Leading and Managing Research

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

120 hours.

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.

An undergraduate degree or equivalent; at least 5 years of relevant experience; current employment in the sector, and employer support to attend the program.

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 subject provides an overview of key elements of research leadership and management in an institutional setting, to provide participants with knowledge and insights in areas such as:

• international context and trends in research (government priorities, institutional priorities, pressures to compete and collaborate)
• public policy settings and funding frameworks for research institutions
• commercial, community and philanthropic engagement (clients, partners, sponsors)
• institutional policies and strategies (internal systems to support research programs and research training, resourcing, ethics and reporting, publications, intellectual property)
• managing researchers and research projects (making plans, setting priorities and managing the needs and expectations of different stakeholders).

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

• relating research agendas to the priorities of external stakeholders
• describing internal institutional mechanisms for supporting diverse research projects
• devising a strategy to build a research group’s profile and reputation
• managing a multi-disciplinary research group.

There is one assessment task:

• 3000-word written assignment, due at end of subject (100%)

There are two hurdle requirements:

• Four online Discussion Board tasks ( 4 x 500-word commentaries on set readings) due every 2 weeks. For any discussion board task submitted late, the task increases to a 1000 word commentary.
• Participate in 3 online webinars, due every 2-3 weeks. For any webinar missed, students must write and post on the discussion board a 1000 word topic summary, drawing on the recorded webinar and related discussion board postings.

N.B. All hurdle and assessment tasks must be passed.

Johnson, A.M. 2013 Improving Your Research Management: A Guide for Senior University Research Managers, Elsevier, The Netherlands (Note a complimentary copy may be available from http://academicexecutives.elsevier.com/improving-your-research-management-guide-senior-university-research-managers).

Other set readings are provided online before the subject commences.

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.