Dear Harry,

 

I refer to your request of 31 July 2019. The University’s response
follows.

 

“1) the number of students who have graduated with minors each year from
2010 onwards and a breakdown of which subject these minors were attained
in from 2010 onwards.”

 

The information requested is attached.

 

“2) the number of students currently enrolled in a minor at the university
and which minor they are enrolled in.

3) the number of students who are currently enrolled in a module at the
university and a breakdown of which modules they are enrolled in.”

 

This information cannot be provided without substantial collation or
research, and neither extending the time limit nor imposing a charge would
allow the University to grant this part of your request. This part of your
request is refused under section 18(f) of the Official Information Act.

 

“4) the reasoning behind the university's decision to remove minors from
their degree programme.

5) the reasoning behind the university's decision to introduce modules and
how the success of this decision is being measured.”

 

Consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such that a
proper response cannot reasonably be made within the time limit.
Accordingly the University has extended the time limit for the response
until 17 September 2019 under section 15A of the Official Information Act.

 

“6) what consultation was done with students regarding both the decision
to introduce modules and the decision to remove minors.”

 

324 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts completed surveys as part of
the BA Renewal Project.

 

You have the right to make a complaint about this response to an
Ombudsman.

 

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Ewert

General Counsel

University of Auckland

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Harry,

 

I refer to your request of 31 July 2019. The University’s response is as
follows.

 

“1) the number of students who have graduated with minors each year from
2010 onwards and a breakdown of which subject these minors were attained
in from 2010 onwards.”

 

The information requested is attached.

 

“2) the number of students currently enrolled in a minor at the university
and which minor they are enrolled in.

3) the number of students who are currently enrolled in a module at the
university and a breakdown of which modules they are enrolled in.”

 

This information cannot be provided without substantial collation or
research, and neither extending the time limit nor imposing a charge would
allow the University to grant this part of your request. This part of your
request is refused under section 18(f) of the Official Information Act.

 

“4) the reasoning behind the university's decision to remove minors from
their degree programme.

5) the reasoning behind the university's decision to introduce modules and
how the success of this decision is being measured.”

 

The University’s reasoning at the time for these decisions is set out
below:

 

“Presently, around 53% of BA graduates complete with two majors. Requiring
all students to complete two majors will develop the  broad  educational 
scope  that  is  a  valuable  characteristic  of  the  BA,  while 
providing  greater structure within the qualification. In the longer-term,
this change will position Auckland’s BA as distinctive in the New Zealand
market. The double major’s prestige will contribute to its reputation as a
highly-valued, sought-after qualification.”

 

“The purpose of the minor, to ensure a broad range of study, will be satisfied
by the completion of two majors. Therefore, new admissions to minors will be
suspended from 2018. Students currently enrolled in a minor will be contacted to
ensure that they either complete their minor requirements before the end of 2020
or seek faculty advice regarding the completion of a second major. It is
proposed that applications will not be considered from Summer School, 2018
onwards. The following tables show how many students have completed in each
minor over the past three years and how many students are still active in each
minor. No students have recently completed a minor in Chinese, nor are there any
students current active in the Chinese minor.

 

Academic English Studies and Linguistics

  2014 2015 2016
Students - 3 2
completed
Students 13
active

 

Ancient History

  2014 2015 2016
Students 12 21 13
completed
Students 90
active

 

Anthropology

  2014 2015 2016
Students 28 31 17
completed
Students 156
active

 

Art History

  2014 2015 2016
Students 14 10 4
completed
Students 59
active

 

Asian Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students 8 4 9
completed
Students 50
active

 

Classical Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students 6 12 9
completed
Students 80
active

 

Comparative Literature

  2014 2015 2016
Students - - 1
completed
Students -
active

 

Cook Islands Māori

  2014 2015 2016
Students 1 - -
completed
Students -
active

 

Criminology

  2014 2015 2016
Students 21 19 15
completed
Students 290
active

 

