OHS at RMIT sets the standard for program approval
A new benchmark for program approval was established at RMIT as the Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety moved to bring its course documentation in line with both the new AQF
guidelines and TEQSA's commitment to determining quality in terms of achieved student learning outcomes.
RMIT was first cab off the rank under program approval arrangements instituted by the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board (AOHSEAB). The University is one of 15 that prepare OHS professionals in a field that has moved quickly to position itself at the fore-front of the post Bradley environment. "RMIT staff were eager to link their program approval to changes in the new higher education context," said Accreditation Board Registrar, Pam Pryor. "They brought their own educational commitments into line with three critical contextual elements: the OHS Body of Knowledge, the specification of Graduate Attributes in the AQF, and TEQSA's commitment to student achievement of prescribed learning outcomes."
"This breaks new ground at RMIT" said Andrew Smith, Head of the School of Applied Science that delivers the program. "The OHS team, headed by Assoc. Prof. Susan Tepe, have created a template for good practice within the university that reflects TEQSA priorities."
RMIT was part of a trial in Victorian Universities by the AOHSEAB for the accreditation of OHS programs. The accreditation of OHS programs is based on the outcomes of a three year project that formulated the OHS body of knowledge in which the professional basis of OHS skills and understanding was consolidated. The OHS Body of Knowledge brings together the range of matters about which a generalist OHS professional could be expected to exercise professional literacy and it assists universities in equipping graduates with the ability to formulate appropriate strategies and courses of action in response to a range of contingencies in professional practice.
The accreditation of university based OHS programs will now be extended nationally.
RMIT senior lecturer Leo Ruschena approached the development of accreditation documents by conceiving a three dimensional matrix that linked the OHS Body of Knowledge elements, the specification of appropriate learning outcomes in keeping with TEQSA approaches, and the AQF expectations of capability for Graduate Diploma programs. "It wasn't easy," Ruschena admitted, "but it has been absolutely worth it terms of establishing the coherence of the program."
Accreditation Board Registrar Pam Pryor said the Board had been delighted with the RMIT approach. La Trobe University is the second institution to participate in the process.
See www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au
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RMIT contacts:
Head of School of Applied Science, Professor Andrew Smith,
E83833@ems.rmit.edu.au, Tel 03 9925 2159
Associate Professor Susanne Tepe, OHS Program Leader,
susanne.tepe@rmit.edu.au, Tel 03 9925 2899
Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board contacts:
Registrar Pam Pryor, registrar@ohseducationaccreditation.org.au, Mob 0411 193 370
Education advisor and member of the Accreditation Board, Professor Bruce King,
Bruce.king@unisa.edu.au, Mob 0427 269 261