FLINDERS UNIVERSITY - NEW COURSE PROPOSAL FORM PART A COURSE INFORMATION (DOMESTIC) Professor Andrew Millington Date:

Transcription

1 1. CONTACT DETAILS AND AUTHORISATION 1.1 Contact Staff Member: 1.2 Endorsement by Dean of School: Name: Stephen Fildes Contact details: Phone: Name: Professor Andrew Millington Date: Name: Professor Warren Lawrance 1.3 Endorsement by Executive Dean of Faculty: Signature: Date: 13/11/ Version Number: 2.5 Check that you are using the current form, which may be downloaded at: 2. COURSE DETAILS 2.1 Course Name: Geospatial 2.2 List any specialisations to be printed on parchments: (if nil type N/A) N/A 2.3 Post-nominal: MGISc 2.4 Faculty administering the course: and Engineering 2.5 Year and semester of introduction: 2014, Semester Mid-year entry available: To check or uncheck the boxes, double click on the box. The Check Box Form Field Options dialogue box will appear. Select checked or not checked under Default Value. Yes No (Specify why not) 2.7 List any courses or course components to be replaced by this course: (if nil type N/A) Refer to the procedure for a Significant change to a Course to discontinue a program. 2.8 AQF Level of course: N/A 5 Diploma 7 Bachelor Degree 7 Bachelor Honours Degree 8 Graduate Certificate 8 Graduate Diploma 9 Masters Degree (Research) 1

2 9 Masters Degree (Coursework) 9 Masters Degree (Extended) 10 Doctoral Degree Other (Specify) 2.9 Total unit value of the Course: 72 Commonwealth supported Fee paying postgraduate student 2.10 Nature of Funding: Employer Reserved Funding Fee paying onshore international student Other (specify) 2.11 Mode(s) of Delivery: Internal External Mixture of modes 2.12 Specify the location(s) of face-to-face teaching (if none type N/A): Flinders University, Bedford Park 2.13 Indicate the minimum full-time duration of the course as equivalent full-time semesters/, e.g. three full-time equivalent study or six semesters full-time. Indicate and provide a rationale for any special conditions, e.g part-time not available or required overloads: Four semesters full-time or eight semesters part-time 2.14 Is the course available for international students onshore? If no, please provide an explanation. If yes, does the course comply with ESOS requirements? (see instructions for detail): Yes, the proposed Geospatial is available to international students onshore and complies with ESOS requirements Please indicate a suggested Field of Education (FOE) code for the course. Record code and name: (Code may be 4 or 6 digits. For combined or double degrees a primary and secondary code may be nominated.) 0311 Geomatic Engineering 3. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE COURSE 3.1 Provide a brief synopsis of the course: The proposed 72 unit Geospatial (MGISc) is intended for people already working in industry and for those graduates from a range of relevant disciplines that have little or no expertise in GIS and are looking to extend their choice of career path by acquiring decision support knowledge and skills in GIS, applicable to their area of disciplinary expertise. 2

