Review of Academic Year
Green Paper
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 2
Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 3
Summer School ...................................................................................................... 3
Timetabling ............................................................................................................ 3
Delivery Modes ...................................................................................................... 3
Workload................................................................................................................ 4
Off-site Delivery .................................................................................................... 4
1.
Background ........................................................................................................ 5
2.
Nature of the Problem ........................................................................................ 5
2.1
Continued Growth ...................................................................................... 6
2.2
Pockets of Overcrowding ........................................................................... 6
2.3
Finite Resources ......................................................................................... 8
2.4
Principles of Review .................................................................................. 8
2.5
Purpose of the Green Paper........................................................................ 8
3
The Options ........................................................................................................ 9
4
Option 1: Optimisation of the current two Semesters ...................................... 10
4.1
Definition and Issues to be addressed ...................................................... 10
4.2
SWOT Analysis of Option 1 .................................................................... 14
4.3
Recommendations .................................................................................... 15
5
Option 2: Fully develop Summer School......................................................... 16
5.1
SWOT Analysis of Option 2 .................................................................... 17
5.2
Domestic Student Focus Group ............................................................... 18
5.3
International Students and Summer School ............................................. 19
5.4
Recommendations .................................................................................... 19
6
Option 3: Introduce a Third Semester .............................................................. 21
6.1
SWOT Analysis of Option 3 .................................................................... 22
6.2
Implications of the move to Three Semesters .......................................... 22
6.3
Recommendations .................................................................................... 23
Appendix I: Academic Year and Learning and Teaching: Discussion Paper .......... 24
Appendix II: Working Party and Terms of Reference ............................................. 32
Appendix III: Key Findings and Recommendations of the 2008 Space Audit........ 33
1
Executive Summary
In 2009 it became very obvious that the University needed to make a systemic
response to an increasing student population which was impacting on both staff and
student satisfaction. In order both to make efficient and effective use of our existing
physical plant (which was not anticipated to expand beyond the recent integration of
the Y3A Building) it would serve the University well to re-look at our means of
delivering our academic programs.
In response to a Discussion Paper (see Appendix I) the Provost’s Strategy Group in
July 2009 established a Working Party (for membership and Terms of Reference see
Appendix II) to develop a Green Paper on the Academic Year. The Provost’s
Strategy Group informed the Working Party that there would be no further increase in
teaching spaces in the near future (beyond that provided by refurbishment), and hence
alternatives to this option were to be sought.
The Working Group was charged with identifying potential Academic Year options to
overcome issues of academic overcrowding and consequential potential for
degradation of the student experience. Three potential responses to this issue were
identified and developed:
 Optimisation of the current two semesters
 Fully develop the existing Summer School
 Introduce a third semester
The Working Group was charged with identifying recommendations around these
three options and providing a Green Paper to the March meeting of the Provost’s
Strategy Group.
It was found that many of the interventions suggested as a means to combat overcrowding could equally be applied across all three of these Options – timetabling,
academic workload and flexible delivery feature in all options. Indeed, there was
very little practical difference found between a fully developed Summer School and a
Third Semester – the main difference being a suggested focus on International
students in Summer School Option.
It is anticipated that the Provost’s Strategy Group will decide on which activities will
be further developed as responses/projects with the potential for implementation as
means to address the student and staff experience in an environment of an increasing
student population. The Senate Reserve meeting on the 27th April will inform
decision-making on the Green Paper.
2
Recommendations
Summer School
That Summer School teaching commence in December to increase the time for
student learning and provide an equivalent learning experience to students in
Semesters 1 and 2 (see 4.4 – Recommendation 11)
That all high demand ‘People’ and ‘Planet’ units be offered in Summer School in
addition to their existing teaching pattern (see 4.4 – Recommendation 12)
That discussion take place with Macquarie International and Agents regarding
bringing International students to Australia earlier, in order for them to undertake
some high demand units in Summer School (see 4.4 – Recommendation 13)
That the option of transferring some HECs/CSP places to Summer School for high
demand units be investigated (see 4.4 – Recommendation 14)
That a project be undertaken to quantify the maintenance implications for all systems
and building infrastructure of a fully developed Summer School or a Third Semester
(see 4.4 – Recommendation 15)
Timetabling
That the 2011 Capital Management Plan include funding for the development of a
flexible online timetabling system (see 3.3 - Recommendation 5)
That all teaching spaces, both CAP and faculty owned, be available for central
timetabling (see 3.3 – Recommendation 6)
Delivery Modes
That the University support course convenors of high demand units, including People
and Planet units, to re-design their curriculum and change the way that they teach to
incorporate increased online delivery of lecture content and social media for student
learning, and to manage teams (see 3.3 – Recommendation 1)
That the costs and benefits of live broadcast (video-streaming; including videostreaming to MQC) supplementing the live lecture in the first few weeks of semester
(when the numbers are large) be undertaken (see 3.3 – Recommendation 2)
That a trial of different modes of offering units be undertaken (with volunteers called
from amongst the academic staff) and the offerings be reviewed to assess learning and
teaching issues, and student and staff satisfaction (see 3.3 – Recommendation 3)
That the feasibility of weekend block mode classes being scheduled for high-demand
undergraduate units be investigated, in addition to current internal and external
offerings (see 3.3 – Recommendation 7)
3
That the feasibility of breakfast and/or evening classes being scheduled for high
demand undergraduate units be investigated, in addition to current internal and
external offerings (see 3.3 – Recommendation 8)
That a project be undertaken to assess the implications of removing pre-requisites,
stu-vac, and supplementary examinations (see 5.3 – Recommendation 18)
That a project be undertaken to assess what is required to reduce the time taken to
confirm final grades (see 5.3 – Recommendation 19)
Workload
That a paper be developed and consulted University-wide on the workload
implications of teaching high demand undergraduate units using flexible delivery (see
3.3 – Recommendation 4)
That the employment of ‘teaching only’ staff be investigated for high demand
professional units to assist with Summer School teaching, as already occurs in the
Faculty of Business and Economics and at MQC (see 4.4 – Recommendation 16)
That negotiation regarding the development of the new Enterprise Bargaining
Agreement include arrangements to allow academic staff to teach two out of the three
semesters, with a commitment to maintain research active status in the 3rd semester.
