Student Area of Focus News Bulletin August 2019

RMIT News Final.mp4

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News world introduction

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NEWS RMIT UNIVERSITY

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Danielle Battersby RMIT News Host

Danielle Battersby, RMIT News Host [00:00:17] Womin Djeka. Hello. I'm Danielle Battersby with today's news. The Student Area of Focus progress is to make an impact on the student experience, both in the classroom and within the university. Our reporter Andrea Davies is the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Education, Professor Sherman Young.

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Andrea Davies RMIT Live Reporter

Andrea Davies RMIT Live Reporter [00:00:35] Thanks Dani. The Student Area of Focus has certainly progressed this year. And in the studio with me now is Professor Sherman Young RMIT’s Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Education. So, welcome to the studio Sherman. So, tell me what is that student area focused all about?

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Professor Sherman Young Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education

ADVCE, Professor Sherman Young [00:00:55] Womin Djeka, Andrea. So, the Student Area of Focus is about bringing to life RMIT strategy which is preparing our graduates for work and life. And at the heart of the area of focus is, as its name contends our students. We're here, in the Student Area of Focus to really bring and transform the programs and curriculum that our students experience to really provide an uplift in their experience and to ensure that what they learn is what they need to be ready for work and life.

Andrea Davies, RMIT Live Reporter [00:01:25] That's fantastic Sherman. So, what are some of the other things that we've achieved this year.

ADVCE, Professor Sherman Young [00:01:29] So the team have built some fantastic tools for authentic assessment. For example, there's a framework which they've developed and ways to engage our academic colleagues with that work, and they're enhancing assessment in a whole range of programs really fantastic work. Micro-credentials, over 300 micro-credentials tools have been embedded in 180 programs. Huge amount of work. Significant challenges, really commend the team they've worked really hard solved a lot of problems and achieved amazing results. Also, developing some new tools to understand the student experience a lot better. EWS, the Early Warning Signs and also the B-Pulse, the belonging school to really help us understand how the student experience can be enhanced and improved.

Andrea Davies, RMIT Live Reporter [00:02:15] All right well that sounds like we are doing a tremendous job on the student area of focus and I think all the teams are doing an amazing job.

ADVCE, Professor Sherman Young [00:02:21] I'd just like to say you know, it's the collaborative, collective effort of everybody in the student areas of focus people from colleges, colleagues and education portfolio and supporting teams right across RMIT. It's a team effort. It's fantastic and we're delighted with the way that the work is going.

Andrea Davies, RMIT Live Reporter [00:02:42] And as we move towards 2020 what would you like to say to the teams.

ADVCE, Professor Sherman Young [00:02:47] I guess I'd just like to congratulate them. It's a massive project. They've done amazing work. A lot of it's been really hard it's been quite challenging and they've all pulled together and worked as a team in really fantastic ways. So, congratulations and thank you to everyone.

Andrea Davies, RMIT Live Reporter [00:03:02] Well thank you so much for joining me Sherman. It was great to have you here in the studio. Thanks a lot.

ADVCE, Professor Sherman Young [00:03:10] It's been a pleasure.

Andrea Davies, RMIT Live Reporter [00:03:11] And back to you, Dani.

ADVCE, Professor Sherman Young [00:03:12] Back to you, Dani.

Danielle Battersby, RMIT News Host [00:03:13] Thanks Andrea. We'll cross now to James Robson who is standing live from the old chapel. Are you there, James? I think we might have some technical problems. Oh. There you are. Hi James.

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James Robson RMIT Student Live Reporter

James Robson, RMIT Live Student Reporter [00:03:28] Hey Dani. We're here at this beautiful old chapel that has been totally refit and refurbished into the most amazing collaborative working space. At the moment, we've got the program transformation squads with people all across the different colleges and studios all working together to improve the curriculum, here at RMIT. Together with me, I've got Dhriti, who is one of our amazing project managers here. So, Dhriti, what can you tell me about this program?

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Project Transformation in the Old Chapel.

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Dhriti Banerji Project Manager, Authentic Assessment and WIL Squad

Dhriti Banerji, Project Manager, Authentic Assessment and WIL Squad [00:03:55] Well James, like you said it has been really amazing working here. I have the pleasure of being the project manager for the Authentic Assessment and WIL squad that's working very hard right behind me. So, we've been working on an authentic assessment framework that will help all the staff in our university whether they're academic or professional and for WIL we have a checklist that will help everyone understand whether their WIL courses are 100 percent aligned to the guidelines.

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Project Transformation in the Old Chapel.

