1 CONFIRMATION OF MATERIALS RECEIVED QUALITY ASSESSMENT REVIEW - PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS - Contact Person: Professor John Hicks Institution: Charles Sturt University Address: Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, New South Wales Country: Australia Postal Code: 2795 Subject: Confirmation of materials received by the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board The Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board has received your application to the Minister for Training, Colleges and Universities to offer a degree program or part thereof in the Province of Ontario. As required under the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, the Board will assess this application in accordance with its guidelines and procedures and forward its recommendations to the Minister for consideration. Your application has been registered with the number which should be used in all subsequent correspondence. Yours faithfully, 2 1.0 ORGANIZATION AND PROGRAM INFORMATION 1.1 Submission Title Page Full Legal Name of Organization: Charles Sturt University Operating Name of Organization: Charles Sturt University Common Acronym of Organization: CSU URL For Organization Homepage: www.csu.edu.au Degree Level and Type to be awarded for program: - Master Degree Proposed Degree Nomenclature: Master of Business Administration Date of Submission: 14 April, 2007 Contact Information: Professor John Hicks Dean, Faculty of Business Charles Sturt University Bathurst, New South Wales, 2795 Australia +61 2 63 384234 phone +61 2 63 384250 fax [email protected] Site Visit Coordinator: Contact Information: Professor John Hicks Dean, Faculty of Business Charles Sturt University Bathurst, New South Wales, 2795 Australia +61 2 63 384234 phone +61 2 63 384250 fax [email protected] 3 Quality Assessment Panel Nominees The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University is happy for the Board to appoint its own Panel members for the Quality Assessment of the Application. 4 1.2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Title Page 1.1 Title Page 1.2 Table of Contents 2 Program Abstract 2.1 Executive Summary............................................................................................8 3 Program Synopsis 3.1 Program Abstract...............................................................................................13 4 Program Degree Level Standard 4.1 Program Degree Level Standard.......................................................................14 4.2 Samples of Student Work..................................................................................16 5 Admissions, Promotion, Graduation Standard 5.1.1 Admission Requirements Direct Entry...............................................................17 5.1.2 Admissions Policies and Procedures for Mature Students................................18 5.2.1 Credit Transfer/Recognition Policies and Procedures.......................................18 5.2.2 Advanced Placement Policies............................................................................19 5.2.3 Degree Completion Requirements.....................................................................19 5.2.4 Gap Analysis......................................................................................................19 5.3 Promotion and Graduation Requirements..........................................................20 6 Program Content Standard 6.1.1 Program Advisory Committee Membership.......................................................21 6.1.2 Program Development Advisory Committee Minutes........................................22 6.2.1 Professional/Accreditation or Other Requirements...........................................23 6.2.2 Letters of Support: Professional/Accreditation or other Requirements.............24 6.3.1 Program Level Learning Outcomes...................................................................24 6.3.2 Course Descriptions..........................................................................................25 6.3.3.1 Program Hour/Credit Conversion Justification..................................................26 6.3.3.2 (A and/or B) Undergraduate Academic Course Schedule (s) ..........................27 6.3.3.3 (A and/or B) Graduate Academic Course Schedule (s) ...................................28 6.4 Course Outlines................................................................................................30 6.5.1 Table: Course Outline.......................................................................................64 6.5.2 Support for Work Experience............................................................................64 6.5.3 Work Experience Outcomes and Evaluation.....................................................64 7 Program Delivery Standard 7.1.1 Quality Assurance Policies...............................................................................64 7.1.2 Policy on Student Feedback.............................................................................65 7.1.3 Student Feedback Instruments.........................................................................68 7.2.1 On-Line Learning Policies and Practices..........................................................82 7.2.2 Academic Community Policies..........................................................................82 5 8 Capacity to Deliver 8.1 Legal Characteristics........................................................................................83 8.2.1 Governance and Administrative Structure........................................................87 8.2.2 Responsibilities of Governing Bodies...............................................................88 8.2.3 Reporting Structure..........................................................................................91 8.3.1 Co-ordinated Business and Academic Plans...................................................94 8.3.2 Administrative Staff......................................................................................... 121 8.4 Participation in Academic Policies and Standards.......................................... 188 8.5.1 Library Resources........................................................................................... 171 8.5.2 Computer Access.............................................................................................184 8.5.3 Classroom Space.............................................................................................184 8.5.4 Laboratory/Equipment (where applicable)...................................................... 184 8.6 Resource Renewal and Upguiding..................................................................184 8.7 Support Services..............................................................................................184 8.8 Policies on Faculty...........................................................................................185 8.9.1 CV Release......................................................................................................207 8.9.2 A Curriculum Vitae Exceptions........................................................................... 