2007 Annual report (PDF 8.1 Mb) - University of Melbourne

LEARNING &
teACHING
> Review the success of offering a
restricted number of Access Scholarships
in December 2006 to determine if all
Access Scholarships can be awarded in
December 2007 (for the undergraduate
cohort commencing in 2008)
Achievements
2007 was the third year of Access
Melbourne. Through the Access Melbourne
Scheme, the University aims to admit 20
per cent of its undergraduate CSP intake
from applicants who have experienced
disadvantage during their secondary
schooling. Of those admitted, one in five
is awarded a scholarship. In 2007, Access
Melbourne enrolments totalled 1077,
representing 20.1 per cent of the CSP
intake. Two hundred and one of these were
awarded Access Scholarships.
The Access Melbourne program for
undergraduates will be extended to
graduate students in 2008 with a minimum
20 per cent of the CSPs in professional
degrees to be allocated to Graduate Access
Melbourne applicants. Up to 100 one-off
bursaries of $5000 will also be awarded to
Access Melbourne applicants enrolling in
graduate programs to assist in meeting the
costs associated with graduate study.
In 2006 a pilot program offering a
restricted number of Melbourne Access
Scholarships was instigated to determine
whether it would be feasible to award all
Access Scholarships in December. The
Undergraduate Scholarships Committee’s
review of the pilot offering found that the
early offers were only partly successful
due to selection differences between
universities and workload issues for the
Scholarships Office.
Indigenous students
Strategic Priority
> Ensure that the University attains its
target to recruit 30 Indigenous Australian
students in 2007
Achievements
The recruitment, retention, experience
and success of Indigenous Australian
students remains a priority for Melbourne.
The University’s Centre for Indigenous
Education (CIE) is the key focus of the
University’s strategy to increase Indigenous
student participation. The Centre has
developed strong collaborative relationships
with Aboriginal communities as well as
Indigenous academic staff and units within
the University. The CIE has gradually
strengthened links with Trinity Residential
College, with the number of Indigenous
students in residency increasing from two in
2001 to 10 in 2007.
The University attained its target to recruit
30 Indigenous students in 2007 with
a total of 34 students from Aboriginal
or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
commencing undergraduate studies. The
University recognises that there is room for
improvement in this important area.
Victorian universities are developing a
coordinated approach to Indigenous student
recruitment, and it is envisaged that a more
synchronised recruitment scheme will boost
enrolments across the sector.
Students with Disabilities
Strategic Priority
> Report to PBC on implementation of
2004-07 Disability Action Plan
Achievements
The Disability Action Plan 2008-11 endorsed
by the Academic Board in June 2007 will
build on the successes of the 2004-07
Disability Action Plan in achieving significant
improvements in the participation of
students with disabilities. Based on the
DEST-defined disability groups: Hearing,
Vision, Learning, Mobility and Medical
(Mental Health Conditions forming a
subgroup of the Medical Category), the
new Plan tackles key issues impacting on
these groups, identified from feedback
mechanisms built into the earlier plan. One
of the 2004-2007 Plan’s most important
outcomes was the development of
guidelines to cater for students undertaking
subjects with practicum or independent
research activities as an integral component.
During 2007 facilities for deaf students were
significantly improved with the extension
of the Live Remote Captioning (LRC)
service across the University. LRC works by
capturing audio information from a teaching
environment and converting it to text by a
stenocaptioner. The text is then streamed to
a computer using the internet. The process
happens in real time with minimal delay and
the words appear on screen with 98 per
cent accuracy.
Identify and Implement
initiatives to enhance the
Melbourne Experience
Strategic Priorities
> Develop a strategy on opportunities for
student engagement through residential
colleges
> Consider, in light of CSHE
recommendations, the methodology of a
Melbourne Experience survey measuring
attitudes on the cohort experience to be
administered by the end of students’ first
year
> Implement the Melbourne Experience
Committee recommendations on
transition activities including orientation
and capstone programs
> Further define and measure the concept
of ‘a cohort experience’ and develop
cohort experience initiatives
Achievements
The Melbourne Experience is at the heart
of all Melbourne degrees. The University
aims to:
> provide students with a variety of
opportunities for becoming global citizens
through increased opportunities to study
overseas;
> encourage students to develop friendship
networks through group work and peer
mentoring programs;
> provide exciting and innovative e-
experiences, access to learning centres,
and support for e-learning communities;
> strengthen students’ links outside the
University, through internships, on
location subject delivery and volunteering.
Table 5: Indigenous students Enrolments and Completions
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Enrolments 166 222 231 239 276 245 236 192
Completions 36 43 65 63 67 55 57 59 (est)
The University of Melbourne Annual Report 2007 37