James Robson, RMIT Live Student Reporter [00:04:20] Awesome. Thank you so much for that. That sounds amazing. And I really look forward to hearing the result. Thank you. Back to you Dani.

Danielle Battersby, RMIT News Host [00:04:26] This year RMIT continues to embed Belonging into its everyday practices by putting in place processes tools and resources. Earlier in the week, we caught up with Bronwyn Clarke RMIT’s Belonging lead of the community of practice session.

Bronwyn Clarke, RMIT Belonging Lead [00:04:41] As we know students who belong more likely to succeed in their studies and in life. This year we've been building the belonging capabilities across the university through our champions who are in all schools across the university. These Champions are working hard on building belonging program plans, school belonging plans, uplifting belonging capabilities through applying and building belonging within their programs and enacting a range in initiatives to support the student experience, as part of program transformation.

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Champions at workshop.

Danielle Battersby, RMIT News Host [00:05:13] And now to the weather with David McLay.

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Weather broadcast.

David McLay, RMIT weatherman [00:05:18] Yes. Thank you, Danielle. Turning to our Early Warning Signs program we see a trend that is continuing this semester. We will have a high of 79 programs that will move through semester two. The data model is helping us to identify students that may be at risk of leaving the university. As we approach Spring and Summer we're encouraging program teams to use the data to complement their existing student retention activities. The Early Warning Signs model is in its third semester and contributes to both RMIT connect and SLAMs connect teams who call our students offering support. This semester, 89 percent of respondents found the calls helpful and 25 percent put their hands up saying that they needed help. And that's the weather. It's looking bright and sunny, this semester.

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Early Warning Signs

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Spring and Summer Use the data to complement their existing student retention activities.

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THIS SEMESTER FOUND THE CALLS HELPFUL: 89%

Danielle Battersby, RMIT News Host [00:06:06] Thanks David. That's a special Student Area of Focus bulletin. Well done to all the RMIT teams for their work today. Next time we'll report on the student experience project which aims to transform the transition experience for new students. That's all from me today folks. I'm Danielle Battersby. Stay classy, RMIT.

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RMIT UNIVERSITY

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Noon Gudgin

News rolling statements along bottom of screen:

• Thank you to all the people and teams who have been involved with the Student Area of Focus: COB College, SEH College, DSC College, Academic Development Groups, Learning and Teaching Teams including Program Managers, Course Coordinators, Deans and Deputy Deans, Learning and Analytics, Belonging Champions, The Strategy Office, Indigenous Education and Engagement, Analytics & Insights, Studios, RMIT Creds, RMIT Connect & Student Life, Digital Media Team, Communications, Human Resources, Enterprise Project & Business Performance, and the wonderful students who have been helping us.
• Program Transformation is well underway with cross-collaboration squads working in RMIT’s historic Chapel.
• An Authentic Assessment Framework and Toolkit has been developed for working with academics. To date, we’ve increased and enhanced assessment within 32 programs and have worked with 18 programs to meet WIL compliance.
• 302 RMIT Creds have been embedded across 230 courses in 181 programs.
• RMIT is on track to meet and exceed its digital uplift outcomes of 10 Programs for 2019. The most popular additional Canvas elements have been 15 - Accessibility, 16 - Student Study and 17 - Embedding language and readings support.
• Emble has been launched. This is a template tool that can test and design consistent learning approaches. Also, a new process around ‘Development Shells’ has been created to provide staff with a canvas shell where re-design and uplift take place, without impacting live delivery shells and their associated activities and assessments.
• The Belonging Community of Practice continues to grow and strengthen with over 40 champions from RMIT’s colleges helping to drive and embed Belonging within schools and programs.
• To support RMIT’s Belonging aspirations the B-pulse was built, which is now being trialed in Semester 2, 2019.
• Using predictive analytics, the Early Warning Signs (EWS) model pulls timely, in-depth data from over 120 sources, allowing the University to identify students who may be at risk. We’ve started the Semester 2 EWS pilot with 79 programs involved. EWS has contributed to nearly a 1 per cent reduction in attrition, supporting over 260 students to stay in study and improve their life.
• Microsurgery has now been applied to more than 1247 courses, quadruple what was achieved last year. RMIT has seen the microsurgery evaluation measurement of mOSI (mean of the Overall Satisfaction Index score) rise to 3.9, above target (3.8) and higher than when this work was started (3.5).
• Bundyi Girri forms part of RMIT’s commitment to work first with staff and then with students to advance their journeys of reconciliation. In the future, students will have opportunities to engage with indigenous perspectives through curriculum.