Institutional Governance in Tert Ed

This subject is not offered 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 effective governance in tertiary institutions, to provide participants with knowledge and insights in areas such as:

• the legal basis of the institution and its charter or mission
• roles and responsibilities of governing bodies and executive officers
• defining mission, setting strategy, developing policy
• managing stakeholder relations
• delegations, decision making and committee processes
• systems for ensuring legal compliance, financial control and risk identification
• types of risk such as strategic, financial, compliance, operational, reputational
• performance information and accountability reporting.

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

• understanding the legal basis of the institution and how its mission is defined
• describing different models of governance in tertiary education institutions
• identifying different stakeholder groups affected by a new policy or strategy
• planning a consultation process to win support for a new policy or strategy
• assessing the effectiveness of performance information systems
• assessing the effectiveness of a committee.

There is one assessment task:

• A 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.

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.