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Appendix 10(a) - Course Plan - documentation for a proposal for approval of a new course, or course change

The Course Plan is the documentation for approval of all new courses or course changes. The Course Plan includes a Preliminary Business Analysis (Part A: Sections 1 to 4), an Academic Rationale (Part B: Section 5), and a Course Description (Part C: Sections 6 - 11).

The Preliminary Business Analysis covers the rationale for offering the course, the market analysis and viability, an analysis of opportunity and risk, and a budget. The Academic Rationale covers the development of the curriculum and explains how the curriculum will allow students to meet the course objectives and acquire graduate capabilities. These two sections are used for the course approval process only, and should be written with an audience external to the faculty in mind.

The Course Description includes the course structure, course completion requirements, aims and objectives, entry requirements, and unit outlines. This section is intended to provide a description of the course, and should be written in student-centred language.

Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee considers the Preliminary Business Analysis only. Courses and Quality Working Party, University Teaching and Learning Committee, and University Academic Board consider the full Course Plan.

Details of the course approval process are in MOPP C/4.1.3 . Guidelines for developing a course proposal are available on the Academic Policy and Programs website at (http://www.appu.qut.edu.au/coursedev/courses/).

COURSE PLAN

Faculty

Course code and title

PART A: Preliminary Business Analysis

1 Course overview and target outcomes

A short paragraph describing the proposed new course or course change, the aims of the course development (ie issues that the course development has addressed), and the target outcomes for the faculty.

2 Courses covered by the proposal

New courses

• A list of all courses covered by the proposed course development.

Revised courses

• A list of all revised courses covered by the proposed course development.

Discontinued courses

• A list of any courses to be discontinued.

Related course changes

• Brief details of any future course developments resulting from the course change, but not included in the proposal.

3 Rationale, strategic planning, and market analysis

3.1 Rationale for a new course

An explanation of the reasons for which the proposing faculty(ies) seeks to offer the course, including an outline of the business and educational opportunities afforded, and the risks to QUT and participating faculty(ies).

3.2 Consistency with established priorities and strategic planning

(a) Faculty and University strategic planning

A statement linking the course proposal with faculty and University planning and strategic directions.

(b) Local, regional and national priorities

An account of how the course is consistent with the higher education priorities of the community, whether at a local, regional or national level.

3.3 Market analysis

There are several aspects to a thorough market analysis which need to be addressed as follows.

(a) Attracting students

Evidence to demonstrate that the course will attract students in the market segment to which it is targeted. This may be provided, for example, by surveys of current students of similar or pre-cursor courses, or of potential students, or in the case of international students, by advice from international student recruitment agencies or partner universities, or in the case of corporate courses, by advice from the corporate body about numbers of students.

(b) Employment and career opportunities

Evidence that the course will provide employment and career opportunities that are not available currently. This may include

• data on workforce requirements locally and nationally, and/or on anticipated changes to these requirements
• evidence from surveys of prospective employers
• examples of similar or related course offerings in other Australian institutions or elsewhere, and an explanation of how the proposed course will fill a need similar to the courses quoted.

The Academic Policy and Programs Unit has developed survey instruments which may be useful to faculties in surveying clients. These may be obtained from the Academic Policy and Programs Unit website.

(c) Support from external bodies

Evidence of support for the course, locally and nationally, from relevant professional bodies, industry organisations, community groups and significant individuals. The survey proformas mentioned above may also be useful for this purpose.

(d) Professional bodies and accreditation

Details of any consultation that has been undertaken with professional bodies, and the process to be undertaken to gain professional accreditation for the course.

4 Course resource assessment

4.1 Resourcing Plan

A statement covering all resource issues relevant to the course. Many of these will involve discussion and negotiation with the divisions, and these discussions will normally have been finalised before submission of the Preliminary Business Analysis. If discussions have not been completed, details of all outstanding issues should be included. The proformas provided by Student Business Services Department and the Division of Technology, Information and Learning Support should be used as a catalyst for these purposes (see APPU website).

