry to ensure currency in their disciplines. Seminars,
workshops and conference opportunities are provided across the University and externally to
support staff development.
The implementation of the VU Curriculum Blueprint and the planning for the Centre for
Collaborative Learning & Teaching was informed by the outcomes of a range of relevant OLT
Projects. This includes the development of more strategic support and quality assurance of VU’s
transnational education programs informed by the ALTC/OLT project, “Learning without Borders:
leadership in transnational education and internationalisation of the curriculum”.
The development of comprehensive and consistent standards for the development and
maintenance of VU learning spaces is informed by the ALTC/OLT project “A Comprehensive
Learning Spaces Evaluation Model”. The range of researcher development workshops and other
learning programs are planned to be increased and will provide a central focus to the role of
research training. Further investment to 2016 will enable the development of programs for the
mentoring of HDR supervisors and a community of practice for HDR supervision.
Student Engagement and Outcomes
A key sub-strategy is to develop more systematic support for student engagement and the
student experience as a holistic approach, including co-curricular student experiences for all types
and categories of students. A reference group of students and experts will work with the
Curriculum Commission to ensure co-curricular activities, the campus environment, student
housing, and all university-facilitated informal learning (including learning in workplace and
community, students-as-staff, and international/cross-cultural experience), provide a rich and
distinctive experience to complement the curriculum framework.
As described earlier, a suite of integrated tertiary qualifications – higher level VET, undergraduate
and postgraduate – will be introduced using a transitions pedagogy that scaffolds learning
transitions across all AQF levels. These qualifications will offer multiple entry and exit points with
guaranteed places in each integrated suite for further study into appropriate courses. Course and
unit delivery, assessment and professional development priorities are to be structured around
collaborative teaching teams, including sessional teacher input, in close collaboration with the
CCLT; plus VU College experts in academic language, literacy and transitions pedagogies; and,
external stakeholders where appropriate.
VU Graduate capabilities for the future have been designed to ensure that students acquire the
specific skills, knowledge and application as required in qualifications at the appropriate AQF level
by defining a student experience in terms of agency and empowerment; and, providing
opportunities for developing substantial group projects, such as community or industry sponsored
undergraduate research projects, to provide professional learning opportunities. This work will
build further on current expertise in providing and supporting Learning in the Workplace and
Community opportunities within all courses at VU. The development of discipline-based,
capability-focused capstone projects will provide learning which transcends and unites disciplines.
Interdisciplinary and inter-professional learning options within the VU Curriculum Blueprint will
offer students experience in exploring and testing the boundaries of discipline-based knowledge,
applied understanding of their role in relation to others and in context, as well as the
development of high-level communication, negotiation, organisation and problem-solving skills.
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Current initiatives for student engagement and retention are focused on further embedding
‘joined-up’ mechanisms and thinking for student support, early identification and intervention,
and improving flexibility and communications structures to aid students, many of whom are first
in family and/or low SES, in navigating the university environment. First year retention will be a
priority for transitions pedagogy approaches and resources within the Career Start Degrees model
in particular.
Note: All calendar year references below relate to projects and awards in that calendar year.
Principal Performance
Baseline Progressive
Progressive
Progressive Target
Indicators
2012
Target 2013
Target 2014
Target 2015
2016
Number of active learning
and teaching projects
supported by the PELTHE10
program where the
University is the lead
institution
Number of active learning
and teaching projects
supported by the PELTHE11
where the University is a
partner institution
Number of citations for
outstanding contributions to
student learning
Number of awards for
teaching excellence
Number of awards for
programs that enhance
excellence
4.3
2
2
3
3
4
1
2
3
4
4
1
2
3
4
5
0
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
2
2
Equity
4.3.1
Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth is committed to a fair and equitable higher education system that provides
equal opportunity for people of all backgrounds to participate to their full potential and the
support to do so.
In particular, the Commonwealth has an ambition that by 2020, 20 per cent of higher education
enrolments at the undergraduate level will be people from low socio-economic status (SES)
backgrounds.
The Commonwealth expects all universities to play a part in meeting the Commonwealth's higher
education participation ambitions, consistent with the objectives and regulatory requirements of
Commonwealth funding.
The Commonwealth funds a range of programs to encourage and support access to and
participation in higher education by people from low SES backgrounds and other underrepresented groups, including the Higher Education Loan Program and Student Income Support.
