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The role of the FY Coordinator is to integrate academic and student
services in an effort to enhance the intellectual experience and
academic achievement and to support effective retention of first
year students. The role involves coordination of teaching and administrative
duties and pastoral care. This is an important role in creating
a positive first year experience for undergraduate students. A positive
introduction to university life can make a difference to retention
rates and UTAS gives this a high priority. A Checklist of Tasks may assist your planning.
As a FY Coordinator your responsibilities might include:
- assessing the expectations of commencing students in the program
and the level of assistance to be provided;
- liaising with relevant Course Coordinators (or other staff)
about the inclusion of assistance, engagement and/or learning
- support activities within introductory courses;
- attending FY Coordinator Network workshops and associated professional
development activities;
- being able to locate and explain the University's academic policies
and procedures or how to access administrative resources for policy interpretation in complex circumstances;
- knowing when and how to refer students to learning support or
other services or resources; and,
- liaising with academic support and development services about
'in program support' for commencing students.
The University is subject to the Personal Information Protection
Act 2004 ('the Act'), which, among other things, places restrictions
on the use and disclosure of personal information by the University.
The University's Privacy
Policy reflects the University's obligations under the Act.
The Act prevents the University from using or disclosing personal
information for a purpose other than that for which it is collected,
except in limited circumstances. One such circumstance is where
there is a reasonable belief that the use or disclosure is necessary
to lessen or prevent a serious threat to an individual's life, health,
safety or welfare; or a serious threat to public health or public
safety. In these circumstances, the information can be used or disclosed
without the individual's consent, and such use or disclosure will
not breach the University's privacy obligations under the Act.
As a matter of policy, the University places further restrictions
where the disclosure of counselling information is concerned - in
which case, particular senior University authorisation is required
(please see the Privacy Policy at the above URL).
The University has a duty of care towards its students to ensure,
among other things, that they will not be exposed to any reasonably
foreseeable harm. The University must discharge its duty of care
by taking all reasonable precautions to ensure that a student is
not harmed. Therefore, for the University to breach its duty to
care to students, there essentially needs to be a foreseeable risk
of harm, and a failure to take precautions to avoid that risk when,
in the circumstances, a reasonable person would have taken such
precautions. The failure to take precautions must be the cause of
the resulting harm to establish negligence.
Factors such as the probability and seriousness of the harm, and
the ease or difficulty of taking the precautions are relevant to
determining what is reasonable to do in the circumstances. A risk
of harm is 'foreseeable' where the University is aware of the risk,
or ought reasonably to be aware of the risk. In many cases, the
issue arises because a risk of harm has already been identified
- in which case the only question is whether there are precautions
that could be taken to avoid that risk, and if so, whether they
are reasonable to take in the circumstances.
To best protect the University - where there is a foreseeable risk
of harm, and there are precautions that could be taken to avoid
the risk, the University should take those precautions unless there
is a good reason not to.
The information above is intended to provide general guidance to
University of Tasmania staff coordinators in relation to their legal
responsibilities towards students who appear to have difficulties.
it is not a substitute for legal advice. This information is provided
solely for the benefit of staff of the University of Tasmania and
must not be disclosed to or relied on by any other person.
Please contact the Legal
Office on (03) 6226 2005 for further information or assistance.
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