Academic Review (higher education only)

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• Policy
• Purpose
• FAQs
• Professional Development
• Links / Resources / References
• Course portfolio
• Contact

Policy

Download the Policy from the Central Policy Register.

Purpose of the policy

 The purpose of the academic review policy is to:

• Ensure that academic programs at Victoria University are of high quality and address key areas in the University strategic plan:

- student outcomes

- staff retention and quality of teaching

- industry engagement and research

- community engagement

• build upon and strengthen existing processes and practices of academic review.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What do academic reviews involve?

Academic reviews involve the achievement of improved outcomes and quality assurance of higher education academic programs and services.

2. Why has Victoria University adopted the Academic Review approach?

The approach has been adopted to ensure that our courses are of the h ighest possible quality. Additionally the Academic Review is performed to ensure that there is continuous improvement in our courses to enhance our students' learning outcomes.

3. What is the Academic Review based on?

The Review is based on the quality cycle: Plan, Do, Review and Improve (PDRI).

4. How are academic reviews carried out?

Academic reviews are carried out through the compilation of a faculty and/or school portfolio which documents the processes and practices used in academic programs at all levels. The portfolio must address the identified criteria. This approach provides consistency and facilitates the adoption of a review culture that generates self reflective and critical thinking based on the use of evidence to support claims made about the quality of academic programs. It will further encourage the development of the Plan, Do, Review and Improve (PDRI) cycle.

5. How often are faculties reviewed?

Faculty Reviews are performed on a four yearly cycle.

6. How often are schools reviewed?

School reviews are part of the Faculty Review or on demand.

7. How often are courses reviewed?

Course Reviews are performed on a four yearly cycle. A brief report on each course is prepared by the course coordinators in consultation with the teaching team and submitted to the relevant Head of School. The Heads of Schools provide a consolidated report on the courses in their School for discussion in relevant faculty forums, for example Deans Advisory Committees and Faculty Undergraduate and Coursework committees. The Faculty Boards of Studies discuss the reports and endorse or suggest amendments to the actions and improvements proposed in the reports. A faculty report is prepared.

8. How often are units of study reviewed?

Unit of study reviews are part of the Course review or on demand.

9. What does each level require for its review?

Each respective level requires a portfolio.

The Faculty prepares a self-assessment portfolio up to 25 pages (including evidence). The portfolio will comprise of: Faculty History and Philosophy; Faculty Learning and Teaching; Faculty Research and Regional Engagement; faculty Organisational and Governance structures; Critical Analysis and supporting evidence.

The School Portfolio documents the School's operation. The School prepares a self-assessment portfolio of up to 20 pages. The School portfolio includes data from multiple sources, both internal and external, about its performance across its Learning and Teaching; Research and Regional Engagement activities; organisational and governance structures and critical analysis.

A Course Portfolio collects data on student learning and captures the essence of the course goals, objectives learning activities, assessment practices, student feedback and improvements. The course portfolio will be no longer than ten pages. It will draw on formative Annual Course Review Reporting documentation. The portfolio is an opportunity to critically review the performance of the course over the past four years. Important tools in the portfolio are the SEU (Student Evaluation Unit), GDS (Graduate Destination Survey), CEQ (course Experience Questionnaire) and CCEDQ (Current Course Experience Questionnaire).

Unit of Study portfolio has a number of sections that provide detailed information about the Unit of Study. These are: Learning objectives; teaching activities; assessment processes and practices; student feedback and future directions.

10. What evidence is required at each level?

The evidence required must support each criterion (see attachment 1 Academic Review: Higher Education Procedures for more detail) in the academic review policy at http://wcf.vu.edu.au/GovernancePolicy .

At the Faculty level, the supporting evidence must include the faculty operational plan, summary of student feedback; course reviews; organisational governance flow chart and financial statements; staff and student profiles; summary of articulation pathways and evidence of benchmarking activities such as accreditation processes for the last four years. The learning and teaching section needs to include concise analytical summaries of School review outcomes, Annual Course Report data and interpretations for the past three years. The research and regional engagement section should include concise descriptions of past, present and proposed partnership arrangements. The faculty needs to include a summary of communication and professional development strategies and a possible action plan arising from the different reviews.

At the School level the supporting evidence must be produced that includes school plans; summary of course reports and reviews; summary of outcomes arising from any previous School reviews; organisational governance flow chart and financial statement; summary of articulation pathways and their effectiveness in the development of the School's courses portfolio; summary of benchmark activities and student learning resources.

The Course evidence should be no less than six pages and must include: an annotated course structure (one page); an annotated Summary of the Annual Course Reports for the past four years (one page); annotated Core Graduate Attributes, course map (one page; annotated capstone assessment task (one page) and course self assessment action plan (one page).

Unit of Study evidence should include an annotated syllabus with learning objectives, examples of key teaching materials, examples of key learning support materials, annotated feedback sheets, examples of assignment including grading criteria used and associated Core Graduate Attributes, examples of student work at pass and fail levels, information about articulation pathways.

11. Where can I obtain support when completing the Academic Review?

Natalie Senjov-Makohon in the Quality Teaching and Innovation (QT&I) unit in the Staff College, Maree Conway, General Manager, Governance, Policy and Planning Services.

Professional Development

Check the Staff College Online Booking System for forthcoming workshops and professional develepment activities in this policy area.

Links / Resources / References

Contact your policy champion

For more information contact Natalie Senjov-Makohon, ext. 8377

To obtain an overview of currently approved teaching and learning policies, follow the links in the Policy Table.