There is a range of academic and student administrative processes across the semester that as the Course Coordinator, you are expected to manage. Knowing the timeframes and deadlines for these activities will help you to plan the semester and be as organised as you can.

Key academic calendar dates include:

• O (Orientation) Week
• semester start, finish, study break and examination weeks
• publishing Part B course guides
• publishing Canvas shells
• opening date for Results Processing Online (RPO),
• release of official grades
• census dates

Key dates can be found in the RMIT Academic Calendar. It provides you with an official guide to the events, breaks and deadlines across the year.

You can get guidance around the planning and management of your course from your Program Manager and school academic services team.

 

‘Course Coordinator’ can be a lonely role, so it is useful to establish (and maintain) an informal support network in your School. Your school administration team can help you with established processes such as planning, scheduling, timetabling, results processing and student communications. Experienced Course Coordinators have a wealth of knowledge about responsibilities of the role and can be good mentors if you are new to the role. Your Program Manager has oversight of all courses and is a key source of information and guidance for the course you are coordinating.

Find out who in your school’s student administration team can help you in your role and meet with them early and regularly. Develop open lines of communication with other Course Coordinators and with your Program Manager.

Reference – Program & Course Review Process 

 

Knowing where to go for help and support beyond your school will make you more effective in your role. Staying connected and up to date will also make the role easier and more enjoyable.

Below are some useful general links and email addresses:

• Responding to an emergency – includes contacts, response guides, and details of emergency wardens.
• For concerns about staff health and safety – call HR Assist 9925 0600 or email healthandsafety@rmit.edu.au
• Visit HR first aid website – general information (including the full list of First Aid Officers and Health and Safety Representatives)
• Safer Community – specialist advice, support and guidance in relation to concerning, threatening or inappropriate behaviours impacting students and staff.
• DSC Learning &Teaching website – information, PD offerings, L&T, Quality, and Digital Development information and resources
• L&T or Digital Development queries: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au
• Quality queries: dsc.quality@rmit.edu.au
• RMIT’s Worklife – access to RMIT-wide tools, services and systems that support your work, including Staff Directory, WorkDay, Canvas, Course Guides and the Service Connect gateway.
• The Careers & Management website – advice on hiring and onboarding new staff.
• Library support and services
• The Ngarara Willim Centre supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to reach their potential with a range of study, living and cultural services.

Make sure you download the SafeZone App: Connect instantly to Campus Security, First Aid, or Emergency support if you need it.

 

The RMIT Staff Code of Conduct (Code) provides guidance and the expected standards for our ways of working, knowing and being.

All staff are required to comply with the Code of Conduct, to ensure a respectful and safe place to work. If a staff member breaches the code, it can result in disciplinary action. Familiarise yourself with the code to guide expectations at RMIT. If you have other staff working with you make sure they are aware of the code and RMIT’s expectations. If relevant, this could be done at the start of each semester at a staff meeting.

The Student Charter outlines the behaviour expected of students, recognises RMIT’s responsibilities to students, and indicates what the University and its students can expect from each other. Depending where your course sits in the program you can use the charter as part of students’ introduction to RMIT. It could be a discussion starter to introduce course expectations or, if necessary, a reminder of acceptable behaviour at RMIT.

Reconciliation: RMIT recognises and respects the unique culture and contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people bring to our institution and the wider community. You can find out more about RMIT’s commitment here, and find further resources from the DSC Learning and Teaching Team here.

While course coordination responsibilities are generally consistent across RMIT, there may be differences in how you need to do things in your discipline or program. No matter which School you are in, the more prepared you are then the more smoothly your coordination will go.

Talk to your Program Manager before the course begins as they will be able to explain the scope of your role and direct you in your duties. They also have valuable oversight of how your course fits into the whole program. Also connect early with other Course Coordinators in your school to find out how they approach this role. Consider setting up regular ‘catch ups’ with your Program Manager and fellow Course Coordinators.

 

The published course guide is a contract with your students. The information contained forms the basis of what they know about the course or why they have decided to enrol in the course. Therefore, it is the teaching guide, and changes can only be made in accordance with details and policy here.

The course guide informs students about what, when and how they will learn course learning outcomes (CLOs) and provides assessment details and other information. You need to ensure that your course guide is current and the course is delivered according to the course guide and policies detailed in it.

At RMIT, course guides have two parts:

• Part A – contains essential course information (course description, Course Learning Outcomes and assessment tasks and weightings) that cannot be changed except through formal approval processes, ahead of time.  Please refer to the Course Guides section for more useful resources and templates. 
• Part B – contains details about the course delivery. Some information will need to be changed/updated each semester, e.g. teaching schedules, assessment due dates, resource lists.

 

RMIT policy requires that Part B Course guides are edited, approved and published by the Friday before semester begins. This ensures students have access to Part Bs before the course starts and can undertake any preparation if they choose.

To prepare the Part B for publication, you access the Course and Program System (CAPS) – Log in using your Central Authentication Service (CAS) username and password.

Edit the previous version of the Part B and submit for approval to your PM by the published due date.