The Commonwealth will monitor the University’s equity performance through the reporting
requirements and evaluations of programs and initiatives. The University’s performance in
meeting equity objectives will also be linked with teaching and learning Performance Funding
targets.
10 Promotion
of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education - the program providers learning and teaching grants, awards and fellowships and is
administered by the Office for Learning and Teaching.
11 See footnote 10 for definition.
Page 31
Universities have obligations under the fairness requirements in Division 19 of HESA. This compact
does not change those obligations.
4.3.2
University strategies
Equity Strategies
Victoria University offers opportunities and support for students who come from backgrounds of
educational disadvantage. We are committed to increasing the aspirations and achievements of
students, and to expanding the ways in which the University can be accessed by our target
groups.
Access
Victoria University is continuing to refine and develop our educational pathways. We are a crosssectoral institution which creates opportunities for students to move from vocational to higher
education at the University itself, but we have also built an extensive network of pathways from
other VE providers, including Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). VU currently has a large
number of pathways, but with varied patterns of usage. We have increased the number of
transitioning pathways students by 24% by customising support for their transition, and through
intensive individualised contact. Internal research indicates that students entering the University
in this manner fare as well, or even better, than those who use more conventional means. The VU
Model will embed pathways in each integrated suite of diploma/associate degree/bachelor
courses to increase the numbers of low socio-economic status (SES) – and students from our
other target groups – entering higher education degrees. A transitions pedagogy approach will be
implemented in the new qualifications suites to increase retention and completion at all levels.
Built into the whole approach to the curriculum and the delivery of the Career Start Bachelor
degrees will be the scaffolding of support for less academically well prepared students, especially
for the critical first year transition period.
Victoria University operates a Portfolio Partnership Program (PPP) as an alternative access point
to the University. This program works in partnership with 108 high schools in the Northern and
Western metropolitan regions of Melbourne to assist high school students in the development of
a portfolio which demonstrates their educational achievements to date, their potential for future
study and a range of other indicators. This portfolio can give them access to all higher education
courses. Victoria University is currently reviewing the PPP to facilitate a better fit with potential
students from Low SES/NESB (non-English speaking background) circumstances, and as a
consequence, expand its use.
Victoria University has further committed to providing tertiary education opportunities to
Melbourne’s West through the establishment of Community Integrated Learning Centres. In
collaboration with Hume City Council and Hobson’s Bay Council, the University is currently
establishing new collaborative learning spaces in local communities, with locations in Altona
Meadows, Sunbury and Broadmeadows, to engage students in both formal and informal learning
experiences. These spaces will be technology rich and have high definition video conferencing
facilities that can link to both the broader University and to industry. In this way VU is introducing
a new and innovative outreach into our communities that will enable greater participation.
The University has been preparing for this new approach throughout 2012-2013 by building
expertise around innovative learning space design, and by developing and trialling the VU ‘Flipped
Classroom’ approach emphasising blended delivery that allows students to interact from
anywhere. This approach shifts the focus from traditional post-secondary ‘chalk-and-talk’ lessons
to student-centred learning taking place in creative and technology-rich environments. It also
develops skills in problem solving, teamwork, critical thinking, curiosity and leadership, all
hallmarks of both the 21st century VU graduate and the modern workplace.
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The education plan involves the delivery of recently developed higher education Integrated
Education Program (IEP) Diplomas to community members in outer-Western Melbourne regions,
designed to:
 provide better support for high learning needs students;
 embed Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) into curriculum; and
 reduce attrition and increase transition (capability and numbers) into Bachelor Degree
studies
These Diplomas are designed to have a strategic and coherent approach to curriculum design that
includes additional language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills to build knowledge and academic
learning. The course provides students with the opportunity to prepare for the workforce, and
undertake a structured introduction to tertiary studies in a specific discipline context through
scaffolded learning and assessment. A strong feature of the program is the collaboration across
various areas of expertise: with experts in LLN support and curriculum design and with discipline
scholars to develop curriculum that supports lesser prepared students in their learning, so that
they can build a foundation to enter successfully into the second year of bachelor degree
programs.
Participation
Victoria University has one of the highest proportions of low SES students participating in higher
education undergraduate programs out of the metropolitan universities (23.5% in 2011 using the
census district measure). This is one of the highest participation rates in Australia and
acknowledging the current relatively high attrition rates associated with this cohort, the
University is currently focusing on strategies to improve completion. A series of initiatives are
being undertaken to systematically support this level of access participation.