(see 5.3 – Recommendation 17)
Off-site Delivery
That discussion be undertaken with MQC to determine the units with the potential to
accommodate additional BCom (Professional Accounting) and BBA International
students (see 3.3 – Recommendation 9)
That negotiation be undertaken with Navitas regarding the hire of teaching space in
their Wynyard building for the delivery of People and Planet and other high demand
units (see 3.3 – Recommendation 10)
4
1. Background
In 2009 it became very obvious that the University needed to make a systemic
response to an increasing student population. In order both to make efficient and
effective use of our existing physical plant (which had been built for a smaller student
population) it would serve the University well to re-look at our means of providing
our academic programs. The Provost called for a Discussion Paper (see Appendix I)
which found, that like the GO8, Macquarie, on the whole1, has a two semester
timetable:
Session
Summer Session
Semester 1
Mid-Semester Break
Semester 1 exams
Winter Session
Semester 2
Mid-Semester Break
Semester 2 Exams
2009 Dates
7 Jan – 13 Feb
23 Feb – 5 Jun
10 Apr – 26 Apr
10 Jun – 26 Jun
22 Jun – 31 Jul
3 Aug – 13 Nov
19 Sept – 5 Oct
18 Nov – 4 Dec
Teaching Weeks
5.5 weeks
13 weeks
2 weeks
2.5 weeks
6 weeks
13 weeks
2 weeks
2.5 weeks
The Discussion Paper was placed on the Agenda of the Provost’s Strategy Group on
the 3rd July 2009. The discussion noted the recent move to trimesters by 3 non-GO8
Australian universities.
2. Nature of the Problem
The problem of student demand and overcrowding has many facets and is made up of
external and internal variables. Externally, the Federal Government is actively
working to increase student participation in Higher Education in Australia. Internally,
since 2009, this has resulted in staff complaints about overcrowding.
Internal variables include:
 Facilities
o limited number of large lecture theatres and teaching rooms that have a
capacity of 30-392
 Systems
o inflexible timetabling system
 Practices
o ‘teaching only’ is not a category of staff;
o timetabling system does not include faculty-owned space
1
Except for undergraduate units at MQC (trimester), MGSM (4 term year) and OUA 4 term Study
Periods
2
See Appendix III for Recommendations of the 2008 Teaching Room Audit. For full Report see:
http://www.mq.edu.au/provost/reports/docs/2008_Teaching_Room_Audit_Report_-_draft.pdf
5


Preferences
o undergraduate student preference for a face-to-face element in their
learning at the same time as embracing the convenience of iLecture
and LMS
Beliefs
o adherence to the traditional lecture
o blended learning is superior to fully online learning
o MQC, external, OUA and Summer School units are of less quality than
the same units delivered in Semester 1 and 2
The ‘problem’ is now on the agenda of Academic Senate. The Academic Program
Committee reported to Academic Senate on issues of high student numbers in many
units of study and reported:
The Committee has flagged the urgent need for the University to look at the
shortage of teaching space which impacts on class timetabling and allocation
of classrooms. Committee members are concerned that the quality of
teaching, the student experience and occupational health and safety are being
compromised due to the continuing shortage of classroom space resulting
from increasing enrolments. A shortfall of suitable space for examinations is
also an ongoing issue of concern which needs to be addressed.
The Committee RECOMMENDS that Academic Senate asks the University to
explore and implement strategies to address the shortage of teaching space to
improve timetabling and teaching space allocation.3
2.1
Continued Growth
Whilst Macquarie is well underway towards its goal of being one of the top 8
research-intensive universities in Australia and in the top 200 in the world, the lack of
a secure benefaction base and secure income from research grants and
commercialisation requires the University to continue to grow its coursework student
population.
This need for growth is also facilitated by new Federal Government policy which will
see student places uncapped by 2012.
2.2
Pockets of Overcrowding
In 2009 Macquarie set and achieved a 4.7% increase over the previous quota.
However, the increase in enrolment was not experienced evenly across units or
between Semester 1 and Semester 2:
Unit
ACCG100
BBA102
BIOL108
BUSL250 – Sem1
3
2008
525
394
400
945
2009
577
481
453
1,101
Increase
Students Percent
52
9.9
87
22.1
53
13.2
156
16.5
Report of the Academic Program Committee to Academic Senate, 30 th March 2010, Item 10.1, p. 18.
6
BUSL250 – Sem2
BUSL301 – Sem1
BUSL301 – Sem2
ECON110
HRM107
ISYS123
LAW114
PSY104
SOC175
STAT170 – Sem1
STAT170 – Sem2
362
882
425
1,442
246
665
330
639
406
1,688
380
450
1,014
400
1,539
365
792
393
760
463
2,136
393
88
132
-25
97
119
127
63
121
57
448
13
24.3
14.9
-5.8
6.7
48.4
19.1
19.1
18.9
14.0
26.5
3.4
Further, as at Semester 1 2010, with the implementation of the new undergraduate
curriculum in 2010 and the initiation of People and Planet units (including 31 new
units), a new suite of high demand units have been added to the above:
Unit
AHIS140–Internal
AHIS140–External
AHIS230
ANTH106–Internal
ANTH106-External
ASTR178
BBE100 – Sem1 –
Composite
BBE100 – Sem1
BBE100 – Sem1 –
External
BBE100 – Sem2 –
External
BIOL108 – Sem1
BIOL108 – Sem1 –
External
BIOL108 – Sem1 –
Composite
BIOL260–Internal
BIOL260–External
ECH113–Internal
ECH113–External
EDUC108
ENGL107–Internal
ENGL107-External
GEOS251 – Sem1
– External
HRM107 – Sem1
HRM107 – Sem2
LING248
LING332
2009
245
24
34
362
33
44
0
2010
378
28
76
546
53
143
1
112
11
301
18
0
14
430
25
Increase
Students Percent
133
54.3
4
16.7
42
123.5
184
50.83
20
60.6
99
225.0
189
7
168.8
63.6
679
47
249
22
57.9
88.0
13
3
-10
-76.9
62
0
151
36
36
110
2
22
148
28
286
68
132
144
10
47
86
138.7
135
32
96
34
8
25
89.4
88.9
266.7
30.9
400.0
113.6
352
263
20
8
509
341
54
20
157
78
34
12
44.6
29.7
170.0
150.0
7
MHIS115–Internal
MHIS115–External
PHL132 – Sem1 Day
PHL132 – Sem1 Evening
PHL132 – Sem1 External
SOC182 – Sem 2
213
18
213
241
49
338
28
31
125
13.15
172.2
58.7
32
44
12
37.5
9
12
3
33.3
63
164
101
160.3
It is also anticipated that the implementation of the Review of Postgraduate
Coursework will likewise initiate changes within postgraduate coursework program
and unit offerings.
2.3




2.4
Finite Resources
Budgets
Building stock
Staff
Time
Principles of Review
The Provost’s Strategy Group in July 2009 established a Working Party (for
membership and Terms of Reference see Appendix II) to develop a Green Paper on
the Academic Year. An assumption of the Working Party was that there would be no
further increase in teaching spaces in the near future, and hence alternatives to this
option were sought.
