Comments on: Uni Melb Loyalists Dominate Review Committee http://savevca.org/archives/682 The VCA is in Danger... help with SaveVCA Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:04:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Robert Stephenson http://savevca.org/archives/682/comment-page-1#comment-146 Robert Stephenson Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:30:06 +0000 http://savevca.org/?p=682#comment-146 Yesterday (3/3/10) I attended an information session at VCA regarding a plan from the University, titled Towards 2011, which outlined proposed changes to the structure of academic programmes at the University and VCA. This included reducing the number of undergraduate students from two thirds of the University student population to around 50%, deleting courses with low-enrolments ( what constitutes low numbers is what I don't know), making Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) in graduate studies to be considered a bonus rather than the norm, to increase full fee paying places and remove subsidies from graduate programmes so that they have to be self sufficient and rise and fall according to market forces. When the University delegate and Prof Kristy Edmunds were asked whether there had been any market research undertaken in in the area of visual and performing arts, they couldn't say that there had been. The Towards 2011 report was released just on the Christmas break, staff have been on leave, preparing for the new year and, some this week have been attending the Adelaide Festival. Others have started classes in the first week of semester and were involved in teaching classes when the information session started. This has been the first staff briefing on this matter and feedback is to be made by a single faculty response in a week or so. This is another example where the University of Melbourne contrives reports, constructed with decisions already made allowing staff minimum time for discussion and genuine feedback. It's as though they do not trust the input, indeed the staff. Yours sincerely Robert Stephenson Lecturer Film and Television VCA ( from home e-mail) Yesterday (3/3/10) I attended an information session at VCA regarding a plan from the University, titled Towards 2011, which outlined proposed changes to the structure of academic programmes at the University and VCA. This included reducing the number of undergraduate students from two thirds of the University student population to around 50%, deleting courses with low-enrolments ( what constitutes low numbers is what I don’t know), making Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) in graduate studies to be considered a bonus rather than the norm, to increase full fee paying places and remove subsidies from graduate programmes so that they have to be self sufficient and rise and fall according to market forces. When the University delegate and Prof Kristy Edmunds were asked whether there had been any market research undertaken in in the area of visual and performing arts, they couldn’t say that there had been.

The Towards 2011 report was released just on the Christmas break, staff have been on leave, preparing for the new year and, some this week have been attending the Adelaide Festival. Others have started classes in the first week of semester and were involved in teaching classes when the information session started. This has been the first staff briefing on this matter and feedback is to be made by a single faculty response in a week or so.

This is another example where the University of Melbourne contrives reports, constructed with decisions already made allowing staff minimum time for discussion and genuine feedback. It’s as though they do not trust the input, indeed the staff.

Yours sincerely
Robert Stephenson
Lecturer
Film and Television
VCA
( from home e-mail)

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