Note that your course guide must include:

• Course overview
• Teaching schedule, e.g. dates and content schedule
• Assessment tasks with submission deadline dates. Ensure that assessment tasks address specific course learning outcomes

Download Guidelines for Part B

Understanding the diversity of students enrolled in your course helps you to design and deliver learning experiences that engage and meet their needs. Examples:

• Students with different educational experiences have different expectations about the roles of student and teacher
• Students working or with carer responsibilities have constraints on their time and flexibility
• Students who are first in family at university may feel overwhelmed in an unfamiliar environment and system
• Students of different ages offer different experiences and perspectives
• Student with English as a second language may lack confidence in answering questions in class

Some ways that you can identify and be inclusive of the diversity in your course:

• Ask the program manager and other coordinators about the makeup of the program’s cohort
• Ask the students about their backgrounds as part of developing a community in the course – this can be part of icebreaking activities
• Be aware whether examples/case studies/readings you provide offer diverse perspectives e.g. are all the examples from a particular cultural context?
• Ask students for examples from their perspective/cultures, using diversity to enhance learning
• Be aware of your prejudices, e.g. not understanding does not mean they weren’t listening, extensions aren’t just for the lazy, missing a class may be for a legitimate reason
• Be flexible with opinions, requests, learning activities, assessment design
• Find support, information, and resources to enhance your understanding of Indigenous content and perspectives, and support Reconciliation and cultural safety in your classroom. Check the DSC L&T Reconciliation and Indigenous Content webpage.
• Complete the RMIT cred for staff Advancing Reconciliation to increase your awareness

Remember to treat students as individuals and not representatives of specific groups.

RMIT has processes and services available to accommodate student diversity and provide guidance for staff. These include:

• International Student support
• Equitable Learning Services: support and equal opportunities for students with a disability, long-term illness and/or mental health condition and primary carers of individuals with a disability.
• Study support
• Diverse genders sexes and sexualities
• Ngarara Willim Centre – dedicated support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• Mental Wellbeing and counselling
• RMIT’s Guide to Inclusive Language (pdf)

Contact the DSC LT team dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au if you need help with specific issues:

• Inclusive curriculum design
• Belonging at RMIT to design student experiences that foster a sense of Belonging, in curriculum, as extra-curricular activities and through initiatives that support curriculum.

 

Reference: Higher Education Standards Framework HESF2.2 Standards.

The course guide is like a contract with students and the CLOs are the major clauses. CLOs must be addressed in the course and assessed to determine students’ learning. The course belongs to a program that builds to a student’s demonstration of learning and overall qualification. Program teams and course coordinators must ensure that courses don’t duplicate material and that courses incrementally build students’ learning to achieve the overall program outcomes.

It will help you to be familiar with curriculum mapping as a planning tool and process for identifying, designing, monitoring, evaluating and controlling the balance and the relationships between courses that make up the program. (https://www.teaching.unsw.edu.au/curriculum-mapping)

 

 

Reference: Program & Course Policy 3.4

Course resources will vary from class to class or offerings, but you should ensure they are current for students. You should also ensure resources are accessible for current and future staff teaching the course. Current and past resources can be stored in Canvas shells for future reference by keeping previous materials in “unpublished” pages and modules in the course.

A course in Canvas is “rolled over” every semester for new enrolments using a specific semester code e.g. ABCD1234_2150. Remember to check that links in the rolled over content still work. Key areas should be checked and updated. New teaching staff may want to add their own content as well as updating the syllabus, assessment due dates and staff contact details.

Follow these steps to manage your Canvas shells.

Ensure that you use copyright compliant and current materials in your course to maintain a positive student experience.

How:

• This guide provides information on linking and embedding resources in your Canvas course and ensuring copyright compliance https://rmit.libguides.com/libraryresources_lms
• The Reading List app can be integrated with Canvas and allows you to create and manage dynamic Reading Lists to enable easy access for students to copyright compliant material. Add e-books, book chapters, Open Educational Resources, journal articles, videos, podcasts and webpages. For information and support go to: https://www.rmit.edu.au/library/teach/add-resources-to-your-course/reading-lists
• The Library TEACH page provides advice on course materials, supporting your students, Open Educational Resources (OER), guides and training, copyright

 

Creds are University-wide, digital micro-credentials designed to help students develop industry-ready skills. Creds range from 30-minute snippets to more intensive online programs running over several weeks.

Creds help your students to build a portfolio of demonstrable skills and experiences that build their employability skills.

• Go to Creds for information and catalogue of titles and content
• Enquire at dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au for help to choose and embed creds in your courses.
• Refer to RMIT’s guides to help you with online resources.
• The Womin Djeka Indigenous Orientation Cred for students can also be embedded within your Canvas module. Instructions can be found here.

Canvas is RMIT’s Learning Management System (LMS), and by using all its features you can support students to study flexibly. This allows your class/lecture time to be used on key concepts, feedback and student engagement. A well-developed shell should contain detailed assessment task briefs with rubrics for consistent grading.

To develop your Canvas shell, you should:

• Request your new Canvas shells from the Learning Design team via dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au
• Access online training from the DSC Canvas support webpages or the RMIT staff site: Learning and Teaching in Canvas to get started in refining an existing course or building a new course from scratch.
• Access Assessment and grading help here
• Apply the 14 elements of QA before publishing the course.

Delivering your course online, concurrently, or in the classroom usually requires technology. Your needs will vary depending on the delivery mode. If you are coordinating a teaching team, you should encourage and support your teaching team to make the most of resources available.

The DSC L&T website contains ideas, resources and training to deliver online and concurrently, AV Loans (Building 8 Level 7) has a range of tech available for staff and students to borrow.

When you are teaching face to face on campus, Echo360 is the lecture recording software offered in lecture theatres and tutorial rooms across RMIT. For more information and how to book a session, click here.