As a basis for its Review the Working Party agreed on the following Principles:
 Focus on student learning outcomes
 Improve the student experience
 Increase flexibility and student choice
 Align with Macquarie’s strategic direction and enhance Macquarie’s image
 Comply with the Macquarie Workload Formula (currently under negotiation
in EBA)
 Cognisant of the implications on professional and technical staff and
operational processes
 Streamline administration
 Effective provision and use of physical and virtual learning and teaching
spaces
 Alignment with other significant calendars
2.5
Purpose of the Green Paper
This Paper has two purposes. Firstly it provides a response to Government
imperatives to grow the sector. Secondly it will provide responses to perceived
internal pressures about overcrowding. Options, issues and projects will be identified
for the University to fully develop or discard, as its response to the pressures of
overcrowding.
8
3 The Options
The Working Group was charged with identifying potential Academic Year options to
overcome issues of academic overcrowding and consequential potential for
degradation of the student experience. Four options were identified by the Working
Group:
 Optimisation of the current two semesters
 Fully develop Summer and Winter School
 Introduce a third semester
 The No semester option
The Working Group then undertook a SWOT analysis of each of these options and on
the basis of this it was decided to develop options 1, 2 and 3. Option 2 was
subsequently modified to focus purely on developing Summer School, noting that the
Academic Year could not accommodate both a fully developed Summer and Winter
School.
It was also decided that a No Semester Option, in addition to requiring highly flexible
timetabling and academic and administrative processes, did not meet the principle of
‘Alignment with other significant calendars’ and hence this option was discarded.
The SWOT Analyses indicated that there were no hard barriers around the options
and in fact, the changes required to implement a Summer School or a Third Semester
were very similar. Issues and partial solutions from each of the options may be
combined by the Provost’s Strategy Group to form a ‘solution suite’.
9
4 Option 1: Optimisation of the current two Semesters
4.1
Definition and Issues to be addressed
Optimisation of the current two semester academic year may involve:
4.1.1 Increased use of online delivery for teaching and social media for
learning
Macquarie has been a significant contributor to Open Universities Australia
(OUA) and has recently broadened its undergraduate offerings by the addition
of postgraduate coursework units from PICT. Hence a model is available for
fully online delivery with assessment and despatch processes already in place.
Macquarie already has a significant online delivery presence for its units of
study (a total of 1516 LMS units and 714 units being regularly recorded in
iLecture). While the technological ability is there to pursue fully online
delivery of teaching, Macquarie has chosen a blended learning environment –
as a value-add to face-to-face lectures, tutorials and practicals.
In December 2009 the Hanover Research Council undertook a literature
review on student demand for alternative modes of course delivery.4 They
found that there was differentiated demand – student preference for fully
online delivery is impacted by the variables of age, cultural background,
degree type, learning style and subject matter. Students that were attracted to
fully online delivery modes were postgraduate coursework students – who
tended to be working adults and independent learners. As the impetus for the
Review of the Academic Year was over-crowded undergraduate classes, it
appears that fully online delivery of undergraduate units is not a complete
solution for this cohort.
However this review did reveal the popularity of hybrid learning/blended
learning with undergraduate students and found blended learning was the most
rapidly growing delivery option when online, blended and traditional delivery
options were taken into account. Blended learning involving learning
technologies was valued by students because of its flexibility and its ability to
allow the student to set the pace of their learning (e.g. access to iLecture for
revision, to overcome timetable clashes, and to catch up on missed lectures
due to work commitments5). Blended learning also provided the benefits of
the face-to-face experience. Students find interaction with an academic
motivating, they also like an established routine and the formal discussion of
content with peers.
4
Hanover Research Council, Student demand for alternative modes of course delivery, Dec. 2009
http://www.mq.edu.au/provost/reports/docs/Student_Demand_Alt_Course.pdf
5
Gosper et al, the Impact of Web-based lecture technologies on current and future practices in learning
and teaching, ALTC, 2008 http://www.mq.edu.au/provost/reports/docs/gosper_altc_grant_ilecture.pdf
10
Increasing the level of blended learning may be part of the solution for
optimising the current two semester arrangement of the academic year.
However, while the above research indicates positive benefits for students,
there will be an impact on academics – involving a change in practice and
culture for many staff. Gosper’s 2008 research found that while many
students felt that they learnt as well from the technology as face-to-face, many
staff believed that their presence at the lecture was necessary for learning.
Careful redesign of the curriculum and more effective use of available
technologies could overcome many of the identified concerns, however given
the context of other changes to workloads, few staff have the time for
reflection to enable the redesign of their curriculum or to change the way that
they teach.
The implication for hybrid and distance-online delivery is that teaching in
these modes requires different skills and strategies. Resources and support will
be needed to help staff re-design their curriculum and develop the necessary
skills to enable staff to pursue this option.
4.1.2 Flexible delivery – greater use of block mode, breakfast, evening,
weekend teaching and increased usage of OUA
Classes are currently timetabled Monday to Friday 8.00a.m. to 10.00p.m., with
the peak load towards the middle of the day. Some block mode programs
currently exist. These include units offered by:
 Centre for Applied Finance
 Graduate School of the Environment
 Department of Linguistics
 MGSM
 Policing and Counter Terrorism (PICT)
 Warawara
It is apparent is that in the main, current block mode programs are professional
programs at the postgraduate coursework level. Just as the fastest growing
OUA units are postgraduate coursework units, a possible reflection of market
demand by working adults. Market research is required to assess whether
there is undergraduate student demand for block mode, distance learning or
other forms of flexible delivery.6
The University must decide whether high demand units will be available in
multiple modes of delivery – the current blended mode, fully online through
OUA and COE and block mode, including accelerated mode through weekend
and/or evening delivery and through Summer School. In order to assist this
decision a study should be undertaken on the workload implications of
multiple modes of delivery of course content for undergraduate units.
6
It is noted that both the University of Canberra and the University of Newcastle have a range of
modes available for undergraduate as well as postgraduate coursework units.
11
4.1.3 Increased flexibility of timetabling – including central timetabling of CAP
and faculty rooms, and additional classes in the first few weeks of
semester
While Macquarie does only have 5 theatres on campus which can
accommodate more than 195 students, it is flexibility of timetabling rather
than access to formal teaching spaces which has been identified as the major
issue creating over-crowding. More than half of the teaching spaces on the
North Ryde Campus are ‘owned’ by the faculties and are not able to be
centrally timetabled.
A Space Audit7 undertaken in 2008 by the Facilities Management Office8 in
2008 found that:
 Planned performance is reaching optimum levels, as set down by
TEFMA (Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association)
Benchmarks, however actual performance did not align with the
timetable e.g. most classes in theatres were only 25%-50% full
 Lowest utilisation occurs 8.00a.m.-10.00a.m. and 4.00p.m.+
(1.00p.m.+ on a Friday)
 The best utilised rooms had a capacity of 30-39 people
 The majority of local rooms (non-CAP rooms) were not frequently
booked or occupied
In addition to the CAP/faculty learning space divide, the current timetabling
system can only allocate rooms for the whole semester and is incapable of
changes which reflect student drop-out, non-attendance and different teaching
requirements at different periods of the semester.
