Managing Common Units

The Common Units Management Group will:

• Determine policy and guidelines best practice for teaching and learning in the common units
• Be responsible to the Academic Board for matters relating to common units;
• Liaise with the Teaching & Learning Panel on matters relating to common units;
• Be responsible for quality control including ratification of staff teaching the program;
• Be responsible for coordinating the writing and teaching of common units including the appointment of unit coordinators;
• Encourage wide inter-faculty participation in the writing and teaching of common units;
• Ensure that all common units are taught in a variety of modes where possible;
• Consider proposals for program review;
• Advise on the timetabling of units;
• Appoint Unit Teaching Team Coordinators
• Allocate funds for the printing and distribution of unit outlines and study materials;
• Allocate funds to Faculties and Divisions, in an efficient manner, according to the endorsed model and based on teaching loads as advised by Unit Team Coordinators;
• Contract part time staff, where necessary, on the recommendation of Unit Team Coordinators;
• Endorse examination results, including moderation where required;
• Convene an Exemptions Review Committee, when necessary;
• Evaluate the overall common units program on an ongoing basis.

Composition

The composition of the management group will be:

• Chair, ex officio, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning);
• Pro Vice Chancellor Learning, Teaching & Community Engagement
• Head - School of Academic Language and Learning
• Representative Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership
• Deans;
• Unit Coordinators;
• Theme Leader Common Units;
• Coordinator Information Literacy;
• Higher Education student representative

Current Membership

Membership of the common unit management group is devised to insure representation from all HE disciplines where possible.

• Chair  - Professor Charles Webb (DVC Teaching & Learning)
• Pro-Vice Chancellor of Learning, Teaching & Community Engagement - Assoc Prof. Martin Carroll
• Faculty PVC - Prof.Gisselle Byrnes, Dr. Rose McEldowney (Acting)
• Representative Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership - Greg Williams
• Head of School of Academic Language and Learning - Dr. Jennifer Silburn
• Theme Leader Common Units - Nicola Rolls
• Unit Coordinators
  CUC107 - Jaimee Hamilton & Larissa Pickalla (School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems)
  CUC100 - Nicola Rolls & Elizabeth Foggo (School of Academic Language and Learning)
  CUC106 - Micah Thorbjornsen (School of Engineering and IT)
• Information Literacy Coordinator - TBA (Office of Library Services)
• Higher Education Student Representative - Vacant

Common Unit Coordinators
CUC100

• Elizabeth Foggo (external), School of Academic Language and Learning
  Email: elizabeth.foggo@cdu.edu.au
  Tel: (08) 8946 6393
• Nicola Rolls (internal), School of Academic Language and Learning
  Email: nicola.rolls@cdu.edu.au
  Tel: (08) 8946 6142

CUC106

• Micah Thorbjornsen, School of IT & Technology
  Email: micah.thorbjornsen@cdu.edu.au
  Tel: (08) 8946 6508

CUC107

• Jaimee Hamilton, School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems
  Email: jaimee.hailton@cdu.edu.au
  Tel: (08) 8946 6278
• Larissa Pickalla, School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems
  Email: larissa.pickalla@cdu.edu.au
  Tel: (08) 8946 6207

For general information contact:

• Nicola Rolls, Common Units Theme Leader - School of Academic Language and Learning
  Email: nicola.rolls@cdu.edu.au
  Tel: (08) 8946 6142

The management group meets four times a year. The meeting schedules, agenda’s and minutes are found below:

Meeting Schedule for 2011

• Meeting 1: Friday May 20th
• Meeting 2: August 19th
• Meeting 3: October 7th
• Meeting 4: December 9th

Agenda and minutes

• Meeting 1 2011 (.zip file, 84kb)
• Meeting 2 2011 (Attachment Da) (Attachment Db)

In order have a consistent approach to student administrative matters the following Process guidelines are provided.

Student grievances, plagiarism

If you encounter any general problems with your students over assessment grades, plagiarism or any other issue please email the unit coordinator and cc the Theme Leader Common Units and they will support you in managing the issue within guidelines. Following recent faculty policy, if you receive a complaint from a student your response to the complaint should be checked with the theme leader first.

Attendance

Students (Internal) should be told that the expectation for attendance at tutorials is a minimum 80%. However, although an 80% class attendance is encouraged it is not a compulsory university rule.

Changing to external mode

One of the aims of the common units is to provide a range of modes and forums for learning. So, where students find, for timetabling or other reasons, that they prefer to work through materials online they should be allowed to discuss this option with you. If their request is made before census date they should be advised to change their enrolment to external mode. If it is after census date, they can continue to be marked as internal on the roll but participate as an external student.

Moderation

Assignments should be moderated before grades are finalised. As part of fair marking it is important to remember to maintain objectivity by basing your judgment of students' work on the:

• Standard that can be expected from first year students,
• Assignment task requirements, and
• Assessment criteria/rubric

Assignment Turnaround

Assignment turn around for short assignments should be preferably by the next week; for longer ones a maximum 2 weeks. All final assignments must be marked by the time the examiners’ meeting is held (except where students have extensions beyond this date).

Extensions

Students need to attempt to follow the due dates however we aim to be flexible with extensions (particularly for external students) within reason. If extensions are requested they should get them without penalty. If they are not requested then the students can get a maximum of a pass and no resubmission.

Resubmission

The common unit’s principle aim is to ensure students acquire a foundation in skills and knowledge which they apply and refine throughout their degree studies. Because the approach to assessment in common units is formative, it is important that they are given the opportunity to learn from assignment feedback and utilise this to improve the skills required in that particular assignment.