208 8.9.2 B Curriculum Vitae for Faculty Responsible for Teaching and Curriculum for DW Courses....................................................................................................208 8.9.2 C Curriculum Vitae for Faculty Responsible for Teaching and Curriculum for DO and DL Courses........................................................................................209 8.9.2.D Curriculum Vitae for Program Development Consultants................................290 8.9.2 E Curriculum Vitae for On-Line Learning Professional and Professional and Technical Staff.........................................................................................290 ....... 9 Credential Recognition Standard 9.1 Program Design and Credential Recognition.................................................291 10 Regulation and Accreditation Standard 10.1.1 Current Regulatory or Licencing Requirements..............................................293 10.1.2 Letters of Support from Regulatory/Licencing Bodies.....................................294 11 Program Evaluation Standard 11.1 Periodic Review Policy and Schedule.............................................................295 12 Academic Freedom and Integrity Standard 12.1.1 Academic Freedom Policy...............................................................................296 12.1.2 Academic Honesty Policy.................................................................................297 12.1.3 Academic Honesty Procedures........................................................................299 12.2 Policy on Intellectual Products.........................................................................300 12.3 Policy on Ethical Research Practices...............................................................308 13 Student Protection Standard 13.1 Academic Calendar Information...................................................................... 313 13.2.1 Dispute Resolution.......................................................................................... 313 13.2.2 Fees and Charges...........................................................................................314 13.2.3 Student Dismissal............................................................................................319 6 13.2.4 Withdrawals and Refunds..............................................................................330 13.3. Student Protection Information......................................................................332 14 Optional Material 14.1 Student Transcript Protection........................................................................348 14.2.1 Plan for Record Management........................................................................352 14.2.2 Plan for 75 year Accessibility.........................................................................362 14.2.3 Plan for Weekly Record Back-up...................................................................363 14.2.4 Accuracy of e-records....................................................................................364 14.3.1 Third-Party Record Keeper............................................................................365 14.3.2 Verification of Agreement...............................................................................366 Appendix A: Web Addresses for sections referred to in this application....................................................................................367 Appendix B: Charles Sturt University Annual Report 2005.............................................................................................................386 7 2.1 Executive Summary Proposed Credential Nomenclature: MBA Specify Discipline/Field of Study: Business Is a work experience/work placement term required for the degree completion? NO Anticipated Program Start Date: September 2007 Overview Charles Sturt University (CSU) was established as Australia’s 26th University on 19 July 1989 by the Charles Sturt University Act (NSW) and is a statutory corporation. The Act brought together the Mitchell College of Advanced Education located in the City of Bathurst, and the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education located in the Cities of Wagga Wagga and Albury/Wodonga. The Act also required the University to establish a new campus in the City of Dubbo, New South Wales. The name of the University honours the Scottish explorer, soldier and public servant, Charles Sturt, who undertook extensive exploration of areas of eastern Australia previously unknown to European settlers. He was particularly associated with explorations of the Macquarie, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Darling and Murray River Systems which flow to the west. These are the principal rivers of the region which CSU was established to serve. The University was originally created as a federated, network university with semi-independent member campuses and a central administration. Amendments to the Act in 1998 now encapsulate in the legislation a new structure of the University that evolved during the University’s first ten years of operation. The new structure may be described as an integrated, multi-campus structure in which the major academic units, the Faculties, are represented on at least three campuses of the University and the administrative divisions have University-wide rather than campus-specific responsibilities. As required by the Act, the University operates main campuses in the cities of Albury- Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga in the state of New South Wales. CSU also operates from other locations in the state of New South Wales, including the City of Sydney, Manly, Goulburn, Morpeth and Broken Hill and in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in the City of Canberra. The University’s headquarters, the Chancellory, known as The Grange which houses the Vice-Chancellor’s office, is located on the Bathurst Campus. The Faculty of Business is one of the four Facuties of the University. The Annual Report for the University for 2005 is attached to this application as Appendix B The Mission Charles Sturt University will be a bold and innovative leader in providing an accessible, adaptable and challenging learning environment to develop graduates and research that meet the needs of its regional, national and international communities (CSU Strategic Planning, 2007-2011). The University seeks to achieve this mission by committing itself to, and being accountable for: 8 • providing a student centred educational environment to develop highly employable graduates who will be able to contribute to the economic, social and cultural life of their University and wider communities and have the capacity for, and commitment to, continued personal and professional development; • producing high quality research of significance to its regions and the professions, and of national and international distinction; • undertaking dynamic and sustainable regional engagement; and • ensuring effective resource management and generation. The key values relevant to Charles Sturt University achieving its mission are: • the discovery, preservation, refinement, and dissemination of knowledge through teaching, research and scholarly inquiry, which draw strength from each other; • social justice - equity of opportunity, tolerance, ethical conduct, accountability; • intellectual independence and freedom of enquiry; • personal, regional, national and international enrichment; • economic, social and environmental sustainability; and • participation, cooperation and collaboration. Summary of the MBA Program This trimester structured two year, part-time graduate entry program has been highly successful in developing managers in Australia and southern and eastern Asia. The program has also been undertaken by a