Flexibility in teaching mode should also be explored. There are already
examples of weekend ‘block mode’ classes and other flexible offerings across
campus – where face-to-face requirements are cumulated and timetabled on
weekends – but there are also demonstrated timetabling vacancies of an early
morning and evenings.
4.1.4 Access classes at MQC
Macquarie University has an agreement with Navitas to teach selected
Macquarie University programs at the Macquarie City Campus (MQC).
Students are full fee paying and enrol via Macquarie’s student administration
system, AMIS. They graduate with Macquarie degrees with their peers at
North Ryde. The undergraduate program is currently taught in a trimester
academic year at MQC.
The current Agreement limits MQC to a lecture size of 50 students and a
tutorial size of 20. As at February 2010, lectures still had spare capacity and
Phua, G and Stewart, D ‘Macquarie University space audit’, Office of Facilities Management, Oct
2008
8
http://www.mq.edu.au/provost/reports/docs/2008_Teaching_Room_Audit_Report_draft.pdf
7
12
hence there is an opportunity to incorporate additional International students
from North Ryde. (There would be no financial penalty for North Ryde
International students to take a unit at MQC, as the charges are identical). The
new rail line would facilitate transfer between North Ryde and Wynyard.
Constraints include the lining up of pre-requisites, as MQC undergraduate
programs are run on a trimester calendar, and academic literacy support,
which is only provided on the North Ryde Campus.
Another opportunity provided by the City Campus, would be for Macquarie to
hire space in the Wynyard building. However, the current Agreement with
Navitas does not address this opportunity. Universities such as Newcastle,
ACU, UWS, etc. use multiple campuses successfully.
13
4.2 SWOT Analysis of Option 1: Optimisation of the Current Two
Semesters
A SWOT Analysis by the Working Group identified the following issues:
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
1. There is so much change underway it would
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
be good to avoid further change and
potential change fatigue
The current Academic Year overlaps with
school holidays - facilitates staff family
arrangements
The current Academic Year is similar to that
of the GO8 and top 200 international
universities
The current Academic Year provides time
for academics to apply for ARC Grants
The current Academic Year provides time
for International students to travel home
The current Academic Year provides time
for domestic students to work, undertake
internships, undertake research, have a
holiday
The current Academic Year provides access
to the campus for external users
Macquarie City Campus is a potential
alternative to current overcrowding, Summer
School or a third semester
2. Flexible delivery options is a potential
alternative to Summer School or a third
semester
3. Flexible timetabling - week-by-week instead
of allocating a learning space for the whole of
semester
4. More classes could be held on an evening or
Saturday
5. Offer high demand units (incl People and
Planet units) over the two semesters and in
Summer School
6. Make greater use of OUA
7. Supplement and/or replace iLecture with live
streaming
8. Have two first weeks/extra classes/weekend
classes for the first week of semester to cope
with the high demand
9. Provide iLecture samples prior to the
commencement of semester, for public access
by potential students
10. Provide better unit descriptions, for public
access by potential students
11. Potential to enhance the embracing of
innovative learning technologies
WEAKNESSES
THREATS
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Concentrate demand for Parking (flexible
options would relieve this)
Current Timetabling system encourages a
waste of space
Overcrowding in large first year units OH&S issue
Two semesters give International students a
high workload that is hard to cope with
Two semesters means learning and teaching
spaces are unused for large chunks of the
year
If a student fails a pre-requisite they have to
wait a long time to get the opportunity to
repeat a unit
Lack of flexibility
Space limitations makes it very hard to meet
the Federal Govt goals for increased
participation in tertiary education
For Social Inclusion purposes we need to
become more flexible
2.
3.
4.
5.
People and Planet units will be in such demand
that academics will be teaching across both
semesters and Summer School [N.B. this is
already a reality in FBE]
People and Planet units will erode academic
staff opportunities for research
People and Planet units will increase staff
burn-out - an incentive to leave Macquarie
First week issues - how to staff?
Increased use of technology (live streaming)
may decrease the student experience and
discourage students from attending campus
14
4.3
Recommendations
1. That the University support course convenors of high demand units, including
People and Planet units, to re-design their curriculum and change the way that
they teach to incorporate increased online delivery of lecture content and social
media for student learning, and to manage teams.
2. That the costs and benefits of live broadcast (video-streaming) supplementing the
live lecture in the first few weeks of semester (when the numbers are large) be
undertaken
3. That a trial of different modes of offering units be undertaken (with volunteers
called from amongst the academic staff) and the offerings be reviewed to assess
learning and teaching issues, and student and staff satisfaction.
4. That a paper be developed and consulted University-wide on the workload
implications of teaching high demand undergraduate units using flexible delivery.
5. That the 2011 Capital Management Plan include funding for the development of a
flexible online timetabling system.
6. That all teaching spaces, both CAP and faculty owned, be available for central
timetabling.
7. That the feasibility of weekend block mode classes being scheduled for highdemand undergraduate units be investigated, in addition to current internal and
external offerings.
8. That the feasibility of breakfast and/or evening classes being scheduled for high
demand undergraduate units be investigated, in addition to current internal and
external offerings.
9. That discussion be undertaken with MQC to determine the units with the potential
to accommodate additional BCom (Professional Accounting) and BBA
International students.
10. That negotiation be undertaken with Navitas regarding the hire of teaching space
in their Wynyard building for the delivery of People and Planet and other high
demand units.
15
5 Option 2: Fully develop Summer School
The current Summer School commences teaching in the first week of January and
completes teaching at the end of the second week in February, with results available
in the third week in January (N.B. Semester 1 commences in the first week in March).
In comparison, the University of Sydney Summer School has 3 Summer School
teaching periods:
 Summer December – commencing 2nd week of December
 Summer Main – commencing the 1st week of January
 Summer Late – commencing the 3rd week of January
The current Summer School has no Commonwealth Supported Places and is
accessible to domestic students through full fee payment or the assistance of Fee
Help. International Students may only access Summer School at the end of their first
year. [SIBT students, who have completed their diploma and have an offer for a
Macquarie degree in the upcoming semester, may undertake Summer School units as
Non-Award students].
In order to mainstream Summer School some Commonwealth Supported places need
to be transferred to Summer School in order to overcome the financial penalty of Fee
Help and the differential price (for domestic students) of Summer School and units
taught in Semester 1 and 2.
If Summer School was mainstreamed and all high demand 100 level units and all
People and Planet Units were taught during Summer Session, and International
students were brought to Australia earlier in time for Summer School, significant
overcrowding issues could be addressed. If International students arrived in time to
commence their studies in December, they would be given an opportunity to orient
themselves to tertiary studies in Australia, to gain a cohort identity and undertake
studies in a scaffolded and supported manner.
