(1) The Award Courses and Units Approval Policy is the third element in the University of Western Sydney course and unit development framework: (2) The award courses of the University are the primary means by which the University obtains its students and funding, and builds its reputation for the quality of its graduates. The quality of a course is critical to UWS and Academic Senate. As the key academic quality assurance agency of the University, Senate must be able to assess the quality through the approval process and by monitoring course performance. (3) This policy facilitates the development and approval of courses, specialisations and units, taking into account the University's strategic plans for academic development, the academic quality assurance framework and the quality control delivered by the schools, research institutes, external advisory committees and supporting units across UWS. (4) The information collected through the approval process is used for recruitment publications (UWS and UAC), the handbook, unit outlines and learning guides, the timetable, setting fees, student enrolment, acquisition of Library materials and government reporting and approval. It is critical therefore, that courses, specialisations and units are finalised by the due dates. (5) This policy recognises that approval occurs through the relevant academic governance and management structures of the University. (6) Award Course: a program of study consisting of at least four units or 40 credit points leading to an award of the University (Diploma, Associate Degree, Bachelor Degree, Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma or Masters Degree) which when successfully completed is conferred on the graduand by the Board of Trustees. (Also see the Structure and Nomenclature of Bachelor Awards Policy and the Postgraduate Coursework Policy). (7) Core: a mandatory set of units to be completed by all students enrolling in the award course. (8) Course project manager: the member of staff (usually an academic staff member) designated by the Dean to develop or modify a course. (9) Community-engaged or work-integrated learning: A unit or component of a unit that enables a student to participate in an approved learning activity that involves an interactive learning partnership with external community organisations (business, industry, government, not-for-profit or educational sectors). The learning activity can be done individually or in groups, must provide a clear knowledge benefit to student(s) and the partner(s), and is linked to specific learning objectives including the demonstration of academic knowledge/professional skills related to the course of study. (10) Course Design Standards: the characteristics of a course that allow students to achieve an appropriate set of course learning outcomes, including the UWS graduate attributes. These are based on the UWS course design standards (see Associated Information for details), and include active learning (including e-learning), theory-practice links, flexibility and accessibility, and appropriate assessment throughout the course. Course learning outcomes should be related to external reference points such as professional accreditation standards and other relevant external reference points (where these are applicable). (11) Course Delivery Standards: the staff expertise and availability, and consistency and quality of delivery of support materials, which are required for successful delivery of the course. See Associated Information. (12) Course Support Standards: the infrastructure, resources, professional and technical support that is required for successful and consistent delivery of the course. See Associated Information for details. (13) Graduate attributes: the characteristics each UWS graduate should have developed by the time they have completed their course. (14) Inherent Requirements: The Commonwealth "Disability Standards for Education, 2005", states: (15) International Opportunity: an elective component of a course that can be taken for credit and enables a student to undertake a period of study (or other approved activity) in an international context, usually in another country, before completing their course. (16) Key Program: an approved sequence of core, specified units, totalling at least 160 credit points, that is the core requirement for a student to take out a particular bachelor degree. The title of the key program may, provided it has been approved to do so at the time Academic Senate has approved the course, form part of the degree title and appear on the student's testamur. (17) Major: an approved sequence of eight units or 80 credit points that makes up an area of special focus within the bachelor degree. Normally majors will not appear on the testamur. See the Structure and Nomenclature of Bachelor Awards Policy for the only exceptions to this provision. (18) Postgraduate Specialisation: a grouping of at least four units or 40 credit points with a special focus in a postgraduate course. (19) Sub-major: an approved sequence of four units or 40 credit points in a bachelor degree that makes up a shorter area of special focus within a course of study than a major. (20) Unit: the basic element of study in which a student enrols. (21) Specialisation: a formal grouping of units to form a postgraduate specialisation, honours specialisation, key program, major, sub-major or core (also see Structure and Nomenclature of Bachelor Awards Policy and the Postgraduate Coursework Policy). (22) Fast-tracked approval: a process only used in exceptional and urgent circumstances to seek approval outside the standard committee meeting schedules using the Executive Committees of the relevant Standing Committees of Academic Senate. Full documentation is required for all proposals. The Executive Committees will fulfil their normal quality assurance roles and may endorse or reject proposals. (23) The schools are the custodians of UWS courses and specialisations, and provide the content and teaching, notwithstanding that some courses and specialisations may be comprised of units offered by more than one school and that there are a small number of units not attributed to a school. (24) UWS courses must: (25) Specific features of bachelor degrees are set out in the Structure and Nomenclature of Bachelor Awards Policy and include specifications for key programs, majors and sub-majors. (26) Specific features of bachelor honours degrees are set out in the Honours in Bachelor Awards Policy. (27) Specific features of postgraduate coursework degrees are set out in the Postgraduate Coursework Policy. (28) The development of a new course is a significant project requiring: consideration of the rationale for development; the employment opportunities for graduates (including accreditation of courses by an industry or professional body); the relationship to other courses in similar disciplinary areas and potential for both synergies with and differentiation from those courses. (29) Many courses include components taught by other schools. For any proposals for new courses, changes, discontinuation or suspension of an intake, where the course includes one or more specialisations that are the responsibility of another school or schools, the