The RMIT Enabling Online Learning and Teaching page is also a great source of information and resources, click here.

A Student Staff Consultative Committee (SSCC) is a committee of staff and students from across the program. It comprises student representation from each year level and is typically chaired by the program manager. Where possible, the course coordinators for courses running that semester should attend. Committees typically meet twice a semester online or face to face.

The purpose of the SSCC is to hear and respond to questions that students may have about courses and to listen to feedback from students. Topics and issues may include:

• highlighting examples of good practice
• monitoring the delivery of courses against course guides
• monitoring the total student workload
• monitoring the general satisfaction of students with the program
• considering suggestions for modification and improvement to the program
• considering and seeking to resolve problems that are of concern to students undertaking the program
• making recommendations to appropriate managers on matters requiring action that the committee cannot resolve directly.

Student representatives consult with fellow students to identify course/program-related opportunities for improvement and present those issues at SSCC meetings. They also provide feedback to the other students sharing the results of the SSCCs actions.

The committee is formal – with agenda and minutes. This allows for follow-up of agreed actions and reporting to the university.

References:
Program & Course Review Process

Student-Staff Consultative Committees –requirements  
Student-Staff Consultative Committees – student perspective

As a course coordinator, your knowledge and experience of your course is an important contribution to various quality and compliance reviews of the program such as annual reviews and accreditation.

You might be asked to provide a summary of student feedback, suitability of assessment tasks, level of learning and the overall relevance pf course content to the program and industry.

This review can be done with guidance and support from your program manager, academic services team and DSC Quality team (as required).

As a course coordinator, your program manager may ask you to contribute to the Annual Program Review process. 

It is important to look for and pay attention to the feedback provided by students.

RMIT surveys all students enrolled in courses every semester using the Course Experience Survey (CES). Students are automatically sent the survey around week 9 of semester. Once the surveys are closed the data is collated (both qualitative and quantitative) and sent to course coordinators for review and action. For more information about the CES and how to interpret and use the data see: Understanding the CES.

Engaging with student feedback means listening, reflecting and then deciding whether to act or not. Feedback that students provide can help you identify what is positive, should continue or change in the course. You can also ask them for suggestions for improvement and enhancement.

How:

• Create a culture of feedback by checking in regularly with students
• Provide opportunities for them to ask questions and clarify requirements as well as content – use the discussion board to ask for feedback
• Use strategic questions in class such as “What isn’t clear? What would you like clarified? What would you like to know more about?
• Pick review points in the semester and ask for feedback – What’s working? Suggestions for change/improvement
• Attendance – either online or face to face – although attendance is not compulsory, it is good practice to monitor who is attending to allow follow-up with those who regularly miss class
• Review assessment as common issues can point to areas that need to be addressed
• Encourage students to complete the Course Experience Survey – not just the ratings but also the comments

Resources:

Program & Course Review Process

If students are taking the time to provide feedback on an issue, you should respect their input and address it. The urgency and impact of the issue will dictate how you respond.

How

• If the feedback isn’t clear or specific, make sure you clarify before taking any action to ensure that you are addressing the correct issue
• Manage expectations – let the students know what you can and can’t address, who else might be responsible for following up on the issue and, if it is a more systemic matter, where they might take their concern to be addressed
• Remember feedback can be one person’s perspective – you may choose to review the matter but not act. The most important thing to is acknowledge and value the input then use your judgment to determine your response. Let students know the outcome of their feedback
• For CES feedback, let current students in the course know how feedback from previous students has been addressed. This demonstrates your commitment to their experience as well as the integrity of the CES feedback system for future student input.

Reference:

Program & Course Review Process

Students are expected to meet the same learning outcomes of a course no matter what location and mode of delivery they have experienced for the course. This means that each course offering must have equivalent assessment and address the same learning outcomes across all locations and modes.

This can include contextualising resources and examples, tailoring assessment tasks and customising the delivery model. DSC has created a Guideline to assist in the collaboration and discussions across locations. For more information on the requirements of equivalence and comparability see: Program and course approval process Appendix L: Equivalence and comparability of courses offered in multiple locations for further information.

As the course coordinator you have oversight of the different offerings and need to ensure that the academic performance and student experience across course offerings is equivalent and comparable.

Reference:

Program and course review process

As part of good teaching practice, your course needs to be reviewed after each offering to maintain quality of content, delivery and student experience.

Review sources of feedback including CES, SSCC minutes, experiences of the teaching team.

Reflect on the experience of teaching the course asking:

• What worked (and should be repeated)
• What didn’t work and why?
• What needs to be changed? Immediately/in the future

Capture this information while it’s fresh and determine what changes need to be made

Reference:

Program and course review process

Every assessment task needs to be moderated. Moderation ensure consistency and fairness in marking across the course cohort.

For courses taught by one teacher, you will need to find a colleague to act as moderator.

Within teaching teams this can be does as shared activity. You could sample a range of assessment to ensure consistency in marking and feedback. This includes that all narrow fail grades (with mark 45–49%), have been re-marked by a second assessor.

References:

Assessment and assessment flexibility policy

Assessment processes

Depending on the number of students enrolled and the delivery strategy of your course, you may have the support of other teaching staff/tutors. Note: these may be ongoing staff or sessionals.