Dance

  2014 2015 2016
Students 5 6 2
completed
Students 36
active

 

Drama

  2014 2015 2016
Students 2 7 6
completed
Students 43
active

 

Economics

  2014 2015 2016
Students 5 6 4
completed
Students 63
active

 

Education

  2014 2015 2016
Students 14 8 16
completed
Students 105
active

 

EROS

  2014 2015 2016
Students 12 10 5
completed
Students 36
active

 

English

  2014 2015 2016
Students 29 25 19
completed
Students 166
active

 

Ethnomusicology

  2014 2015 2016
Students 5 1 1
completed
Students 17
active

 

European Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students 8 1 7
completed
Students 29
active

 

French

  2014 2015 2016
Students 10 4 10
completed
Students 46
active

 

Gender Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students - - 1
completed
Students 24
active

 

Geography

  2014 2015 2016
Students 4 5 5
completed
Students 54
active

 

German

  2014 2015 2016
Students 8 5 4
completed
Students 32
active

 

Greek

  2014 2015 2016
Students - - 1
completed
Students 2
active

 

History

  2014 2015 2016
Students 26 25 14
completed
Students 175
active

 

Italian

  2014 2015 2016
Students 3 3 -
completed
Students 15
active

 

Japanese

  2014 2015 2016
Students 19 9 11
completed
Students 87
active

 

Korean

  2014 2015 2016
Students 2 2 4
completed
Students 49
active

 

Latin

  2014 2015 2016
Students 2 - 2
completed
Students 9
active

 

Latin American Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students - - -
completed
Students 5
active

 

Linguistics

  2014 2015 2016
Students 10 5 9
completed
Students 51
active

Logic and Computation

  2014 2015 2016
Students 3 1 4
completed
Students 14
active

 

Māori Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students 3 1 4
completed
Students 69
active

 

Mathematics

  2014 2015 2016
Students 6 4 11
completed
Students 50
active

 

Media, Film and TV

  2014 2015 2016
Students 2 5 10
completed
Students 115
active

 

Music

  2014 2015 2016
Students 2 6 3
completed
Students 39
active

 

Pacific Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students 8 7 5
completed
Students 80
active

 

Philosophy

  2014 2015 2016
Students 30 16 20
completed
Students 185
active

 

Politics and IR

  2014 2015 2016
Students 1 2 15
completed
Students 127
active

 

Psychology

  2014 2015 2016
Students 41 34 19
completed
Students 275
active

 

Screen Production

  2014 2015 2016
Students - - -
completed
Students 8
active

 

Social Science for Public Health

  2014 2015 2016
Students 2 1 2
completed
Students 30
active

 

Sociology

  2014 2015 2016
Students 57 49 59
completed
Students 411
active

 

Spanish

  2014 2015 2016
Students 9 5 11
completed
Students 51
active

 

Statistics

  2014 2015 2016
Students 7 7 9
completed
Students 51
active

 

TESOL

  2014 2015 2016
Students 4 5 8
completed
Students 35
active

 

Theological and Religious Studies

  2014 2015 2016
Students - - -
completed
Students 24
active

 

2. The proposed 45 point modules are a new component of the BA. Modules
will deliver a specific, discrete body of content or skill that adds
value to the degree. Modules are intended to be optional and from 2018,
it will be possible for students to complete one or more modules if they
so choose. Modules will further distinguish the University’s BA with
regard to comparators in New Zealand and elsewhere. The provision of
modules will further enhance the structured character of the BA. Although
optional, students would be able to devote unstructured elective courses
to modules. Therefore, the proposal will improve outcomes for graduates by
focusing study on an additional skill or area of knowledge. The
progressive character of the module will facilitate the BA’s delivery of
elements within the University and Graduate Profile. The completion of a
module is intended to add a skill or content area to a student’s learning
that aligns with the Faculty’s Graduate Profile. The skills or content of
a module may enhance a student’s future employability. It is expected that
students will declare the modules they undertake; completed modules will
appear on student transcripts. Provision of modules within the BA will
develop the University’s ability to deliver targeted programmes that
develop the skills and knowledge for graduates. As a component of the BA,
courses taken within modules will not contribute to the requirements of
the majors. Successful completion of the module will require progression
across at least one level (e.g. Stage I to II, II to III). The Faculty
envisions inter-disciplinary and potentially cross-Faculty modules.
Courses offered by other Faculties would be cross-listed in the BA
Schedule of modules.

