Outcomes and Highlights

Curriculum Review - Each faculty has reviewed its pre-2011 Bachelor-level curricula and determined what is being taught, evaluated and the feedback provided to students in relation to Faculty Graduate Capabilities (FGCs) and discipline content.  Included in this has been the identification of any overlap or gaps that exist in content and/or teaching; the pathways for students into and out of each Bachelor-level Course including Majors; and the required knowledge and skills for successful completion of each Bachelor-level Course including Majors, and the Subjects comprising that Course.

Curriculum Design and Redesign – Each faculty has completed the First Year, and in some cases the Second Year, (re)designing Bachelor-level courses and subjects such that there are integrated mechanisms to identify underprepared students and embedded support programs for those students to gain the skills they need to succeed.  Also incorporated in the (re)designed curricula are identified subjects that explicitly teach, evaluate and provide feedback to students on FGCs at the Cornerstone point, and in some cases, Mid-point during a student’s Bachelor degree.

Graduate Capability Development and Evaluation – after identifying and defining Faculty Graduate Capabilities (FGCs) in 2010, progress has been made in 2011 to identify and develop learning activities and assessment tasks for evaluating FGCs and embedding those tasks and activities into the normal activities and assessment tasks associated with the relevant subject content.

Evaluation Standards – Each faculty has developed and drafted levels of transparent and measurable evaluation standards for student achievement – standard not met, standard met, standard exceeded – for each of the six LTU FGCs and are now developing rubrics to allow easy evaluation of those levels as part of the normal marking of assessment tasks.  The University Graduate Capabilities Reference Group is currently reviewing those draft standards.  Developing standards such as these to the level they have been developed is a real achievement and congratulations are extended to all who participated in developing them.  This is something that no other University (to our knowledge) has managed to do in Australia.

First Year Experience – There has been a great deal of collaboration between Student Enrichment, faculties, and the Academic Language and Learning Unit (ALLU) to further develop university-wide initiatives to support commencing First Year students including: Academic Board approval of a new Orientation Policy which will lead to an even more equitable and coherent Orientation Program for 2012; a website known as Ready4Uni will shortly be implemented to provide online Orientation and Transition information and activities for commencing students; the CONNECT Mentor program will see every commencing student allocated a mentor; several different approaches to academic peer mentoring will occur in faculties; and ALLU will introduce trained Student Learning Assistants into the Library on each campus to assist students with a variety of issues and direct them to appropriate help if they cannot solve the issue themself.

Evaluation - A suggested framework was drafted for evaluating the effectiveness and quality of Bachelor-level course curricula and teaching activities in terms of student engagement, student and staff perceptions, and demonstrable learning outcomes evaluation indicators.  This was provided to the Planning and Institutional Performance Unit (PIPU) who have been busy designing and developing business requirements for a ‘dashboard’ evaluation system.

Other developments - In 2010, several projects were funded with some building on that work in 2011.  The First Year Student Survival Guide has been transformed into an online tool and will complement the Ready4Uni website mentioned above. 

The Academic Integrity Module (AIM) was implemented with approximately 85% of the commencing undergraduate students enrolled in AIM (5,300 students) successfully completed with over 80% of those participating in the evaluation responding positively to its usefulness.  A Staff AIM has been developed in 2011 and two postgraduate versions will be developed early in 2012. 

The other components of the AIM project developed by the Library – Academic Referencing Module (ARM) and Academic Referencing Tool (ART) – were also implemented successfully earlier in the year and within the first three months the APA Referencing Module received over 34,000 hits while the Harvard Referencing Module received over 18,000 hits.

‘Making Design for Learning Work – Implementation Proposals’ produced
This paper was distributed across faculties and campuses to prompt and inform discussion of recommendations on how best to implement the Design for Learning (DfL) Project.  In conjunction with the PVC [Curriculum and Academic Planning] and the DfL Project Manager, the DVC [Education] held consultation sessions in each faculty and on each domestic campus to discuss the recommendations and any concerns.

First Year Experience Steering Group Established
As per Recommendation 10 of the White Paper, this group was established to be responsible for the overall design, planning, coordination, provision and evaluation of the First Year Experience including transition and orientation.

University-wide Orientation and First Year Experience Program Established
Prior to Semester One 2011, the Faculties and the Division of Student Enrichment collaborated closely to design and provide a more consistent orientation program across all campuses. Common strategies included providing all First Year students with: a USB containing Faculty-specific course, orientation and transition information upon enrolment; academic skills sessions during Orientation; and ‘just in time’ information during Cornerstone subject lectures in each of the first four weeks of semester.