As part of the Curriculum Blueprint, the University is currently developing a Tertiary Curriculum
framework that will contain a number of strategies to support the participation and improve
completions of students from backgrounds of educational disadvantage, and the Blended
Learning strategy will enable Victoria University to implement a systematic approach to
developing appropriate and purposeful blended delivery strategies to meet the diverse learning
needs and preferences of its learners. It will provide new opportunities to access learning at times
and in places that are not currently available for Victoria University students including new
flexible, technology mediated learning opportunities in the workplace, outer west and offshore.
A student engagement and experience strategy forms part of the Curriculum Blueprint initiative,
ensuring that the University recognises and works with all co-curricular learning experiences
including those that apply to students who come from backgrounds of educational disadvantage.
A purposeful and diverse set of pedagogies will be outlined to match its learning specifications
and disciplinary contexts. The University will require a new approach to the development of
teaching capability, including a renewed focus on the scholarship of teaching as a central interest
within Victoria University and new formal qualifications.
The Language, Literacy Numeracy (LLN) strategy offers an approach to LLN is embedded,
comprehensive and strategic and incorporates post enrolment core skills testing for all students,
embedded LLN skills development in all courses for those students who require such support,
integrated assessment of core skills achievement within all courses to ensure that inputs are
producing outcomes, LLN Professional development packages for all new and current VU teaching
staff and program evaluations – research and benchmarking based on comprehensive data
collection and analysis. A number of specialist staff are embedded within Colleges to assist in the
scaling up of our LLN provision to provide students with the language, literacy and numeracy skills
they require to successfully complete their qualification.
A high proportion of Victoria University (VU) students are from Low SES backgrounds and are the
first in their families to attend university. These students are more vulnerable to attrition than
other students. A key support factor for these students is transition assistance from their families
Page 33
and to this end VU has put in place PIP which assists parents to support their sons and daughters
with the shift from secondary school to Higher Education. In 2012, there was a morning session at
Footscray Park and an afternoon session at St Albans campus. PIP is supported by input from the
then three higher education faculties, Student Career Development, Student Learning Services,
Student Engagement staff and other parts of the university.
In 2013 the University will commence a partnership with a private provider to identify students at
a higher risk of attrition through demographic and behaviour triggers, proactively contact these
students to develop a peer to peer relationship and through conversations identify potential
barriers to completing study and refer them to the appropriate supports.
Students with Disabilities
The University Disability Action Plan is designed to remove the barriers to access and participation
for disabled students, and develop new strategies for further improving resources which provide
a supportive and inclusive educational experience for students with a disability. Two examples of
actions in the plan are:
 Ensure that all University promotional literature and web information is inclusive e.g. depicts
positive images of students with a disability and those belonging to educationally
disadvantaged communities.
 Investigate the reasons for the lower access and participation rates of undergraduate and
postgraduate students with a disability and review actions for prospective students in the
light of the findings.
4.3.3 Participation and Social Inclusion Targets
Proportion of domestic undergraduates who are from a low SES background
Baseline for improvement target: To be determined
Principal
Performance
Indicators
Excellence Target
2014
Reward Payment
(target for 2013
students)
To be determined
2015
Reward Payment
(target for 2014
students)
To be determined
2016
Progress target
(target for 2015
students)
To be determined
Improvement Target
Outcome
To be determined
-
To be determined
-
To be determined
-
Proportion of domestic undergraduates who are from another underrepresented group
Baseline for improvement target: x% (Either 2009 or average of 2008 and 2009 data)
Principal
Performance
Indicators
Improvement Target
Outcome
Page 34
2014
Reward Payment
(target for 2013
students)
To be determined
-
2015
Reward Payment
(target for 2014
students)
To be determined
-
2016
Progress target
(target for 2015
students)
To be determined
-
4.4
Teaching and Learning Infrastructure
4.4.1
Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth is committed to the development of world class higher education
infrastructure. A contemporary, technology rich, well designed and equipped campus
environment has a positive influence on staff and student performance and satisfaction.
While the responsibility for capital infrastructure development and maintenance rests with the
University, the Commonwealth’s commitment is demonstrated through programs such as the
Education Investment Fund. Universities also utilise Commonwealth Grant Scheme funding for
capital works and maintenance.
The Commonwealth will monitor the University's infrastructure performance, through the
Institutional Performance Portfolio/CAMS.
