APAC Accreditation Summary Assessment Report

Transcription

1 APAC Accreditation Summary Assessment Report Higher Education Provider Edith Cowan University, School of Psychology and Social Science Date of determination 4 October 2010 Standards version August 2009 Version 9 This is a summary of the outcomes of an APAC accreditation assessment of the School of Psychology and Social Science at Edith Cowan University and its courses conducted at the Joondalup campus in Western Australia. This summary highlights selected key features of the assessment. Comprehensive analysis of the assessment is contained in the full APAC Assessment Team Report. The assessment included the following courses: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Addiction Studies) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology, Criminology and Justice) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Counselling) Bachelor of Science (Psychology) Bachelor of Psychological Science Graduate Diploma of Psychology Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Psychological Science Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) (Honours) Bachelor of Science (Psychology) (Honours) Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) Doctor of Psychology (Clinical/Forensic Psychology) Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical) Doctor of Philosophy (Forensic) Graduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology The Joondalup campus of ECU is the site from which all degrees and programs are taught, with the exception of the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) which are also taught with a Singapore educational partner. APAC-accredited Institutions are expected under Standards and to provide for psychology education at a high level, and this requires an active and productive research environment, which provides the essential basis on which staff and students are engaged in psychology. The University and the School have been asked to provide evidence of increased research support for the School of Psychology and Social Science including appropriate incentive, infrastructure and other resources that will assist psychology academic staff to engage in research, so as to improve the research milieu required by Standards and The assessment team viewed materials that described assessment requirements and standards including Program Handbooks, Unit Descriptions, Laboratory and Tutorial Programs, and samples of examinations and assessed written work across units for each of the undergraduate three years. These materials were 1

2 detailed and competently written and designed. A variety of assessment methods are used, including selfreflective and critical analyses essays, laboratory reports, take home and open book as well as unseen and time limited invigilated examinations. It is impressive that there is a thoughtful and pedagogically-based structure and progression of critical thinking and writing skills from year 1 to year 3 which is integrated across all units. Students from Years 1 to 3 reported to the assessment team high levels of satisfaction with existing administrative and support arrangements, particularly the availability of Learning Advisors and Student Support Officers within the School. Students were especially enthusiastic in their positive comments about the availability, support and level of assistance provided by the existing staff. The assessment recommended changes to the undergraduate program structure to assist better compliance with Graduate Attributes 4, 5 and 6 in Standard In the fourth year courses students complete four coursework units and an independent research project submitted as either a thesis or a literature review and research report. The assessment team recommended revising the structure and content of 4 th year to ensure that Standard regarding Graduate Attributes was satisfied. The School has also been asked to demonstrate that the program content and structure complies fully with Standard 4.1.8, which refers to undergraduate training in research methods and ethics. Other aspects of the course content were satisfactory in terms of the coverage of applied topics and basic skills within the scientist-practitioner model. In 4 th year students are required to complete a substantial independent research project which is worth 50%, of the degree requirements. The assessment team inspected several graded Honours theses, the 4 th Year Handbook with instructions and templates for project proposals, project submission and thesis evaluation. The assessment team also spoke extensively to honours year students regarding their research project experiences. Students were very positive about their choices of topics, accessibility of supervisors within the School and the quality of supervision. With respect to the Honours thesis the assessment team was impressed with the progressive nature and quality of feedback given to students at the proposal stage and prior to submission of the thesis document. The School is commended for the additional commitment and effort to encourage its honours students in engaging in public exposure and critical discussion of their research. Rooms for lectures, tutorials and conducting interviews and assessments with video-recording capability were all of modern standard well equipped and comfortable. The test library, library holdings and databases and computer hardware and software were all of good quality and well maintained. The assessment team visited the ECU Psychology Clinic located within a health services precinct in the Joondalup CBD. The assessment team was particularly impressed with the professional setting of the clinic situated within a health precinct in the community. Students were very enthusiastic about their experience in the real world at the commencement of their clinical practice while still having the close supervision and support of the on-site full-time Clinic Director and supervisor. The assessment team reviewed the Postgraduate Handbook, unit descriptions, and marked assessments completed across a selection of units. The assessment team noted a comprehensive and progressive curriculum which provides reasonable coverage of areas of core capabilities and attributes within the particular practice and research specialties of the postgraduate staff. Staff, students and supervisors were all in agreement with the overall content, quality and depth of the coursework. Students described their satisfaction with marking criteria and assessment feedback, indicating that when they had serious concerns in a previous year their complaints were dealt with immediately and effectively. They maintained that their lecturers and supervisors were very accessible to discuss assessment feedback, and that they were treated with the respect given to colleagues. The assessment team noted the collegial co-operation amongst staff to be aware of the integration of material within each other s units, and efforts to co-ordinate assessment methods and timetables. Staff 2