However, the implications of a fully-developed Summer School on scheduled I.T. and
building maintenance and down-times will need to be quantified.
16
5.1
SWOT Analysis of Option 2: Fully Develop Summer School
A SWOT Analysis by the Working Group identified the following issues:
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
1. Flexibility - Could include Semester 1,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Semester 2, Summer School - all in the one
year
Could increase student body & spread over
academic year (equivalent to 3 semesters)
Students could reduce the time to complete
their degree OR could take the same number
of units over a calendar year but have less
units per semester N.B. this requires the
current definition of full-time load to change
More effective use of available time,
facilities, and infrastructure
Provides another pathway (fee-paying, nonaward) for students testing their ability to
undertake tertiary education
Would align North Ryde with MQC/SIBT
academic year
Would allow staff flexibility to plan their
year
Allow an improved student experience, as
spreads load
Summer School increases the diversity of
the student body
Increases organisational sustainability
2.
3.
4.
5.
Staff could elect to concentrate their teaching
into two teaching periods (N.B. Policy is
required to permit staff to teach 2 out of 3
teaching periods only)
Large cohorts can make use of more offerings
for teaching
Opportunity for students to fast track their
programs
Removal of Winter Vacation and the concept
of any future Winter School would enable a
fully developed Summer School
Increased revenue from fees
WEAKNESSES
THREATS
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Compressed courses provide students with
less time to prepare/learn/undertake
assessment – should allow a maximum of 2
units only
Impacts on alignment with school holidays
Loss of alignment with other significant
calendars - conferences, GO8
Current semester lengths would have to be
shortened (implications for time to validate
grades)
Lack of staff with appropriate skills to teach
in Summer School
Time for I.T. and facilities scheduled
maintenance removed
3 teaching periods reduces the time for other
supporting activities - marking, research,
publishing, conferences - Summer School
only is feasible
Students work or travel during long vacation
- reduce demand
2.
3.
4.
5.
Competition between HECS based students
and full-fee paying students in Summer and
Winter programs
Endangers the 'image' of Macquarie as a
'research intensive' university
Finding staff to teach the newly expanded
sessions
Need for additional support services to meet
the increased demand from students
Currently students who study Summer School
units as Non-award will have these units listed
separately on their academic transcript (under
‘Summer School’) and once they have been
credited, they will show as ‘Designated Credit’
under their degree program. However, the
Summer School units will not count towards
their overall GPA.
17
5.2
Domestic Student Focus Group
A focus group of 8 domestic Macquarie students was asked their opinion on the
expansion of Summer School. Issues for them included:
 Units in Summer School are three times the price of HECs supported
places
 Mature age students (who are parents) need to have school holidays
 The long vacation is spent working to support students through their
studies
 If Summer School was one month in duration some students were willing
to consider taking a unit to lessen their load and/or accelerate their degree.
[It is not necessary for block mode to be isolated to Summer School – see
3.1.2]
 Cultural differences to the U.S. and Europe. Australian students do not
focus on university and study as their ‘life’ – it is only a part of their life;
in contrast to the U.S. and Europe where students live on campus and the
university is the centre of their academic, social and working life.
There was a feeling that there was no great demand for an enlarged Summer School
from domestic undergraduate students. If the University was to pursue an enlarged
Summer School for domestic undergraduate students the issue of transferring HECs
places and/or fee help9 would have to be addressed.
9
Fee-Help is currently available to eligible domestic students; however a 20% loan fee is imposed by
the Commonwealth Government for all undergraduate units deferred through Fee-Help.
18
5.3
International Students and Summer School
There would appear to be many advantages in encouraging International students to
arrive at Macquarie early enough to undertake high demand 100 level units through
Summer School:
 The cost of Summer School units is identical to the costs of the offerings in
Semesters 1 and 2. Hence the cost of studying would be identical for
international students
 Class sizes would be smaller and hence the student experience would be
enhanced
 Classes focussed on International students would enable the development of a
scaffolded curriculum to assist the development of academic literacy
 International students would be given the opportunity to fast-track their
degree programs and hence decrease their living costs whilst in Australia
Currently students must be enrolled at Macquarie before they can take a Summer
School unit and have it as part of their degree program and counted towards their
overall GPA. Currently International Students do not enrol until February. In order
for International Students to undertake high demand 100-level units in Summer
School, either this requirement must change or, enrolment of International students
take place in November.
There would be implications for staffing – both academic and professional. The
University may need to investigate the employment of additional ‘teaching only’ staff
in units of high demand to ensure that ‘academic’ staff have time to undertake
research.10 It should be noted however, that the offerings in Summer School should
not be qualitatively different to those in Semester 1 and 2. Teaching Only staff should
be provided with orientation and staff development opportunities, in order to
familiarise themselves with Macquarie policies and procedures and to enable
professional development.
5.4
Recommendations
11.That Summer School teaching commence in December to increase the time for
student learning and provide an equivalent learning experience to students in
Semesters 1 and 2
12.That all high demand ‘People’ and ‘Planet’ units be offered in Summer School in
addition to their existing teaching pattern.
13. That discussions take place with Macquarie International and Agents regarding
bringing International students to Australia earlier, in order for them to undertake
some high demand units in Summer School.
14. That the option of transferring some HECs/CSP places to Summer School for high
demand units be investigated.
10
Teaching Only staff are currently employed casually in the Faculty of Business and Economics
where the criteria for their selection is their work experience, which is valuable to professionallyfocussed students. Likewise at MQC, Macquarie programs are delivered by ‘teaching only’ staff.
Academic equivalence is monitored through moderation processes.
19
15. That a project be undertaken to quantify the maintenance implications for all
systems and building infrastructure of a fully developed Summer School or a
Third Semester.
16. That the employment of ‘teaching only’ staff be investigated for high demand
professional units to assist with Summer School teaching, as already occurs in the
Faculty of Business and Economics and at MQC.
20
6 Option 3: Introduce a Third Semester
OUA currently offers 4 study periods and many students undertake 2 units in each
session. In OUA there is no break between study periods over the 12 months –
students may choose to accelerate or to reduce their load depending on their work and
family commitments.
Recently Charles Sturt University, Deakin University and the University of Southern
Queensland have all implemented a third semester. The aim for moving to a third
semester by these universities was to reduce teaching, by having two semesters on and
one off, and as a consequence, to increase research.11
The new undergraduate curriculum in 2012 will require all Macquarie undergraduates
to undertake a ‘Participation Unit’. This will inevitably result in students working
outside the ‘traditional’ teaching semester and hence adds weight to a potential
questioning of the ongoing relevance of the February to November two semester
“academic year”.
11
N.B. The driver to increase research at Macquarie is being undertaken by other means, such as the
CORE recruitment strategy and a more long-term focus on increasing the research higher degree
student cohort.