First Year Academic Preparation Working Group Established
This group was to guide the identification – and/or design and development – and implementation of appropriate indicators and diagnostic assessments of entering first-year undergraduates’ level of preparation relative to each of La Trobe University’s Graduate Capabilities.  The Working Group was also asked to identify and recommend for implementation effective, efficient strategies for supporting students who do not meet the minimum expected entry level of preparation in relation to the Graduate Capability standards set by each Faculty/course.

First Year Student Engagement Working Group Established
This group was to guide the identification – and/or design and development – and implementation of appropriate indicators and diagnostic assessments of entering first-year undergraduates’ engagement in and readiness for success in academic life.  The Working Group also identified and recommended for implementation effective, efficient strategies for assisting and supporting those first-year students who demonstrate low levels of readiness and/or engagement.

Defining and embedding University and Faculty graduate capabilities
Each Faculty has now developed its own definitions for and approaches to embedding the University’s six common graduate capabilities – writing, speaking, inquiry/research, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and teamwork – as well as their faculty-specific graduate capabilities (e.g. ethics and social awareness, quantitative literacy).

University Graduate Capabilities Reference Group (UGCRG) Established
As per recommendations arising from DfL Working Groups, a University-wide group was established to help coordinate and moderate definitions and standards across faculties.

Mapping of the curriculum
All Faculties have mapped their first and second year curricula, and all will complete Bachelor-level course mapping this year.  Progress in developing course maps – which include all relevant subjects and requirements – for each undergraduate course has been somewhat delayed due to limitations of our systems.

Reviewing and redesigning First Year curricula, including Cornerstone elements
All Faculties have developed explicit intended learning outcomes (ILOs) for each graduate capability at First-Year level and most have substantially redesigned Cornerstone subjects.

Development of online learning resources through cross-faculty DfL projects
Projects were funded for the development of adaptable online learning resources needed to implement key aspects of DfL. The following five cross-faculty projects were funded in 2010:

• Academic Integrity and Referencing Skills;
• A First Year Student Survival Guide;
• Quantitative Literacy;
• Inquiry Research/Information Literacy; and,
• Teamwork Skills.

‘Design for Learning: Curriculum Review and Renewal at La Trobe University’ White Paper  produced
A document arising from the above consultation and feedback outlining the major decisions made by the University to ensure that undergraduate students will benefit from the best possible curriculum design and a better, more integrated and coherent first year experience.

‘Design for Learning [DfL] Project’ Established
University agreement gained to fund a curriculum review and renewal project.  The DfL Project was established with a manager and a small team appointed to implement the recommendations of the White Paper.

DfL Working Groups to consider White Paper recommendations Established
Four working groups – (1) Curriculum Design; (2) First Year Experience; (3) Learning Outcomes and Standards; and (4) Program Mapping and Review – were established to determine ways in which the University might achieve the White Paper recommendations.

‘Report and Recommendations of the Design for Learning Working Groups’ produced
A draft discussion paper to complement the White Paper which summarised the recommendations of the DfL Working Groups detailing ways in which the University might realise Design for Learning.  This was presented at the 2009 Teaching and Learning Colloquium.

Commenced appointing First Year Coordinators
One of the clear recommendations of DfL Working Groups was the need for each faculty to appoint a First Year Coordinator [FYC] whose role involves: assisting in the development of First-Year curricula; coordinating efforts to improve orientation and transition activities; ensuring effective design and delivery of First Year academic preparation and support programs; and outreach to First-Year students.  Since the end of 2010, each Faculty has had a FYC in place.

Commenced appointing Faculty DfL Project Managers
It was recognised there was a need for each faculty to have extra and specific project support in order to achieve the desired DfL outcomes.

Development of policies to support DfL
Policies such as the Undergraduate First Year Experience Policy, Undergraduate Curriculum Design Policy and Graduate Capabilities for Undergraduate Students Policy were approved along with many other supporting policies and procedures associated with courses, subjects and assessment.

Establishment of the Curriculum Taskforce
A working group consisting of staff from each faculty was set up to develop principles for the review, renewal and design of La Trobe’s academic programs.

‘Curriculum Review and Renewal at La Trobe University’ Green Paper produced
A report outlining the recommendations of the Curriculum Taskforce.  This document was distributed widely for consultation and feedback.