Policies and procedures
APPROVAL: Academic Board, 16 July 1993, AB 93/100
AMENDMENTS: Registrar - August 1998; Registrar - March 2001
REFERENCE AUTHORITY: Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Academic
CROSS-REFERENCES: Code of Good Practice: Principles of Student Assessment
Quality Assurance and Improvement: Subjects and Programs
The University of South Australia and all Australian universities are a part of a world-wide internationally recognised community of higher education and as such have, in common with their international peers, a particular responsibility to construct, evaluate, interpret and communicate knowledge. While other institutions in society also contribute to these same objectives, it is a special responsibility of universities to foster and preserve the scholarly values of curiosity, experimentation, critical appraisal and integrity, and to foster these values in their students.
A central component of this purpose is teaching which involves a wide range of activities concerned with creating and managing learning environments for all students. The University believes that the promotion of good teaching should be a high priority. It recognises that the concept of good teaching is a contested one which is not just concerned with teaching techniques but involves moral, ethical, ideological and political considerations and is invariably context specific. Thus a fundamental characteristic of good teaching is that teachers are constantly reflecting on, experimenting with and researching their teaching. Despite this, the University asserts that at any one time there exists a broad consensus within the academic community about good teaching. This consensus is based on research into teaching and learning, and experience in this and other universities, and on criteria used for teaching awards, tenure and promotion. The University believes that the characteristics of good teaching which contribute to this consensus need to be articulated by the University, so that they can be subjected to continuing critical review and debate.
This Code of Good Practice: University Teaching articulates the consensus that exists currently within the University about the characteristics of good teaching. Its purpose is to represent these publicly and to:
This Code is divided into two main sections. The first section describes what the University believes constitutes good teaching practice under four headings - program and course design and management, staff and student interaction, student assessment, and evaluation of teaching. The second section is based upon the premise that good teaching practices can flourish only in an environment in which support is provided through appropriate physical and human resources. It outlines the institution-wide, Division and school support that is required to consolidate and extend good teaching practice in the University.
It is intended that this document will be one which changes over time as new knowledge about teaching and learning emerges from research and teaching experience.
University teaching is based on a long tradition of practice which is constantly evolving. This tradition stresses high levels of competence both in a discipline and in communication.
As professionals, university teachers should exhibit, and help students to develop a commitment to, scholarly values, lifelong learning, professional and personal growth through critical reflection and self-evaluation, and responsible and ethical practices in their profession. University teachers should have a commitment to maximise the opportunities each graduate will have to contribute to society.
As scholars, university teachers should contribute to their discipline and be in touch with current research and scholarship, and integrate into their teaching the knowledge and understanding they or others create.
As university teachers, academic staff should acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of, and skills in, a wide range of teaching and assessment methods. This may involve discussing teaching and learning issues with colleagues, reading about learning theories, teaching models and strategies, participating in teaching development activities, and reflecting upon, and engaging in research in relation to, teaching practice.
University teachers have a professional responsibility to teach their courses in such a way that all students regardless of their backgrounds or characteristics have an equal opportunity to learn, and to demonstrate that learning, in accordance with the aims of the course. This means that good teaching practices vary in relation to:
However, despite the diversity in good teaching practice there are some common aims. Generally, university teaching aims to enable students to reach their highest possible level of learning during their time of enrolment and to encourage them in life-long learning. Specifically, university teaching aims to enable students to become creative and critical thinkers and achievers with the capacity to learn both independently and collaboratively. This Code is premised upon the belief that these aims are best achieved through an emphasis on student-centred teaching methods which are sensitive to equity and social justice considerations. The ways in which a student-and-equity-centred learning and teaching philosophy can best be implemented need to be the subject of continual, critical and collaborative discussion and debate within the University community, since strategies consistent with this philosophy have significant implications for academic staff practices in program and course design and management, staff and student interaction, student assessment and evaluation of teaching. The following sections of this Code outline current University beliefs about appropriate strategies.
