Academic Board
June 2005
by Peter Cardwell
E-Research implications for the University of South Australia
Academic Board noted that in mid 2004, the Australian Research Council (ARC) announced that it would provide substantial funding for e-Research over the next few years. DEST also issued a discussion paper earlier this year for public consultation entitled An e-Research Strategic Framework A Discussion Paper.
E-Research advances rather than replaces traditional research methodologies. However, there is a growing dependence on e-Research capabilities to discover knowledge, whether in digital or physical forms, and to access a growing number of research tools to manipulate or analyse that knowledge.
E-Research embraces research methodologies emerging from the increasing access to: distributed high-performance computing resources and data resources, research instruments and facilities utilising the grid, internet and local area networks and advanced communications technologies.
The Director of the Institute for Telecommunications Research, Prof Andrew Parfitt, introduced a report commissioned by Research Policy Committee (RPC) entitled e-Research: Implications for the University of South Australia.
This report makes four recommendations: that RPC should provide a mechanism to ensure that researchers can access information for e-Research opportunities; that RPC, in collaboration with ISTS, define a base level of IT infrastructure for researchers interested in engaging in pilot projects or test-beds; that the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) ensure that the University is engaged in any state-wide or national discussions on middleware for e-Research; and that the Corporate Planning Group ensure that its Blueprint planning process for infrastructure included e-Research capability through the formal campus planning processes.
The report concludes that the University is well placed to participate in e-Research, particularly given its robust broadband communications network. In order to advance the report’s recommendations an e-Research Implementation Group has now been established, which is chaired by the Director of the Institute for Telecommunications Research.
Some of the issues for consideration in the short and medium terms are access to infrastructure, accessibility to data and research outputs, collaboration between researchers and research communities to maximise take-up of e-Research and the need to build it into the University’s capital planning.
Pearce Family transition grants
The Board approved the establishment of the Pearce Family Transition Grants. The Grants are for disadvantaged rural and metropolitan students. A total of $15,000 will be allocated to successful candidates from 2006.
Program Development
The following program development proposals were approved:
Division of Business
Category B Amendment – Undergraduate Business Degree Core Courses
Category B Amendment – Master of Business (Tourism)
New Programs – Bachelor of Business and Enterprise and Nested Associate
Degrees (Whyalla)
New Program – Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
New Program – Master of Human Resource Management
Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences
Category B Amendment – Graduate Certificate in Languages Education
Category B Amendment – Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) in
Hong Kong
Category B Amendment – Master of Social Science (Counselling) in Hong Kong
New Program – Graduate Certificate in International Education
Division of Health Sciences
Category B Amendment – Master of Nursing and Associated Nested Postgraduate Awards
Division of IT, Engineering and the Environment
Category B Amendment – Master of Project Management
New Program – Bachelor of Computer and Information Science with TAFE
New Program – Master of Water Resource Management and Associated Nested
Postgraduate Awards
Program Withdrawal – Master of Management Information Systems