Progress Report on Review of Accounting and Finance
Implementation of Findings and Recommendations
1. Governance, Leadership and Management
Rec
No.
1.1
Recommendation
Responsibility
Complete Departmental vision and
planning matrix
Engage with staff to determine future
development opportunities
HOD
1.4
Communication of strategy
Exec Dean, HOD
1.6
1.7
Introduce new workload model
Review professional staff structures
and roles
Exec Dean
Faculty Manager,
HOD
1.2
HOD
Response and Status1
This is now incorporated into the Departmental Strategic / Operational Plan
following the Strategic Planning exercise in 2010.
All staff have met and discussed with HOD individually regarding their development
opportunities. HOD has met each staff individually at least twice during 2010, and
from 2011, HOD will be the PDR supervisor for all 60 staff, holding individual
meetings.
Regular Departmental email sent (weekly to fortnightly) and staff survey result
indicates this as a welcoming change. Staff reported that they do HOD’s email
even if they missed others’.
Completed
Admin roles have been reviewed and are undergoing structural changes. A halfday admin strategy/planning held in Sept 2010 and a tentative functional plan is
being developed pending the Business Law amalgamation. There are also staff
changes to allow for new blood.
2. Academic Program
Rec
No.
2.2
2.4
1
Recommendation
Develop new finance programs, such
as financial analysis (for CFA
designation)
Development of soft skill workshops
for undergraduate programs
Completed/Ongoing/Progress Report
Responsibility
Exec Dean,
HOD, Finance
Cluster
AD (L&T),
Faculty L&T
Response and Status
Done in conjunction with Faculty Realignment.
Workshops for high achieving students implemented
Some career workshops which emphasise soft skill.
2.5
2.6
Introduce orientation program
Improve enrolment process
Ctee, CME
IO, CME
Faculty Student
Services
Manager
More to be implemented.
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MQ has appointed an Enrolment Manager (UEM) reporting to the Academic
Registrar with the brief to review and improve all aspects of the enrolment
process. The Faculty Student Administration Manager (FSAM) will be working
closely with the UEM to ensure FBE’s issues are recognised.
The FSAM is coordinating the enrolment advising sessions to ensure that all
departments are represented in a ‘consolidates advising’ venue to facilitate the
advising process for students.
FBE will implement the centralisation of program advising into the FBE student
centre (BESS). This will relieve departmental staff of the task of program
advising and provide students with a single, consistent source of advice on all
aspects of their programs and will eliminate the ‘bouncing student’ syndrome
where students move from dept. to dept. to get advice on programs.
The FSAM plans to develop a “Degree Builder” application to facilitate on-line
program advising
The FSAM plans to run a pilot program in 2011 to provide optional program
advising so that students are not required to attend on campus to complete their
enrolment i.e. it will be voluntary not compulsory.
3. Research
Rec
No.
3.1
3.2
3.4
3.5
3.6
Recommendation
Responsibility
Response and Status
Improve research output and industry
engagement through recruitment of
professorial staff
Develop research centre to attract
research-oriented staff and improve
output
Incorporation of research grants into
research active status
Development of teaching fellowship
program
Improve mentoring of junior staff
Exec Dean, HOD
Recruited two level Es together with new HOD from 2010. Increased quality of
research output together with PhD completions.
Exec Dean,
HOD,
Professional Staff
Exec Dean, AD
(R)
DVC (Provost),
Exec Dean
Exec Dean, HOD
The International Governance and Performance Research Centre (IGAP)
developed and has successfully obtained CPA Australia sponsorship at $75,000 per
year for 3 yrs.
Delayed – awaiting University distribution change
Not progressed
Apart from HOD being directly involved with junior staff as their PDR supervisor
through recruitment of professorial
staff
3.7
Increase the number of visiting
academics
HOD
3.8
Improve office accommodation for
HDR students
Faculty Mgr, AD
(HDR)
3.9
Review restrictions on end of year
rollover of staff research funds
Exec Dean, AD
(R)
from early 2010, a teaching advisory program and a research mentoring program
have been instituted from Semester 2, 2010. Further a series of communication
workshop has been conducted in 2010 to help younger staff members in their roles.
Successfully obtained the approval of 4 VISA applications for 4 international visitors
in 2011. In 2010 there were 5 international visitors from Italy, Malaysia, Japan, the
USA, and Scotland. The periods of visit ranged from 3 weeks to 6 months.
Since moving to E4A the Faculty has been successful in converting one
undergraduate PC lab to an HDR Lab. Two more such conversions are in progress
or planned for 2011. This will add an additional 32 spaces for full time HDR
students.
The Faculty Research Incentive Scheme (RIS) is funded from the Operating
Allocation and no part of the OA can be carried over to subsequent financial years.
The RIS is being constantly reviewed to introduce flexibility so that staff is able to
access funds as needed.