4.4.2
University strategies
Teaching and Learning Infrastructure
Victoria University places a high priority on providing a campus environment that enhances the
student experience. An important component of that strategy is to provide high quality teaching
and research spaces that meet the needs and expectations of our students. To achieve this,
Victoria University audits the quality of teaching space and undertakes improvement works.
The University has in excess of 500 teaching spaces. A detailed audit of these spaces has been
undertaken and compared against the University’s design standards. The design standards
include IT and audio visual capabilities as well as the quality of furniture, fittings and amenity of
the overall space. Based on the results of the audit, rooms were classified into three categories as
follows:
 Upgrade – some 292 rooms were identified as requiring upgrade work in order to fully
comply with the standards. The estimated cost of these works is approximately $14m.
 Re-task – 19 rooms were identified as having physical limitations such that they cannot be
appropriately re-worked to meet the design standards and are to be converted to other uses.
 Maintain – Approximately 190 rooms met the design standard.
Capital funding is provided in each year’s budget to undertake the necessary classroom upgrade
works. To date high priority projects at the Footscray Nicholson and Footscray Park campuses
have been completed.
As part of the VU Blended Learning strategy, VU has developed an integrated and comprehensive
Strategy for Upgrading Learning Spaces at VU to support blended learning activities following the
implementation of the new eLearning system in 2014.
In addition to teaching space upgrade works the University is also undertaking a programme of
creating informal learning spaces. This programme is aimed at creating interesting and inviting
internal and external spaces which encourage and facilitate casual interaction, learning and
collaboration. Works have been undertaken at St Albans, City Flinders, Footscray Park and the
Footscray Nicholson campuses.
The University also places a high priority on meeting the TEFMA benchmarks for teaching space
utilisation. Each semester an extensive audit of room frequency occupancy and utilisation is
undertaken and compared to the TEFMA benchmarks. Victoria University is at or near the
frequency benchmark for most space types at its larger campuses. Our benchmark performance
for occupancy and utilisation is lower. This is typical of most universities due to the inherent
difficulty in matching class sizes with the capacity of existing rooms.
Page 35
At the macro level, the University has in recent years made significant progress in improving
overall space occupancy by consolidating its campus footprint. The most recent example of this
programme is the closure at the end of 2012 of the former Newport TAFE campus.
One well established measure of the quality of overall space is an institutions level of backlog
maintenance liability. Victoria University’s backlog maintenance liability is currently in the
‘medium’ range as defined in Benchmarking: A Manual for Australian Universities, McKinnon et al,
2000. Historically, the University has made a specific allocation of funds for backlog maintenance
liability reduction in its capital budget however budget pressures in 2012 have caused the
cessation of this programme and our liability will therefore increase over time. In line with good
practice, we undertake a full backlog maintenance audit every five years and the next audit is
scheduled to take place late in 2013.
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PART FIVE: RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING
5
RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING
A range of research and research training performance indicators and targets are proposed in this
section. Principal Performance Indicators are compulsory and institutions may voluntarily
nominate optional performance indicators and targets considered reflective of individual
institutional goals.
The Commonwealth recognises universities have diverse missions and, consequently, targets and
performance will vary between institutions. Each university should develop performance
indicators and targets to reflect its individual performance and strategic direction.
5.1
Research performance and research capability
5.1.1
Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth encourages excellence in research performance and the strengthening of
research capability. Particular objectives are to:
 progressively increase the number of research groups performing at world class levels, as
measured by international performance benchmarks; and
 promote collaboration, amongst universities, across sectors, between researchers and
industry Australia and internationally.
The Commonwealth, through the Australian Research Council (ARC), conducts the Excellence in
Research for Australia (ERA) which evaluates the quality of research undertaken at Australian
universities by discipline against international benchmarks. ERA is used to assist in determining
funding in the Sustainable Research Excellence in Universities program administered by the
Commonwealth.
5.1.2
University strategies
Victoria University is committed to expanding its research profile and excellence to sustain an
institutionally vibrant research culture and building and strengthening our reputation for the
international standard of our research. The University’s 2012-2016 Strategic Plan and Research
Plan details commitments to achieving several core goals and objectives for research with a focus
on the thematic areas of:
 Education, Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development;
 Health, Active Living and Sport;
 Environmental Sustainability;
 Cultural Diversity; and
 the performance and well-being of particular places and industries.
Recent evidence of our quality performance in these areas has been provided through ERA ratings
at world standard or above in at least fifteen 4 digit disciplines.
