Offshore Teaching and Learning Activities Policy

1. Purpose

1.1 The Offshore Teaching and Learning Activities Policy (the policy) establishes a framework for the management and delivery of offshore teaching and learning activities to ensure that:

1. the development and administration of offshore teaching and learning meet all statutory and regulatory requirements
2. equivalent and appropriate academic standards and quality assurance practices apply for the management and delivery of both onshore and offshore courses
3. the quality of the student learning experience and the educational value of the course and any award when offered offshore is equivalent to that delivered onshore.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all UTS staff involved in the establishment and management of UTS offshore courses, which include the:

1. teaching and delivery of full award coursework and research courses
2. supply of teaching and learning services, including the provision of consultancy services
3. management of academic arrangements that allow entry to UTS award courses in Sydney, including dual programs of study.

2.2 The Offshore Teaching and Learning Activities in Modern Standard Chinese Policy has been developed to outline additional requirements.

3. Principles

3.1 UTS offshore teaching and learning activities must:

1. meet the university’s standards of academic quality and advance the strategic and financial interests of UTS
2. comply with the legislative and regulatory requirements of the country in which the activities are delivered.

3.2 The principles and statements outlined in the Offshore Policy also apply for this policy.

4. Policy statements

Establishment and approval of an offshore teaching and learning activity

4.1 Offshore teaching and learning partnership agreements are categorised as commercial activities and must comply with the Commercial Activities Policy and the Commercial Activities Management Procedure (SharePoint). Offshore courses must be run on at least a cost recovery commercial basis and cannot be subsidised by Commonwealth Grants Scheme funds (refer Commercial Activities Policy).

4.2 Academic approvals and processes must be undertaken in line with the Course Approval Policy.

4.3 Offshore courses cannot start until UTS approval processes are completed and appropriate in-country government approvals have been secured.

Review and monitoring of offshore teaching and learning activities

4.4 Annual reviews (January to December) and monitoring reports on each UTS award course delivered outside Australia in the preceding year are to be submitted to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) at the beginning of each year (in a format specified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International)). Reviews include:

1. strategic relationship and development with the offshore partner through the offshore course delivery
2. risk management (reputational, financial and legislative)
3. academic management
4. course performance and benchmarking
5. student administration, services and support (equivalency)
6. quality assurance
7. exit strategies, where applicable.

4.5 The review report on each offshore course must be provided to the Courses Accreditation Committee and the Vice-Chancellor and Academic Board for noting.

4.6 Annual reviews are to be complemented by annual visits to all offshore partner institutions by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) or their nominated delegate.

Management of offshore courses

4.7 UTS International manages the development of each UTS offshore course. 

4.8 Faculties are responsible for the academic management and delivery of each UTS offshore course offered by the faculty. The management of UTS offshore courses in operation before 1 January 2005 may remain the responsibility of the initiating faculty unless or until they inform the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) otherwise.

Offshore partners

4.9 UTS is committed to the development of long-term relationships with suitable international higher education providers for the purpose of delivering offshore courses. Partnerships must only be established where there is clear evidence of mutual benefit and development potential.

4.10 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International), with consideration of any requirements given by the Vice-Chancellor, may approve the development of a proposal for the establishment of a partnership to deliver one or more UTS offshore courses in suitable locations.

4.11 Potential offshore partners must undergo the due diligence process as required for all commercial activities. UTS International has the overall role of international relationship development and is involved in the due diligence check and partner selection process.

4.12 Partnership arrangements with offshore institutions for the delivery of UTS offshore courses must be supported by a series of formal agreements, renewed on a regular basis. A partnership agreement will usually comprise:

1. a memorandum of understanding between UTS and the partner
2. a head of agreement that deals with the strategic interaction between UTS and the partner
3. an operations manual (or similar) that details academic, administrative and quality assurance interactions between UTS and the partner
4. a schedule for the delivery of each specific course, and
5. an annual plan that agrees on the operational details for the delivery of each course in the year ahead.

Financial management

4.13 The financial management of all UTS offshore teaching and learning activities must be done in the approved UTS financial management system.

4.14 UTS offshore teaching and learning activity has its own unique Finance Unit activity code and all financial management for each activity must use its unique code. The Finance Unit will work with UTS International to ensure activity codes are consistent and reports are accurate. Activity code changes are notified to UTS International.

4.15 Fees for UTS offshore courses are collected by the Lifetime Learner Experience Unit (fees office).

4.16 Income from the delivery of offshore courses is managed by the Finance Unit.

4.17 For all offshore courses managed by UTS International, the teaching faculty (or faculties) receive 64.4 per cent of the net revenue to UTS generated by that course.