3 The proposed Master s program in Geospatial extends the existing articulated Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in GIS by providing students with up to a further 9 units of core spatial information science and/or applied topics from across the university, as well as introducing a 27 unit research project thesis. Notably, the further 9 units of required will also include either a unique opportunity globally for students to undertake specialised studies in airborne research (either as a 2 x 4.5 or 1 x 9 unit topic, to be proposed in Form C), which will utilise the world-renowned facilities and expertise at Airborne Research Australia (ARA) the former Australian National Research Aircraft Facility - located at Parafield Airport and a recognised Flinders University Research Centre that is being re-integrated into the School of the Environment as per the recommendation of the Brungs Review of ARA (December 2011). Alternatively, students can undertake 2 x 4.5 unit topics offered within the university in their areas of disciplinary expertise or, with appropriate approvals, from Charles Darwin University s graduate GIS topic offerings (in discussion). This articulated Master s program in Geospatial is designed to provide students with a sound understanding of the theories and applications of GIS and Remote Sensing (knowledge gained through 45 units of ), and to put this knowledge to practical use through a research thesis component of 27 units. It provides a theoretical and methodological framework for graduates from a range of backgrounds, as well as those from the public sector and non-government organisations wishing to extend their choice of career path by acquiring knowledge and skills in the capture, analysis and communication of spatially-referenced information. Masters students will develop and implement geospatial information science skills and knowledge applicable to a range of areas, such as environmental management, urban and transport planning, environmental health, land-use dynamics, natural resources management, ecosystem services, biological sciences and archaeology, through a focused research project accompanied by a written thesis. 3.2 Provide an academic justification for the course and its relationship to the University s current course profile: Note that specific articulation arrangements will be described in Part C of the New Course proposal. Geospatial (GIS & Remote Sensing) is a strategic focus of the new School of the Environment and is seen as integral to the connection and integration between its key teaching and research areas. The range of GIS and remote sensing topics provided by the current undergraduate and postgraduate GIS programs underpin a wide range of programs throughout the University and provide fundamental skills in a wide range of disciplines. Consequently, GIS is fast becoming the vehicle for a significant proportion of staff and student research activities. As a strategic area, the School of the Environment is keen to build on its strength in the geospatial sciences and current postgraduate offerings in GIS (Grad Cert/Dip in GIS) by introducing an articulated Masters program in GISc. The program will play an important role in providing high quality industry-ready graduates and build synergies between the main areas within the School of the Environment (Environmental Health, Earth, Environmental Management and the Social s) as well as other areas across the University (such as Business and Utilities Management, Archaeology and Biological s) providing a higher level of staff and student research activity and academic engagement. The School already has a Graduate Certificate and a Graduate Diploma in these areas and has been advised to extend this sequence to a Masters qualification (Course Review Report, January 2012) which will facilitate further recognition of the very high level of training that 3

4 students are provided with already, and enable us to attract overseas graduate students which are not attracted to either the graduate certificate or graduate diploma. A further justification, based on the Brungs Review of Airborne Research Australia (Dec 2011) is that by integrating ARA in the teaching activities of the School in the Geospatial area, we will be able to make the School even more distinctive and provide unique opportunities in postgraduate education and training globally. 3.3 Provide a strategic justification for the course, indicating the objectives and potential benefits of its introduction: GIS is a strategic focus of the School of the Environment. The proposed Geospatial is relevant to the professional development and needs of students. It is a key element towards the progress of students longer-term development of knowledge, skill, understanding and life-long learning strategies of the University. Study in Geospatial builds and extends on prior studies in a number of disciplines and the need for these skills is often not realised until graduates enter the workforce. It will augment the strategic strength of Flinders University in this growth area and is consistent with the university s goal to develop new income streams in this area and to attract quality students. It reflects changing national and international demand to provide quality innovative programs relevant to the vocational needs of students. 4. MARKET ANALYSIS 4.1 Provide information on similar or competitor courses offered by other providers in the market: There are no competitor Postgraduate GIS programs in South Australia. There are a number of potential competitor Masters GIS programs interstate (listed below). Several are well recognized (USQ, RMIT, Curtin, & UNSW) but others lack the depth of the higher spatial information science content and resources of our existing postgraduate GIS program; and none have access to airborne remote sensing expertise and leading-edge equipment, such as that provided by ARA. With the exception of Macquarie University (which requires only a Bachelors degree for entry into their 1 year Masters program), entry requirements to all 1 year Masters programs listed below require a 4 year degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline. In addition to Macquarie University s limited entry requirements to their 1 year Masters course, most programs of duration require only an approved Bachelors degree in a relevant area for entry. Personal communication with The Director of Studies for the Applied (Geospatial ) at RMIT has revealed that they are currently deliberating on a move to a 2 year program for AQF compliance. Course name Award Duration Field of education Provider Entry requirements 4