In research, the University sets itself ambitious targets to be in the top 20 universities in Australia
for research, with an emphasis on applied and translational research.
The University’s solid and much improved performance in the most recent ERA evaluation has
provided confidence that our strategies and focus are resulting in improved research outcomes
for the University. With 5 and 4 star ratings achieved for the foundation fields of research
supporting the thematic areas of Sport, Active Living and Health and 3 star ratings for foundation
fields of research supporting the remaining four areas.
Looking to the future, the University aims through its research investment, strategies and support
to strengthen and maintain areas rated at world class and above and focus efforts on improving
its performance particularly in the 2 digit codes of 13 Education and 15 Commerce, Management
and Tourism. Research strengths will be further enabled through the prioritisation of internal
research funding and investment focussing on expanding research capacity in these areas. New
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initiatives will include a World Research Leader program as well as greater support and
recognition for existing staff working within areas of research strength.
Other research performance indicators for the University are similarly demonstrating the growing
research strength and activity of the University. In both categories 1 and 2 research income grew
by over 50% in the 2010-2011 period. The University is continuing to aim for significant growth in
research income. Several new positions have been created to facilitate and support the
development of funding bids for research income. The establishment of a new focus in health and
education policy research will generate additional demand for Category 2 research income as will
the University’s focus to increase involvement in Cooperative Research Centres as a non-member
institution.
With a focus on the 5 thematic areas, the University’s research plan includes strategies to:
 Increase the level of Australian and international collaboration through our research
programs;
 Develop the capability and capacity of our research workforce and programs, through:
o a focus on recruiting and retaining high level research staff at all academic levels in areas of
strategic focus.
o Skills development;
o Increasing the number of research active staff and research intensive academic
appointments;
o HR policies and practices which encourage, support and reward research activity.
 Improve research outputs and quality per full-time equivalent (FTE).
The organisational reforms that have taken place at VU over the past year have brought about the
establishment of a new College structure for the delivery of education and research for the
University. The University’s research Institutes and Centre will be hosted within a College but will
be incentivised and encouraged to work across Colleges so as to achieve greater collaboration and
interaction between disciplines – maintaining the original intent of these research organisational
units to generate sustained collaborative activity internal and external to the University.
To provide dedicated leadership to the research activity of Colleges, the University has invested in
the establishment of full-time Directors of Research and Research Training for each of the
University’s seven Colleges. These positions will have responsibility for developing and
implementing the College research and research training strategy contributing to the University
goals and strategies.
The University will continue to invest in improving the performance of our research areas with
priority given to those activities which contribute to the thematic areas of focus for the
University. Internal funding programs and strategic initiatives will prioritise those applications
that seek support for research that aligns with the University’s chosen thematic areas and
distinctive specialisations.
VU’s research partnerships in China, Brazil and Malaysia continue to be a major feature of our
expanding international research collaborations. The world-class social computing and e-health
laboratory, which opened in Beijing in 2011, provides an innovative platform for cross-disciplinary
research in information science, health and social computing between the Graduate University of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS) and Victoria University. The University’s research
partnerships in China includes the Central University of Finance and Economics which has resulted
in the establishment of joint funding programs to support collaborative research between our
universities in the areas of applied economics, accounting, tourism, sports management,
information technology and logistics.
Strategic research partnerships with Brazil are an important focus of the University’s international
research collaboration efforts building on our successful sports science research. VU has a signed
MOU with the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), is in the process of being recognised by the
Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) as a destination
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for Brazilian Government sponsored students to undertake PhDs in sports science and is
formalising a sports science research relationship with both UNIFESP and USP.
International collaborations within South America were also expanded in 2012 with a formal
agreement between Victoria University and the University of La Sabana in the area of logistics and
supply chain.
Nationally, the Commonwealth Government’s Collaborative Research Network initiative is
supporting a growing research partnership between our University and the University of
Melbourne, Deakin University, Edith Cowan University and CSIRO. The University is leading nearly
20 CRN research projects in core areas of focus – water management, education, clinical exercise
science and active living.
Developments are underway for the expansion of the University’s industry, applied and
translational research. The most significant of these developments has been the recent
establishment of The Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy. The Mitchell Institute is
an independent think tank that will work with researchers, governments, analysts and
communities to improve the connection between evidence-based social research and public
policy reform. The Institute will put emergent policy issues at the centre of its research focus and
promote sustainable policy change to address some of Australia’s most challenging health and
education issues.