Some advice from experienced course coordinators:

• Meet with all other teachers of your course beforehand to discuss course overview, learning outcomes, assessment, and expectations. Also cover the context of the course in relation to the program i.e., what students have done prior and what follows.
• Set up some tutorial notes to make sure that all the classes have a similar framework and that everyone is on the same page.
• Make sure they have access and can navigate CANVAS
• Carefully setup your assessment – how they relate to the learning outcomes, expectations, how students submit, marking online including Gradebook & Turnitin
• Get your teaching team organized early – Have they been ‘onboarded’? including access to the RMIT systems (Staff number/card, email, and payment)
• Prepare for the usual questions that students will ask in the first few weeks of semester.
• Schedule some catch up meetings with all other teachers of your course during the semester to discuss progress, upcoming key dates / events, and plan for assessment.

*Course Management Teams: “A course management team must be formed for all courses offered in multiple locations, through multiple delivery modes and where more than one person is responsible for teaching and/or assessing the students on the course.” For specific details see:  Guidelines for programs and courses across locations

Resources:

Casual staff induction

Sessional Teaching and Resources Site (STARS)

Reference:

RMIT Program Review Processes: Course Management Team

Students must be properly enrolled in their classes to access Canvas, submit assessments, and access support options. Use class lists from iExplore to determine a student’s enrolment status and view a helpful summary of class participants, including their program details and other relevant information.

If a student is participating in your class but is not enrolled, direct them to add the class in Enrolment Online or advise them to seek support from your school administration team. Students should not continue to participate in class activities until they are enrolled.

Access to the iExplore database can be requested via your school administration team. Note that you are not currently able to submit a direct request for access via the IT Service Request Portal.

To run a class list in iExplore:

• Open iExplore and select the “List by Course/Class” option in the left-hand navigation panel.
• Enter the career, term, subject area, catalogue number and class number, then click the search button.
• Select the “Export Class List For all Results” option box to generate an excel spreadsheet for your class list.

As the course coordinator you can provide subject expertise in the review and assessment of student applications for credit transfer and/or recognition of prior learning (RPL) for your course. This will be requested by your program manager or school academic services team.

Recognition of prior learning – a student’s work and life experiences as well as formal and informal study can be mapped against course learning outcomes. If there is a match, the student can be given credit for the course.

Credit transfer – a student’s previous formal study that meets the learning outcomes of RMIT courses can be transferred and acknowledged in their current program.

How:

• Review relevant evidence supplied by the student. For credit transfer this will be the student’s transcript, course synopsis. For RPL, this will include resume, references and other relevant material
• Compare what the student is claiming to the course learning outcomes – do they match? How well?
• Your need to be objective in your judgement and answer these questions: “if this person took my course, would they be duplicating learning” and “if they don’t do the course, what will they be missing?”

Resources:

Learn how to manage credit processes 

Reference:

RMIT Credit Procedure

The course guide for your course will identify if it is designated a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) course in the program.

WIL is an umbrella term describing a range of approaches to learning and assessment that integrates discipline theory, knowledge, and skills with the practice of work.

WIL, as a way of learning, benefits students by:

• expanding knowledge as students learn new professional skills and put theory into practice
• boosting students’ resumes and portfolios, increasing the chance of graduate employment in their field of study
• developing enterprise skills, such as problem solving, teamwork and interpersonal communication techniques, in work settings
• giving the opportunity to ‘test drive’ their intended industry’s work culture
• establishing a network that supports graduate recruitment and career development

WIL activities may be delivered face-to-face, online or through a blended approach. They may take the form of a placement in a workplace, an industry-partnered project in the classroom, or as WIL in a Simulated Workplace Environment. Maybe you will be visiting students off-campus or bringing industry partners onto campus.

If you are coordinating a WIL course, then:

• Arrange a handover with the previous coordinator, if possible
• Find out if there is a WIL admin team for the school – contact them for support
• Consider doing the WILReady Cred for staff

Support resources

RMIT Staff WIL website

RMIT Student WIL website – See what the students are being told

 

Career Development Learning (CDL) refers to the learning and assessment activities in your program that focus on preparing students for the lifelong process of managing a career. These include planning, preparing, and making informed decisions about education, training, experience, and career choices. It also encompasses students’ developing abilities to value and communicate the knowledge, skills and experience they gain through their studies, as they move towards the job market.

Building Career Development Learning into the program curriculum enables career management skills to be taught in context and supports an equitable and accessible model of career education.

To implement CDL in your course:

• Discuss with the program manager/program team to determine if CDL is relevant to your course and how it integrates with the rest of the program.
• Visit the CDL website for a guide on how to implement CDL in your course. This includes:
  • Career enrolment data for your program -helping you to better understand the career readiness of your students across all year levels, and the type of employability and professional experiences your students have engaged in.
  • How CDL could bridge those gaps and improve the overall career readiness and employability of your students
  • Strategies for embedding CDL into your curriculum.

Resources

• CDL website has great tools and resources that can guide you through the embedding process. It also has example tailorable CDL assessments that you can use or change to meet your needs.
• Career Development team can assist you in embedding CDL into your course. Reach out to the team at: careerdevelopmentlearning@rmit.edu.au 

Relevant policy

RMIT Program and Course Policy. See section 83

Identifying resources early when planning your courses will give the library time to purchase and ensure resources are available for your students. Selecting online digital textbooks instead of print is the best way to provide your students with timely, flexible, and equitable access and they’re easy to add to Canvas. Choosing Open Educational Resources can help reduce the cost burden on your students.