21
6.1
SWOT Analysis of Option 3: Introduce a Third Semester
A SWOT Analysis by the Working Group identified the following issues:
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ability for staff to isolate a semester for
research
Potential to increase student load
Allows students the option to fast track their
program
Provides students with the opportunity to
catch-up (choice and equity)
Infrastructure use optimized
Efficient timetabling
Increase income from students
Potential to increase the student experience
5.
The university would employ more staff
Potential for more students
Better use of space
Better alignment for Northern Hemisphere
Exchange Students
This should be on the table - but guarantees are
required that academic staff would not be
pressured into teaching 3 semesters per annum
WEAKNESSES
THREATS
1.
1.
Not enough time between trimesters for
grading and preparation
2. Pressure would be brought to teach large
introductory classes more than once a year.
[This already occurs within FBE, where
100-level and 200-level units must be
offered 3 times a year to cater for the SIBT
intake].
3. Administrative and family responsibilities
impacted - especially in Summer Trimester
4. Potential to pressure staff to teach in 3
semesters
5. Team teaching will suffer as scheduling
complexities impact
6. Less time for students to assimilate content
7. Students lose Summer opportunities
8. People and Planet issues - could exclude
some students if offered in Summer
9. Increase costs
10. Could increase the rate of the casualisation
of the workforce
11. As with Option 2, time for I.T. and facilities
scheduled maintenance removed
6.2
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Perception of loss of opportunity for staff to
undertake research
Staff Morale
Students may just shift across the whole year
rather than increase in number
Workload balance may not be able to be
maintained
Potential for creation of different classes of
departments
Threat to staff research time within a context
of working to drive up research activity
Threat to research-teaching balance
Perception that the University is no longer
aligning itself with the GO8
Implications of the move to Three Semesters
Within Charles Sturt University, Deakin University and the University of Southern
Queensland it was necessary to change the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement to
ensure that academic staff to teach two out of three teaching sessions per annum.
Students are classified as full-time if they enrolled in two or more sessions, i.e. the
calculation of full-time or part-time is based on units per annum, not semester total of
units. This allows students to either pace their learning or fast track their degree.
Other necessary pre-condition changes were to remove time allocated in the timetable
for stu-vac, to reduce drastically the time to undertake final assessments and confirm
22
grades, to remove a supplementary exam period (any supplementary exams must be
held in the next exam period), and to remove prerequisites. Negotiations were also
held with Centrelink to ensure that student benefits were not impacted.
There are constraints at Macquarie that impact on the implementation of such
changes:
 The examination timetable is constrained by the need to only examine one large
unit at a time (due to the lack of large venues)
 Due to the size of some 100 and 200 level units, reducing the time taken to
confirm final grades would be equivalent to reducing the quality of the final
marking and reducing the time for moderation of results across venues and cohorts
 As with other universities, the use of pre-requisites is to allow the development of
foundation studies necessary in some disciplines i.e. enable student learning in
incremental stages
A focus group of 8 domestic Macquarie students was asked their opinion on the
introduction of a third semester. In addition to the issues listed in response to a fully
developed Summer School, they felt that a third semester would be even more of a
pressure cooker, and hence would compromise the intellectual value of degrees. They
felt that if the University went ahead with a third semester it should only include 200
level units and above. It was also felt that a third semester would bring Macquarie out
of step with its major competitors – the GO8.
Again, high demand units taught across three semesters would require the University
to either increase its academic staff or address the issue of teaching-only staff.
6.3
Recommendations
17. That negotiations regarding the development of the new Enterprise Bargaining
Agreement include arrangements to allow academic staff to teach two out of the
three semesters, with a commitment to maintain research active status in the 3rd
semester.
18. That a project be undertaken to assess the implications of removing pre-requisites,
stu-vac, and supplementary examinations at Macquarie.
19. That a project be undertaken to assess what is required to reduce the time taken to
confirm final grades.
23
Appendix I: Academic Year and Learning and Teaching:
Discussion Paper
The Dean of Students has presented at various fora on issues surrounding the 2009
Semester 1 Student Load. This discussion has raised the profile of various internal
and external pressures around learning and teaching, leading to a request from the
Provost to commence a conversation on the structure of the Academic Year at
Macquarie.
What does the Academic Year look like now?
Macquarie’s (North Ryde) Academic Year, like that of the GO812, has a two semester
timetable:
Session
Dates
Weeks
Summer Session
7 Jan – 13 Feb
5.5 weeks
Semester 1
23 Feb – 5 Jun
13 weeks
Mid-Semester Break
10 Apr – 26 Apr
2 weeks
Semester 1 exams
10 Jun – 26 Jun
2.5 weeks
Winter Session
22 Jun – 31 Jul
6 weeks
Semester 2
3 Aug – 13 Nov
13 weeks
Mid-Semester Break
19 Sept – 5 Oct
2 weeks
Semester 2 Exams
18 Nov – 4 Dec
2.5 weeks
Its assumptions include:
 North Ryde campus and existing 95 CAP rooms, c.100 faculty teaching
spaces, and c.30 rooms in the SIBT Building
 Teaching period of 26 weeks per annum, teaching between 8.00a.m. and
10.00p.m. Monday to Friday
 Some presence on the Web through the LMS and iLecture, and minimal
involvement in Summer School and Open Universities Australia
 Several weeks following each semester, to mark and confirm unit results
within the faculties and at Academic Board
 2 week mid-semester breaks to hold 18 Graduation Ceremonies (Semester 1)
and 10 Graduation Ceremonies (Semester 2)
MGSM has a four term year (in addition to block-mode programs):
Term
Dates
Term 1
5 Jan – 15 March
Term 2
30 March – 7 June
Term 3
22 June – 30 August
Term 4
14 September – 22
November
OUA also has a four year term.
12
Weeks
10 weeks
10 weeks
10 weeks
10 weeks
See Appendix 1
24
Macquarie City Campus has a trimester timetable (with some units following a
semester program):
Term
Dates13
Weeks
Trimester 1
9 Mar – 12 June
13 weeks
Trimester 2
6 July – 9 October
13 weeks
Trimester 3
2 November – 12 February
13 weeks
Pressures for Change
1. Federal Government Initiatives:
Potential for increase in student numbers due to:
 The gradual removal of quotas and movement towards student-centred
funding by 2012
 Increased student income support, including low SES participation
 Encouragement of pathways between TAFE and Higher Education Sectors
2. Macquarie’s Lack of Physical L&T Spaces & inflexible timetabling system
 The allocation of teaching spaces is made for the semester and is
unresponsive to numbers attending (as this decreases over the semester).
 There are only 4 theatres on campus which can accommodate more than
195 students14.
3. New Undergraduate Degree Program
 Demand for ‘people’ and ‘planet’ units is anticipated to be high – creating
further issues around spaces and academic workload.
