Planning and Approval of New Programs Policy

Policy

1. Any proposed new program must be approved by the Vice-Chancellor for inclusion in the University’s academic profile prior to the commencement of detailed planning and before the new program is publicised.
2. Any proposed new program requires a Business case, indicating the expected level of demand for the program, any similar offerings at other institutions and an assessment of the financial viability of the program. This information is particularly important for postgraduate coursework programs.
3. Any proposed new program must align with the strategic directions of the University as given in the University Strategic Plan.
4. The academic content of new programs must be approved by Academic Senate.
5. In order to ensure a breadth of expertise and stakeholder input, each new Program planning team must have members external to the University and, if appropriate, should include employer representatives.
6. As new programs may have a significant impact on the University’s facilities and resources, the planning process must involve University Services Division, as well as including input from other Faculties which may be involved in, or affected by the introduction of the new program.

Procedure

1. The PVC appoints a Program Convenor for a proposed new Program.
2. Any proposal for a new program within a Faculty must be considered by the VC to determine its viability and whether it is in line with the University's Profile, University and Faculty's Strategic Plans, and the Program Business Plan. This needs to be undertaken on advice of the PVC assisted by the Program Convenor. Documentation to be submitted to the VC for consideration should include a brief discussion of the rationale for the proposed program, the structure of the proposed program, a Business Plan, and information on market research and expected numbers. If the VC approves the new program proposal, the PVC then initiates the formal planning process for a new program.
3. Planning for a new undergraduate program will be undertaken by a Planning Team consisting of:
   1. the Program Convenor as Chair:
   2. at least four external members, two of whom should be employer representatives (the remainder may be senior academic staff from other institutions, representatives of accrediting bodies, employers etc.);
   3. at least one member of the academic staff of the Faculty;
   4. one person from each Faculty which may be involved in the program, as appropriate; and
   5. one person from University Services Division.
4. For other new programs, the Pro Vice Chancellor may vary the size and composition of the Planning teams but it must contain:
   1. the Program Convenor as Chair:
   2. at least two external members, one of whom should be an employer representative (the remainder may be senior academic staff from other institutions, representatives of accrediting bodies, employers etc);
   3. at least one member of the academic staff of the Faculty;
   4. one person from each Faculty which may be involved in the program, as appropriate; and
   5. one person from University Services Division.
5. The Program Convenor recommends Terms of Reference for the planning process and the membership of the Planning Team to the Pro Vice-Chancellor.

6.      The development of the detailed program proposal and supporting documentation is the responsibility of the Program Convenor, with the assistance of the internal members of the Planning Team and the external members, where available. The Program Convenor should run a forum for all interested parties as part of the program development process.

7.      A first draft of the program proposal, together with proof of the Vice-Chancellor’s approval for inclusion in the University’s profile, must be submitted to the Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC) early in the year preceding its first offer, and before the new program is publicised or included in any UAC guides (even provisionally).

8. The full Planning Team will assist in the development of the program objectives, employer requirements, graduate profile and teaching methods.
9. The Program Convenor must consult with Heads of Schools responsible for any proposed new courses or any existing courses to be included in the new program.
10. The final program proposal, including the completed Program Documentation and course information from the Course Tracking System for any proposed new courses together with any supporting documentation, will be submitted to the Assistant Dean, Teaching and Learning of the relevant Faculty/Faculties.
11. The program documentation must include a Business Plan.
12. The Assistant Dean, Teaching and Learning has responsibility for oversight of the program approval process and will ensure:
    1. that the appropriate consultation and approval mechanisms take place within the Faculty and if necessary within other Faculties;
    2. that there is consultation with the full Planning Team who will consider and make recommendations on the final program proposal;
    3. that, as a minimum, any new courses involved in the first year of delivery of the new program are approved on the CTS and have had their resource implications assessed by USD;
    4. that adequate time is given to PVC’s and the University Services Division for all the necessary sign-offs required before the proposal is forwarded to those named in (vi) below;
    5. that adequate time is built into the development of the program proposal to allow the Vice-Chancellor to approve its inclusion in the University’s Profile and for the PCAC to initially consider the proposal before any publicity or listing in a UAC guide is undertaken.
    6. that the program proposal, when completed is submitted to Faculty Board for endorsement and then to Academic Senate for approval of academic content;
    7. that the new schedule is submitted to Academic Senate for endorsement and to Council for approval.

Matters for Consideration in the Planning Process

The following matters must be considered as part of the program planning process and included in the Program Documentation which is submitted as part of any program proposal.

1. The rationale for the new program and its relationship to the Faculty and University Strategic Plan.
2. A promotion and recruitment strategy.
3. Evaluation of the program by industry and/or professional body representatives.
4. Details of the attributes of the graduates of the program.
5. The objectives of the program, and how they will deliver the qualities included in the graduate profile and the University's graduate attributes.
6. How the courses included in the program contribute to the program's objectives
7. The structure of the program including:
   1. the sequence of courses;
   2. honours;
   3. majors;
   4. core courses; and
   5. elective courses.
8. The mode(s) of delivery of the program.
9. Learning Support arrangements.
10. Whether courses will be available in semesters, trimesters, as block learning or in summer or sandwich terms.
11. Any proposed articulation and credit transfer arrangements.
12. The costs involved in mounting and running the program (including a Business Plan).
13. The physical and facilities requirements for the program and courses (minimum of all new 1000 level courses).
14. Whether the program and courses can be supported within the existing library and IT budgets or the Faculty/Faculties are intending to contribute funding.
15. Entry requirements including any special selection procedures.
16. How students with special needs will be accommodated.
17. Strategies to achieve targets in the access, retention, progress and success rates of the six designated equity groups.