Contents

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1    Preamble

2    Primary Project Types

3    Selected Requirements

4    Roles and Responsibilities

      4.1    Administrative Units

      4.2    Project Teams

5    Reporting

      5.1    Annual Reports

      5.2    Financial Reports

      5.3    Reporting Process

6    Further Assistance

 

 

1             Preamble

In support of the International Plan 2004-2006, the University has adopted procedures for managing teaching partnerships and international projects (except for research-only projects).  Three phases of management are recognised as follows:

• Proposal Stage

• Ongoing Operations

• Annual Review

At each phase people across the University have different responsibilities.  Proposals are also subject to the requirements of the Entrepreneurial Committee.

Since this document will evolve frequently, please view the latest version at www.une.edu.au/DVCi/Projects/IPM.htm.

2             Primary Project Types

Standard formal agreements are used for the following relationships.

2.1     Pathways to UNE

• Foreign institutions are well aware of the importance of international education.  A path for their students to a UNE course, with or without advanced standing, demonstrates credibility for the institution and adds value for its students.  For UNE, pathways provide a managed source of students but with fewer responsibilities than would be the case for students who are admitted to a UNE course overseas.

• Pathway relationships also involve collaboration between staff colleagues on matters such as curriculum and assessment advice, accreditation, short visits, guest lectures, seminars, and cooperative research.  They do not necessarily involve intellectual property.

• A pathways agreement specifies particular ‘from’ and ‘to’ courses.  Credit is expressed in points and the net course duration at UNE.  Ideally the net course duration would be for two years; however the level of credit should solely depend on a thorough academic assessment of the prior learning.

2.2     Teaching Partnerships

• Partnership arrangements for UNE course delivery outside Armidale (e.g. in Hong Kong, Vietnam, MIT at Sydney, and at Shafston College) use the partner’s resources and location.

• Students are enrolled in a UNE course and are regarded as students of the University.

2.3     Exchange Agreements

• Exchange programs directly benefit participants and indirectly benefit the Armidale student population through cultural mixing.

• Outgoing and incoming student numbers should be reasonably balanced.

• The programs are administered through the International Marketing and Pathways unit with oversight provided by an Exchange Committee which reports to the International Committee.

2.4     MOUs, Enabling Agreements, Letters of Intent

• If a proposed relationship is of substance, it should be governed by a full agreement.  If it is of little substance, it is more than likely that the management costs will outweigh the benefits.  Therefore, the University is reluctant to approve MOUs, Enabling Agreements and Letters of Intent.

3             Selected Requirements

• Staff members are encouraged to identify potential collaborative partnerships but should not make undertakings without following Faculty and University due processes.

• All draft documents that might lead to an agreement or formal understanding with an educational entity must include the following text on the first page: This document is a draft only, is not binding, is subject to change, and has not been accepted by the University of New England.  Until you receive a signed copy and are advised by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development and International) that it has been approved, current and prospective students must not be offered or promised any benefits or options that might become available after approval is given.

• Only the Vice-Chancellor or a person authorised in writing by the Vice-Chancellor may sign an agreement or statement of intent with a foreign educational institution, company or agency.

• All new and renewed agreements require a business plan and include minimum performance requirements that, if not met, trigger termination of the agreement.

• All prevailing UNE policies and regulations, including academic and English language admission requirements, apply at all teaching locations and are not a matter for contractual specification or waiver.  Agreements must not duplicate elements of specific UNE or Faculty rules and regulations.

• Only one agreement may exist at any one time with any one institution that involves international students.  Agreements may cover multiple courses and Faculties.  The addition of a course to an existing agreement should be flagged as a major amendment to the course and routed through the Academic Board’s Teaching & Learning Committee; once approved, the course can be formally added to the agreement.

• Fees are to be set annually by recommendation of the UNE fees committee to the Vice-Chancellor.  Indicative fee levels can be included in an agreement but are subject to periodic change at UNE's discretion.

• No dual-badged or double awards are currently approved, but these may be acceptable if the number of students and benefits to UNE are substantial.  The Vice-Chancellor's committee will decide on acceptability.