 Many Participation units will require students to work outside the
traditional nominated teaching semesters.
4. Academic Workforce shortages and Academic Workloads
 Strains are already apparent (most apparent in 100 level units) in
disciplines/faculties with units that are prerequisites or included in a
specific degree program.
5. Blurring of distinction between full-time and part-time students
 38-40% of Macquarie’s undergraduate student cohort are part-time; but we
know anecdotally that a large percentage of full-time undergraduate
students also work. It is claimed that the concept of semesters and long
summer breaks are irrelevant to part-time students in employment
 It is anticipated that the percentage of part-time students will increase with
the increase in “non-traditional” students.
 Societal change is driving the need for lifelong learning – resulting in a
potential increase in part-time student numbers.
6. Student expectations
 With student contributions towards the cost of their degree there is an
increasing expectation of ‘value for money’.
 Students are more technologically literate and time constrained than in the
past (due to 4. above) and hence are demanding increasing flexibility in
delivery of learning and teaching.
7. Alignment with the Northern Hemisphere academic year
13
Includes a mid-Trimester break of 1 week, and public holidays
In 2010 with the AFTRS Building (now called Y3A) coming online there is an additional lecture
theatre with a capacity of 220, and potentially 2 additional tutorial spaces freed up in vacated spaces.
14
25

An active Summer School and Winter School would be attractive to
International and Study Abroad students, in addition to domestic students
wanting to fast track their program
What are other Universities doing?
Macquarie’s academic year (see Appendix I) varies little to that of the GO8. Most
have a semester length of 13 weeks. The exceptions are:
 the University of Melbourne (Semester 1 – 11 weeks; Semester 2 – 11
weeks),
 the University of Western Australia (Semester 1 – 12 weeks; Semester 2 –
12 weeks) and,
 the University of Adelaide (Semester 1 – 13 weeks; Semester 2 – 12
weeks)
The main difference occurs in the lengths of Summer and Winter Sessions (i.e.
Summer School and potential for Winter School):
 All of the GO8 have longer Summer Sessions than Macquarie (from the
Universities of Adelaide and Melbourne with 7 weeks, to Monash with 16
weeks) – see Appendix I
 Only Macquarie, the University of Sydney, Monash and University of
Adelaide designate Winter Sessions
Outside the GO8, in 2009 Deakin University moved to a Trimester timetable.
Trimester refers to the organisation of three study periods during the teaching year (as
opposed to having two study periods using a semester system). At Deakin there are 3
trimesters:
 Trimester 1 runs from March 9, 2009 to June 19, 2009 (teaching period ends
June 5, 2009 – a teaching period of 13 weeks)
 Trimester 2 runs from July 13, 2009 to October 16, 2009 (teaching period ends
October 2, 2009 – a teaching period of 12 weeks)
 Trimester 3 runs from November 9, 2009 to February 19, 2010 (teaching
period ends February 2, 2010 – a teaching period of 12 weeks (excluding
public holidays))
Deakin’s Website15 states that Deakin has been operating in a very similar way to a
trimester system for several years, by offering units for study in a Summer Session.
The difference now is that Trimester 3 teaching period is the same length as
Trimesters 1 and 2, and there will be a greater selection of units available in Trimester
3, many of which are available as Commonwealth Supported places (subject to
students meeting the current admission rules and requirements).
In 2009 Southern Cross University has also moved to a trimester timetable “to
provide students with added flexibility, such as the option to fast-track some courses,
15
http://www.deakin.edu.au/trimesters/
26
catch up or repeat units, or spread the study load across three teaching periods. It will
also provide new opportunities for professional development courses.”16
Charles Sturt University, under the banner “unified session model” is also moving
towards a trimester timetable. This move is based on CSU’s distance education
students (60% of their student body) who, it is claimed, wanted to accelerate their
progress towards degrees; while others wanted to do fewer units but across three
semesters.17
Meanwhile other universities, such as Griffith University, are offering a trimester
timetable for certain “accelerated” programs, e.g. the Bachelor of Commerce
(Accelerated) – Logan. “This accelerated degree program is designed for highachievers. It includes the same courses as the standard degree program. However,
you will be able to complete it in two years (on a three-trimester-per-year basis) to
help you fast-track your career or take a gap year.”18
Criteria to Assess Impetus for Change
Any move for change in the status quo should be tested against the following criteria:
1. Flexibility for students
2. Focus on learning outcomes rather than content delivery
3. Positive learning experience in high demand People and Planet units
4. Efficient and effective use of learning spaces
Potential Options for Change
1. Extend the commencement of Summer Session back into November or
December and increase the range Summer School offerings by the inclusion of
People and Planet units and large first year units
2. Establish a Winter School and provide access to People and Planet units and
large first year units
3. Align academic timetables (i.e. change the Agreement) between Macquarie
City Campus and North Ryde to allow students to move between the City
Campus and North Ryde
4. Increase OUA and external offerings by the inclusion of People and Planet
units and large first year units
5. Increase the units offered in online and blended mode, especially People and
Planet units
6. Provide “accelerated” options of specific programs for high-achieving students
Workload Implications for Staff and Students
16
http://www.scu.edu.au/docs/handbook/index.php/13/
Jill Rowbotham “Storm brews on trimesters” The Australian, June 24, 2009.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23768875-12332,00.html
17
18
http://www17.griffith.edu.au/cis/p_cat/admission.asp?type=overview&ProgCode=1337
27
The NTEU have been vocal about the trimester changes at Deakin, claiming:
 Diminishment of teaching and learning time
 Increased workload
 Diminution of the time for research
Deakin University students are concerned about:
 Dropping from 13 teaching weeks to 11
 Trimesters would put pressure on students who supported their studies by
working in the mid-term and summer breaks, or those wanting to gain
participation/volunteering experience in the long Summer break
Discussion Paper Appendix I: Common Vacation Week
Universities Australia have agreed the following in relation to Academic
Years:
Week 1 is counted from the Monday nearest 1 March
Common vacation weeks are:
the week beginning with Easter Monday
Week 19
Week 31
The common vacation weeks for the years 2009-2015 will be as follows:
Common
Vacation
Week
Easter
Week 19
Week 31
2009
13 – 17 April
6 – 10 July
28 September – 2 October
2010
5 – 9 April
5 – 9 July
27 September – 1 October
2011
25 – 29 April
4 – 8 July
26 – 30 September
2012
9 – 13 April
2 – 6 July
24 – 28 September
2013
1 – 5 April
8 – 12 July
30 September – 4 October
2014
21 – 25 April
7 – 11 July
29 September – 3 October
2015
6 – 10 April
6 – 10 July
28 September – 2 October
28
Discussion Paper Appendix II: Academic Year 2009 within Macquarie
University and the GO8
Melb
MQ
USyd UNSW
UQ
Melb
Monash UWA UAdel
Wint.