As a general rule, resubmission of assignments should be offered to students where they have made every effort to complete the task correctly but have either misunderstood a fundamental requirement of the task or not quite met the standard. The resubmission is allowed on the proviso that they:

• Can only achieve a pass grade
• Must resubmit within an agreed time frame.

If you are uncertain about whether a student should be offered resubmission discuss this with the coordinator.

Guidelines for Coordinators of Common Units

The following provides guidelines regarding general organisational issues and those relating to: curriculum, students, teaching staff, and the Common Unit Committee.

Common Unit Coordinators will be responsible for the following:

General organisation of unit

Overseeing the organisation of the team:

• Allocating lecturing and tutorial tasks to members of the team
• Ensuring all members of the team are familiar with the unit organisation, content, assessment
• Ensuring regular meetings (weekly) of the teaching team are held

Overseeing the organisation of tutorials:

• Allocating students to tutorial groups, ensuring a maximum of 20 and minimum of 5 in each group
• Reporting to Common Units Academic Consultant of the need for more tutorials if necessary
• Organising and enrolling students in groups online

Overseeing the organisation of materials:

• Ensuring the Learnline interface and learning material is presented in a consistent manner according to common unit teaching and learning guidelines
• Updating the all learning materials components (Unit Information, Learnline, etc) in consultation with the Unit Teaching Team by the beginning of each semester
• Enrolling students in online discussion groups and overseeing the moderation of these
• Updating Learnline and associated materials (Unit Information, Learning Resource, Reading, etc) to by the designated cut-off date
• Distributing internal material to students and insuring external students receive their materials in a timely fashion
• Liaising with OLTCE and Information Skills Coordinator as necessary
• Ensuring Access Services are informed of any staff changes (i.e. external Coordinators, tutors, etc.)
• Ensuring examination results are entered onto Callista by the central administration unit, including any changes

Staffing Matters

• With the theme leader, ensuring teaching staff are suitably qualified and experienced and have appropriate induction to the teaching and learning policies for Common Units and training in using Learnline before the semester starts. Prosepective staff should provide a CV.

Teaching and Learning Matters

• In consultation with the theme leader and the Unit Review Team (URT), reviewing and updating, the lecture, tutorial, and assessment tasks at the end of each semester
• Meeting/communicating each week with the Unit Teaching Team (UTT) to discuss and plan the weekly teaching activities
• Ensuring members of the UTT comply with teaching and learning guidelines for Common Units. See Guidelines for Tutors (pdf 567kb)
• Ensuring all major assignments are moderated before students are given grades. See also Moderating Assignments in Common Units (pdf 111kb)
• Ensuring the unit is evaluated each semester using an approved evaluation tool (SELT)
•  Incorporating feedback from evaluations in future curriculum planning and updating of content and materials in consultation with the UTT and Theme Leader.
• With the Theme-leader and review team conducting a review of the unit at the end of the year. See also Ongoing Review.

Student Matters

• Being available for consultation and advice during enrolment period
• Authorising enrolments post Week 3
• Liaising with individual students whenever necessary.
• Authorising exemptions from the unit. See also Guidelines to RPL
• Ensuring students receive the Unit Information by Week 2 of semester. (Internal Coordinators)
• Ensuring students receive a covering letter with materials and appropriate information for getting started and using Learnline. (External Coordinators)

Common Unit Management Group Matters

• Liaising with the Common Units Management Group
• Attending management meetings
• Providing a verbal report at the end of each semester and a written one at  the end of the year about the unit (Student numbers, Student satisfaction, Staffing, T&L matters etc)
• Discussing proposals for revisions to the unit with the management group
• Reporting any problems regarding teaching, students issues etc
• Collating examination results and presenting them at the School of Academic Language and Learning  Examinations Meeting
• Providing the Common Units Management Group with details of staffing effort in order for funds to be distributed.

Internal Teaching staff will be responsible for:

• providing well-prepared and interesting tutorials
• following the curriculum and weekly teaching plan agreed on by the team
• marking assessment tasks
• providing students with prompt and informative feedback and support on their academic progress
• engaging students intellectually in the consideration of major issues as set out in the unit outline
• conducting interactive tutorials, which value and encourage student participation
• providing academic guidance and support to individual students
• responding to student learning needs and styles
• attending team meetings and actively contributing to the management and development of the unit
• participating in moderation of assignments to insure consistent marking across tutors
• promptly providing the Unit Teaching Team Coordinator with final assessment results at the end of semester.

External teaching staff will be responsible for:

• Being proactive in communicating with students each (weekly emails) and responing to students enquiries promptly (within 24 hours)
• Maintaining an approach to external students that is supportive, emphathetic and respectful
• Being prepared with a good understanding of the unit organisation, assessments and purpose so as to be able to assist students in their enquiries,
• Being prepared and  familiar with each weeks learning material content and readings in order to support students when required
• Marking assessment tasks within a maximum 2 week turnaround
• Providing individual students with prompt and informative feedback and support on their academic progress
• Responding to student learning needs and styles
• Participating in team meetings and actively contributing to the management and development of the unit
• Participating in moderation of assignments to insure consistent marking across tutors
• Promptly providing the Unit Teaching Team Coordinator with final assessment results at the end of semester.

Click on the guidelines link below for details of administrative responsibilities and teaching and learning guidelines for common units:

• Guidelines for Teaching in Common Units (pdf 567kb)