Adelaide Student Politics

By Myriam Robin and Robert Fletcher. As printed in the SRC Counter-Guide, pp 7-8)
This article largely came out of a conversation between 2008 SRC Education Officer Robert Fletcher and myself (Myriam Robin), hastily conducted in the hours before the print deadline. Any sloppiness therein is due to this reason. Students are advised to contact the EWOs or Student Services for further information.

A New Year, But No New Assessment Policy.

The University of Adelaide has been taking steps to rationalize the expectations it places on assessment across the faculties. As such, it developed a fantastic new Assessment Policy, which was meant to come into effect at the start of this year. However, due to the resources spent in the restructuring of many degrees, the University has chosen to delay implimenting this policy until 2010. Individual faculties will have the choice in 2009 of whether to follow it or not. According to the policy, no individual piece of assessment may now be weighted more than 70%. While, in the cases of redeemable assessment, some students may face higher weightings on one component of assessment, in all other situations 70% is the limit. Also of note is that instructors are required to provide students the feedback on at least one piece of assessment by mid-way through the course. The third point of interest is that instructors are required to provide examples of assessment, in order for students to be aware of the level at which they are being judged. In some courses this will be provided through past exams, and in situations where a subject is new/assessment type has not been attempted before, the instructor will be required to provide an exemplar. It’s a great policy, one we can only hope is taken up by individual faculties in 2009. Otherwise, we’ll all see it in 2010.

Removal of Incomplete Fails (IFs)

Again as part of its attempt to rationalize assessment across faculties, the University has removed the ‘Incomplete Fail’ grade. The justification for this is that different faculties were using the IF grade in different ways. Previously, the grade was awarded to students who had a final mark of 50% or greater (enough to pass), but failed on account of not completing all required course components. E.g. Those who did well on the final exam despite missing compulsory tutorials. Several people I have spoken to within the Union have grave misgivings about this policy, as it means that there is now no distinction between students who have not understood the material, and students who have but due to some personal reason have been unable to make all the assessment. IF’s used to convey underlying issues other than academic ability, a piece of information now lost to future employers. Furthermore, while at a Course Coordinator level the number of failures due to non-completion of course components will be known, at a higher university level this information is more likely to be lost., to the detriment of any attempts to remedy high failure rates within individual courses.

New Degree Structures

Many degrees have changed structures in 2009, again as part of the rationalization across university faculties. 2nd and 3rd year Maths course are being beefed up to 3 units, while courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences are being cut down to 3 units apiece (furthermore, there is now no distinction between 2nd and 3rd year course within the H&SS Faculty). Needless to say H&SS students are generally upset at these changes (one more subject a semester), while mathematics majors aren’t complaining. It is worth remembering that the degree outlined on a students offer letter is the degree they are entitled to pursue. Provided they follow it to the letter and do not ‘mix and match’ between this and the new structure, they are allowed to graduate under the old system. Students are advised to contact the Education and Welfare Officers (see page 12) for any concerns of this nature.

World Domination on the Cards for Google

The University is teaming up with Google. All …@student.adelaide.edu.au addresses will shortly be provided via Gmail. Included will be the chat facility. One wonders how many more internet-chat programs the student community needs; I have enough trouble concentrating with facebook chat in the background. In other technology news, students this year have increased printing and internet quotas (go the SRC), and the University has allegedly has plans to update its printing interfaces (allowing students to cancel printing jobs and the like, so no more unclaimed documents)