1.1 Program and course design and management
University teaching is a complex activity which demands rigorous, systematic and, where possible, collaborative processes of planning and review. Thus, university teachers need knowledge and skills in program and course design and management. In particular, if teaching programs are to reflect student-and-equity-centred learning and teaching approaches, then university teachers should:
1.1.1 involve relevant stake-holders and specific interest groups in program and course design
1.1.2 ensure that the program is structured as a coherent and progressive entity
1.1.3 phrase program and course aims and objectives in the context of what students should expect to gain from their overall learning experience
1.1.4 ensure that there is a consistency between program and course aims and objectives and assessment activities
1.1.5 make available to students before enrolment, the course's aims, objectives, assessment methods and timing, and the relative weight and number of assessment tasks so that students have guidance in course choice and, once enrolled, can monitor their own progress towards the achievement of aims and objectives
1.1.6 ensure that there is a consistent weighting in the workload of courseS with the same unit weighting
1.1.7 select content and teaching and assessment methods in the courses they design or teach which are inclusive and which take into account the backgrounds, values, experiences, and interests of the student group
1.1.8 select content and teaching and assessment methods which aim to develop students as both independent and collaborative learners; promote critical and creative thinking; and meet the requirements of the professions
1.1.9 organise course content coherently and at a level appropriate to the student group and level of study
1.1.10 integrate activities such as field work, industrial work, and work-place enquiries, where appropriate, into the curriculum and organise these activities to enhance student learning
1.1.11 make use of other expertise, where appropriate, to provide breadth of course content
1.1.12 ensure that all resources which students need for effective learning in a course are available (eg library books and other required texts, collections of readings, computer terminals, audio-visual materials, laboratory equipment) and that students know how to make use of these resources
1.1.13 provide students with appropriate guides to learning (eg study guides, laboratory and practicum manuals)
1.1.14 take into account previous program and course evaluation data, including feedback from students.
1.2 Staff and student interaction
The selection and use of appropriate teaching models, strategies and techniques should be based upon a number of factors, including knowledge about how students learn, the teaching mode (eg on-campus, distance teaching), the context, (eg classroom, laboratory, field setting, practicum) the field of study, the aims of the program, and the backgrounds of the students. There is, therefore, no standard teaching approach. Generally, however, in a student-and-equity-centred approach, students must be actively engaged in order to learn and develop knowledge and skills.
Learning is not a purely intellectual activity; it also involves ethical and personal development. For such development to occur there needs to be a climate of mutual respect, trust and open communication in which ethical and personal beliefs can be examined without threat.
University teaching which promotes student-and-equity-centred learning requires teachers to:
1.2.1 find out about students' backgrounds, expectations and needs so that they can select appropriate and inclusive teaching models, strategies and techniques
1.2.2 establish a learning environment and provide tasks that will enable students to develop as independent and collaborative learners
1.2.3 use methods which take account of varied learning styles, provide students with opportunities to be involved in the structuring of their own learning experiences, and encourage students to take control of their own learning
1.2.4 develop students' analytical and critical thinking skills by demonstrating these skills, and providing students with appropriate tasks
1.2.5 assist in the development of students' communication skills through providing opportunities for practice of and feedback on presentations in a range of media (eg oral, graphic, written)
1.2.6 encourage and enable students to evaluate their own and each others' work critically
1.2.7 make adequate time available for giving advice and supervision to individual students
1.2.8 communicate their own enthusiasm for the courses they teach and arouse students' curiosity, interest and creative endeavours in the course
1.2.9 draw on students' life and work experiences in their teaching and, wherever possible, make the course relevant to students' career goals and real world issues, and link theory with professional practice and societal concerns
1.2.10 keep abreast of developments in their field of enquiry and/or profession, and ground their teaching in their own insights from and experiences in, research and consultancy, and revise their teaching programs accordingly
1.2.11 read widely about teaching, reflect critically on their own teaching, and undertake research into the nature of teaching in their discipline.
1.3 Student assessment
Assessment of student learning is an integral and central part of the learning and teaching process. It has a number of other objectives. It enables judgements to be made about students' competence in relation to specified criteria and/or objectives. Properly selected assessment tasks help students to structure their time, signal the importance of particular content, skills and concepts, and influence approaches to study. Constructive and timely assessment feedback helps students to gain a sense of progress and to learn from their attempts. Feedback directed at encouraging learning is particularly important for teaching, and doing so in writing is a vital factor in the teaching and learning environment of external students.
To ensure that assessment enhances student learning, university teachers should:
1.3.1 select assessment methods which most help students to learn; which are as reliable, valid, and fair as possible; and which are appropriate to course goals
1.3.2 inform students clearly, before the commencement of the course, about the
1.3.3 ensure that there is a range of assessment tasks which are challenging, relevant to course aims, meet equity criteria and facilitate student learning.
