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Higher Education Courses Approval and Review Procedure

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Section 1 - Preamble

(1) This Procedure was approved by Academic Board on 22 July 2014 and incorporates amendments to 5 February 2016.

(2) This Procedure is pursuant to the Higher Education Courses Policy and includes the following schedule:

  1. Schedule A: Major Course Reviews Panels: Composition.
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Section 2 - Purpose

(3) To document the University's higher education courses approval and review processes. (Refer to the Academic Programs Approval and Review website)

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Section 3 - Scope

(4) This Procedure applies to higher education award and non-award courses offered by the University.

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Section 4 - Policy

(5) Refer to the Higher Education Courses Policy.

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Section 5 - Procedure

Course approvals

New award courses

(6) Approval of new award courses has two stages: strategic course approval and academic course approval. Normally, strategic course approval is required before academic course approval is sought.

(7) Strategic course proposals will be:

  1. developed by faculties, using the approved strategic course proposal template (Refer Academic Course and Program Approval and Review website)
  2. endorsed by the Executive Dean, and
  3. approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education (DVCE) on advice from the Course Strategy Group (CSG).

(8) Academic course proposals will be:

  1. prepared by faculties using the approved academic course proposal template
  2. endorsed by the Faculty Board and
  3. approved by the Academic Board.

Revisions to award courses and new combined courses

(9) Clauses 10 and 11 set out the process for approving proposals for new combined courses and the following revisions to existing award courses:

  1. course title
  2. admission and selection criteria
  3. course structure or duration
  4. place or mode of delivery
  5. new or revised arrangements for course delivery by or with third parties, including Deakin's controlled entities.

(10) Proposals will be developed by Faculties, using the approved course revision proposal template and endorsed by the Executive Dean of the Faculty.

(11) Proposals will be approved on strategic and business grounds by the DVCE (on advice from the CSG where the proposal has a significant strategic or business impact). Where proposals affect academic standards, approval on academic grounds is also required by the Academic Board.

Additional endorsements and approvals

(12) Where a proposal for a new course or revision to an existing course involves an academic partnership relating to course delivery the academic partnership must be approved in accordance with the Academic Partnerships Procedure.

(13) In the case of HDR courses, academic course proposals or revision proposals affecting academic standards require additional endorsement by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Training and Performance Enhancement (PVCRT&PE).

Non-award courses

(14) Faculty Boards approve proposals for new or revised non-award courses.

Units and course learning outcomes

(15) Faculty Boards approve proposals for units that result in credit towards an award course and new or revised learning outcomes for award courses.

Course reviews

Annual course reviews — coursework programs

(16) Course teams will conduct annual reviews of courses or groups of related courses and prepare reports in accordance with an approved annual course review template. Reports require endorsement by Faculty Boards.

(17) Faculties will prepare annual summary reports of reviews, which require endorsement by Faculty Boards and are provided to the DVCE.

(18) The DVCE will prepare annual summary reports which are provided to the Academic Board.

Major course reviews — coursework programs

(19) Faculties will conduct major reviews of each course and prepare reports in accordance with an approved Major Course Review Report template, usually every five years. The reviews will be informed by recommendations from panels convened for the purpose. Schedule A: Major Course Reviews Panels: Composition sets out the composition of the panels.

(20) The DVCE in consultation with Faculty Boards will prepare annual schedules for major course reviews. The DVCE may grant a full or partial exemption from a major course review where a course has undergone a review by a professional accreditation body in the previous 12 months.

(21) The DVCE will prepare an annual summary report which is provided to the Academic Board.

Reviews of higher degrees by research

(22) The Research and Research Training Committee will monitor the performance of HDRs and conduct periodic quality assurance reviews as appropriate.

(23) The RRTCwill review the research training activities of Faculties and Institutes annually in accordance with a process which it has approved.

(24) The RRTC will report annually to the Academic Board in relation to the performance of HDRs, the outcomes of quality assurance reviews and research training reviews.

Reviews by professional accreditation bodies

(25) Faculty Boards will prepare annual reports on new or continuing courses that have undergone a review by a professional accreditation body in the previous 12 months. These reports require endorsement by the DVCE.

(26) The DVCE will prepare an annual consolidated report which is provided to the Academic Board.

Course continuations

(27) All existing courses must be approved for continuation before the expiry of the previous approval period (normally five years). Faculties will develop applications for course continuation in accordance with an approved Course Continuation Proposal template. Applications will be accompanied by a major course review report developed in accordance with clause 19.

(28) Proposals for course continuation require endorsement by Faculty Boards and approval by the DVCE on strategic and business grounds (on advice from the CSG where a proposal has a significant strategic or business impact). Where it is proposed that a course be continued with changes that have an impact on academic standards, applications for course continuation also require approval by the Academic Board on academic grounds.

(29) Extensions of time to apply for course continuations may be granted in exceptional circumstances by the DVCE.

Course discontinuations

(30) Proposals to discontinue a course may arise from annual or major course reviews or other Faculty reviews. Faculties will develop proposals for course discontinuation in accordance with an approved Course Discontinuation Proposal template. Proposals require endorsement by Faculty Boards (and, in the case of HDRs, the PVCRT&PE) and approval by the DVCE (on advice from the CSG where the proposal has a significant strategic or business impact).

Responsibilities to students — coursework programs

(31) The University will provide students affected by the discontinuation of a course with reasonable opportunities to complete the course, or to transfer to an equivalent or suitable alternative course.

(32) The Faculty will contact students affected by the discontinuation of a course and advise them of the pipeline period and available options. Deakin International will contact international students who have not yet enrolled. Students affected include those:

  1. enrolled in the course
  2. on intermission from the course
  3. who have been offered a place in the course
  4. who have deferred an offer of a place in the course.

(33) The pipeline period for each discontinued course will be determined by the relevant Faculty Board, and is the time that would be taken for enrolled students including existing part-time students to complete the course, up to a maximum of twice the full-time equivalent duration of the course.

(34) When a course is to be discontinued, no new offers will be issued for places in the course after the date on which approval is granted for the discontinuation. At the discretion of the relevant Executive Dean, exceptions may be made for students who have the intention of enrolling in a discontinued course and would incur significant costs as a result of the discontinuation of the course.

(35) Students who choose to transfer to an alternative course will be granted credit for studies they have completed as part of the discontinued course, subject to the relevant University policies and procedures.

(36) Students who do not wish to continue at the University will be refunded fees they have paid for the discontinued course, except for any units they have attempted.

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Section 6 - Definitions

(37) For the purpose of this Procedure:

  1. Course team: a group of at least four continuing or fixed-term (term of three years or greater) academic staff members, including representatives from each campus on which the course is offered and at least one active researcher, appointed by the Faculty Board to coordinate the design, ongoing development and review of a course (with the exception of higher degrees by research).
  2. Combined course: approved combination of courses of the University that leads to the conferral of two awards in accordance with Regulation 5.2(2) Higher Education Award Courses—General.
  3. Higher degree by research (HDR): a program of advanced study and research approved by the Academic Board.
  4. Higher education award course: a course that leads to a higher education award of the University.
  5. Higher education non-award course: a course, unit or module, offered by the University that does not lead to an award of the University.
  6. Joint course: a course offered by Deakin with one or more higher education providers in Australia or overseas, leading to the conferral of a single award.
  7. Pipelining period: the period of time during which a discontinued course is phased out.
  8. Unit: a component of a course having a discrete designated code and title in which students enrol and complete specific work requirements. A unit :
    1. is commonly a quarter of a trimester workload
    2. carries a specific value towards an award.