number of Canadians, primarily from Ontario, who have participated directly by Distance Education. The proposal to offer the program with a residential in Ontario is consistent with the University’s mission and a key strategy of the Faculty of Business Strategic Plan 2007-2011 to become a leading, high quality international provider of tertiary programs in business education. Currently, CSU offers programs in higher education organizations in countries, such as, China, Croatia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Switzerland and to individual students studying with the University directly by Distance Education in Canada, USA, South Africa, Zimbabwe, UK, and countries of the Middle East. The MBA curriculum is designed to cover the key areas necessary for management in business for university graduates who may not have a business education background or for graduates who need to enhance their undergraduate business education experiences in order to fill management related positions in a wide range of contexts in public and private sectors in small to large organizations. The program consists of 12 subjects each of which seeks to enhance the capacity of students to develop knowledge and skills to be a competent executive in a business context. The strengths of the CSU MBA program include: • its proven track record in producing high quality graduates sought after by business and government in Australia and other countries referred to above; 9 • the flexibility in program completion which permits students to undertake one of more subjects in an enrolment period to suit their work and other commitments; • a curriculum that develops students further in business related knowledge and skills which can make a positive, ethical difference to organizational outcomes; • use of flexible modes of delivery such as print and online media; and • interaction between staff and students and among students through the online medium of subject forums and local seminars. The delivery of the program in Ontario is based on a multimedia model using online, print and interactive media along with local seminars and consultation to complement the assistance and mentoring from CSU based staff using e-mails, web forums, phone and facsimiles. The students are required to attend for 120 hours over their course to present and experience seminars, participate in interactive workshops and engage with their facilliators in a range of other appropriate learning experiences through direct personal contact with program staff and other students. Offering the Charles Sturt University’s MBA program in Ontario is an extension of the program already available throughout the world by Distance Education and available through partner institutions in Asia, Europe, and Africa. As discussed earlier in the submission, a number of Canadians have already undertaken the MBA program. The offering of the program in Canada is entirely consistent with the Mission and Values of the University which seeks to enhance its growing international reputation and be an active participant in the globalization of higher education. Program Recognition The CSU MBA program is recognised by Commonwealth of Australian Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and is subject to cross institutional evaluation in the Australian University Quality Assurance Process (AUQA) process required of all publicly funded Australian Universities. Employment Prospects The MBA program is designed primarily for students who are already in employment to meet their needs for enhanced business skills and knowledge. Graduates of the MBA are well equipped to meet the demands of more responsible management and related positions. Capacity to Deliver The Faculty of Business at CSU already delivers the program in Australia by distance education and throughout the world directly and through partner organizations Subjects in the program are well designed and have benefited from the constant review and upgrading as a result of staff, student and professional feedback and comment. A detailed subject teaching package containing guidance notes, instructional materials and a collection of readings along with assignments and criteria for assessment, is provided to each student both as hard copy and online. The packages include notes and Readings and all students are provided with the prescribed textbook. Staff may also provide a CD ROM or DVD ROM version. Additional materials may also be provided through the on-line Forum in each subject. The CSU Sub-Dean, MBA, and staff coordinating each subject, will ensure, that information technology and library facilities are appropriate for the cohort. Suitably qualified additional staff will be recruited for the Burlington Campus of CSU on a sessional basis where required as local tutors and mentors. 10 The full administrative, information technology and financial services of CSU will be available to support the program. Overall, the program will be monitored by the Sub-Dean, CSU MBA Program, the CSU Faculty of Business, the MBA Board of Studies, the MBA Advisory Board, the CSU Faculty of Business Board and the Dean of the Faculty, Professor John Hicks. Enrolment Patterns This is a trimester based two year part-time graduate entry program available to graduates wishing to enhance their management and related business knowledge, skills and capacities. Projected student numbers in Canada are: Year 1 20 students 1 FTE Faculty Year 2 40 students 2 FTE Faculty Year 3 60 students 3 FTE Faculty Year 4 80 students 4 FTE Faculty There have been a small number of enrolled MBA students who have undertaken the program by Distance Education with Charles Sturt University from Ontario. A range of recruitment strategies were used to attract these students and it is proposed to continue with similar strategies to recruit students into the on-campus Distance Education program in Ontario. Recruitment will be handled by the University directly through its world wide Website, by staff from the CSU Campuses in Australia. Recruitment to the program may include following techniques. • Dissemination of information on the MBA program in the media in Ontario. - Advertisements in Ontario newspapers; - Advertisements in student campus newspapers; - Presentation and information sessions conducted by the Dean and staff of the Faculty of Charles Sturt University at various locations across Ontario; and - Maintenance by Charles Sturt University of web-based information about the University, the Faculty and the MBA. Financial Capacity This program is offered with the approval and full financial support of the Charles Sturt University Council, its Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. The University is financially well managed with an annual budget of AUD $150 million (2006) in surplus and is confident it can deliver a high quality MBA program by Distance Education with the prescribed residential at the CSU Campus in the Bay Area Learning Centre, Burlington, Ontario. It should be noted, of course, that the program will be offered on a full fee-paying basis and the fee structure is based on calculations by the Executive Director of Financial Services at CSU to ensure its viability and commercial success. CSU, with extensive overseas operations, has been very cautious and conservative in the establishment and management of its international programs. However, the University is convinced that the MBA in Ontario will be highly successful. The financial position of the university is appended.