Current issues

Distance Education postgraduates

In January 2009, the MPA produced a report entitled Out of sight, out of mind: the trials and tribulations of distance education postgraduates (Report download). The report was widely disseminated within the university community, and included a set of recommendations to improve the services and support provided to distance education postgraduates.

Responses were invited from relevant units and departments. The MPA will keep you updated on the progress of the discussions and actions taken around the issues raised in this report, by posting responses below, as they are received.

Library response

Monash Research Graduate School

Education Committee

MPA

IT Faculty

Science Faculty

We are also posting responses from individual DE postgrads as they come in.

Reciprocal library rights

And postgrads are also currently discussing the issues on the dedicated thread in the postgrad forum.

Library response

Thank you for sending the MPA report to the Library. Overall we were pleased by the response and we are always happy to consider recommendations for improvement. Responses to specific recommendations are below.

Library services

1. Provide free return postage of library loans

Response: Investigations have been in train since the latter part of 2008 to estimate the cost of providing return postage for students who are eligible for postal loans. Early estimates indicate that this will be significant, however there may be cohorts with whom this could be trialled. The investigation will be completed and recommendations made. The Library will have to consider the costs within their overall budget environment.   The MPA will be informed of outcomes.

2. Increase library loan periods for DE students to allow for postage time

Response: The loan period for off campus postgraduates is 28 days (including postage time) with up to 6 renewals per item - intentionally longer than that for oncampus users. To date the Library has not received direct feedback that this is insufficient. In the light of this report, this will be revisited during 2009 and some extension may well be possible, while taking into consideration the need for more than one user to be able to access the information within a reasonable time frame. The Library will advise the MPA of the outcomes.

 3. Facilitate interlibrary loans for DE students

Response: The following groups have access to interlibrary loans under current arrangements.

• HDR (higher degreee by thesis) students

• OPG (graduate diploma, higher degree by coursework)

• Honours

This means that students responding to the survey already have access to this service so it appears to be a communication issue for the library. Strategies to address this will be considered and implemented. The MPA is encouraged to let students know about this also.

4. Negotiate reciprocal borrowing rights at overseas universities

Response: The Library offers a letter of introduction, but there are no reciprocal international arrangements in place. This is unlikely to be possible, given the variation in location of the MPA international students over courses and time.

5. Promote the role of Subject Librarians

Response: The Library encourages users to access the expertise of Subject Librarians and Learning Skills Advisers, through ask.monash, telephone help, online chat and via the 'contacts' page on the library website. The Library is extensively reviewing its Service Points in 2009, with the intention of streamlining users experience, whether virtual or physical, to provide access to experts in as seamless a manner as possible. This should help off campus students as it will address virtual and physicial access equally. The MPA will be advised of the outcomes of this review, probably late in 2009.

Back to top

Monash Research Graduate School

The DE report is scheduled to be discussed at the next meeting of the Research Graduate School Committee, which comprises mainly Associate Deans (Research) from each faculty. The report from the MPA rep on RGSC will be submitted back to MPA and an update on the outcome of the committee’s discussions will be posted here.

Back to top

Education Committee

The DE report was tabled and discussed at the Education Committee meeting held 18 February 2009. This committee is chaired by Professor Adam Shoemaker, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education), and comprises mainly Associate Deans (Graduate Studies) from each faculty. Professor Shoemaker commended the report. The committee agreed that the findings of this report should be included in a wider review of Open and Distance Education currently being conducted by the university. It was also agreed that further discussion around the DE issues would be scheduled for the next meeting of the Education Committee.

Back to top

MPA

The MPA has developed online orientations specifically for DE research postgraduates and for DE coursework postgraduates.  Please have a look at these two pages and let us know if we have missed anything.

DE research postgrads orientation online

DE coursework orientation online

Back to top

IT Faculty

The report will be tabled at the next Faculty HDR Sub-Committee meeting for noting. It is hard to identify which comments relate to the IT faculty, but I can relate to quite a few comments, which we could consider in the future to improve our interactions with HDRs of this type.

(Please note that this response was from a staff member with responsibility for HDR only).

Back to top

Science Faculty

Thank-you for the copy of the report conducted by the Monash Postgraduate Association (MPA) on the experiences of distance education postgraduates. I had also received a copy from my Dean (Prof Norris). I noted that the 2007 figures for Science, show that we have 8 HDR and 30 GPG listed as being in DE mode.

Re the GPG group: This is mostly made up of students enrolled in our Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma prgrams in Science. These are essentially graduates completing additional undergraduate units, mainly by OCL through our School of Applied Sciences and Engineering at Gippsland campus. I will pass this report on to the relevant people in SASE, in case they have not seen the report.

Nothing specific appears to emerge regarding our small Science HDR DE group. The few we have are generally located in appropriate research organisations where they are very well supported (CSIRO, DPI and some medical research institutes). Some of these candidates are employees of these organisations, on time release to complete their higher degree by research.

We are not aware of any specific issues affecting our DE HDR students, coming through other avenues. Communication between the students and Monash supervisors is generally very good and the DE people are part of all e-mail lists from their research groups. Wherever possible, they will attend research group meetings. This year, the Faculty will be preparing video-casts of the Faculty of Science Postgraduate Induction seminar. Other seminars in our programme will also be online and this will advantage all HDR students, regardless of mode of operation.

Many of our Schools (e.g. Biological Sciences) have a webpage that list research students, their research interests and contact details, which enables DE students to contact on-campus students, providing them with an accessible student network.

(Please note that this response was from a staff member with responsibility for HDR only).

Back to top

Reciprocal library rights - DE postgrad

One thing I would like to comment on is the library. It is, in my opinion, the absolute best resource for DE students. It is nearly flawless, and so so consistent. On the loaning of books/postage back issue, I agree cost is considerable. What I think makes sense as an alternative is for each dept to allocate funds for the DE student to get privileges at their local university library on an annual basis. Then we can borrow books locally at a reputable university, and legally for a fee, and there is no postage problem or cost incurred by Monash - and Monash takes no risks either in lost books in the post, or if we don't return books to the local library (the liability is nil). The cost could be borne by each dept as an inbuilt cost allocated to all enrolled DE students. Currently my dept allocates $2000/year per DE student to assist with residential costs (flights, accom, meals, transfers), so I am thinking it could just be another allocated cost added to that - $500/year or whatever it is for the library fee. Frankly, I would think most internal students would spend that in one month alone on office space, copy paper, phone, PC, electricity, and tea/coffee.

Back to top