Students studying at the ANU School of Art need to be aware of various study policies and protocols that are relevant to their work at either an undergraduate or postgraduate level. Several of these protocols are outlined below.

Jacqui Gropp
Untitled

Studio supervisory policy
Within the three year degree program of the School of Art, a primary objective is the preparation of students for independent artistic practice.

Integral to the intellectual and academic objectives of the course of study is the development of a student's capacity for independent professional practice, through the development of appropriate work practices which are informed by the highest standards of technical instruction.

It is a primary criterion of the academic assessment of such practice that it demonstrates a high standard of understanding of appropriate occupational health and safety standards. Studio practice informed by knowledge of particular hazards associated with work practices, materials and processes, and the engineering and administrative controls used in conjunction with the hazards to minimise the risk of injury or disease outcomes.

The curriculum for contemporary art and craft education and research practice is founded on a student's progress, project by project, through achieving a balance between traditional and experimental usage of materials and processes.

Within the three year degree, students progress through a series of projects and exercises which are foundational to practice in each sub-discipline, and which progressively encourage the development of greater independence in intellectual, artistic and academic outcomes.

In the early stages of a program, students are instructed and supervised by lecturers, technical officers and demonstrators in processes and techniques in a studio environment. Through such training students achieve the skills and knowledge and are authorised to practice in processes, techniques, and with equipment specific to the approved goals of their study program. In later semesters (from semester 4 onwards) students' education proceed through approved Individual Work Proposals. In these circumstances a student's work proceeds relatively independently through documented approved goals and processes, with supervisory advice on demand, or through regular critique and review sessions. This involves the staff member assessing OH&S risk and competency issues on a case by case basis, providing appropriate training as necessary, subject to the relevant staff member’s authority to approve or veto the proposed activity.

Students are not permitted to work with materials, processes or equipment with which they have not been fully trained and authorised, nor are they allowed to work alone in the studio outside class times.

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Ruth Watson
A Southern Compass

The ANU Human Ethics Committee considers (and approves) the ethical implications of proposals for all research projects involving or impacting on human participants to determine whether or not the proposals are acceptable on ethical grounds and conform to the national guidelines… Any research involving human subjects (eg. any human interaction for the gathering of information) including the use of interview and surveys/questionnaires… needs to be reviewed by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee before it commences.

Why is ethical review needed for research involving humans?
In Australia the National Health and Medical Research Council has taken responsibility for developing a code of ethics in research. In 1999, following a wide-ranging process of consultation including the learned Academies, the NHMRC, in conjunction with the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, issued a set of national guidelines on ethics in human research. These guidelines, the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans, were tabled in federal Parliament in July 1999 and are intended to cover all disciplines. The primary purpose of the National Statement is the protection of the welfare and rights of participants in research. The National Statement mandates the establishment of human research ethics committees to review all research projects involving human participation. The Australian National University established its Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) in 1986 (then known as the Ethics in Human Experimentation Committee, reflecting the medical and health focus of the NHMRC guidelines at the time). The HREC considers the ethical implications of proposals for human research in all disciplines.

“A useful way of clarifying what constitutes research is to ask what the outcome is likely to be. If publication (in a thesis or other form) is envisaged, then the project is almost certainly research.”

The protocols developed around these issues focus on such matters as informed consent, privacy, and selection of subjects. Links to the full documentation are to be found at http://www.anu.edu.au/ro/ethics/human.php

In any circumstance where students or their supervisors anticipate these policies may apply it is recommended that the student involved consults with the Graduate Convenor or the Honours Coordinator in the first instance. Precedents and pro formas exist for creative arts students proposals, and it is recommended that these be consulted in preparing any submission to the Human Ethics Committee—these are held in the Deputy Director’s office.

Nigel Lendon
Patsy Hely

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Frank Thirion
Ortsanzeiger Nummer Drei