Tertiary Education Policy and Management

This subject is not offered in 2014.

240 hours commitment.

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs/online classes) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This unit has three main themes.

The Nature of the Tertiary Education Organisation: How are tertiary sector institutions different from other types of organisations? Key concepts examined are: professional organisations and professional autonomy, distributed decision-making structures, fragmentation and specialisation, organisational culture, power and politics, and managing and leading in a context of ambiguity.

Comparative Tertiary Education Policy Studies:

How have different tertiary education systems and institutions met the pressures and dynamics of the late 20th and early 21st century tertiary education? Key issues examined are: the broadening of access, mass higher learning, internationalisation, and system governance, steering and diversity.

Management and Leadership in Tertiary Education:

A critical overview of theories and principles on effective management and leadership. How do these fit the tertiary context, and what kinds of leadership and management roles can be played in administrative, educative and scholarly domains? How do managers balance competing demands, multiple values and distributed authority in these settings?

This subject can be taken either on campus in mixed mode delivery or online. Candidates for the Master of Tertiary Education Management will take the subject in on campus (mixed) mode. The online availability is taken by students in the GC-QA Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance.

On successful completion, participants should be able to apply what they have learned, by:

• Demonstrating an understanding of the history and nature of tertiary education institutions;
• Locating tertiary education policy issues in a broader international context
• Assessing the implications of policy change or market developments for effective institutional management.
• Applying common frameworks for organising, leading and managing.

Assessment for blended mode availability

There is one assessment task:

• A final essay (5000 words) due end of semester (100%)

There are three pass/fail hurdle requirements:

• One 20 minute syndicate group presentation (equivalent to 1000 words). Due during residential school.
• Three online Discussion Board tasks (3 x 500 word commentaries on set readings plus 3 x 200 word comments on other students’ commentaries) (= 2100 words). One due at the end of each part of the curriculum
• Three online multiple choice tests (= 1500 words). Due at the end of each part of the curriculum

Assessment for online availability

There is one assessment task:

• A final essay (5000 words) due end of semester (100%)

There are two pass/fail hurdle requirements:

• Six online Discussion Board tasks. Two tasks due at the end of each part of the curriculum
• Three online multiple choice tests (= 1500 words). Due at the end of each part of the curriculum

Assessment for intensive subject delivery

There is one assessment task:

A 5000 word final individual essay or a 10000 word group assignment with 3-5 members (= 5000 words). Due end of semester (100%)

There are three pass/fail hurdle requirements:

• Five small group discussion and presentation tasks (5 x 500 word equivalent assessment tasks) (= 2500 words). Due during first residential school.
• One 20 minute syndicate group presentation (= 1000 words). Due during final residential school.
• One online multiple choice test (= 1500 words) Due in week 12.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completing this subject, participants should be able to:

• communicate with people who work in different cultures and contexts
• investigate policy and strategy problems, and generate options to resolve them
• assess the risks and benefits of different solutions to management problems
• apply accepted policies and principles to different kinds of cases
• make well-informed management decisions that consider specific contexts.