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Values for High-Quality Teaching and Learning Policy

Please note that this policy has not yet been revised or converted to the new format.

Excellence in scholarship is the underpinning value of all educational programs at Monash University. The university’s current strategic framework ‘Monash University – Excellence and Diversity’ acknowledges this but also highlights the significance of ‘diversity’, both in the cultural backgrounds of its students and staff and through the organisational and academic breadth of the university.

More broadly, ‘Monash University – Excellence and Diversity’ identifies ten ‘institutional values’ as a focus for its strategies, which serve as guiding principles for high-quality teaching and learning through the following eight ‘teaching values’.

1. Maintaining excellence in academic standards of quality-assured programs

The university is committed to excellence in academic standards for staff and students at all levels, in all areas, all modes and at all of its locations. It also recognises the importance of a planned and systematic approach to the quality of its programs using the ‘Monash quality cycle’ as a framework for assessing their ‘fitness for purpose’.

2. Nurturing an environment for intellectual stimulation, innovation and creativity

The university seeks to provide an environment that stimulates ideas, intellectual inquiry and discovery in and across its various discipline areas in order to encourage higher levels of satisfaction and enhanced learning outcomes for both staff and students.

3. Recognising student learning needs

The university promotes a learning-oriented culture that acknowledges individual student learning styles, and focuses on active learning and student engagement, with the objective of achieving deeper learning outcomes that prepare its graduates for lifelong learning.

4. Recognising staff teaching needs

The university acknowledges that high-quality teaching requires informed and appropriately-trained staff, suitable support and services, and sufficient resources across the university.

5. Embracing organisational and cultural diversity

The university recognises the importance of its organisational diversity, with a broad range of faculties and activities across city, regional and international locations, and embraces within those an international and culturally diverse mix of staff and students. To prepare its students to be global citizens, the university provides a challenging learning context that will develop an awareness of the complexities of cultures and societies, and their alternative views.

6. Incorporating an international focus

The university recognises that its educational programs are undertaken by students from a broad range of backgrounds and origins, and is deeply committed to its responsibility to provide its graduates with the relevant attributes, knowledge and skills that will help prepare them for life in a global community.

7. Providing learning outcomes that relate to a range of key stakeholders

In the design and implementation of its educational programs, the university recognises the needs of, and where appropriate engages with, the academic community, current and prospective students, staff, employers, government, key cultural groups and professional organisations.

8. Acting with integrity and fairness

Alongside intellectual development, the university will promote and demonstrate a rich social, cultural and ethical environment.

Purpose and Rationale

These eight ‘teaching values’ have been derived from a consideration of student needs and staff aspirations, in the context of the university’s current strategic objectives and existing plans. Many of them will be self-evident to many members of the university, but they are still worth identifying, stating and celebrating. Within a broad and diverse institution, they aim to bind together the Monash University community of scholars.

Some of the values align clearly with the ten broader ‘institutional values’ in the strategic framework but in other instances the latter have been separated or combined – this has been done to ensure that the final values are applicable in the teaching and learning context, while retaining a clear connection to the institutional values.

A simple practical application of these values may be to act as a ‘checklist’ for staff as they reflect upon their own teaching practices and seek guidance for new approaches. They should also help steer those in leadership positions of teaching, such as the Education Committee, the associate deans and faculty education committees, as they consider or review policies and procedures. More generally, the values should inform the normal university planning process, for example during the development of plans for learning and teaching.

Scope

This policy applies to all undergraduate and graduate/postgraduate coursework programs, and to all staff.

Definitions

Institutional values – this term may be used in some documents as an abbreviation for the ten values outlined in the university strategic framework ‘Monash University – Excellence and Diversity’.

Teaching values – this term may be used in some documents as an abbreviation for the eight values outlined in this policy.

Governing Documents

Monash University Act 1958

Responsibilities for Implementation

At the University-wide level

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Vice-President (Administration).

At the Faculty level

Deans, Associate Deans (Teaching), Heads of Department/School.

Date Effective

Academic Board 2/2005 held on 23 March 2005.

Approval