3 also described regular case conferencing of students progress and pro-active attention for additional strategic support when indicated. The assessment team noted that the requirement in Standard for the PhD research component to comprise at least 67% of the course is not met. Also of concern was the fact that the required proportions of time spent on coursework and practica are significantly less than that which is required in the relevant coursework Masters course. Therefore the standard is not met for the PhD Programs at ECU. Following assessment of Masters, Specialised PhD and Professional Doctorate theses, as well as the research unit descriptions, and postgraduate handbook entries pertaining to research it was clear that the standard of research training was very good and students were well prepared for their projects. Students expressed satisfaction with the availability and quality of their thesis supervision. The assessment team concluded that the availability, scope and progression of placements met the requirements for the specialty areas. The School meets APAC requirements for establishing, monitoring and evaluating both students and placement sites. The School offers one professional doctorate degree, the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical/Forensic Psychology) with dual specialisation in clinical and forensic psychology. The scope and depth represents sufficient content with advanced study. At ECU the advanced coursework is in areas of forensic psychology considered to represent specialist areas of practice relevant to clinical psychologists. The assessment team noted that there was no training in supervision during the final year of the degree and hence this aspect of Standard was not met. The scope and depth of dissertations satisfied the requirement that for at least the equivalent of one year full-time, and topic areas represented advanced knowledge in both areas of specialisation. The School is commended for the team spirit, dedication and service of the support staff team creating a beneficial atmosphere for all staff and students in the School. The accreditation outcomes are summarised in the attached Accreditation Summary Checklist. 3

4 APAC Accreditation Summary Assessment Report Higher Education Provider Edith Cowan University, School of Psychology and Social Science Singapore Campus Date of determination 8 December 2010 Standards version August 2009 Version 9 This is a summary of the outcomes of an APAC accreditation assessment of the School of Psychology and Social Science, Edith Cowan University (ECU) at Singapore and its courses. This summary highlights selected key features of the assessment. Comprehensive analysis of the assessment is contained in the full APAC Assessment Team Report. ECU engages an education partner in Singapore to deliver infrastructure, administration support and local tutors. This provider is The Institute of Higher Learning, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Singapore Manufacturers Federation (SMa). A three-year undergraduate psychology sequence may be taken within the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), or Bachelor of Science (Psychology). The psychology sequence in both of these programs in Singapore is identical to the three year sequence in the BA-Psychology and BSc-Psychology delivered at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia in the internal and external modes. Approximately 8 permanent academic members of the Psychology staff teach the identical units both in Joondalup and Singapore. In approximately 20% of the time a staff member is replaced by an alternate staff member from Joondalup. It was clear that the programs are resourced in Singapore by a committed team of administrative, technical and professional staff who collectively play a significant role in the delivery of good academic services, technical support and professional supervision to students as well as to staff. The Singapore partner provides a number of high quality rooms/areas for academic workstations, a computer laboratory, lecture and seminar rooms. All teaching rooms have state of the art facilities. Inspection of the available space demonstrated that increased and upgraded facilities (compared with the previous 2008 report s findings) are now available for the psychology programs, and that SMa is strongly committed to the ECU Psychology partnership. Standards and were satisfied, since students have full access to the ECU Library online, including its online databases, search and borrow facilities, as well as free access to the enormous resources of the National Library of Singapore. It can be argued that Singapore students receive resourcing comparable with external ECU students and receive extra resourcing through local tutors (12 hours contact per unit) and further direct intensive lecturing (18 hours per unit) from ECU staff in Singapore. In all aspects, students are treated in an equivalent fashion to those at Joondalup. The students interviewed commented very favourably on their experiences, and a number of them commented that one of the strengths of the program is that it explicitly treated them in an equivalent way, including using the same unit materials and assessments.