4.18 For offshore courses in operation before 1 January 2005 where the teaching faculty (or faculties) also provide overall management functions to the operation of the courses, the teaching faculty (or faculties) receives the net revenue to UTS, less 16 per cent of gross revenue generated by the offshore course.

4.19 Payments to staff for their involvement in a UTS offshore course must be in accordance with the Enterprise agreements, relevant policies and procedures.

4.20 There are annual reviews and, where appropriate, adjustment of fees for each offshore teaching and learning activity to consider changes in consumer price index exchange rates and market conditions as well as the strategic value of each activity to UTS.

Recruitment and marketing

4.21 As the awarding institution, UTS is responsible for approving marketing and promotional material relating to offshore courses.

4.22 UTS must ensure that no inappropriate or misleading statements are used in the promotion of its offshore courses and that its corporate identity is applied in accordance with the rules governing the use of its logo and emblem (refer UTS brand and visual identity and Use the UTS logo (Staff Connect)).

4.23 The appointment of any agents for the purposes of marketing UTS offshore courses or recruiting students must be managed in accordance with UTS International’s student recruitment agent protocols.

Quality assurance

4.24 All offshore courses must meet the university's criteria set out in its teaching and learning statement of values and the Award Course Nomenclature and Issuance Policy.

4.25 Criteria for the selection and admission of students to offshore courses must be in accordance with the Student Rules and the Admissions and Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.

4.26 UTS staff must be involved in the delivery of offshore courses. Where teaching delivery is localised, or where a partner is licensed to provide a UTS course, UTS staff must be involved in moderation and quality assurance procedures.

4.27 All UTS feedback surveys that are conducted for subjects and courses delivered onshore must be available and conducted for UTS offshore students (refer Feedback Survey Policy). The content of these surveys and the tools used for the surveys may be modified to suit specific offshore teaching and learning environments. Such variations must consider the compatibility of the onshore and offshore surveys to allow meaningful comparison and benchmarking.

Student learning support

4.28 Faculties offering courses offshore must provide the necessary learning support to enable students to achieve the desired learning outcomes in the course. This includes access to:

1. teaching and learning advice from teaching staff
2. appropriate library and other learning resources
3. advice on other support services available for offshore students in general and specific to students enrolled in that course
4. course and other student information
5. advice on UTS rules and policies applicable to UTS students in general and specific to students enrolled in that course.

Intellectual property

4.29 UTS, in line with the Intellectual Property Policy and its procedures, retains and will assert ownership of intellectual property in:

1. course and teaching materials developed for the purpose of the delivery of offshore courses
2. all translations of course and teaching materials, where those translations have been commissioned and paid for by UTS.

Records management

4.30 The authoritative student enrolment and record system for all students in UTS offshore courses is held in CASS (refer Course Approval Policy). All UTS offshore students must have appropriate records in CASS in line with the Records Management Policy.

4.31 All records relating to UTS offshore students that may be kept by the offshore partner must be maintained at the same levels of privacy and protection required by the Privacy Policy.

5. Roles and responsibilities

5.1 Policy owner: The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) is responsible for coordinating all UTS offshore activities and for ensuring that they are conducted in line with this policy. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) is also responsible for approving UTS International’s student recruitment agent protocols.

5.2 Policy contact: The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships) provides executive support to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) in implementing this policy.

5.3 Implementation and governance roles:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) advises the Vice-Chancellor on the commercial and financial management of offshore courses in accordance with this policy.

Deans of faculties that offer offshore courses are responsible for the overall delivery, academic management and quality assurance of the respective courses offered offshore (refer also Offshore Policy).

Academic Board, on the advice of the Courses Accreditation Committee, has the authority to approve the accreditation of UTS offshore award courses.

The Courses Accreditation Committee (CAC) is a standing committee of Academic Board whose terms of reference include advice on reaccreditation of UTS award courses. The provision of the offshore review reports to CAC will facilitate the consideration of course reaccreditation by Academic Board.

Table 5.3: Summary of roles and responsibilities for offshore course management

6. Definitions

The following definitions apply for this policy and all associated procedures. These are in addition to the definitions outlined in Schedule 1, Student Rules. Definitions in the singular include the plural meaning of the word.

Articulation arrangement is defined in the Admissions and Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.

Dual program of study is defined in the Admissions and Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.

Moderation means the process where UTS assesses the merit and worth of teaching and course delivery on its courses taught elsewhere.