1.4 Evaluation of teaching
Evaluation of teaching for the purpose of enhancing student learning involves collecting information from a number of sources by a range of methods and using that information to make changes. The information collected should include more than outcome measures. Since the quality of student learning is related to the way students learn, information from students is an important component of evaluation. Equity considerations in evaluation should be a significant concern.
To enhance student learning, university teachers should, individually and collaboratively:
1.4.1 review regularly the content and focus of their courses, make revisions as required and critically reflect upon their teaching, using feedback from students and other sources to ascertain to what extent they are being successful in achieving the aims of the program and course and meeting the needs of students
1.4.2 make available to those who have provided the evaluation data, the analysis of that data and the actions taken as a result.
2.1 Institutional support for teaching and learning
The status of teaching and the extent to which good teaching practices can be consolidated and extended within the University, depends to a large extent on the development of an appropriate institutional ethos and climate, and the provision of adequate resource support for staff and students. The University will demonstrate its commitment to the priority of teaching through the provision of:
2.1.1 a mission statement (and goals and objectives) which reflects the importance of teaching and the ways by which it can be supported
2.1.2 administrative practices and teaching related services (eg support staff) which support the educational ethos and teaching programs of the University
2.1.3 adequate resources for effective teaching and learning (eg classrooms, libraries, advanced learning technologies, laboratories, equipment)
2.1.4 a range of services which directly and/or indirectly support students in their learning (eg Study Advisers, welfare and counselling services)
2.1.5 appropriate and specific support for academic staff developing materials for teaching, and for students studying at a distance
2.1.6 staff-student ratios which allow staff time to consult with individual students, develop quality teaching programs (eg preparation of distance materials, lectures) and conduct teaching as a scholarly activity rather than as a routine task
2.1.7 policies on academic appointments, tenure and promotion which encourage the recruitment of individuals with the ability to deliver quality teaching, and which give teaching parity of esteem with research
2.1.8 policies on matters affecting student learning (eg assessment)
2.1.9 policies addressing ethical issues which might arise in the relationship between staff and students (eg issues of abuse of power and rights to intellectual property)
2.1.10 professional development programs, personnel or units to support all academic staff in their teaching role
2.1.11 induction programs for staff new to teaching
2.1.12 funds for conducting research into teaching and for developing new approaches to teaching aimed at improvement of student learning
2.1.13 publications which explore issues related to teaching and learning
2.1.14 mechanisms for identifying and funding learning enhancement strategies, including English as a Second Language support, and literacy and numeracy support programs
2.1.15 procedures for the review of new and existing programs to ensure that programs of study are coherent and properly organised, and that they provide students with quality teaching and learning experiences that meet the program aims and that assess students in ways consistent with these aims
2.1.16 procedures for regular contributions from students and external groups (eg employers and professional associations) to the development of teaching and learning practices and the design or review of programs
2.1.17 a framework for enabling the University to review and change institutional practices related to the quality of teaching and learning, and for managing change.
2.2 Division and School support for teaching and learning
Pro Vice Chancellors and Heads of school carry formal responsibility for the standard of teaching and the quality of the learning environment for students. However, all academic staff must take responsibility for their own contribution to teaching and learning. Thus, members of each Division and school should determine the ways by which they will ensure that policies, practices and procedures designed to enhance student learning, are established, maintained and monitored.
In particular, members of Divisions and schools should determine how they will:
2.2.1 develop plans and strategies for fostering and evaluating quality of teaching
2.2.2 ensure that university policies and guidelines affecting teaching, learning and interaction with students are implemented, including those on supervision of postgraduate students, equity issues and ethical conduct
2.2.3 in allocating workloads, take account of the task of assisting individual students, particularly those with special needs
2.2.4 manage the design and writing of high quality teaching materials in ways which balance and spread the workload in these tasks against Division capacities
2.2.5 establish procedures for regular feedback from students on all matters affecting them in their study and involve them, where appropriate, in decisions and discussions affecting them in their learning
2.2.6 provide induction procedures for new students
2.2.7 encourage an environment in which all teaching staff are committed to reflecting individually and collaboratively on their teaching, in order to enhance student learning
2.2.8 initiate regular program, school and Division reviews of teaching, learning and assessment which involve academic staff, student representatives and, where possible, external members of divisional advisory committees and/or Division/school boards
2.2.9 develop mechanisms which will help to identify the professional development support that staff members feel will help their understanding of teaching strategies and learning processes.