5 The length and structure of the three-year sequences conform to APAC Accreditation Standards. In the first year of study, students programs comprise at least 25% psychology units and in the second and third year of study, an average of at least 50% psychology units. It was apparent during the assessment that all students taking the 12 unit sequence would complete the three year sequence in psychology without fully meeting Graduate Attributes 4, 5 and 6 in Standard Standard was, therefore, not satisfied. A variety of assessment methods are in use, including essays, laboratory reports, in-class tests, presentations and examinations. Examination of written work, including examples of moderation, generally confirmed an appropriate match between the quality of students work and assigned grades. Appropriate quality assurance and student progress processes are in place. The School of Psychology and Social Science is commended for the excellent introduction given to new local tutors and for running a full day training workshop on teaching the Psychology Programs in Singapore, as well as for its thorough moderation system. The Institute of Higher Learning at SMa is commended for initiating and providing a full day workshop for all beginning students on APA referencing, and for strongly supporting and resourcing the program. The accreditation outcomes are summarised in the attached Accreditation Summary Checklist. 2

6 APAC Accreditation Summary Checklist for use with APAC Standards August 2009 Version 9 Name of Institution: Edith Cowan University Name of AOU: Department of Psychology Date of Site Visit: 9-12 August (Joondalup) and October (Singapore) Accreditation of the AOU Rules Rule Section 5 Accreditation Status Section 6 New Course Development General Accreditation Standards Standard The Psychology AOU Multi-Campus Institutions Nomenclature Academic Staffing Resources Teaching and Materials: Managing the Learning Process Special Arrangements for Offshore Teaching Undergraduate 3-Year Sequence Courses Joondalup Standard and Singapore Campuses Length Course Structure Course Content Assessment Awarding of Credit or Advance Standing Undergraduate Fourth Year Courses Standard Entry Requirements Length Course Structure Course Content Research Methods and Professional and Research Ethics Research Project Assessment Awarding of Credit or Advance Standing

7 Fifth and Sixth Year Masters Course of Professional Standard Education Clinical Stream Staffing Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee Resources Credit for Previous Study Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the (a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and (b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological (c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies (d) Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and (e) Evaluation Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and (f) Interpersonal Relationships Core Capabilities Assessment Log Book Placement and Other Practica Assessment Procedures Entry Requirements Length Course Structure Coursework Research Practical Placements Assessment Professional Doctorates Clinical Stream Standard Staffing Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee Resources Credit for Previous Study Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the (a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and (b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological (c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies (d) 2

8 Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and Evaluation (e) Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and (f) Interpersonal Relationships Core Capabilities Assessment Log Book Placement and Other Practica / Entry Requirements Length Course Structure 5.3.7/ Coursework Research Practical Placements Professional Doctorates Forensic Stream Standard Staffing Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee Resources Credit for Previous Study Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the (a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and (b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological (c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies (d) Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and Evaluation (e) Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and (f) Interpersonal Relationships Core Capabilities Assessment Log Book Placement and Other Practica / Entry Requirements Length Course Structure 5.3.7/ Coursework Research Practical Placements

9 Professional Doctorates Forensic & Clinical Streams Standard Staffing Advisory/Liaison and Quality Review Committee Resources Credit for Previous Study Core Capabilities and Attributes Knowledge of the (a) Discipline Core Capabilities and Attributes Ethical, Legal and (b) Professional Matters Core Capabilities and Attributes Psychological (c) Assessment & Measurement Core Capabilities and Attributes Intervention Strategies (d) Core Capabilities and Attributes Research and (e) Evaluation Core Capabilities and Attributes Communication and (f) Interpersonal Relationships Core Capabilities Assessment Log Book Placement and Other Practica / Entry Requirements Length Course Structure Coursework Research Practical Placements Graduate Certificate or Diploma in Psychology (Area of Standard Specialisation) Entry Requirements Practicum Coursework Authorised: Professor Trevor Waring AM FAPS Chair, Australian Psychology Accreditation Council Date: 4 October (Joondalup ) and 8 December 2010 (Singapore) 4

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