Monday,
23
February
2009
1
1
Monday, 2
March
2009
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
Monday, 9
March
2009
3
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
Monday,
16 March
2009
4
3
2
3
3
3
4
3
Monday,
23 March
2009
5
4
3
4
4
4
5
4
Monday,
30 March
2009
6
5
4
5
5
5
6
5
Monday, 6
April 2009
7
6
5
6
6
7
6
Monday,
13 April
2009
6
Monday,
20 April
2009
Monday,
27 April
2009
Monday, 4
May 2009
Monday,
11 May
2009
Monday,
18 May
2009
Monday,
25 May
2009
Monday, 1
June 2009
Monday, 8
June 2009
Monday,
15 June
2009
Monday,
22 June
2009
Monday,
29 June
2009
7
6
7
7
7
8
8
8
7
8
8
8
9
7
9
9
8
9
9
9
10
8
10
10
9
10
10
10
11
9
11
11
10
11
11
11
12
10
12
12
11
12
12
12
13
11
13
13
12
13
E1
13
E1
Exam
Period
12
E1
13
E2
E1
E1
E1
E2
E1
E3
E2
E2
E2
E3
E2
E1
E3
E2
Semester
Contact
Midsemester
break
Study
Period,
StuVac,
etc
E2
29
Monday, 6
July 2009
Monday,
13 July
2009
Monday,
20 July
2009
Monday,
27 July
2009
Monday, 3
August
2009
Monday,
10 August
2009
Monday,
17 August
2009
Monday,
24 August
2009
Monday,
31 August
2009
Monday, 7
September
2009
Monday,
14
September
2009
Monday,
21
September
2009
Monday,
28
September
2009
Monday, 5
October
2009
Monday,
12
October
2009
Monday,
19
October
2009
Monday,
26
October
2009
Monday, 2
November
2009
Monday, 9
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
3
2
2
3
3
2
2
3
4
3
3
4
4
3
3
4
5
4
4
5
5
4
4
5
6
5
5
6
6
5
5
6
7
6
6
7
7
6
6
7
7
7
8
7
8
8
8
8
9
8
9
9
9
10
9
10
7
8
10
8
10
11
10
9
11
11
9
9
11
12
11
10
12
12
10
10
12
13
12
11
13
13
11
11
13
13
12
12
13
E1
E1
E2
E1
E1
12
E1
E2
E1
E2
E1
30
November
2009
Monday,
16
November
2009
Monday,
23
November
2009
Monday,
30
November
2009
Monday, 7
December
2009
Monday,
14
December
2009
Monday,
21
December
2009
Monday,
28
December
2009
Monday, 4
January
2010
Monday,
11
January
2010
Monday,
18
January
2010
Monday,
25
January
2010
Monday, 1
February
2010
Monday, 8
February
2010
Monday,
15
February
2010
E1
E2
E2
E2
E2
E3
E2
E3
E3
31
Appendix II: Working Party and Terms of Reference
Working Group
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Prof Stephen Thurgate, Exec Dean, Faculty of Science (Chair)
Prof the Hon Peter Anderson, PICT
Dr Robyn Beirman, Chiropractic
Dr Ayse Bilgin, Statistics
Mr Andrew Burrell, Director COE
Ms Kim Carmody, Macquarie International
Prof Ken Cheng, Brain, Behaviour and Evolution
Mr Stephen Collins, Media, Music and Cultural Studies
Mr Terrence Collins, Learning and Teaching Centre
A/Prof David Coutts, Physics
Dr Jennifer Duke-Yonge, Philosophy
Mr Alan Henry, Faculty of Business and Economics
Dr Ian Jamie, Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences
Ms Sonia Jeffares, SIBT
Ms Suzanne Kelly, Student Business and System Solutions
Dr Grant Kleeman, Education
Ms Barb McLean, Executive Officer (Secretary to Working Group)
A/Prof Nick Mansfield, Media, Music and Cultural Studies
Dr Jane Messer, English
A/Prof Susan Page, Indigenous Studies
Prof Chris Patel, P/G Programs Coordinator, Faculty of Business and
Economics
Dr Ian Plant, Ancient History
A/Prof David Raftos, Biological Sciences
Prof Paul Smith, Mathematics
Mr Doug Stewart, Office of Facilities Management
Dr Roz Thornton, Linguistics
Dr Rein Vesilo, Electronics
A/Prof Sue Wright, Accounting and Finance
Dr Lisa Wynn, Anthropology
Terms of Reference
The Working Group to look at the Academic Year will develop an evidence-based
Green Paper for the Provost’s Strategy Group by March 2010 outlining the benefits
and costs of options for Macquarie’s Academic Year.
32
Appendix III: Key Findings and Recommendations of the 2008
Space Audit
12. Key Findings
• Planned Performance is reaching optimum levels set down by TEFMA benchmarks.
• However, Actual Performance is way below these benchmarks.
• The busiest periods of bookings was between 10am – 4pm Monday – Thursday
& 10am – 1pm Friday.
• Auditors found that the busiest periods was a smaller range of hours on Monday –
Thursday.
• The best utilised rooms had a capacity of 30-39 people.
• The worst utilised rooms had a capacity of 100-199 people.
• CAP Rooms in Zone C had the best performance of the 3 larger zones32.
• CAP Rooms in Zone E had the worst performance of the 3 larger zones.
• Only 11% of CAP Room classes were 100% Full.
• 41% of CAP Room classes were at least 75% Full
• 18% of CAP Room classes were Empty for unknown reasons
• 7% of CAP + Local Room classes had 10 students or less
• Most classes in the Theatres were 25% to 50% full only
• Accounting had the most Booked Hours of all the Unit Prefixes
• Business Law had the highest percentage of 100% Full Lecture hours
• Biology had the highest percentage of 25% Full Lecture hours
• Graduate School of Environment had the highest percentage of Empty Lecture hours
• Business Law had the highest percentage of 100% Full Tutorial hours
• Information Systems had the highest percentage of 25% Full Tutorial hours
• International Studies had the highest percentage of Empty Tutorial hours
• Actuarial Studies (ACST201) had the highest percentage of 100% Full Unit hours
• Economics (ECON141) had the highest percentage of 25% Full Unit hours
• Master of Accounting had the highest percentage of Empty Booked Hours
• The majority of Local Rooms audited were not frequently booked or occupied
• Casual Bookings were well patronised
13. Recommendations
• Encourage more timetabled classes to start at 9am
• Encourage more timetabled classes to run between 2pm – 5pm on Fridays
• Improve booked performance in Zones E, W & Theatres
• Improve actual performance in all Zones
• Bring some of the Local Rooms back into the CAP that have capacities of 30-39
• Planning for the future – new teaching rooms should have capacity of 30-39
32 Three
larger zones: C, E & W
33