• Section 1 - Establishment
• Purpose
• Section 2 - Membership
• Composition
• Term of office
• Appointment of members
• Section 3 - Functions and responsibilities
• Section 4 - Meetings
• Section 5 - Glossary

Section 1 - Establishment

Purpose

(1) External advisory committees (EACs) are established to inform development, ongoing improvement and review of award courses at Charles Sturt University, to support engagement with employers, industry, and the professions in areas in which it courses of study are offered.

Section 2 - Membership

Composition

(2) An EAC will include the following internal members:

1. the Course Director
2. the Head of School or their nominee
3. the Head of Discipline (where applicable) of the primary course discipline or each of the course major disciplines, and
4. at least one current student.

(3) External members will make up a majority of the membership, and will include:

1. a minimum of one external discipline expert who is a senior academic and/or representative of the relevant professional accreditation body with expertise in the course discipline, field of research or field of professional practice
2. experts operating at a high level in the industry for which the course prepares its graduates. Where the course leads to professional accreditation, these experts will be at least two currently practising professionals
3. where possible, a representative of any First Nations community in the region(s) the course services, and
4. (once the course has graduates) at least one graduate of the course.

Term of office

(4) The term of membership for external members is two years.

1. A member may be reappointed for a second consecutive term, but not for a third consecutive term, unless the Associate Dean (Academic) agrees to an exception.
2. Terms of external members will be staggered to ensure some continuity of membership.

Appointment of members

(5) The Course Director and Head of School (or nominee), in consultation with the Executive Dean or Associate Dean (Academic):

1. will appoint members to the committee, and
2. may replace a member who fails to attend meetings.

Section 3 - Functions and responsibilities

(6) Courses will have an external advisory committee to inform development, ongoing improvement and review of the course. A single EAC may be held for a group of courses in a discipline or cluster of closely-related disciplines.

(7) The functions of the EACs are to ensure that:

1. the academic standing of the course remains high
2. the course remains relevant to the profession or industry it serves, and
3. course development and review achieve the following standards:
   1. Course development and improvement are informed by changing community needs, changes in the industry, profession or discipline, and the current reputation of the course.
   2. Course designers are aware of existing, emerging and potential markets.
   3. The course has clear, appropriate aims and objectives.
   4. The course content, teaching and learning experiences and assessment strategies are aligned with the course objectives and at an appropriate Australian Qualifications Framework level.
   5. The teaching and research methods support diverse learners and progressive, sequenced learning through the course.

(8) An EAC may also:

1. enable community input into improvement of the course
2. encourage recognition of the course by relevant bodies, and
3. help promote the course.

(9) An EAC is an advisory committee and will not make strategic or operational decisions.

(10) The Associate Dean (Academic) will:

1. be responsible for the EACs of the faculty, and
2. report to Faculty Board to assure that EACs that have been convened at least annually, and about its activities to ensure that EACs meet the requirements of this procedure.

(11) The faculty will seek input from the EAC into comprehensive review of the course and any proposal for substantial change to the course such as a new major or proposed course discontinuation.

Section 4 - Meetings

(12) An EAC will meet:

1. as often as the Faculty Board considers necessary (but at least annually) to support continuous improvement of the course with information on how it is regarded by graduates, employers and the communities the course serves
2. as part of gathering external input into comprehensive review of the course, and
3. where a strong need to improve the course and/or increase its enrolments is identified by an annual course health check.

(13) The chair will ensure the EAC’s recommendations are followed up and will report back to the EAC on the outcome of recommendations.

(14) The faculty will keep the following records of each EAC:

1. A file of its agendas and minutes.
2. A record of the dates the EAC met, its suggestions to improve the course and whether these led to changes in the course or its delivery, with a link to the full file of the EAC papers, in the:
   1. curriculum management system course documents, and
   2. if the course is professionally accredited, the Faculty Administration Manager's faculty professional accreditation report.

Section 5 - Glossary

(15) Nil.