Awards offered at an RMIT offshore campus policy

Definitions

DVC - Deputy Vice Chancellor

PVC - Pro Vice Chancellor

TAFE - Technical and Further Education

RMIT Offshore Campuses

As an international university, RMIT is a community of scholars and professional staff working under a common governance structure and with a single mission and vision. An Offshore Campus is an integral part of the university, but located in another country. Academic and professional staff of the Offshore Campus contribute in a full and meaningful way to the work of the University, including the pursuit of its mission and vision. They are members of the University and their professional allegiance is to RMIT.

On an RMIT Offshore Campus the responsibility for governance and standards becomes a collaborative effort with staff of the RMIT Offshore Campus participating on University Committees in the development and continuous improvement of programs and in delivering and assuring the academic quality and standards that the student will experience.

This is an important difference between an RMIT Offshore Campus and Offshore Partnership arrangements.

Another major difference is the expectation that all campuses will contribute to research.

Definition of an RMIT Offshore Campus

An RMIT Offshore Campus will be characterised in three ways: by the student experience, by the academic governance arrangements for the academic community and their inclusion into the academic life of the University, and by research.

The academic organisational structure of an Offshore Campus will be designed to parallel the College structure at RMIT in order to assist academic communication and collaboration in the development and management of RMIT programs and in research. There will also be care taken to ensure that the non-academic portfolios at RMIT can easily relate to equivalent or similar organisational structures in the Offshore Campus.

Student Experience at an RMIT Offshore Campus

Students at an RMIT Offshore Campus will:

a. Receive an education of an equivalent and comparable standard to that provided at other RMIT campuses;

b. Benefit from interaction with a research active RMIT academic community;

c. Have the opportunity to study at other RMIT University campuses;

d. Enjoy a campus experience enhanced by a physical RMIT presence.

Governance and the Academic Community at an RMIT Offshore Campus

Academic staff at an RMIT Offshore Campus will:

a. Operate within a single academic governance system under the Council and Academic Board of RMIT University;

b. Develop an academic structure and mechanisms to report to the relevant RMIT University committees evidence of equivalence and comparability of standards in RMIT awards;

c. Have appropriate academic capacity to be part of the RMIT academic community, to interact with other RMIT University staff in the development of

• learning and teaching materials and programs, and
• research

Pro Vice-Chancellors Academic and Deans/Heads of School will:

a. Be responsible for assuring the academic quality of RMIT University awards delivered at the Offshore Campus;

b. Exercise academic leadership and ensure the meaningful involvement of academic staff at the Offshore Campus in their respective disciplines.

Academic Presence at an RMIT Offshore Campus

An RMIT Offshore Campus will:

a. Represent a long term commitment of the University;

b. Operate in the name of RMIT and carry appropriate RMIT branding;

c. Offer only RMIT awards that bear RMIT’s name alone or jointly with a partner institution;

d. Employ RMIT academic staff resident at that location;

e. Contribute to RMIT’s research objectives;

f. Employ professional staff resident at that location, dedicated solely to the administration and management of RMIT awards;

g. Offer awards in more than one field of study;

h. Be where students take most of their courses and may complete their award;

i. Offer substantially face-to-face instruction;

j. Use English as the language of instruction.

RMIT Offshore Partnerships

RMIT has a large number of students enrolled offshore. The majority of these are enrolled in programs offered through Offshore Partnership arrangements. The partner normally provides facilities, acts as a local marketing and recruitment centre, and can also assist in delivering the programs and in assessment, the standards of which are always moderated and finally signed off by RMIT University academic staff.

Partners may also be non-academic institutions such as global enterprises and NGOs whose partnership with RMIT involves provision of education and training for their staff, recruits and/or community members.

Staff at partner institutions are not involved in the academic governance of the programs, nor are they substantially responsible for the quality or standards of the awards. While a partnership of RMIT will often involve staff of other entities delivering some aspects of RMIT’s programs, most often their engagement in RMIT endeavours will be limited to teaching programs designed by RMIT academics. Their employment and primary allegiance will be to the partner with whom RMIT has a contractual relationship.

Governance and standards of awards delivered through partnerships remain entirely the responsibility of RMIT University.

Definition of an RMIT Offshore Partnership

An RMIT Offshore Partnership will be characterised by governance arrangements designed to assure the quality and standards of the RMIT awards.

Student Experience at an RMIT Offshore Partnership

Students at an RMIT Offshore Partnership will:

a. Receive an education of an equivalent and comparable standard to that provided at RMIT Campuses and Partnerships;

b. Have the opportunity to study at other RMIT University campuses.

Governance of an RMIT Offshore Partnership

Academic staff of RMIT responsible for the quality and standards of awards offered at an RMIT Offshore Partnership will:

a. Operate within a single academic governance system under the Council and Academic Board of RMIT University;

b. Report to the relevant RMIT University committees evidence of equivalence and comparability of standards in RMIT awards.

College Pro Vice-Chancellors and Deans/Heads of School will:

Be responsible for assuring the academic quality of RMIT University awards delivered at the Offshore Partnership.

Presence at an RMIT Offshore Partnership

An RMIT Offshore Partnership will:

a. Offer RMIT awards;

b. Employ professional staff resident at that location to support the administration and management of RMIT awards;

c. Be where students take most of their courses and may complete their award;

d. Use English as the language of instruction.

Ownership of Offshore Campuses

The details of ownership and arrangements for management of the facilities at an Offshore Partnership or an Offshore Campus are largely irrelevant to determining whether the location is designated as a partnership or a campus. An Offshore Campus may be wholly or jointly owned. If it is a joint venture, academic responsibility must rest with RMIT in order to protect the academic reputation and brand of RMIT programs.

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