 

3. The development of an ‘Arts Scholars’ module is proposed. Modelled on
the existing Science Scholars Programme, the Arts Scholars Programme (ASP)
aims to attract high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds to the
Faculty of Arts and provide them with a transformative student experience.
The module will allow a select cohort of Arts students to enrol in
specifically designed interdisciplinary seminars. Students will also
engage in undergraduate research, service learning, study abroad, and/or
an internship. Engagement in experiential learning, along with academic
work focused on communication, team-work, analysis and problem-solving
capabilities will enhance employability. Those graduates interested in
further study will be well-positioned for postgraduate scholarships
offered by the University. The ASP will raise the profile of Arts both in
the University and in High Schools, domestically and internationally.

 

The proposed language skills modules in Māori, Chinese, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Samoan, and Tongan will
provide BA graduates with opportunities to develop language skills that
will add to their employability as well as promote the University’s
capacity to develop graduates with the ability to act as global citizens.

Observe that, integers 1 and 2 differentiate language modules that are
appropriate to students with differing levels of prior language knowledge.
A module denoted by ‘1’ is appropriate for ab initio students. A module
denoted by ‘2’ is appropriate for students entering it with more advanced
language skills.

 

4. ARTSCHOL 100A/B

This course is the first-year foundation for the proposed Arts Scholars
programme in the BA. It provides a sequence of weekly ninety-minute
discussion seminars through two semesters, each led by a designated
convenor who is a senior academic staff member, and each featuring invited
presenters from areas of discipline-based expertise addressing a common
topic -- for example “Money”, “Laughter”, “Play”, “Violence” etc.
Discussion will build expertise and acquaintance with Arts disciplines by
providing an array of possible contexts for considering the central topic,
developing both a richness of understanding and an appreciation of the
forms, structures and preoccupations of academic thought. The course will
also serve to build cohort cohesion and a culture of enquiry and
intellectual experiment through intensive discussion and group
participation. CW: 100% - assessment will conform to the Faculty
Guidelines. It will be no more than 5000 words or equivalent. It may be
comprised of both written and performative exercises.

150 hours learning over a single semester including:

o 36 contact hours
o 25 hours preparatory reading
o 89 hours of assessed self-study.

 

ARTSCHOL 200A/B

This is 'Great Works' course in which students engage with great works
from a variety of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. Staff from across
the faculty give seminars on key works in their fields. These may be
standard texts that any expert in the field might teach or expect to be
known -- eg. Shakespeare's Tempest, Rousseau’s Social Contract, Kahlo’s Me
and My Parrot,  or Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms (excerpt) --,
but they may also be lesser known works that seminar givers have a
particular interest in that they wish to share. The idea of 'works' should
be conceptualised broadly, to include contributions from all disciplines
in the Faculty and extend to works in various media. The convenor would
seek material with one or more common themes. Diverse content will be
included, such as Māori works in English. Further, the convenor would aim
to interweave seminars by Faculty staff on the nature of their own ‘Arts
Work’ as researchers and writers. This might involve seminars on ‘works in
progress’ or reflective seminars on past work. CW: 100% - the course will
have significant self-directed elements. However standard Faculty
guidelines apply. Assessment will total no more than 5,000 words
equivalent. Convenor should have significant say in the assessment
structure. Options: Essays, reflective journals.

150 hours learning over a single semester including:

o 36 contact hours
o 25 hours preparatory reading
o 89 hours of assessed self-study.