4. Alignment of academic, professional and student profile
Rec
No.
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
Recommendation
Improve academic staffing profile
through recruitment of more staff
Implement service level agreement
between Macquarie University North
Ryde and SIBT and MCQ
The University to improve
communication with all faculties and
solicit input into issues affecting
academic programs
Need to address high failure rates in
some accounting units
Responsibility
HOD
DVC (Provost),
Exec Dean
Response and Status
This is an ongoing exercise. HOD devises strategy to take into account students’
needs, research capabilities and the direction of the Dept, staff who are completing
or have completed PhDs, market conditions, mentoring needs, and other support.
The Dept is unique in the sense that there were over 20 staff members who are in
various stages of their PhDs (not uncommon in accounting departments).
Not progressed in formal terms although classification of expectations and work
attribution progressing through Advisory committee
DVC (Provost)
Exec Dean
HOD
Changes are still being implemented regarding program changes, policies and
procedures in relation to student advising and student progress issues. There is still
the need of ensuring that all policy and program changes are properly discussed
and understood by staff and implementation is facilitated. Implementation and
communication must be supported by a process of mutual input and review.
AD (L&T), HOD,
FSQC
High failure rates have been and are still being addressed through clearer unit
outlines, setting clearer expectations and the application of pedagogies that
maintain student engagement. The standards of the units are reviewed
(externally and internally) and a consistent grading process is implemented.
Students’ performance has improved in some areas. However student
performance is also impacted by other uncontrollable factors such as their
initial entry standard. There are examples during student advising sessions in
January 2011 that students with a GPA of 0.3 (or thereabout) asking for
special approvals. Thus a lot of work still has to be done to improve
standard s and quality of MQ graduates.
4.5
4.6
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.11
Diversify student population
Improve English language and soft
skills in overseas students
Increase transfer requirement for
SIBT students from 1.5 to 2.0
Greater interaction between
international and local students
Improve response time for student
enquiries about marks and other
requests for information
Greater engagement by international
students in tutorials
IO,
DVC (Provost)
DVC
(International &
Development)
IO, CME, BESS
Peer assisted learning and conversation groups are continuing.
Exec Dean,
HOD, Faculty
L&T Ctee
IO, BESS
Dept welcomes this. Continuous discussion with SIBT held to ensure consistency
of standards of unit content and delivery.
HOD, Unit Coordinators
This has been improved with better communication channel and a system of unit
co-ordination (with the roles of unit coordinators, deputy unit coordinators and
teaching administrators better defined).
IO, BESS,
Faculty L&T Ctee
Teaching Induction program (TIP) for all new staff – 150 staff completed in 2010
Other professional development to teach skills in student engagement poorly
attended by accounting staff
Further PD offered in 2011 – perhaps need incentives for staff to attend?
The Student Experience Committee continues to be a place that international
students can express their views. The student clubs, financially supported by the
faculty, offer considerable opportunities for interaction between local and
international students. The Student Experience Committee suggested a FBE Bash
as a social event. We will consider this for 2011.
4.11
4.12
4.14
Engage students with low
understanding of English in small
group teaching situations to
complement generic skill development
Consideration of alternative funding
mix between undergraduate and
postgraduate enrolment
Review pricing and increase fees on
postgraduate programs to be in line
with the University of Technology
Sydney (UTS) and University of
Sydney (USyd)
IO, BESS,
Faculty L&T Ctee
Tutorial sizes now all 25.
Staff did not attend professional development that could have improved their skills
in teaching students from non-English speaking background.
Further PD in teaching EAL students will be offered in 2011.
DVC (Provost),
Exec Dean, HOD
New postgraduate programs are being developed and will replace some
unsatisfactory postgraduate programs.
VC, DVC
(Provost), Exec
Dean, Faculty
Manager
Completed
5. Scale, Scope and Quality of industry engagement
Rec
No.
5.1
5.2
Recommendation
Responsibility
Strengthen relationship with Deloitte
and other industry partners through
ARC Linkage grants
Development of databases to capture
external engagement relationships
AD (R), Business
Development
Mgr, HOD
Exec Dean,
Faculty Marketing
Mgr, Faculty
Business Devt
Mgr
Response and Status
Done; Deloitte and other industry partners have been actively involved in relevant
departmental strategies.
On-going
6. Future Development Opportunities
Rec
No.
6.1
Recommendation
Payment of superannuable loadings
Responsibility
VC, DVC
(Provost), Exec
Response and Status
Not progressed
6.2
6.4
6.6
Develop strategies to retain academic
staff at all levels
Introduction of staff induction program
Consider capping enrolment intake
which affects quality of teaching
Dean
Exec Dean, HOD
Exec Dean, HOD
VC, DVC
(Provost), Exec
Dean
Clearer supportive mechanisms and consultative approach used.
Done in consultation and with Faculty HR.
No formal process feasible within current student management system environment