Pursuing one of the University’s key strategies in research engagement, discussions are underway
for an industry focussed research and development (R&D) partnership on the Werribee campus.
Encouraging and supporting industry focussed research, the University will expand its internal
research funding programs to have a stronger industry focus. In 2012, the University introduced a
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with Industry. The program aims to enhance the University’s
industry relevant research culture and capacity and provides early career researchers (ECRs) with
experiences that will better equip them to meet the research needs of the Australian innovation
system. Partnering with industry, the Fellowship program engages and funds ECRs to work on
four year industry focussed research projects. The research projects are jointly developed with
industry and provide the opportunity for the ECR to spend periods of time working directly with
the Industry Partner.
Working with the Moondani Balluk Academic Unit within the University, strategies will be
developed to build the University’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researcher community,
through support mechanisms, funding and education and training. Framed within the University’s
thematic areas of focus, strategies and funding will support Indigenous researchers to undertake
research specifically relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
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5.1.3
Performance indicators and targets
The purpose of the research performance and the research capability performance indicators and
targets is to assist the University and the Commonwealth in monitoring the University's progress
against the Commonwealth's objectives and the University's strategies for research performance
and research capability.
The University will aim to meet the research performance and research capability performance
indicators and targets set out in the following table.
Principal Performance Indicators
ERA 2010
Number of disciplines, as defined by two-digit Fields of
Research (FoR), performing at world standard or above
(3, 4 or 5)
Number of disciplines, as defined by four-digit FoR,
performing at world standards or above (3, 4 or 5)
Disciplines the University commits to
demonstrating substantial improvement
in as defined by two-digit FoR and/or
four-digit FoR
ERA 2012
2
5
7
5
15
18
Disciplines nominated in
2011–13 Compact
Disciplines nominated in
2014–16 Compact
1, 1
1303 and 1503
Note: All calendar year references below refer to the previous year’s data collection.
Principal Performance
Baseline
Progressive
Progressive
Progressive
Indicators
2012
Target 2013
Target 2014 Target 2015
Category 1 income
Category 2 Income
Number of joint
research grants in
Australia
Number of joint
research grants
overseas
Number of jointly
supervised PhD
students in Australia12
Number of jointly
supervised PhD
students overseas13
ERA 2015
Target
Target
2016
3,058,381
4,612,630
3,271,413
4,972,548
3,598,555
5,469,803
4,030,381
6,126,180
4,917,065
7,473,939
34
47
54
60
68
10
15
20
25
30
68
57
60
65
70
25
13
15
20
25
12
Please provide the number by headcount of jointly supervised HDR students enrolled in your institution who have a supervisor from an external
organisation in Australia (examples include someone from a government organisation, hospital or another university).
13
Please provide the number by headcount of jointly supervised HDR students enrolled in your institution who have a supervisor from an
external overseas organisation (examples include someone from a government organisation, hospital or another university).
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5.2
Research training
5.2.1 Commonwealth objectives
The Commonwealth encourages excellence in the provision of research training. Particular
objectives are to:
 support research excellence and develop an internationally competitive research workforce
in Australia through high quality research training;
 develop an internationally competitive research workforce in Australia through high quality
research training; and
 significantly increase the number of students completing higher degrees by research over the
next decade.
5.2.2
University strategies
The University's strategy for higher degree research education is outlined in the VU Research Plan
2012-2016. The key goal for research training is:
 For Victoria University to be recognised as a research training institution offering a high
quality and supportive program that graduates students in a timely manner with excellence
in research outcomes.
In accordance with the Research Plan, VU is implementing a series of strategies from 2012-16 for
the achievement of the Research Training Goal.
Advancing VU’s research culture and capacity
As part of VU’s Organisational reform, a new Graduate Research Centre has been created in 2013
to provide central coordination and support to graduate researchers and supervisors in the
Colleges across the degree lifecycle. A key new group within the Graduate Research Centre will
take responsibility for researcher development for HDR candidates, supervisors and university
staff. The extra investment in this University-wide focus on researcher development will enable
the range of researcher development workshops and other learning and development initiatives
to be increased and supports the critical importance of research training across the researcher
lifecycle. By 2016, to further enhance research training practices, it is proposed to implement
mentoring for HDR supervisors and to establish communities of practice in relation to the
pedagogy of supervision. It is also planned to build upon VU’s HDR programs by establishing
national and international partnerships and collaborations with complementary universities to
offer joint PhD programs.
