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Faculty of Education

September 2008 'ED NEWS'

Functional Reviews of Administrative Units

There has been a great deal of activity within the University around the change and renewal program which the Vice Chancellor announced in May this year. Much of this is currently focused on functional reviews of administrative units and the change website which has been created provides details of the process which is being following. Most staff will by now have had a chance to attend one of the information sessions provided by Dr Kerry Ferguson who is facilitating the change program across the University.

AUQA

The AUQA audit is to be held in the second semester of 2009 and the themes that have been identified for focus at La Trobe are "Internationalisation" and "Research and Research Training". The other key area of concentration will be to examine what we have done in response to the recommendations from the last audit. Through the Office of the Deputy Dean, a plan will be set up for the Faculty to prepare for the AUQA audit as it will require significant data gathering and interpretation as well as an extensive self review process resulting in the production of the portfolio for the Faculty. This will be an intensive twelve months in preparing this material and I suggest that you begin to compile whatever data you have which may contribute towards the evidence base for this Faculty. Vaughan will ask for your assistance in various ways over the ensuing twelve months.

In addition to the preparations for AUQA, the Vice Chancellor has outlined his proposals for a renewal program across the University as a whole. This involves administrative programs, curriculum and research. All courses are to be reviewed over the course of the next 18 months to two years. Within the Faculty we will be working to review our own programs to ensure that they meet the needs of the community and of the current market, that they are contemporary in their approaches to learning, teaching and modes of delivery, and that they are sustainable in terms of financial viability.

Organisational Change Impact Statement

At the Faculty level the Organisational Change Impact Statement for the second phase of the Faculty restructure has now been accepted and as from January 2009, the changed structure will become operative. Thank you to all staff for their input and patience with this process. Where interim positions exist following phase one of the restructure, these will be filled from 2009 according to the processes in the HR manual for those various positions eg Deputy Dean, Directors and Academic Directors (equates to head of School) and Associate Deans. The Academic Director at Bundoora as from her appointment at the end of January 2009 will be Professor Tanya Fitzgerald. The Academic Director's position, according to her contract, is for an initial period of 2 years. Thank you to Professor Roger Wales for continuing in the role of Academic Director at Bundoora this year and also to Associate Professor Ramon Lewis for acting in the capacity of Associate Academic Director Bundoora until Professor Fitzgerald's arrival. Professor Fitzgerald is to spend part of the week beginning September 15 at Bundoora to work with senior staff in planning for 2009.

New Staff Appointments

We also look forward to the arrival on October 20 of Associate Professor Mary Keefe at the Bendigo campus in the area of Inclusive Education. This is an area with great potential for the Faculty and Mary comes with a wealth of experience in this area.

We are also extremely fortunate to have Professor Tom Angelo join the Faculty as an Adjunct Professor in Higher Education. He is appointed to the role of Pro-Vice Chancellor Curriculum and Academic Planning and is currently working with a curriculum taskforce to review and revitalise the curriculum across the University. Formal congratulations also to Ramon Lewis on his promotion to Professor from January 2009.

Congratulations go to Rebecca Townsend on her appointment to the position of Faculty Services Manager in the Faculty at Bendigo. My personal thanks go to Rebecca for her support and assistance to me during her time as my Executive Assistant and I wish her well in her new role with the Faculty. I also warmly welcome Sally Routledge as my Executive Assistant. Sally returns to Education after undertaking a range of other roles at the Bendigo Campus.

Australian Council of Deans of Education annual conference

Vaughan Prain, Noel Gough and I will attend the Australian Council of Deans of Education annual conference in Canberra later this month. There are many important issues to be addressed with regard to teacher education at this conference including the imminent move to national accreditation of teachers and teacher education courses through the Australasian Teacher Registration Authority (ATRA). It is expected that as from 2009 there will be national accreditation which will result in common program standards and common graduate teacher standards. These will then be implemented at State level. There are also to be discussions regarding the future of the Improving the Practical Component of Teacher Education (IPCTE). Consultations are being held in all states and territories in September and early October by DEEWR Quality Teaching Branch. Participants will include principals, parents, employers, ATRA, unions, university deans and ATEA. There will be one meeting for each jurisdiction lasting about 3 hours we understand. The Australian Council of Deans of Education is keeping us informed of dates and times. The future of the IPCTE funding which universities including La Trobe have received this year appears to rest upon the outcome of these consultations. We will keep you informed of the outcomes of these discussions.

Wilf Savage Retires

Finally special mention must be made of the imminent retirement of Wilf Savage who has given tireless and dedicated service to the Faculty at Bendigo since 1987. Wilf's contribution in so many ways has been immense, but in the area of the practicum component of teacher education courses, his work with schools, students and staff has been exceptional. Wilf's passion for teaching and teacher education is obvious and we wish him well in his retirement and thank him for the wonderful work he has done over so many years.

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