The library will ensure your textbooks are available. They can also help you move from print to online and/or find open educational resources (OERs). For textbook requests, go here: https://www.rmit.edu.au/staff/our-structure/education-portfolio/our-groups/library/textbook-requests

The library will purchase other course related resources at your request. Use this form to make requests https://www.rmit.edu.au/library/borrowing-and-collections/library-purchase-requests

Visit the library webpage.

Student requests and issues with timetabling often default to the course coordinator (either directly from students or referred enquiry from timetabling)

Prior to enrolment, your role in timetabling generally is to provide numbers for the planning process.

Once enrolment has opened student requests for access to courses and timetabling issues may require course coordinator input to determine the number of classes and the capacity of each class.

Consult with the program manager to determine the model/strategy for class/cohort management. Activities may include generating and monitoring class lists from timetabling, balancing student numbers across available resources, monitoring and reconciling with CANVAS.

You may be asked to provide input into timetabling because you are a key stakeholder in determining how a course is delivered – this may include delivery mode, classroom requirements, and practical considerations

Provide feedback/information to program manager/timetabling and other support staff as requested.

Useful information and links about Class Scheduling

As the course coordinator you are responsible for maintaining academic integrity with students and teaching staff in your course. Make sure you are up to date with current RMIT approaches to academic integrity and the management of potential plagiarism matters. Understanding how your course fits into the overall program structure will ensure academic integrity matters are managed at levels appropriate to the stage and academic experience of students in your course.

Cultivating strong academic integrity starts with ensuring students are aware of the principles and practice of academic integrity. You can help them apply this awareness by supplying and explaining referencing resources. You can also incorporate Turnitin as a tool for learning by using it as a referencing check for students as they prepare work, and on submission as a check for plagiarism.

You can also demonstrate good practice such as ensuring correct referencing in your own teaching materials e.g. PowerPoint slides.

Resources to help you:

• Academic integrity at RMIT includes link to AI module for staff that covers both education and compliance
• Resources, tools and guidance for RMIT educators extensive information, guidance and contacts for an holistic approach to introducing and supporting academic integrity in your course.
• RMIT Library Academic Integrity resources for students
• RMIT printable referencing guides
• Using Turnitin

By engaging in professional learning, you are growing as a teacher and a course coordinator. Attending professional learning sessions/workshops, also widens your professional support network and connects you with disciplines and fields beyond your own.

Remember to offer sessional staff opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in learning and teaching. Their capacity to take up these opportunities can be limited by their availability and whether they can be paid to attend. Your program manager can advise you on appropriate ways to involve them.

There are a range of options for professional development such as:

• RMIT Professional Development opportunities: developing your skills and knowledge.
• The library offers training opportunities including online guides and Library Shorts to regular training webinars and talks by invited speakers,
• Continuing your Reconciliation journey at RMIT. You can find more information about Indigenous content, activities, and resources here.
• Joining relevant Yammer groups to connect more informally with particular interest groups. Browse the RMIT yammer groups
• Communities of Practice are widely used as an avenue for discussing and developing professional practice. Find RMIT communities of practice here and ask your colleagues for suggestions.
• Support, and customised training and development through DSC L&T and Quality teams.
• Getting involved in School/College/University working groups and committees
• Discuss external options with your program manager or Associate Dean

A lesson plan helps you organise each teaching session to cover the content and activities essential to achieving the desired learning outcomes. Planning also maintains continuity from one week to the next whilst situating the current lesson within the context of the whole course.

You can also share lesson plans with others teaching into your course to ensure consistency of information and approach for the students.

As early as possible, find out from your Program Manager (or program colleagues) whether your course has been taught before. If so, what teaching resources (including lesson plans) already exist? Can they be recycled for your own use? If someone has taught this lesson / course before, arrange for a handover from them.

When creating a lesson plan:

Locate the course learning outcomes (CLOs) in the Course Guide.

List the learning outcomes for the lesson based on the CLOs and assessment requirements. (Sometimes it can be useful to plan a series of lessons, as a kind of ‘module,’ all at the same time.)

Include a variety of learning activities that are active, suit different learning styles and encourage collaboration to build students’ acquisition of relevant knowledge and skills.

Be realistic about timings in your plan. Leave enough time for the essentials but build in extra extension activities if you need them. Remember to include time you may need for questions, clarifying any out of class work and preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson plan templates:

• fully face-to-face
• fully online
• concurrent delivery

 

 

Resources

For ideas and advice on how to design classes that engage students contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

Good teaching practice puts students at the centre of learning where teaching is not just about what you want to tell them. It’s about providing opportunities for all students to actively engage and apply their learning.

Choose diverse teaching strategies that address the:

• needs of the students in your class (consider diversity and inclusion for your cohort),
• content of the course (understand your content / topic / course guide requirements),
• learning outcomes (different outcomes may demand different strategies),
• resources and facilities available to you (venue, tech, tutors, money, access)
• type of teacher you are.

Consider the strategies included in this Inclusive Conversation Series such as flipped classrooms, teaching large cohorts, group work, reflective learning, WIL, diverse cohorts, and so on.