In any case, the Plan should deal with:

• Host faculty Details of any equipment, minor works, or space requirements. An assessment of the adequacy of staffing, both academic and professional, available to implement the course, and identification of any deficiencies in this regard. The full list of staff involved in the course should be provided as an appendix.
• Other faculties Details of any arrangements made with another faculty(ies) for teaching of any part of the course.
• Division of Technology, Information and Learning Support Details of discussions with the Division and arrangements made relating to any requirements for new or additional library resources, online teaching requirements, or information technology services.
• Division of Administrative Services Details of discussions with the Division and arrangements made relating to admission, enrolment or transition requirements.
• Division of Research and Commercialisation Details of discussions with the Division and arrangements made relating to research pathways or research courses.
• Division of International and Development Details of discussions with the Division and arrangements made relating to international students or courses taught off-shore.
• Division of Finance and Resource Planning Details of discussions with the Division relating to the budget, including details of any capital works or major resourcing issues.

4.2 Budget

A short paragraph providing an explanation of how the income and expenditure figures in the budget have been calculated.

The full budget, in the form of an Excel spreadsheet, should be attached as an appendix. The budget should show income, expenditure, and the net excess of the former over the latter. Expenditure should include all costs required to set up and run the course over and above the normal expenditure of the school or faculty and any central contributions or overheads imposed by the University.

It is assumed that all start-up costs are borne by the proposing faculty(ies), or faculty(ies) and divisions, by negotiation. It is expected that recurrent costs will be covered by the revenue from the course whether from the Commonwealth Grant Scheme, course fees, or a combination of the two.

Guidelines for preparing course budgets are available on the Academic Policy and Programs Website at (http://www.appu.qut.edu.au/coursedev/courses/)

PART B: Academic Rationale

5 Academic rationale

5.1 Curriculum development

A brief description of the process of curriculum development

5.2 Graduate capabilities

• An explanation of how QUT's graduate capabilities (MOPP C/1.4) have been incorporated into the course objectives
• An explanation of how any relevant professional capabilities have been incorporated into the course objectives
• An explanation of how the curriculum has been developed to meet the course objectives and to allow students to acquire graduate capabilities
• A tabular mapping of objectives and/or graduate capabilities across the units in the course

5.3 Industry participation and work-integrated learning

• An explanation of how real world tasks and relevance to the professions has been incorporated into the course
• An explanation of how opportunities for students to undertake work-integrated learning have been incorporated into the course.

5.4 Research pathways

• For undergraduate or coursework postgraduate courses, details of any research pathways.

5.5 Incorporation of international, indigenous and social and ethical aspects

• An explanation of how international, indigenous, and social and ethical aspects have been incorporated into the curriculum.

5.6 Online teaching

• An explanation of how online teaching is used throughout the course to enhance student learning.

5.7 Course flexibility and interfaculty collaboration

• An explanation of how opportunities for cross-disciplinary study have been built into the course.

5.8 Assessment

• An explanation of general assessment regimes used in the course
• An explanation of any faculty requirements for feedback to students throughout the unit
• An indication of whether or not criterion-referenced assessment is used in the units.

PART C: Course Description

6 Identifying information

The Identifying information is a one or two page cover sheet that provides the following information:

• Course code: The proposed course code

• Course title: If the course title differs from the award title, the reasons for the different title should be discussed in the rationale

• Title of award: List the award title as it will appear on student parchments. Indicate whether Study Area A (eg majors) are to appear on the parchment (eg Bachelor of Business (Study Area A)). (See MOPP C/3.2.2)

• Abbreviated title: List the proposed abbreviated title (See APPU website for approved abbreviations)

• Course type: List the DEEWR code and description for course type.

• Exit awards: List any early exit points from the course.

• Field of Education: List the DEEWR Field of Education for the course

• Credit points: List the number of credit points required in order to satisfy the requirements of the course

• Minimum completion time: Indicate the minimum time for full-time to complete the whole course.

• Faculty(ies ): List the Faculty(ies) and, where appropriate, school(s) responsible for the course

• Course coordinator: List the course coordinator, or the convenor of the course development team, including telephone and email contact details.

• Location and mode: List the campus(es) (or offshore location if relevant), and the mode of offering at each campus (eg GP: Internal, FT, PT).

• Student types: Indicate whether the course will be available to domestic and/or international students.

• Admission: List the semesters in which the course will be available for admission

• Course awarded "with distinction": Yes/ No

• Course awarded "with honours": Yes/ No

• Designated units: List any designated units.

• Start date: Indicate the proposed year and semester of introduction of the new or revised course. Where a revision involves a change to award title, specify which cohort of students should be the first to receive the revised award (ie all students commencing from a certain date)

7 Course details

7.1 Course description

The course description that will be used in the Studyfinder entry for the course.

