Associate degrees in Australia: a work in progress Final Report 2013 ALTC Teaching Fellowship Improving tertiary pathways through cross-sectoral integration of curriculum and pedagogy in associate degrees Dr. Helen Smith RMIT University Support for the production of this report has been provided by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, and where otherwise noted, all material presented in this document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/). The details of the relevant licence conditions are available on the Creative Commons website (accessible using the links provided) as is the full legal code for the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/legalcode). Requests and inquiries concerning these rights should be addressed to: Office for Learning and Teaching Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education GPO Box 9880, Location code N255EL10 Sydney NSW 2001 <[email protected]> 2013 ISBN 978-1-921916-19-9 Book ISBN 978-1-921916-20-5 PDF 2 Associate degrees in Australia: a work in progress Acknowledgements I would like to express my thanks to all those who contributed to the Fellowship and the production of this report: • RMIT Vice Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner, for her vision and leadership in the associate degree space. • RMIT Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic 2005-2009, Professor Jim Barber; and Director TAFE 2004-2011, Mr. Allan Ballagh; for their pioneering work in the design of RMIT associate degrees and their support in gaining the Fellowship. • The Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching, most particularly Siobhan Lenihan, for her unfailing support and encouragement throughout the Fellowship and beyond. • Mr. Tjerk Dusseldorp for his support in gaining the Fellowship. • Members of the Fellowship Reference Group for their advice and input during the formative stages of the associate degree research: o Professor Gill Palmer, RMIT Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic (Chair) o Professor Julianne Reid, Deputy PVC, Teaching and Learning, SEH College, RMIT o Mr. Keith Cowlishaw Head of School, Fashion and Textiles, RMIT o Associate Professor Eveline Fallshaw, Dean Teaching and Learning, Business, RMIT o Ms. Trish McCluskey Manager, Curriculum Innovation, Victoria University o Associate Professor Alex Stoycevski Associate Dean Learning and Teaching Scholarship, Swinburne University o Dr Christine Spratt Deputy Director Programs (Higher Education), Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE o Associate Professor Neil Trivett, Director - Institute for Professional and Organisational Learning, University of Ballarat o Ms. Megan Lilly Associate Director - Education & Training, Australian Industry Group o Mr. Tony Coppola, Senior Manager, Northern Melbourne RDA Committee o Mr. Michael Butera Executive Director NORTH Link Institute for Advanced Study La Trobe University. • Members of the RMIT Associate Degree Network, and its conveners, Ms. Lisa Thompson (2012) and Ms. Vicki Molloy (2013); and all RMIT associate degree leaders and teachers who supported my Fellowship and generously gave their time to be interviewed, and assist in data collection. • My colleagues in the Office of Director TAFE at RMIT: Allan Ballagh and Christine Robertson who me to integrate associate degree research and development into my work role; and Marilyn Capper, Jeanette Pierce, Jane Kemmelfield and Chris Raab who variously listened, read drafts, and cheered me on. • The RMIT Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Professor Gill Palmer; and Dean Learning and Teaching, Professor Geoff Crisp, who generously provided me with a time allocation for research and writing during 2011. • Representatives of Charles Sturt University; Deakin University; Advance TAFE; Chisholm Institute of TAFE; TAFE NSW and the Queensland Department of Education and Training who contributed to the case studies included in this report: o Deputy Vice Chancellor Charles Sturt University, Professor Ross Chambers 3 Associate degrees in Australia: a work in progress o Dr Nick Drengenberg, Academic Secretary & Manager, Office of Academic Governance, Charles Sturt University o Associate Professor Jenny Wilkinson, Courses Director, Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University o Dr Heather Cavanagh Associate Dean | Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt University o Mr. Alistair McCosh, Manager | Deakin at Your Doorstep (DAYD), Deakin University o Ms. Katrina Halabarec, Tutorial Support Officer, Chisholm Institute DAYD program o Ms. Catherine Brigg, Advance TAFE Executive Manager Learning and Innovation o