Building quality in research training
Additional facilities and services are being instituted in the form of a designated and wellequipped research training room at the Footscray Park campus. HDR students also have access to
the newly established University Research Design and Statistics Consulting Service. New HDR
support initiatives have also been developed to support HDR candidate publication skills,
including the introduction of research writing circles and publishing workshops designed to
support discipline appropriate writing for publication. The innovative peer support scheme
‘Research Ambassadors’ employs senior HDR students to foster peer to peer learning in core
research skill areas, as well as providing valuable professional experience. The impact of these
programs is reflected in 2011 Current Research Experience Questionnaire (CREQ) results, which
showed that ‘Student Satisfaction with intellectual climate’ has improved to 68%. It is also
planned by 2016 to introduce a regular independent peer review post-candidature and presubmission.
Support for HDR completions
Improving time to completion is a key objective within the University’s Research Plan and
underpins a number of initiatives designed to improve monitoring and support for thesis
finalisation and submission. Projects to facilitate thesis time to completion are currently
underway to:
 streamline HDR policy, processes and data management systems; and
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
introduce new approaches to progress monitoring and academic review reporting to support
timely completions.
As components of these projects, in 2013, VU will be introducing for all HDR students:
 online progress reports;
 ‘Portia’ portal for project management for HDR students and their supervisors;
 Increased web-based/online service delivery e.g. forms and processes; and
 revised HDR Policy and processes for the new College structure.
This follows on from major changes in 2012 to the University’s PhD programs, including:
 the introduction of a component of targeted coursework – Research Integrity and Ethics and
Conceptualising and Contextualising Research. In 2013, these two core units will become
mandatory and research methodology electives are planned for introduction in 2014/15.
Evaluation to date of this new initiative has highlighted the value of the structured
coursework component in supporting initial progress in the PhD.
 the format in which PhD theses can be presented. Students now have a choice of three thesis
formats, including a new Thesis by Publication (TBP) format and a Thesis by Creative Project
format for theses across the creative and performing arts disciplines. The TBP format
supports the priority for HDR candidates to publish their work during candidature, and has
been well received by HDR candidates and supervisors across a number of disciplines.
A future review of examination processes will be conducted with the aim of improving time from
submission to final classification and to introduce a thesis oral defence option for students.
Building the HDR profile
The University has improved the quality of its research environment with ERA 2012 assessing 15
areas to be world class or above. To attract high calibre research students into these areas of
research strength and excellence, the scholarship strategy will increase the current number of
scholarships to 30 and to 50 by 2016. Improved academic strength of the students and a focus on
quality research environments is considered to be contributing to an improvement in timely
completions, which rose to 72% of doctoral submissions in 2011. One of the aims of the review of
the VU curriculum and teaching programs currently being implemented, is to improve preparation
for and pathways to research for VU coursework students. Options to be considered in
developing the new curriculum are the introduction of honours programs, Dean’s Scholars
programs, research-led undergraduate teaching and the introduction of a Graduate Certificate in
Research Methods.
Improving the HDR experience and career preparation
The strengthening of research culture and enhancing of research and transferable skills to
enhance the employability of HDR graduates are identified priorities in the current University
Research Plan. Additional to initiatives mentioned above, there has been a focus on creating
opportunities for peer supported and led development, such as student-led research conferences,
support groups and career awareness initiatives. We have also run the 3 Minute Thesis
competition annually for the past 3 years together with a series of workshops for graduate
researchers to develop their oral and presentation skills for communicating with non-specialist
audiences. In 2014-16 career preparation will be further strengthened by providing career
development programs and specific career focussed mentoring.
The response rate to the annual employment survey continues to be high. For PhD completers, in
particular, a high proportion of research graduates reported their current employment was in an
area relevant to their research training.
Support of indigenous HDR students
In 2012, the University had five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HDR students. These students
have access to additional support through the Moondani Balluk Unit. All current Indigenous
students are receiving stipend support. The University has created the VU Diversity Scholarship
scheme to support diversification of its HDR cohort, but are yet to support Indigenous students
through this scheme.
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5.3
Performance indicators and targets
The purpose of the research training performance indicators and targets is to assist the University
and the Commonwealth in monitoring the University's progress against the Commonwealth's
objectives and the University's strategies for research training.
The University will aim to meet the research training performance indicators and targets set out
in the following table.