7.2 Course completion rules

Statement of course requirements (completion rules) that a student will need to meet in order to complete the course. This statement should be written in student-centred language and in suitable format for transfer to Studyfinder. Course completion rules would normally include:

• total credit points required
• total credit points (number of units) of core units, together with any requirements for when these should be taken in the course
• requirements to complete a Study Area A and/or B
• requirements for complementary studies (double majors, minors, electives)
• any special requirements such as compulsory work-integrated learning
• details of any designated units

Any costs that the student may be expected to incur (eg purchase of personal equipment or protective clothing) should also be included in this section.

7.3 Study Areas

List any Study Areas A (Majors etc) and Study Areas B (eg minors) that will be offered in the course, and the locations (campuses) where the Study Area will be available. Indicate whether the Study Area A will be shown on the parchment. Full details of Study Areas A are provided in Section 11.

7.4 Career outcomes

The description of career outcomes that will be used in the Studyfinder entry for the course.

7.5 Entry details

Any standard entry requirements covering all Study Areas in the course. Where individual Study Areas have different entry requirements, these should be provided in Section 11. Provide all entry requirement statements as they will be shown in Studyfinder, with separate statements for each of the following:

• OP guarantee (Yes or No)

• Entry requirements

Domestic students

For undergraduate courses include completion of Year 12, and any special entry requirements such as portfolio entry.

For postgraduate courses, include details of required previous study and/or work experience.

International Students

Provide the entry statement relating to academic entry requirements for international students

English language requirements

Provide a statement of English language requirements.

• Assumed knowledge

Details of any assumed knowledge. Where relevant include a statement of any special course requirements (eg details of work experience requirements, or requirements such as criminal history check or drivers licence before commencing certain parts of the course.)

• Credit for previous study

Where relevant, details of any special arrangements for granting advanced standing beyond the normal University credit policy (see MOPP E/4.2). This might include pathways into the course involving articulation from other courses offered either by the University or by other institutions (eg TAFE).

7.6 Pathways to further study

Statement detailing pathways to further study. This might include:

• specific programs such as a Dean's Scholars program,
• details of amount of credit that will be given in a higher level course (eg details of a nested suite of postgraduate courses)
• information such as eligibility to apply for honours or masters programs.

This statement should be written in student-centred language and in suitable format for transfer to Studyfinder.

7.7 Early exit options

Details of the code and award titles for any early exit options.

7.8 Professional membership

A statement indicating graduate eligibility for membership of any professional organisations.

7.9 Professional accreditation

A statement, where relevant, indicating whether the course has gained professional accreditation or indicating steps currently being undertaken to gain professional registration.

8 Course design

8.1 Course aim

A statement of the overall aim of the course.

8.2 Course objectives

A list of course objectives, which should be designed to incorporate QUT's graduate capabilities. An explanation of how the objectives link to the graduate capabilities should be included in section 5.

8.3 Teaching methods

A general statement explaining how the course content will be delivered, including the following:

• the use of appropriate educational technologies, including proposed use of online delivery
• contributions to the course from other faculties
• contributions to the course from disciplinary/professional specialists external to QUT
• whether industry-based, overseas or other off-campus learning opportunities are included.

9 Transitional arrangements

Where the new course has been developed to replace one or more existing courses, include an account of the following:

• Arrangements relating to the phasing out of the existing course(s)
• Arrangements enabling currently-enrolled students either to complete the existing course(s), or to transfer to the new course where relevant.

10 Future developments

A brief statement detailing any expected future developments to this course (for instance adding more units or Study Areas, undertaking further work on graduate capabilities, or developing online teaching sites). Progress on these aspects should then be detailed in the annual course report.

11 Study Area A documentation

Where Study Area As are to be printed on the parchment, documentation for each Study Area A should be attached in the format shown below.

12 Unit outlines

All unit outlines should be attached in the format shown in MOPP Appendix 10 (d) .

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Name of Study Area A

Study Area A DOCUMENTATION  

1 Description

Description that would be used in Studyfinder

2 Career outcomes

Career outcomes description in Studyfinder

3 Rationale

Rationale for the Study Area A.

4 Aim

Aim of the Study Area A.

5 Objectives

Objectives specific to the Study Area A

6 Entry requirements

If entry requirements are different for each Study Area A, they should be provided here in the same format as shown in Part C (section 7) above.

7 Course completion rules for Study Area A

The course completion rules for the Study Area A, including total number of units required to complete the Study Area A, and an indication of how many of these are core units and where there is elective choice.

8 Units

The list of units constituting the Study Area A.

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