Mr. Martin Brown, Higher Education Division, TAFE New South Wales o Ms. Jodi Schmidt, Acting Assistant Director General, Training and tertiary Education Operations, Department of Education and Training, Queensland. • Leonie Wheeler and Gemma Baker from the RMIT Northern Partnerships Unit who facilitated access to secondary schools and industry associations and managed the process of data collection from these sources. • Members of the Whittlesea Youth Commitment/Hume Whittlesea Local Learning & Employment Network (HWLLEN); and the Inner Northern and Banyule Nillumbik LLENs who participated in focus groups and facilitated access to local careers teacher networks. • The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development for permission to collect data from secondary schools in the Northern Region. • Careers teachers and year 11 students from secondary colleges in the Northern Region of Melbourne who provided such valuable insights into the transition from school into tertiary study and work. • Margaret Taylor, Director Learning Edges Australia for her assistance in case study data collection. • Mr. Michael Butera, Executive Director NORTH Link for facilitating access to industries in Melbourne’s north. • Representatives of enterprises who agreed to be interviewed about training needs and the potential role of associate degrees in skill formation. My most grateful thanks to Rob Sheehan, Sharp Words Consultancy, Editing & Writing, for his insightful support in the role of Fellowship evaluator and critical friend, and later as editor of this report. His contribution, which went well above the call of duty, helped to keep me on task and able to navigate through the complexities I set up for myself by choosing to write a wide-ranging report. Finally, I acknowledge the contribution made to my Fellowship — and indeed to so much of my work at RMIT — by the late Sally Leavold, Deputy Director TAFE in the RMIT College of Design and Social Context until January 2013. It was Sally who initiated university-wide collaboration around the design and implementation of associate degrees, and secured RMIT Learning and Teaching Investment Fund (LTIF) support to create the RMIT Associate Degree Network. Throughout her illness Sally continued to nurture the network, champion the associate degree cause across RMIT, and support the growing suite of specialist vocational pathways in her college. This report is dedicated to Sally for her leadership and inspiration; and to the associate degree leaders and teachers who rose to the challenge of forging new ways of doing vocational learning at RMIT. Helen Smith July 2013 4 Associate degrees in Australia: a work in progress List of acronyms and abbreviations used ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ACPET Australian Council for Private Education and Training ADSS Associate Degree in Social Science AHES Australian Higher Education Supplement ANET Australian National Engineering Taskforce ANTA Australian National Training Authority APESMA Association of Professional Engineers Scientists and Managers Australia AQF Australian Qualifications Framework AQFAB Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory Board ASQA Australian Skills Quality Authority ATAR Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank AUQA Australian Universities Quality Agency AVCC Australian Vice Chancellors Committee BMHS Blue Mountains Hospitality School CASR Collaboration and Structural Reform CBT Competency based training COAG Council of Australian Governments CPA Certified Practicing Accountant CSP Commonwealth Supported Places CSU Charles Sturt University DAYD Deakin at your Doorstep DEET Department of Employment Education and Training DEEWR Department of Employment Education and Workplace Relations DEST Department of Employment Science and Training DETA Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland DSC Design and Social Context DVCA Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic EA Engineers Australia EFTSL Equivalent Full Time Student Load ESFC Employment and Skills Formation Council GFC Global Finance Crisis HECS Higher Education Contribution Scheme IBSA Innovation and Business Skills Australia IEAust Institution of Engineers Australia IELTS International English Language Testing System IRSAD Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage ISC Industry Skills Council 5 Associate degrees in Australia: a work in progress LTIF Learning and Teaching Investment Fund MCA Minerals Council of Australia MCEETYA Ministerial Council for Education Employment Training and Youth Affairs MINAD Minerals Industry National Associate Degree MTFU Metal Trades Federation of Unions MTIA Metals