• Section 1 - Definitions
• Section 2 - Policy Statement
• Part A - Policy Declaration
• Part B - Policy Description
• Objectives
• Scope
• Part C - Content and Implementation
• Section 3 - Procedures

Section 1 - Definitions

(1) For the purpose of this Policy:

1. Client - the School that owns the Course into which the service Unit is being delivered.
2. Provider - the School/s providing the service Unit.
3. Service teaching: describes any arrangement for the design and/or provision of a Unit or part of a Unit to students from another School in order to achieve the objectives of the Course.
4. Service Unit - any Unit included in a Course in order to achieve the objectives of the Course that is provided by a School other than the School that owns the Course.
5. Shared teaching - describes a specific arrangement where two or more schools agree to jointly own a Unit. This joint ownership is recorded on the Unit statement and student records system.
6. Subject - topic of expertise.

Section 2 - Policy Statement

Part A - Policy Declaration

(2) This Policy defines the structures and processes for the development, delivery and management of service and shared teaching within the University. The aim of this policy is to ensure the provision of high quality and relevant learning by staff recognised as expert in a given subject area but in a discipline-specific context through collaboration between the subject expert and the School hosting the Course.

(3) The provision of high quality service teaching removes unnecessary duplication of Units and provides benefits to the University in the efficient use of resources, including staff, finances, equipment and teaching spaces.

Part B - Policy Description

Objectives

(4) The principles underpinning this Policy are:

1. Duplication of content and Units should be avoided.
2. Expertise for a given subject area should be limited to the School recognised as expert in that subject.
3. High quality and relevant teaching and learning can be enhanced by:
   1. consultation and collaboration between the subject experts and those offering the Course on the content, objectives, teaching and learning arrangements and assessment of service Units;
   2. ensuring that the most appropriate School/s contribute to the teaching of a Unit or a Course;
   3. ensuring that appropriate consultation occurs at all levels of the University when Courses and Units are being developed and delivered.
4. Service teaching arrangements should arise from a collaboration between the provider and the client that results in mutual benefits. All parties have a responsibility to ensure a satisfactory outcome for service teaching.
5. The existence of a particular area of study in a given School does not imply exclusive ownership of that subject area where the application of that knowledge is multidisciplinary.

Scope

(5) This policy applies to all Schools and all Coursework degrees and includes any arrangement where two or more schools have entered into a shared teaching arrangement.

Part C - Content and Implementation

(6) A service teaching arrangement should be negotiated when:

1. substantial content of an existing Unit or Units in a given School coincides with that of a proposed Unit or Units in another School;
2. substantial content of a proposed Unit or Units from a given School coincides with the subject matter of the discipline or professional area of another School. The other School may need to modify or create a Unit to meet the teaching and learning requirements of the proposed Unit/s.
3. substantial content of a proposed Unit or Units from a given School overlaps with the subject matter of the disciplines or professional areas of both the given School and another School i.e. it includes material that is multi-disciplinary in nature.

(7) Service and shared teaching arrangements should be mutually beneficial to all Schools and as such may take on a number of different forms:

1. a generic Unit owned, designed and fully service taught by the provider School to a client or range of clients;
2. a Unit owned and fully service taught by the provider School but customised with involvement from the client School/s to provide relevant and appropriate discipline-specific context, examples and applications;
3. a Unit that is co-taught as a result of a formal shared teaching arrangement.

(8) Unit and Course development resulting from the establishment of a service teaching arrangement will be in accordance with established procedures and include documentation of the associated consultation process. As part of Course development and amendment:

1. Academic Boards are responsible for ensuring that Unit duplication and proliferation does not occur through the establishment of appropriate service teaching arrangements for that Schools' Courses;
2. each Head of School is responsible for initiating discussions for potential service teaching provision as part of the Schools' Course and Unit review and development requirements.

(9) Service teaching arrangements will be subject to University budget requirements whereby the client School retains 10% of the teaching income associated with the Unit and the provider School receives 90% of the income. This arrangement may be varied by agreement between the appropriate Schools where a shared teaching arrangement has been established.

(10) Evaluation of service Units will be subject to the University requirements for Unit evaluation.

(11) Where it is determined that a reduction or withdrawal from a service teaching arrangement is required through Course review or amendment, adequate notice and consultation with the provider must be undertaken. Evidence of this consultation will form part of the documentation associated with the Course/Unit amendment.

Section 3 - Procedures

(12) Service teaching arrangements should be the result of a process of negotiation between each relevant Head of School and relevant teaching staff and may be documented as a formal service agreement between the relevant Schools.

(13) The following should be clearly determined to the satisfaction of both parties for the service Units in question:

1. ownership of the Unit;
2. responsibility for determining the Unit objectives, content, teaching and learning arrangements and assessment;
3. the role of the Unit in the Course i.e. core, part of a major sequence etc.
4. any shared teaching arrangements;
5. financial arrangements [see clause (9)]
6. responsibility for reviewing units following evaluation;
7. structures and mechanisms to monitor and ensure the ongoing satisfaction with the arrangement e.g. joint review of student evaluation data, joint moderation of student assessment, shared Unit coordination responsibilities;
8. consultation processes should any amendment to the Unit be required either as a result of changes to the Course in which the Unit is taught [see clause (10)] or changes within the provider school (e.g. availability of teaching staff);
9. timeframes for consultation and methods of notification should changes be required;
10. identification of staff designated to liaise on each aspect of the arrangement and the mechanisms and frequency of that liaison.

(14) Where either the client or the provider are dissatisfied with some aspect of the arrangement, each Head of School, in consultation with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic Innovation), will be responsible for determining mutually agreed improvements and strategies for their achievement.