Our Future Program
OFP Update – April 2013
Welcome to the Our Future Program.
2013 is off to a flying start in the Our Future Program at UWS. Following the first announcement to the UWS community in August 2012 the Program has rapidly gained momentum and all of its projects are now well under way, Several forums have been held across the University, including the IT Team Leaders and Senior Stakeholders Forums which occurred in February. The purpose of these forums is to provide staff with a program update, information about OFP progress, upcoming activities and events, and ensure an opportunity to discuss aspects of the Our Future program with all staff. Further forums are currently being held with the Schools and will provide opportunities for updates that are likely to impact the Schools and would require the schools’ input or resources; as well as to gain firsthand feedback from the Schools on the Our Future related work along with other outstanding issues. Academic Senate and its committees will also be closely involved in the Program, with regular communication and engagement with the various academic projects.
What is the Our Future Program?
In recent years, UWS has been one of the fastest growing universities in the country and at the same time we have gone from strength to strength in both research performance and student satisfaction, as well as taking home for two years running, the country’s highest university teaching accolades.
The Our Future Program is an exciting initiative that aims to build on the solid foundation of recent years, harnessing the collective belief in our mission and the passion of UWS staff to strongly position the University as one of the leaders in our nation.
Higher education is undergoing transformational change the world over. Our ability to anticipate and adapt to ever-accelerating changes in modes of delivery, technological innovation and student demands, as well as the increased competition in the marketplace, will determine our capacity to thrive and to continue delivering on our promise to our students, our staff and our region long into the future
The six steams of the OFP have all been launched and a brief update on the status of each stream can be found below.
Learning & Teaching Flexibility: Beyond the Classroom
The Online Units Project and Blended Learning Project are being undertaken simultaneously across UWS courses and units; with new blended learning profiles developed, relief staff and specialist experts progressively recruited, targeted resources for students and staff in each School, and workshops and forums continuing across our campuses. There are some 205 units to be offered in blended learning mode for semester one, 2014.
Optimising Use of Academic Year and Infrastructure
The Academic Year Optimisation team is working closely with Schools to produce a program of offerings for UWS Summer. This is an exciting and innovative development where the University is formally introducing a third teaching session. UWS Summer will be held at Parramatta, Campbelltown and Hawkesbury Campuses between December 2 to February 15th using different modes of delivery - face-to-face, blended (a mixture of face-to-face and online) and totally online. This will be a dynamic learning opportunity providing students with greater flexibility in their study modes and pathways. The University is aiming for 100 units to be offered over this period and intends to have them available in blended learning mode.
Staffing for Development
The Enterprise Bargaining has commenced and staff will be kept informed of developments. The Culture of flexibility and adaptability project is seeking to support academic staff members through their career at UWS from entry through to development and promotion. This project is currently being scoped.
Financial Sustainability
High level scoping work has been completed for the Financial Sustainability Project and scoping has begun on the Divisional Review Project and the Red Tape Task Force. The project team is currently being put in place and professional input is being sourced to bring top level expertise to UWS in these areas.
Academic Programs and Pathways
As part of the Academic Program Project, reviews of both the UWS undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs will be undertaken. The Pathways to Success Project is being developed, providing a comprehensive range of pathways to promote access and academic excellence. Review of the UWS undergraduate program is currently being scoped and a project plan developed, including input from Academic Senate and its standing committees. Terms of Reference for a review of all UWS postgraduate programs are being finalised. Areas of current TAFE articulation are currently being evaluated for their suitability to transform into a joint offer strategy from 2014.
Marketing the University – Branding and Identity
The Competitive Edge Project is currently being scoped, the Greater Western Sydney Project will be taken forward in the context of recommendations from the UWS Review of Community and Regional Engagement.
The market research brief has been agreed to and market research agencies have been briefed on the project. We are expecting presentations and quotations/proposals from market research agencies in early April.
For more information, please contact us.
