Planning for less restructure than transformation of teaching rolls on

In January VC David Lloyd announced the university intends to move to teaching by curriculum communities, with courses crossing discipline boundaries to meet learning-needs and staff organisation based on delivery of academic programmes, (CMM January 21).

The idea has been on the agenda for 18 months and the pace picked up at the senior staff conference at the start of the year, which focused on the seating plan for this banquet of curriculum communities.

“We want fewer operational silos and we want them to be built around programmes. We want to strengthen programme leadership. … We don’t have schools. We have new groupings of academics, built around programmes, with programme deans providing academic leadership and focused on programs,” Professor Lloyd said in February.

And now what they cooked up is being served up to a cross-section of critics. There was a briefing for 200 staff from across the university last night, a further 200 or so will get a taste of things to come tonight and a third day-time session is planned.