Agreements - Group of Eight

GROUP OF EIGHT | AUSTRALIA

Agreements

Go8 guiding principles for implementing the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

Group of Eight (Go8) universities are committed to the pursuit of the highest quality research, research training and teaching.

We recognise that unless research is seen publicly to be conducted in accordance with the highest standards of integrity and ethics, then the endeavour of research itself is threatened, and public confidence eroded.

Go8 universities recognise that they have responsibilities not only to train and mentor staff and students about sound research practice, but to monitor and report research practice, and to make it clear to staff, students and collaborators that poor research practice is a serious matter that will not be tolerated.

All Go8 universities are committed to having in place broadly consistent, transparent, fair and robust mechanisms for receiving and investigating allegations of research misconduct, and for reporting and punishing cases where research misconduct is found to have occurred.

The release of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code) has been a valuable exercise. It has encouraged Australian universities to look closely at how they promote and assure sound practice among their staff and students, and in particular at how to strengthen their processes for handling allegations of research misconduct made against employed staff.

The development of this consultation paper has been overseen by Go8 Deputy-Vice Chancellors (Research).

Click here to download -

Go8 guiding principles for implementing Part B of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

Click here for more information

Go8 Credit Transfer Agreement

AIM

In recognition of the excellence of teaching and research that exists in Group of Eight universities, members agree to enhance the mobility of students between them by facilitating the transfer of credit earned at their institutions.

The Agreement is based on an acceptance that the assessment regimes at all Group of Eight universities are comparable and transferable.

PRINCIPLES

Credit will be granted to undergraduate students who are accepted for admission into a degree program at a Group of Eight university for appropriate units of study successfully completed while enrolled at another Group of Eight university.

Credit transfer will be available to students in all undergraduate degree programs who have successfully completed at least one year of equivalent full-time study at a Group of Eight university.

Transferring undergraduate students will be required to complete at least one year of equivalent full-time study in the university from which they graduate.

Credit will be considered for postgraduate degree programs that have similar content. Postgraduate students will be granted credit for a maximum of 50% of the relevant degree program.

Students must meet all requirements of the degree program in which they enrol.

Credit transfer for units of study successfully completed as part of a previously completed degree will be considered in accordance with the rules of the degree program into which the student is seeking admission.

Signed by the Go8 vice-chancellors
March 2007

For further information about how the agreement is applied at each institution, click the links below:

The University of Adelaide
The University of Melbourne
The University of New South Wales
The University of Western Australia
Monash University
The University of Sydney
The University of Queensland
The Australian National University (details pending)

View or download - Go8 Credit Transfer Agreement (PDF) - 24kb

Go8 LOTE Incentive Schemes

Learning to speak a Language Other Than English (LOTE) is increasingly important for effective participation in a globalised world.

Group of Eight universities play a vital role in the delivery and support of languages education in Australia. All 29 languages currently available at tertiary level in Australia are offered at Go8 universities.

In addition, a wide range of LOTE incentives are available both for entry to and while enrolled in programs of study at Go8 universities (see diagram in the PDF).

In 2007, the Go8 released a discussion paper, Languages in Crisis, which proposed co-operative action between Commonwealth, state and territory governments to achieve a consistent national approach to language education at all levels of the education system.

The Go8 welcomes the opportunity to work with government, schools and other higher education institutions to promote and encourage the study of Languages Other Than English.

View or download - Go8 LOTE Incentive Schemes.pdf (PDF) - 187kb

Go8 Statement on the Right to Publish

“If the teachers of mankind are to be cognisant of all that they ought to know, everything must be free to be written and published without restraint.”
—John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Go8 universities are dedicated to expanding knowledge through rigorous research and to disseminating the results for the benefit of the public.

The validity and credibility of universities rely upon the fact that academic work is carried out in an open and independent environment, where staff are free to reveal and challenge theories, knowledge and understanding in accordance with internationally accepted scholarly norms. These norms include the examination of criticisms and new ideas by other experts in a given field.

The publication of results obtained from properly constructed research carried out by experts is a fundamental component of academic freedom.

Therefore, where external funding supports university research there should not be undue influence brought to bear on the dissemination of the research results.

Go8 universities recognise that government and non-government bodies providing funding for research are entitled to specify the scope of the research they intend to support and monitor the quality and timeliness of the work. However, Go8 universities hold that it is inappropriate to accept external funding:

where the funder has the right to interfere in, or alter, the conduct of sponsored research; or
where the funder has the right to alter, suppress or indefinitely delay publication of all or part of the outcomes.

Go8 universities do recognise that commercial or other considerations might sometimes require short, finite delays in publication. However, they will vigorously assert their right to publish the results of all research in a timely manner.
January 2008

View or download - Go8 Statement on the Right to Publish (PDF) - 22kb

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