Consultation overview
We had over 2,700 contributions from our community in an eight-month period of consultation, and held numerous discussions with University governance, leadership and other groups, including student representative organisations.
Follow the consultation process below.
April 2021
Education roundtable
Thirty-five teaching and learning leaders from across the University led an interactive, online discussion open to all staff, that focused on some key strategic priorities for education.
The rich discussion shaped the early thinking about what the ASE strategy would need to cover.
What we heard
“Connection with the discipline is important in the transition to University. The social cohort in discipline might be the most compelling thing for students early in their studies at Uni.”
“We have to make our classrooms and co-curricular activities truly inclusive and respectful. This means engaging students and co-creating with them at different levels.”
“Looking beyond ATAR for entry criteria is a really important step in creating a more diverse cohort.”
“Online subjects allow flexibility for people who are working and wanting to upskill.”
April 2022
Community survey
At the start of the ASE strategy consultation, we opened an online survey that asked all students and staff:
- As a member of our University community, what should the Advancing Students and Education strategy do for you?
- What should the Advancing Students and Education strategy do for the University?
What we heard
“Ensure that the university remains focused on delivering a world-class education and embed change into the system by ensuring that our educational offering remains current, contemporary and relevant.” - Staff member
“We need a focus on making things as easy as possible for first years, no guessing or confusion to help make this difficult transition easier” - Student
“The strategy should aim to increase status and visibility of Teaching and Learning across the University. Staff that are at the front line delivering and implementing this strategy should be supported and valued for their work.” - Staff member
“The Strategy should ensure that the University is a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, regardless of their lived experience.” - Student
April 2022
ASE Student Ambassadors
We developed a new partnership model for working with students: the ASE Student Ambassadors program<link to ambassador document>. The Ambassadors worked with us throughout the process, helping to run consultation events, sharing their insights, and developing their own activities to engage other students.
Our ambassadors came from many different faculties, and ranged from first year undergraduates to students completing their Masters degrees or PhDs. They successfully engaged over 200 students in their consultation.
June 2022
‘Always on’ all-University online community
We created a new way to bring together students and staff and share information, news, and progress using a community on the University’s Learning Management System (LMS).
Through the LMS, we shared background resources, survey results, summaries of consultations, invitations to upcoming events and session recordings, with regular announcements to over 1,200 participants to keep them updated on activity in the community.
An ASE mailbox also encouraged our community to continuously send thoughts, ideas, questions, and feedback through to the team.
July – September 2022
Expert workshops
Working with a research partner, we brought together student and staff experts from across the University, as well as our ASE ambassadors, to share their big ideas on challenges and future directions, seeking bold thinking and creative solutions. The topics for discussion were based on the key themes of the feedback received in the survey conducted in April and May.
Online forums
After each workshop, the conversation was opened up to all students and staff using the LMS community site.
The same themes, prompts and material from the workshops were provided in these forums, leading to rich discussions. Participants provided examples of their experiences, here and at other institutions, current work, and links to thought-provoking resources.
August 2022
Symposium: Evolving the Melbourne Curriculum
Recognising the central place of the curriculum and the rich, ongoing conversation about the role and potential changes to the Melbourne Curriculum, we held a full day symposium, with students and staff invited to attend either online or in-person.
Student panellists participated alongside staff, and the ASE ambassadors helped run the day.
October 2022
Ambassador-led student consultation
ASE Student Ambassadors reviewed the analysis and summaries of the consultation and decided which topics to dive deeper on using direct student-to-student consultation.
They designed an interactive activity to seek the views of other students about how to help students forge a sense of belonging at the University, with a focus on welcoming input from a broad cross-section of students and drawing out more in-depth insights from some.
Focus groups
To explore some of the big ideas that had emerged through the consultation so far, we held a series of focus groups. We asked our student ambassadors and a small group of experienced and expert professional staff who work in student support to reflect on student-focused ideas. We also asked heads of schools and departments to consider new teaching models, ways to support excellent teaching and how we might rethink the first year of undergraduate degrees to better support students to transition to university.
November 2022
Town hall
At the end of the consultation period, we invited students and staff to join the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) to discuss the major themes of that had emerged from the consultation and the directions of the strategy. Ambassadors joined to provide their reflections on the process.
Keeping the conversation going
Importantly, the release of the Advancing Students and Education strategy isn’t the end of our collective work - there is plenty more to come!
Though the strategy’s release marks the culmination of an almost year-long consultation period, we’re committed to partnering with staff, students and the broader University community throughout the strategy’s implementation in the coming years.
It is through the contributions of the community to date, and your contributions to come, that we’ll continue to build and realise our shared vision for exemplary student experiences, both inside and outside of the curriculum. We send our most sincere thanks to all who have contributed to date and look forward to what the future brings.
Discover more