 

ARTSCHOL 300A/B

This is the capstone course for Arts Scholars Module. Enrolled students
will attend some seminars, but their primary work will be self-directed
and may involve significant independent and/or group-based learning under
academic supervision. CW: 100% - the course will have significant
self-directed elements. However standard Faculty guidelines apply.
Assessment will total no more than 6,000 words equivalent. The convenor
will arbitrate assessment structure. 150 hours learning over a single
semester including:

o 36 contact hours
o 25 hours preparatory reading
o 89 hours of assessed self-study.

 

Critical Thinking

Students undertaking this module will acquire useful analytic, reflexive
and critical thinking skills required for effective problem solving in the
workplace. This aligns directly with the Graduate Profiles of the
University and the BA. Theme 2 of the University Graduate Profile states
that: ‘Graduates of the University are expected to be able to contest
knowledge and practice, critically consider ideas, texts and research and
think reflectively and reflexively’.

 

Visual Literacy: Researching Images

Increasingly we live in a world that is saturated by images and visual
information. Being able to read and understand images across a range of
media and platforms is crucial in articulating ideas and communicating
effectively. The module brings together various discipline-based
approaches to studying, researching and interpreting photography, digital
images, historical illustrations, artworks, the moving image, diagrams and
body language. It delivers the following key learning outcomes:

- To encourage students to have a direct encounter with images using an
enhanced vocabulary to   describe this engagement.

- To encourage a critical awareness of how images have been described and
deployed.

- To provide the skills to relate images to broader cultural,
technological and historical formations.

- To select images for their presentations, essays and research with
confidence and critical reflection.

 

Citizenship of Aotearoa New Zealand

The Citizenship module allows students to select a group of courses, which
will offer a variety of disciplinary approaches to the history, society,
and culture of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is designed to help students
become more informed citizens with knowledge that will enable them better
to contribute to New Zealand society. The module directly reflects the
aims of the Graduate Profiles of the University and of the BA degree,
especially Theme 6: ‘Social and Environmental Responsibilities’.

 

Social and Cultural Research

The research module offers students an interdisciplinary pathway in
approaches to social science research. Students completing the module will
acquire knowledge of key methodological issues and develop skills in a
broad range of methods used to generate and analyse empirical data across
the social sciences. The aims of the module align with multiple themes in
the Graduate Profile of the University and the BA: Theme 1: Disciplinary
Knowledge and Practice; Theme 2: Critical Thinking; Theme 3: Solution
Seeking; Theme 4 Communication & Engagement; Theme 5: Independence and
Integrity; and Theme 6: Social responsibilities.

The School of Social Sciences intends to re-assign an existing alpha code
– SOCSCRES - for a module in research methods that the School will offer
from 2018 as part of the restructured BA degree. The SOCSCRES code was
developed for the Postgraduate Diploma in SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH METHODS.
This programme of study has recently been discontinued, providing an
opportunity for the reuse of the code for the undergraduate social science
research module. The courses in the module will be interdisciplinary in
scope and particularly targeted at BA students opting for social science
majors. The use of the SOCSCRES code will set these interdisciplinary
courses apart from those incorporated within the majors, making it easier
for students and staff to identify. The School does not envisage a
proliferation of SOCSCRES coded courses, but it does recognise that the
availability of a SOCSCRES code may have academic and organisational
utility beyond the courses involved in the module. SOCSCRES 100, 200, 300
and 301 are being introduced as the courses that will make up the module.
Collectively they provide a developmental pathway in social science
research methodologies and methods.”

 

The success of the modules has not yet been formally evaluated.

 

“6) what consultation was done with students regarding both the decision
to introduce modules and the decision to remove minors.”

 

324 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts completed surveys as part of
the BA Renewal Project.

 

You have the right to make a complaint about this response to an
Ombudsman.

 

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Ewert

General Counsel

University of Auckland

 

show quoted sections