4             Roles and Responsibilities

Each project is directly managed by a Project Team, normally comprising a Team Leader (the term advocate should be avoided as it implies bias) and nominees of the Executive Dean, DVC (D&I), Student Administration and Services, and Financial Services.  Partnerships involving multiple courses and/or multiple faculties are treated as one project.

Various administrative units support the project.  These units have set out their responsibilities as part of the structured approach set out later in this document, and may seek to refine their responsibilities over time, however changes are only regarded as acceptable provided they are published on this web site.

It is the responsibility of the Project Team to manage the project in all its aspects, with reliance on, and giving inputs to, administrative units as per the defined functions.  Teams and administrative units will separately undertake annual reviews in relation to their responsibilities.  Projects should be assessed on the basis of net present value, internal rate of return, estimated risk, partner capacity, effect on reputation, and strategy.  More detail on Teams and their responsibilities is available.

 

4.1     Roles of Administrative Units

Heads of Units define specific responsibilities in the domain of their unit.  The format for defining each responsibility is:

1.     Brief Description of Responsibility

2.     Proposal

2.1. Inputs

2.2. Outputs

3.     On-going

3.1. Inputs

3.2. Outputs

4.     Annual

4.1. Inputs

4.2. Outputs 

A Responsibility is one function of the unit.  Inputs are data or information required for the unit to meet the responsibility (e.g. information to be supplied by the project team).  Outputs are data, information or analyses supplied by the unit to meet the responsibility.  Responsibilities of administrative units are set out in documents hyperlinked as follows:

• English Language and International Services

• Financial Services Directorate

• International Marketing and Pathways

• Library Services

• Marketing and Public Affairs

• Planning and Institutional Research

• Student Administration and Services

• Teaching and Learning Centre

For example, MAPA might identify one of its responsibilities as follows:

1.     Responsibility: Compliance with UNE brand policy

2.     Proposal

2.1. Inputs: Description from the project team on how the UNE name will be used

2.2. Outputs: in conjunction with the legal office, incorporation in the contract document of clauses to protect the UNE name consistent with brand policy

3.     On-going

3.1. Inputs: copies of all proposed brochures and advertisements

3.2. Outputs: approval (or modification) of proposed brochures and advertisements

4.     Annual

4.1. Inputs: notification of all web sites that mention the project

4.2. Outputs: an assessment of the project’s compliance with UNE brand policy

Heads of Units are to report annually to the DVC (D&I) separately for each project.  Within each report include one section for each of the unit's defined responsibilities, including comment on the fulfilment of that responsibility.

4.2     Roles of Project Teams

Teams carry primary responsibility for managing the project in all its dimensions, including providing the inputs required by administrative units as set out in the previous section and relying on the units' defined outputs.  Since Team Leaders and Executive Dean’s Nominees will normally be at Faculty or School level, they will have additional responsibilities as specified by their Executive Dean or Head of School.  Executive Dean's nominees are expected to keep the Executive Dean informed about the project.  Further details of team membership and roles are available here.

Team membership is established and changed from time to time.  Although members are nominated from different administrative units and their reporting lines are not altered by their team roles, they are to work within the team and project environment to ensure overall coordination.  Team Leaders are to ensure that their team meets in real time at least four times each year.

The team is also responsible for conducting an annual review and presenting the results to the DVC (D&I) via the Team Leader.  Timelines are set out below.  All team members should contribute to, and receive a final copy of, the team's report.  The review document is to include in order the following sections:

Contract Management

• Appropriateness of the contract (include comments by both parties), including flagging any contractual areas needing attention or alteration

• Compliance of both parties with the contract (include comments by both parties), including any difficulties in implementing the contract

Accreditation and Legal

• Compliance with the AVCC Code of Practice in the Provision of Education to International Students.  Consider each element of the code and describe how it is being met

• Compliance with the Council of Europe Code of Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education.  Consider each element of the code and describe how it is being met