proposal must be considered by the School Academic Committees of those schools before proceeding to the relevant Curriculum Quality Committee(s). (30) A new course requires: (31) The approval process for UWS Awards to be taught by UWSCollege, such as diplomas and associate degrees, is the same as for the approval of UWS undergraduate curriculum as detailed in this Policy with the additional UWSCollege approvals required. Approval to develop new award courses to be taught by UWSCollege must be endorsed by the UWSCollege Board, as well as by the UWS Executive and Academic Senate's Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee (APCAC). A Course Concept Proposal and a full course proposal should be endorsed by the UWSCollege Academic Committee as well as by the relevant School Academic Committee, Curriculum Quality Committee and APCAC. Following endorsement by those academic committees, the full course proposal will be referred to Academic Senate, for final consideration and approval. (32) Major changes to an existing course or specialisation are treated as a new course for the components being changed. Major changes include (refer to the Delegations and Impact on Coding for Courses and Specialisations document under Associated Information for further details): (33) Major change proposals must be accompanied by a full Course Proposal, approved by the Dean after consultation with the relevant Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), explaining the rationale for the change, an assessment of the risks of changing and not changing and an assessment of the continued financial viability of the changed course. The School Academic Committee considers the academic quality of the proposal and forwards its recommendations to Academic Senate via the relevant Curriculum Quality Committee and the APCAC. At the discretion of the Chair of Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee, a proposal for a major course change may be referred to the UWS Executive for consideration of its strategic and resourcing aspects. (34) There may be exceptional and urgent circumstances where a proposal for a new course or specialisation or a major change to a course or specialisation requires a 'fast-tracked' process for approval. Normally, exceptional and urgent circumstances will be limited to: (35) Where exceptional and urgent circumstances exist, the Chair of the School Academic Committee requests approval to undertake a fast-tracked process from the Chair of the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee. If approved, the Executive Committee of the School Academic Committee considers full course documentation. The committee may meet at a special electronic meeting. (36) Proposals endorsed by the relevant School Academic Committee will be considered by the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee, if necessary, at a special electronic meeting (there is no Executive Committee of the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee) and, if endorsed, will be recommended to Academic Senate or its Executive Committee for approval. (37) Discontinuation of a course or specialisation may have significant impact on other courses, schools and campuses as well as relationships with partners, professional associations and the community. (38) Proposed discontinuation of a course or specialisation, in the first instance, is discussed by the Dean with the Vice-Chancellor and President, and, where there is an international partner, with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Academic, prior to notification to the School Academic Committee, Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee and Academic Senate. (39) Proposals for discontinuation of a course or specialisation (and the stages leading to discontinuation) must take into account the students currently enrolled in the program and must specify arrangements for them to transfer to a new course or complete the existing course or specialisation including the time-frame for completion. The School Academic Committee should provide details of proposed transitional arrangements to the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee for consideration and, if endorsed, will be recommended to Academic Senate for approval. (40) A school may wish to suspend an intake of students to a course for a period of up to two years. The impact of suspending an intake is similar to course discontinuation (see above). (41) The proposed suspension of an intake in the first instance, is discussed by the Dean with the Vice-Chancellor and President, and, where there is an international partner, with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Academic, prior to notification to the School Academic Committee, Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee and Academic Senate. (42) The proposal for suspension should provide the rationale for suspension, the arrangements to accommodate students currently enrolled in the course or an approved pathway to that course as well as the effect on other courses that may share units with the course. The School Academic Committee should provide details of proposed transitional arrangements to the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee for consideration and, if endorsed, will be recommended to Academic Senate for approval. (43) Normally, a course will be retired at the end of the period of suspension. If suspension is required for a third year, a notification should be provided to the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee by November of the first year of suspension. (44) If the suspension is to be lifted, advice should be provided to the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee at least six months before the planned intake. If a UAC and Handbook entry is required for courses recommencing in the Autumn Semester, notice must be provided by 1 March of the preceding year. (45) Retirement of a course or specialisation occurs where there will be no further intake of students and will no longer be available for admission: (46) Where there is no replacement course or specialisation proposed, the school will identify the arrangements and timeframe for continuing students to complete their study. (47) Where a replacement course or specialisation is proposed, the proposal must detail the transition arrangements for continuing students for consideration by the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee and, if endorsed, will be recommended to Academic Senate for approval. (48) A course or specialisation will be terminated by the Academic Registrar's Office when there are no students enrolled in the retired course or specialisation. Any former student presenting for completion of the course after termination has taken effect, will be advised to seek admission to a current course and seek advanced standing for previous study. (49) Schools are responsible for the quality of unit content and delivery for the courses in which the units are located. (50) The Unit Proposal outlines how the unit contributes to any course or specialisation in which it is offered, the learning outcomes for the unit, assessment requirements, its relationship to other units, including the contributions that it makes to