Student-staff consultation forum, 8 May 2008
Students, staff and other members of the University were invited to participate in an open consultation forum:
12.30 pm Thursday 8 May 2008
Harold White Theatre, Arts Ed Centre (corner Swanston and Grattan streets)
Guest speakers at this forum included:
- Professor Mark Considine, Dean of Arts and member of the Commission's Steering Committee
- Sally Beattie, student representative on University Council and member of the Commission's Steering Committee
View a video of the presentations
Notes of the Q&A session
Question: Had there been a review of discipline needs? Where was the scholarly journey for undergraduates and postgraduates?
Mark Considine: Arts had been looking at the demands – researchers needed good digital access, undergraduates seemed to prefer print. The reality is that most people want a combination of digital and print. It was complex on several levels. To be a top level institution we need to think about teaching and students’ requirements. Different kinds of learning spaces were required, and not necessarily located in the Baillieu. New spaces were required, not necessarily a lecture theatre, but something in which you could hold seminars and have break out spaces.
Question: How do you see the use of space on campus in the future?
Sally Beattie: Currently there is a need for both quiet spaces and collaborative spaces.
International students seemed to need on campus provision. There are a lot of marginalised students. PhD students need offices for writing up their theses, but coursework students required the collaboration of others.
Comments from the floor:
- We don’t have the knowledge around what research students need. I have found cafes meet needs of both social space and quiet space. Lecture theatres are outmoded. There is assumption that all the knowledge is at the front. Knowledge Transfer is a two way system, but doesn’t get transferred in lecture spaces.
- The physical structure at UOM is old. Collaborative spaces can be booked at RMIT university at the library and Bundoora.
- The lecture format was useful when there wasn’t enough books. Now a need for other learning environments – tutorials, small groups – will lead to a decline of lectures as a source of pedagogy.
- There is a problem with architects not understanding collaborative spaces.
- We need a research project on this, to overcome traditional architecture. Self observation will indicate where the pressure points are and how this impacts on L&T.
- Over the past 5 years, 7 lecture theatres have been decommissioned at UOM and new ways of using space are being developed. There is a move away from the lecture theatre. Collaborative spaces are developing, but may need to be accelerated.
- Libraries are changing fast and need to be reviewed every six months. Difficult decisions need to be made.
- The Baillieu library has had a chequered history. It was too small when it was built. The money was never made available. There are 3 million people coming to use the UOM library, many from from other institutions .
- Students views change as they learn. Younger undergraduates learn fast. Lectures should be online. There is no need for a lecturer to stand in front of students. Learning needs to be self directed and more engaging. We need to look at a blend – lectures/wiki/blogging – but how do you assess authorship of a document?
- The issue of libraries can lead to an emotional response instead of being objective and evidence based. It is not only what they are, but what we want them to be in the future.
- Students are more motivated when their learning directly relates to professional jobs. L&T should be facilitated beyond the bounds of the university. There are more valid ways of learning.
Thanks to Lynda Gilbert for these notes.