5 Geographic 1 year NA The University of Melbourne A four-year undergraduate degree in an appropriate discipline OR A three-year degree and at least two of full-time, documented and relevant industry experience. Spatial 2 Engineering & Related Technologies n.e.c. The University of Melbourne Three-year undergraduate degree in an approved discipline. & (Spatial ) Applied (Geospatial ) Spatial 1 year Geomatic Engineering n.e.c. NA Geomatic Engineering New South Wales RMIT University Southern Queensland Four year degree of appropriate standing. An approved Bachelors degree or Graduate Diploma A three or four-year undergraduate degree, or equivalent, in an approved discipline. Geographic NA Queensland Bachelors degree OR Graduate Certificate/Diploma in Geographic (Geospatial ) 2 (DEd. Option) Systems n.e.c. Curtin On-campus, fully online and mixed on- and offcampus GIS and Remote Sensing in Remote Sensing and GIS (DEd. Option) NA 1 year NA Charles Sturt University Macquarie University Three year Degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline Australian Bachelor degree or recognised equivalent in relevant field; Minimum GPA of 2.50 (out of 4.00) 4.2 Provide information on exactly what market segment the course is aiming to attract, more appropriately described as the target market: 5

6 The three primary target market areas are: 1) existing Grad Cert/Dip. GIS students, 2) graduate level students from relevant areas and 3) prospective students from industry: public sector and non-government organisations. 1) The proposed Geospatial extends on the existing articulated postgraduate certificate and postgraduate diploma in GIS by introducing a substantial thesis component. Consequently, the Master s program will provide a pathway for students completing the graduate cert/dip in GIS to undertake independent study and develop research skills and a methodological approach to a specific GIS and/or Remote Sensing application. 2) The articulated Master s program in Geospatial program is also aimed at attracting recently completed undergraduates from related disciplines and applied areas which are increasingly realising the importance of GIS in their profession as a decision support tool often these students have completed an introductory GIS or Remote Sensing topic in their final undergraduate year and are seeking to extend their knowledge and skills in GIS to make them better practitioners in their field of expertise. 3) The use of Geographical Systems and Remote Sensing technologies is rapidly increasing and are now commonly used in industries such as agriculture, forestry, mining, environmental management, biodiversity conservation, archaeology, health, planning and the social sciences. Consequently, employers in these areas are now requiring their staff to have more skills in GIS. Accordingly, the target market for the Masters program in GIS is graduates of the above programs, as well as those from the public sector and non-government organisations who wish to extend their choice of career path. Our main target markets are Australia (all states) and the Asia-Pacific region. 4.3 Provide an assessment of the market demand and community need for this course to be offered: Investigation of changes in trends, and discussions with industry, suggests a steadily growing demand for graduates with GIS and remote sensing capabilities. Based on the DEEWR Occupational Projections i the average five year growth in occupations will be 7.2%, and the occupations that are most likely to employ GIS professionals will rise at an average of 8.5%. In recent Geographical Systems and Remote Sensing have grown to become important decision support and environmental monitoring tools with a broad range of industry applications. Recognition of these trends has steadily increased by students who have already completed introductory GIS or Remote Sensing topics as part of their undergraduate studies (in areas such as Environmental Management, Conservation and Biodiversity, Earth s, Environmental Health and Archaeology, to name a few) and are now seeking to extend their knowledge and skills in GIS that are of real vocational value. Consequently, it is anticipated that there will be a demand for the GIS not only from these students but from the public sector and non-government organisations locally and interstate as well as internationally, where employers are increasingly seeking graduates with high level GIS skills. Moreover, the School has noted a steady increase in prospective student enquiries for a Masters level GIS program. The 2011, 5 year course review committee of the Bachelor of Applied Geographical Systems (including honours) and the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in GIS, acknowledge that these programs are of high quality and play a vital role in providing 6

7 graduates who fulfil the needs of industry. The committee recommends that a Masters program in GIS be introduced to compliment and build on the School s undergraduate and postgraduate offerings in GIS. The questions below refer to onshore partnership and linkages only. For all offshore courses the Part A New Course (Offshore) form should be used. 5. PARTNERSHIPS / LINKAGES (if relevant) 5.1 Provide the name and location of the partner organization or any institution with which the program is linked: Charles Darwin University, Faculty of Engineering, Health, and the Environment 5.2 Advise whether the association with the proposed linkage/partner is new or established: Established 5.3 Provide a broad overview of the nature of the linkage or partnership, and where relevant, the role and responsibilities the proposed partner has offered in the partnership model: Flinders University has established a memorandum of understanding with CDU and the School of the Environment seeks to develop a relationship to make available CDU post graduate level GIS and or remote sensing topics to Flinders University students in the Flinders University Geospatial course (in discussion). i 7