Explore these RMIT web pages:

• Inclusive Teaching
• Principles and Strategies for Inclusive Teaching
• Learning & Teaching @ RMIT Vietnam including supporting learners in english medium instruction
• DSC L&T Reconciliation and Indigenous Content

 

 

Resources

For ideas and advice on how to design and deliver classes that engage students contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

You need to be flexible in how you deliver classes to students. Different delivery modes are dependent on various factors such as:

• venue, facilities and resource access / availability / capability
• discipline-specific content, ideologies, approaches, and ways of working
• program and course design
• policy and procedure requirements (e.g., WIL Placements occur in the workplace)
• student needs (Equity, safety, inclusion and diversity, Belonging, Indigenous students, International students, students who are under 18)

How:

• Visit your teaching spaces to see how the pedagogy will need to work in your allocated space and with the equipment available (Top Tip – know how to get into your room on the first day!).
• Learn how to record your classes and how to book/use the recording equipment.
• Practice using Canvas, and online tools such as Teams before you start to employ them in your teaching
• There are a broad range of delivery / lesson-type options you can incorporate including:
  • lectorials, tutorials, practicals, workshops,
  • seminars, studios, labs,
  • online or face-to-face,
  • concurrent, (see Section E below for more detail on concurrent delivery)
  • WIL placements and projects.

 

 

Resources

For ideas and advice on how to design classes that engage students contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

Developing your teaching skills helps you to be more effective as a teacher.

Keep an eye on the DSC L&T PD calendar, and the RMIT L&T Yammer community for professional learning opportunities and support on various topics such as:

• Teaching strategies – teaching versus spoon-feeding, advanced concurrent teaching, teaching large cohorts,
• Classroom management techniques
• Dealing with difficult students or students who have difficulties
• Group assignments – designing group assessments, marking group work
• Importance of Belonging – international students, diversity and inclusion, cultural safety,
• Academic Integrity
• Work Integrated Learning and Career Development Learning
• Assessment and moderation – advanced techniques
• Canvas and Teams – advanced techniques
• …and so on.

The Library also offers regular and customised PD on a range of teaching skills and resources, as well as providing teaching guides, Library Shorts videos, and Guest Speaker talks on topics and concepts related to teaching.

Visit RMIT’s Teaching and Supporting Students website and Learning & Teaching @ RMIT Vietnam for other professional learning ideas.

 

 

Resources

For ideas and advice on how to design classes that engage students contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

Concurrent teaching mode is used to deliver a class to both face-to-face students and online students at the same time. Watch this 2 minute video for a DSC definition of Concurrent Teaching to find out what it is, as well as what it’s not.

COVID has impacted teaching in many ways and sometimes you may need to deliver classes to students in the classroom and also online. Concurrent classrooms also allow you to offer flexibility to students in terms of attendance mode. For this reason, you may decide to continue teaching concurrently post-Covid.

How:

• Check out the DSC Concurrent Teaching website for support and resources:
• Most teachers have had minimal or no experience in concurrent delivery before the pandemic. Try the 6 Es self-assessment tool to ensure that your concurrent delivery is successful for your students and you
• Watch / read some Case Studies from DSC academics to see how others are teaching concurrently
• Try planning your lesson using a concurrent teaching lesson plan template
• Consider a range of teaching strategies, such as the flipped classroom
• Consult the DSC Tech Matrix for various technologies that you could use in the concurrent classroom. Each technology is rated against its suitability for different classroom activities
• Ideas for teaching to a ‘cameras off’ cohort

Attend the next Concurrent Teaching Community of Practice (CoP) and join the Concurrent Teaching Yammer group to connect with the DSC Concurrent Community. Or, find a colleague to mentor you.

 

 

Resources

For ideas and advice on how to design classes that engage students contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

Communicate regularly with your students to keep them connected and engaged with you and their course. It is preferable that you use CANVAS Announcements to communicate consistently and regularly. Be respectful and inclusive in your expression – sometimes messages can be ‘different read, than said’.

Keeping students engaged and up to date with changes, due dates and any upcoming events or addressing concerns is vital to build a community of happy and engaged students.

How: There are many communication tools and options within the Canvas LMS.

• Announcements
• Discussions
• an email data base (student and private if students agree)

During the induction process with students get them to set notifications and permissions to ensure they receive course communications.

Diversity and inclusion

Course co-ordinators are expected to enact diversity and inclusion in their courses. This means creating environments and cultures of respectful communication where staff and students of all abilities and from all gender, sex, sexuality, and cultural backgrounds feel recognised and valued for their distinct talents and perspectives. This might involve:

• Using inclusive language in all course materials
• Building a classroom culture across the course that values diversity
• Being aware of diversity when selecting case studies, readings, lecturers, and guest speakers
• Designing learning activities and assessments that maximise participation of all students
• Reporting accessibility barriers to the Program Manager or Property Services

Indigenous Education

RMIT has undertaken a firm commitment to contribute to, and lead in, the areas of reconciliation and Indigenous community development. For information and support follow the link below.

• Respect for Indigenous Cultures in Australia

 

Resource:

RMIT Guide to Inclusive Language (pdf)

Scholarly teaching draws on current disciplinary knowledge and translates this knowledge into well designed curricula and pedagogies that are refined and developed through ongoing reflective practice. The scholarship of teaching and learning encompasses theory and practice to provide an evidence base for scholarly teaching.

Scholarly and reflective approaches to teaching strategies and processes ensure currency, integrity, inclusion, and innovation in your practice. Connecting with the scholarly teaching community allows you to be exposed to, and influenced by, the innovative ideas of others, and to build on these. It also helps you to reflect on your own impact and share your knowledge in useful ways. Reward & Recognition activities and the Academic Promotion process are designed to encourage and develop scholarly teaching capability through evidentiary reflective practice.

How

• Talk to your program manager and your colleagues about their own practice.
• Join relevant communities of practice, or start your own.
• Access the Educator and Researcher Capability Development Framework for professional capability and development guidance in the domain of teaching.