• Compliance with the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students.  Read through this code and comment on compliance

• Compliance with the Australian Qualifications Framework.  Read through this code and comment on compliance

• Course accreditation by relevant professional and national bodies

• Compliance with relevant laws (seek advice if unsure)

Educational Outcomes

• Summary of educational outcomes by unit and course as determined through the normal review processes set out in UNE Policy on Teaching & Research Quality Assurance Reviews of Units, Courses, Schools, Research Centres/Institutes and Faculties.  If unit or course reviews have not been yet required by that policy, it is sufficient to report the timelines of future reviews

• Adequacy of UNE- and partner-provided support services

Business & Financial Plan

• Variations, if any, to the most recent business plan.  If no business plan has previously been prepared, one should be submitted with the Team's annual report.  The format is available here.

• Summary of new-to-course, continuing and total enrolments (in EFTSL by intake cohort and by course) for the previous three years or since project commencement, whichever period is the shorter

• Financial plan for the next three calendar years (including enrolment numbers and cash flow projections).  This is to follow the prescribed methods and should include four future scenarios: optimistic, realistic, pessimistic and worst case.  The Financial Services Directorate will provide assistance

• Current and future resource requirements

  Risk assessment, using the University's standard Risk Assessment processes.  Designated risks are to include the following standard set of risks.  This does not preclude other risks being identified.

  Contractual

      Appropriateness of contract

      Adequacy of phase-out provisions

  Market position & reputation

      Market position

      Reputation (govt., students, community, partner)

  Project outcomes

      Financial loss

      Financial performance

  Partner performance

      Performance

      Payment of monies due

  UNE performance

      Capacity to deliver

      Admin. support

      Tracking of students

      Issuance of timely invoices

      Litigation against the University

  Compliance

      Internal requirements

      Codes of Practice

      Australian Qualifications Framework

      Course accreditation by external bodies

      Compliance with relevant laws

  Educational arrangements and outcomes

      Outcomes by unit

      Outcomes by course

  Adequacy of student support services

  Business & Financial Plan

      Business plan

      Financial plan

  Current and future resource requirements

Any other relevant matters

5     Reporting

5.1 Annual Reports

• Annual reports for the most recent calendar year are due on the third Friday of January, and are to be provided to the Entrepreneurial Office.  Teams and units are strongly encouraged to work on these towards the end of the review period, in September-November, rather than waiting until summer

5.2 Financial Reports

• The method to be followed is set out here.  It requires entry of all direct costs, including costs of salaried time, into the financial management system
• Six-monthly financial statements will be produced by the Financial Services Directorate in consultation with relevant Faculty resource coordinators.  One set of financial statements is to be prepared for each project.  A copy of the relevant report will be supplied to the Team.  All such financial statements are confidential to the Team, to Heads of Schools, and to Executive Deans
• Reports for the period 1 January-30 June are due on the third Friday of July; reports for the period 1 July-31 December are due on the third Friday of January

5.3 Reporting Process

• Annual reports are to be prepared by the Project Team and by administrative units and sent to the Entrepreneurial Office (EO).  Administrative units are advised to send one report per project, not one report in total.
• The EO will compile one comprehensive report per project, and send it (without analysis) to the relevant Team Leader for consideration by the Team.  Both the Team and the administrative units might choose to change their respective contributions following any discussions that may occur.
• The updated comprehensive report is to be returned to the EO.  The EO will then prepare an analysis document of the report in a standard 2-4 page format (and not by annotation in the document).
• The EO's analysis plus the comprehensive report will be sent to PVCs for consideration within the Faculty.  PVCs may refer any matter back to the Teams for refinement of the report (or actions) as they choose.  PVCs will either send an updated report to the EO, or will advise the EO of actions that are planned.
• The EO will prepare a summary of the final report, plus a summary of all projects, for consideration by the Entrepreneurial Committee.

6 Further assistance

The Entrepreneurial Office provides further information on its website (UNE only) and may be contacted for assistance.

This document was updated on 11 February 2007

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DVC (D&I)