 |
Education at Flinders
A guide to the principles and policy framework
for education and teaching and learning.
EDUCATION PRINCIPLES:
RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Essential to high quality education is that staff and students combine to create an enjoyable and productive teaching and learning environment. Both staff and students are charged with responsibilities, with those of one group implying rights of the other. Students and staff are provided with, and are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with, University statements with regard to their rights and responsibilities. Obligations extend beyond delineated lists of rules to encompass more general obligations to conduct oneself fairly and honestly in the academic environment and in an ethical and appropriate manner in any personal relationships that may exist between individuals. A range of processes for the handling of appeals, grievances and complaints, and disciplinary matters has been adopted by the University to support a high quality teaching and learning environment and to ensure that appropriate conduct is maintained.
The University encourages the resolution of disputes and grievances by informal means as much as possible. The University recognises that students and staff have a right to be supported at both the informal and formal stages of grievance resolution and in the handling of complaints and appeals.
Key Principles
- Academic and administrative staff of the University have the following responsibilities, as appropriate:
- to ensure the publication and distribution to students of clear, accurate and timely information concerning relevant regulations, policies, procedures and expectations, and on other matters affecting their studies;
- to make time available for giving advice to and for supervising individual students;
- to develop students' knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes as defined in the aims of the University, course, major and topic, by providing them with teaching programs, course materials, activities and tasks appropriate to the development of these attributes;
- to provide students with opportunities to be involved in the structuring of their own learning experiences, and encourage them to take joint responsibility for their own learning;
- to acknowledge diversity of the prior knowledge, abilities and backgrounds of students in planning teaching activities;
- to assist students to learn from assessment tasks by providing them with timely and constructive feedback;
- to be available to discuss assessment results with students or to arrange for a fully briefed delegate to be available for that purpose;
- to encourage and enable students to evaluate their own and each other's work critically;
- to strive for a high level of performance in their teaching, and to seek and pay attention to feedback from students about the effectiveness and appropriateness of teaching programs;
- to implement University policy on equal opportunity to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or characteristics, have an equal opportunity to learn and to demonstrate that learning;
- to respect the right of students to express views and opinions;
- to demonstrate concern for the welfare and progress of individual students;
- to ensure that they avoid situations where family, sexual or other close personal relationships with students could influence academic or professional judgements and decisions and the climate in which the learning/teaching process occurs; and
- to reflect upon and respond constructively to student feedback on teaching and supervision.
- Students of the University have the following responsibilities:
- to apply themselves to their studies to the best of their abilities;
- to become familiar with the rules and regulations governing the degree in which they are enrolled and to ensure that the subjects selected meet the degree requirements;
- to be aware of the policies and practices of the University and of any faculty and academic unit in which they are enrolled and which are contained in the materials and information made available to them;
- to be aware of and adhere to the rules and regulations concerning the use of University computing, library and other facilities, as set out in published material;
- to meet deadlines for work to be submitted;
- to take the initiative and consult appropriately when problems arise;
- to develop knowledge of procedures that can facilitate learning in their chosen area of study;
- to submit original work for assessment without plagiarising or cheating;
- to attend lectures, tutorials and seminars for each topic in which they are enrolled, in the case of on-campus students;
- to accept shared responsibility with staff for their own learning;
- to contribute to the development of University programs and policies by participating in consultative and deliberative processes in a responsible and ethical manner;
- to be aware of the University's commitment to equal opportunity and to demonstrate tolerance and respect for all members of the University community;
- to respect the right of staff members to express views and opinions; and
- to respect the working environment of all others in all areas of the University.
- Students have the responsibility to conduct themselves honestly in the academic environment. Strict penalties will be imposed upon students who are found to have acted dishonestly, for example by cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication or falsification of data. At the same time, the University recognises that there will be occasions when some acts which formally constitute academic dishonesty, particularly plagiarism, may arise from genuine ignorance of the use of academic conventions. This does not mean that the University will accept ignorance as an excuse. Therefore it remains the obligation of all students to understand and respect the rules concerning academic dishonesty. However it does mean that assessors who reach the view that an act of plagiarism or other form of academic dishonesty has resulted from a misunderstanding of academic conventions rather than being a deliberate act of deception, may deal with the matter in a way commensurate with further educating students as to information literacy skills and the appropriate academic conventions, but at the same time ensuring that the mark for the work concerned reflects its deficiencies in this regard.
- Staff also have the responsibility to conduct themselves honestly in the academic environment. It will be regarded as a form of research misconduct for a staff member to plagiarise or otherwise fail to accord appropriate acknowledgment of work primarily produced by others, including students.
- Close personal or sexual relationships between staff and students may raise serious questions regarding conflict of interest, trust, confidence and dependency in working relations and equal treatment in teaching, learning, selection, assessment and research. As a matter of ethics and professionalism, the University is committed to processes for the management of such relationships in order to safeguard staff membersÕ work relationships and to secure the interests of students enrolled in academic programs within the University.
- The University will have in place fair processes for the regulation of general student conduct and the initiation of disciplinary procedures where necessary. Correspondingly, mechanisms will exist to receive, investigate and attempt to fairly resolve complaints raised from students about academic and administrative matters, which may include assessment; student progress; student enrolment load; credit transfer; academic dishonesty; higher degree and other research program grievances; intellectual property disputes; and allegations of research misconduct and fraud. Appropriate appeal mechanisms will also be in place.
- The University will provide fair and transparent processes for handling complaints and grievances relating to equal opportunity matters and matters of unlawful discrimination, as these affect the academic environment.
- In the UniversityÕs handling of complaints, appeals and disciplinary procedures, students, as appropriate to their situation, will be entitled to seek advice, advocacy and support from the Academic Rights Officer of the Students' Association and the Research Officer of the Flinders Postgraduate Students' Association.
- Staff and students, as relevant, are required to be aware of and conform to the responsibilities that arise pursuant to a range of other policies, rules and guidelines adopted by the University, including:
- administrative processes, services and facilities provided by the University;
- safety and welfare;
- access to student information;
- freedom of information;
- use of information and communication technology, facilities, networks and services offered by or through the University;
- use of buildings, facilities and equipment; and
- use of University Library materials and services.
Flinders University Policies and Plans
Other Key Documents
Flinders University documents
Nov 07
|
