ANZSOG’s Executive Master of Public Administration: A response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
19 March 2020
● News and media
You may have already received news from ANZSOG regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our various programs and business practices. Unfortunately, ANZSOG’s Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) has not been exempt from this.
Restrictions on travel, gatherings and broader adjustments to our daily modes of interactions have now ruled out standard approaches to work as well as learning and teaching practices.
In response to these restrictions we have deferred EMPA subject deliveries scheduled for March (Government in a Market Economy) and also deferred subject delivery in Singapore (Designing Public Policies and Programs). We also face a number of challenges with deliveries that involve international faculty, this includes Leading Public Sector Change (Professor Paul ‘t Hart, Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and Decision Making Under Uncertainty (Professor Kimberley Isett, University of Delaware, United States).
Therefore, the ongoing delivery of the EMPA program in 2020 requires significant rethinking. An additional challenge is that an overarching feature that characterises our subject delivery is the intrinsic value of group activities, networking and engagement in subject material through classroom-based interaction.
Our partner universities have invested significant effort in recent times to move the learning and teaching experience to an online format. ANZSOG has also been exploring blended learning options and now, we face challenges in achieving this in a timely manner while simultaneously capturing the classroom-based interaction that is so highly valued by our student cohorts.
At this stage all EMPA face-to-face subject delivery is suspended. We are now working closely with our faculty to explore alternate delivery options that ensure the health and safety of staff, participants, as well as deliver a valued and engaging learning experience. EMPA participants are advised to keep the delivery dates for this year’s subjects in their diary, since one option may be using this time for online workshops etc. However, please note this is an emerging idea rather than a commitment to any particular format. We will keep participants informed as things progress.
Our goal is to provide options over the remainder of this year that allow participants to continue to progress their study in the EMPA program. As part of our commitment to provide timely information, we’ve created a list of FAQs to assist with clarifying some of the more general questions relevant to your study and progress in the EMPA. You can access this information here.
It is likely that alternate formats for subject delivery will be incrementally resolved over the coming weeks and months. My preference is that as each alternate 2020 subject delivery is developed and confirmed, participants will be advised immediately.
I understand that the current climate may affect your personal and professional circumstances, which can in turn, affect your EMPA study. We firmly place the health, safety and general wellbeing of our participants at the heart of all our decision-making and encourage you to let us know should you be experiencing any hardship which affects your study.
For more information, please contact Rosie Colosimo at r.colosimo@anzsog.edu.au.
While there are now significant demands on ANZSOG staff as we deal with emerging and unexpected challenges, I can assure you we are doing our best to ensure enrolment in the EMPA continues, as much as possible, as scheduled, and that participants continue to experience the world-class education that ANZSOG has always delivered.
Associate Dean, University Relations
Director, Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA)
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