Risk Management in Tertiary Education

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Participation in discussion boards and webinars and final 3000 word assignment.

170 hours

To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted in the Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education Management (GC-TEM), or the Master of Tertiary Education Management (MC-TEM). This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.

If you are interested in this subject but are not admitted in any of the above course, please email TL-tertiaryed@unimelb.edu.au

An undergraduate degree or equivalent; at least 2 years of relevant experience; current employment in the sector, and employer support to attend the program.

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

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Student Equity and Disability Support Team: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject provides an overview of the rapid rise of risk management in tertiary education. Framing this explosion in the broader context of public policy change and the emergence of the risk society, it critically examines the concepts and practices of risk management. It will provide participants with knowledge and insights in these areas:

• understanding uncertainty and risk
• identifying different types of risk, e.g. reputational risk, operational risk
• risk management and the politics of uncertainty and trust
• approaches to risk management, including enterprise-wide risk management (ERM)
• strength and weaknesses of current risk management practices
• risk management and governance
• effective approaches to risk management in tertiary education

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

• understanding the background and theoretical drivers for the emergence of risk management
• describing different concepts and models of risk management
• describing different modalities of risk management in a tertiary education context
• assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of risk management practices within their own institutions and designing alternative approaches in case of ineffectiveness or inefficiencies
• understanding the links between governance and risk management at the institutional level

• 3000 word written assignment (100%) due at the end of the subject
• 4 x online discussion board tasks (500 words commentaries on set readings) due every 2 weeks during the study period - these are hurdle assessments and all 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.