Note: All calendar year references below refer to the previous year’s data collection.
Principal Performance
Baseline
Progressive
Progressive
Progressive
Indicators
2012
Target 2013
Target 2014
Target 2015
HDR student load
HDR student completions by
masters
HDR student completions by
doctorates
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Target
2016
556
6
570
9
590
10
600
10
620
10
71
77
80
85
90
PART SIX: GENERAL PROVISIONS
6
GENERAL PROVISIONS
6.1
Compact Review
6.1.1 The Commonwealth and the University will review the compact annually. This review will
be a mechanism for considering progress made towards agreed goals outlined in this compact.
Compact review will aim to ensure that the Commonwealth and the University will continue to
focus on key objectives and strategies and will be an opportunity to consider developments that
may impact on the compact or trigger a need to change the compact.
6.1.2 To facilitate this review the Commonwealth will produce an annual Institutional
Performance Portfolio and the University agrees to contribute to the annual Institutional
Performance Portfolio Information Collection (IPPIC). The Commonwealth will consult with the
higher education sector on the information collection requirements and any issues arising from
the IPPIC process.
6.2
Privacy and information sharing
6.2.1 Subject to clause 6.2.2 below, the University acknowledges and agrees that any
information it provides to the Department for the purposes of this compact, may be accessible
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and may also be:

published by the Commonwealth in any manner in accordance with any legislative
requirement;

used by the Department for any purpose of the Commonwealth, including dealings with
other Commonwealth or State or territory agencies;

used in reporting to or answering questions from a Minister of State of the Commonwealth
or a House or Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth; or

disclosed where the Commonwealth is required or permitted by law to do so.
6.2.2 The Commonwealth and the University agree to carry out their roles under this compact
in accordance with any obligations they have under the Privacy Act 1988 or any state or territory
law relating to the protection of personal information.
6.3
Changing the Compact
6.3.1 Either party may propose changes to this compact at any time. Any variation to this
compact is to be in writing and signed by the University's, and the Commonwealth’s
Representatives.
6.4
Notices
6.4.1
A party wishing to give notice under a provision of this compact:
a. must do so by sending it to the other Representative set out in clause 6.4.2; and
b. must, if a response is required to the notice, set out the time in which the response is
to be given;
6.4.2
The Representatives are:
a. University Representative
Professor Peter Dawkins
Vice-Chancellor
Victoria University
PO Box 14428
Email:
peter.dawkins@vu.edu.au
Fax:
+61 3 9919 5099
Phone:
+61 3 9919 4011
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b. DIICCSRTE Representative
Division Head
Higher Education Group
Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary
Education
GPO Box 9839
Canberra ACT 2601
OR
compacts@innovation.gov.au
6.5
Dictionary
In this compact, unless the contrary intention appears:
‘Department’ means the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change,
Science, Research and Tertiary Education or any successor.
‘HESA’ means the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and includes any subordinate legislation or
Ministerial determination made under that Act.
‘Institutional Performance Portfolio’ (IPP) is a report which provides an historical record of a
university's performance based on information provided by the University and an analysis of the
Higher Education Data Collections. An IPP will be prepared by the Commonwealth for the
University annually using the latest available data.
‘Institutional Performance Portfolio Information Collection’ (IPPIC) is a set of Commonwealth
instructions requesting that universities provide a submission to the Commonwealth, endorsed by
the University's chief executive, that includes student, staff, financial and research
information needed for the preparation of an Institutional Performance Portfolio for that
university.
‘Minister’ means the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research.
‘Mission’ means the University’s Mission set out at Part One of this compact as amended in
accordance with the variation provisions in this compact from time to time.
‘TEQSA’ means the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.
‘Term of this compact’ means the period set out in Part B of the Context of this compact.
‘University’ means Victoria University, ABN 83 776 954 731.
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Signed for and on behalf of the Victoria University
by
……………………………………………………..
Signature
…………………………
Date
Professor Peter Dawkins
the Vice Chancellor and President
In the Presence of:
.....................................................................................
WITNESS
.....................................................................................
Full name and occupation or profession of witness (Please print)
SIGNED for and on behalf of
THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
by
……………………………………………………..
Signature
…………………………
Date
David de Carvalho
the Head of Division
of Higher Education Division
of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
a Delegate of the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research
In the Presence of:
.....................................................................................
WITNESS
.....................................................................................
Full name and occupation or profession of witness (Please print)
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