the Course Design Standards, course learning outcomes and assessment schedules of the relevant courses (see Associated Information for guidance) any identified Inherent Requirements, the resources required to deliver the unit, as well as when and how it is to be taught. Unit developers must provide all the information required in the template or system as the information will generate the Unit Outline and feed to other systems supporting the scheduling of the unit and student enrolment. (51) Unit Proposals require a detailed resource assessment, referring to the Course Support Standards, and proposers must consult with the supporting service areas (Library,Learning and Teaching Unit, Courses and Timetabling Unit for all student administration, and Information Technology and Digital Services) and include a statement from the designated officer in each of those areas that the unit can be supported or the nature of the support issues. (52) All units must adhere to the provisions of the: (53) A new unit requires the completion of a New Unit or Variation to a Unit Form (see Associated Information). (54) For the purposes of this policy, a new unit is a unit that: (55) The School Academic Committee considers the academic quality of the proposal and forwards its recommendations to Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee via the relevant Curriculum Quality Committee. (56) Proposals for changes to a unit require the resubmission of the approved proposal with changes highlighted. (57) Minor variations to units are approved by the School Academic Committee. For a list of elements regarded as minor variations, refer to the Unit Guide - Delegations, Impact and Coding document under Associated Information. (58) Major variations to units are considered by the School Academic Committee, which forwards its recommendation to the relevant Curriculum Quality Committee. For a list of elements regarded as major variations, refer to the Unit Guide - Delegations, Impact and Coding document under Associated Information. (59) There may be circumstances where a unit requires a 'fast-tracked' process for approval, such as, where a new unit is required to maintain course accreditation. (60) The Chair of the School Academic Committee requests approval to undertake a fast-tracked process from the Chair of the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee. If approved, the Executive Committee of the School Academic Committee considers full unit documentation. If a proposal is endorsed, it is forwarded to the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee for approval. (61) Electronic meetings may be held. (62) Proposals to retire or replace a unit must take into consideration students in all courses where the unit is offered or is an integral part of a specialisation. (63) Schools wishing to retire a unit should notify the School Academic Committee at least six months prior to the implementation of the decision. The notification should provide: (64) Where a unit will be replaced by a new unit, the request for retirement will accompany the proposal documentation of the new replacement unit. (65) Any continuing students affected by the decision to retire a core unit should be given a minimum of one semester's notice that the change will occur. Advice to affected students should include a formal letter from the Dean or Deputy Dean of the School which includes, where appropriate, the available options or alternative arrangements. (66) Annual Curriculum Approval Calendars are set by the University to ensure that externally imposed deadlines are met and that internal processes depending on the approved course and unit data, can be completed. (67) New courses or major changes to courses, including the introduction of new units, should complete the approval process by the March meeting of Academic Senate of the year preceding introduction. The approval of the Chair of the Academic Planning and Courses Approvals Committee must be obtained if new course proposals are to be presented to the Academic Senate after this date. (68) New units should be approved by mid-March of the year preceding introduction to ensure alignment of unit and course versions. Major changes to units to be offered in the second half of the year should be approved by 1 March of the same year. (69) Notification of the intention to suspend or retire courses, key programs and majors should be made to the Vice-Chancellor and President by the Dean by October of the year prior to the last offering of the course or unit, unless there are extenuating circumstances such as minimal applications received during the admission period. (70) Courses and Specialisations (71) Units (72) Nil. (73) Advice on identifying Inherent Requirements in courses can be sought from the Disability Service for students. The following case studies are provided to assist the understanding of Inherent Requirements:Award Courses and Units Approval Policy
Section 1 - Purpose and Context
Section 2 - Definitions
Section 3 - Policy Statement
Part A - Courses and Specialisations
Course Development and Approval
New Courses
New Courses taught by UWSCollege
Major Changes to a Course or Specialisation
Fast-tracked Course and Specialisation Approvals
Course or Specialisation Discontinuation
Suspension of Intake to a Course (this section does not apply to specialisations)
Retirement of a Course or Specialisation
Termination of a Course or Specialisation
Part B - Units
New Units
Changes to a Unit
Fast-Tracked Unit Approvals
Retirement or Deletion of a Unit
Part C - Timing of Approvals for Courses and Units
Part D - Summary of Delegations
Top of Page
Section 4 - Procedures
Section 5 - Guidelines
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"6.2.1 The education provider must take reasonable steps to ensure that the course or program is designed in such a way that the student is, or any student with a disability is, able to participate in the learning experiences (including the assessment and certification requirements) of the course or program, and any relevant supplementary course or program, on the same basis as a student without a disability, and without experiencing discrimination."
The Inherent Requirements are the fundamental components of a course, specialisation or unit, that are necessary to demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills essential to achieve the core learning outcomes of the course, specialisation or unit, while preserving the academic integrity of the university's learning, assessment and accreditation processes. (Note: making a requirement compulsory does not necessarily make it an Inherent Requirement.)
(Administrative note: a suspended version of a course is displayed in the online handbook as "SUSPENDED: This version of the course is under review and not available to new students.")
(Administrative note: a retired version of a course is displayed in the online handbook as "CONTINUING: This version of the course is available only to continuing or completing students.")
(Administrative note: a course that has been terminated has a status of "INACTIVE" and no longer displays in the online handbook. A course that is retired has a status of "CONTINUING" and continues to display in the online handbook.)