Resources

RMIT Library Subject Guides:

• Inclusive teaching resources
  • SOTL conferences
  • SOTL practical resources
  • SOTL external professional organisations
• UTS – Reflection on Teaching: https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/learning-and-teaching/scholarship-and-research/scholarship-learning-and-teaching/reflection-teaching
• University of Plymouth – 7 Steps Guide series: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/about-us/teaching-and-learning/guidance-and-resources/7-step-series
• RMIT Academic Promotion Framework

 

Assessment tasks provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the course learning outcomes listed in the course guide. RMIT has a range of policies and processes that guide assessment to ensure that it is clear, fair and meets required standards.

Discuss the RMIT and program requirements for assessment with your Program Manager and academic services team, and review the relevant guidelines listed below.

Issues you will need to address when planning assessment include:

• Ensuring the assessment requirements in the course guide Part A are reflected and expanded in the course guide Part B
• Number and design of tasks, size e.g. notional word length, artifact or essay, technical requirements, presentation length
• Need for early assessment
• Groupwork (if relevant) —how it will be managed and assessed
• Due dates and submission requirements —try to avoid bottlenecks at peak assessment time
• Assessment for WIL (work integrated learning courses)

For ideas and advice on how to design and manage assessment that address learning outcomes, engage students, and demonstrate evidence of learning contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

RMIT References

• Assessment and Assessment Flexibility Policy
• Assessment processes
• Assessments, Exams and Results

 

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) lead the type and design of assessment. You should first ensure you understand the CLOs, and then build your assessment to suit. A CLO states what a student will be able to do upon successful completion of a course. Assessment tasks need to be designed to allow a student to demonstrate that they meet the stated learning outcomes.

CLOs are listed in the course guide. Using verbs such as: Examine discuss, list, discuss, or analyse they indicate what the student is expected to do for their assessment to demonstrate they meet the CLOs. E.g., discuss the key theories of…; analyse policy to provide advice… etc.

Assessment tasks also need to reflect the:

• requirements of the industry/discipline
• level of the students e.g. undergraduate or post-graduate, year level
• workload required e.g., in DSC College the nominal word count for a 12cp course is 4000 –4500 words or equivalent.

Resources:

• For ideas and advice on how to design and manage assessment that address learning outcomes, engage students, and demonstrate evidence of learning contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au
• Designing inclusive assessment

 

A well-constructed Canvas assessment that is built in a template containing all the required information and a rubric provides a consistent look to students and ensures that staff can use the Gradebook for consistent and faster grading.

There are many sources of Canvas and Assessment support.

• RMIT Staff website – Assessment
• Ensure that your Assessments are compliant
• Canvas Guides and Communities are a useful source of information and ideas
• Learning & Teaching @ RMIT Vietnam – see “Developing my course” section

For ideas and advice on how to design and manage assessment that address learning outcomes, engage students, and demonstrate evidence of learning contact the DSC Learning and Teaching Team: dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au

 

For a University overview of the management of plagiarism and where to get support, click here.

Your responsibilities:

• Instructing assessors on the procedures for identifying and dealing with breaches of academic integrity and ensuring that everyone consistently follows procedures and decisions.
• Managing the assessment process so that all incidents of suspected plagiarism or cheating have been properly dealt with before results are communicated to the student.
• Ensuring all incidents of suspected breaches of academic integrity are investigated and dealt with consistently and fairly within the course in accordance with the RMIT Assessment and assessment flexibility policy.
• Referring incidences of serious cases of academic misconduct to the Dean/Head of School, with supporting documents and reasons.

Resource

• Academic Integrity Module Support Guide
• CAQE Resource Page

References

• Academic Integrity Policy
• RMIT Assessment and assessment flexibility policy

 

If you need to change or offer an alternative assessment during the semester there is a prescribed process to follow. Changes to assessment can only be made after consulting with affected students and must be approved by your Associate Dean or Dean of School. Any changes must be updated in the Part B.

This process ensures students are not disadvantaged and University records are accurate.

The process is:

• Identify and draft the changes required. Consult the DSC LT Team if required at dsc.lt@rmit.edu.au
• Seek approval from your Associate Dean
• Changes must be communicated to students as soon as practicable
• If a change approved by the Dean alters the due date of assessment, students must be given at least five working days notice of the new due date
• Update the assessment detail in Canvas
• Contact the Quality Team dsc.quality@rmit.edu.au to register the change on the Alternative Assessment Register

Reference:

Assessment and Assessment Flexibility policy

Students may sometimes be affected by circumstances outside of their control which impact their ability to submit assessments on time, such as sudden illness, unexpected unavoidable work commitments or bereavement. The purpose of extensions and Special Consideration is to support students and provide the best circumstances for ongoing success in their program. As a course coordinator, you need to know what you can approve and what needs to be referred to the Special Consideration team. The points below make these distinctions:

• Penalties for late submission of assessment work must be clearly outlined to students on the course guide or in Canvas – please ensure this information is made available to your student cohort. A common approach of a 5% deduction for each day late is often specified, however your penalties may vary. Discuss your late submission penalties with your program manager to ensure consistency across the program.
• If a student is unable to submit an assessment on time due to circumstances outside of their control, they can request an extension of time of up to seven calendar days via an extension of time request form. This form is submitted directly to the course coordinator by the student and should be submitted at least one working day prior to the assessment deadline. The form can be used for assignments, projects and essays only.
• Where an extension greater than seven days in required, or the application is made after the submission deadline, the student must apply for special consideration.
• Students with an Equitable Learning Plan (ELP) may have an adjustment specified in the plan called an Equitable Assessment Arrangement (EAA) that enables some negotiation of an assessment deadline. The student can provide you with a copy of their ELP, or you can request a copy from your school administration team.

Students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders are supported by Ngarara Willim Centre throughout their studies while continuing to meet their cultural obligations. NWC staff may contact the course coordinator, teaching staff or program leader to help facilitate administrative processes associated with assessment, and may provide an impact statement as supporting documentation. NWC also address the reasons for needing assessment consideration, such as referral to other support services (Eg. ELS or Counselling), organising tutoring, and connection to Indigenous Organisations and people.

Resources:

Student Extension of Time webpage

Reference:

Assessment and Assessment Flexibility Policy

Grades and feedback show students how well they have performed in a specific assessment and how their performance has been measured against task requirements and course learning outcomes. It is important that students receive their marks and feedback in time for them to improve their performance in other assessment tasks later in the course.

How:

• Grades and feedback on assessment tasks should be provided within 10 working days of the assessment deadline so it is good practice to mark all assessments promptly and to enter marks and feedback into Canvas within this timeframe.
• If a student has been granted an extension, their grades and feedback should be entered within 10 working days of the new submission date.
• Grades for all in-course assessments should be provided to students before they sit any end-of-course timed assessment (exam).

References:

Assessment Processes

Assessment and Assessment Flexibility Policy

Providing clear and constructive feedback to students on their assessment tasks lets them know how they are going and what they can do to improve.

How:

• Rubrics provide students with a guide for how to develop their work as well as feedback on how well they performed against set criteria. A rubric sets the standard of work students produce
• Constructive feedback provides specific detail that lets students know what they did well and what they can do to improve.
• Be specific, balanced and not overwhelming. A useful strategy is to identify three things that were done well and three suggestions for improvement. This allows students to identify and repeat the good and act on the areas for improvement
• Feedback can be written, recorded or in person, and can be done in Canvas using Canvas Studio

Reference:

RMIT assessment process

Why:

• If you are the sole teacher and assessor in a course, it can be easy to fall victim to your own subjectivities, opinions and prejudices.
• If there are many assessors in a course (i.e., multiple tutorials or studios) it can be difficult to know if everyone is ‘on the same page’ when it comes to marking.
• Moderation of assessment is an RMIT requirement to ensure that grading is fair and comparable

How:

• Moderation of assessment processes establish comparability of standards of student performance across, for example, different markers, locations, subjects, providers and/or courses of study.

Reference:

Assessment and assessment flexibility policy: 

Grades are reviewed, moderated, and approved prior to publication to students, so it is important that final grades are entered on time for consistent quality processes to be applied to all students.

RMIT uses the Results Processing Online (RPO) system to manage publication of student grades. In some DSC schools course coordinators enter final results directly into RPO, while in other schools a program manager may enter your grades on your behalf. The deadline for grade entry is set by your school as it is always prior to a Course Assessment Committee (CAC). Check with your program manager to see if you need access to RPO, and if so, you can request access via your school administration team.

If there is an issue which is preventing a final grade from being determined in time for the publication of results, get advice from your program manager on an appropriate interim grade, which can then be tabled for further consideration at the CAC.

For a detailed guide for grade entry in RPO please see: Guide to entering HE results via RPO

 

The Course Assessment Committee (CAC) and Program Assessment Board (PAB) are quality processes (meetings) that are undertaken prior to the publication of student grades. CACs review and approve results for courses, monitor grade distribution, moderate grades for consistency, grant supplementary assessments and allocate prizes. PABS are concerned with program level processes, most notably, student academic progress.

In most DSC schools, your administration team coordinate the scheduling of CAC and PAB meetings, normally within a fortnight prior to formal result publication dates, although an ad hoc CAC may be scheduled if courses are delivered in flex terms. It is important that all your grades are entered in RPO prior to the CAC meeting.

You will be invited to attend a CAC, speak to your grades and assessment processes, and participate in decisions made at the CAC. You may also be required to prepare a course report which will be tabled at the meeting. It is unlikely that you will be required to attend a PAB if you are a course coordinator, however recommendations from your CAC can be tabled at a PAB for discussion of program level concerns.

Reference:  Assessment Processes

Students can seek a review of their final result for a course, or appeal against their final result in the course, where they have the grounds to do so (see section 7.3 of the Assessment Processes). Students can only appeal their final result once it has been officially published.

How:

• If a student requests a review or appeals their final grade, they should provide the grounds for their appeal and detail their concerns. The student’s evidence should be considered and if the claims are substantiated, possible remedies should be investigated. This is known as a Stage 1 school-review and must be completed by the student before they are able to submit a formal appeal. The school-review can be completed by the Course Coordinator or Program Manager or by working together to provide a collated response. Some example remedies are re-calculation of grade to ensure it is correct, re-marking of assessment by a different assessor or re-submission of an assessment piece after feedback is provided.
• If the student is not happy with the outcome of the Stage 1 review, they can submit an appeal to the College Appeals Committee (Coll AC) using the Appeal Against Final Course Assessment form, but must do so within 20 working days of their grade being published.
• If the Coll AC believes that the student has grounds for appeal, a hearing may be held, and you may need to attend on behalf of your school
• The Coll AC can provide advice on the appeals process and can be contacted at dsc.appeals@rmit.edu.au.

Reference:  Assessment Processes