C/4.5 Unit and module information

Policy Owner	Director, Curriculum Quality and Standards
Approval Date	27/07/2020
Approval Authority	University Academic Board
Date of Next Review	01/08/2023

4.5.1 Purpose
4.5.2 Application
4.5.3 Roles and responsibilities
4.5.4 Unit information and outlines
4.5.5 Publishing dates and additional information
4.5.6 Consultation with other disciplines
4.5.7 Module information
4.5.8 Definitions
Related Documents
Modification History

4.5.1 Purpose

Units and modules provide the component elements of QUT’s approach to curriculum and whole of course design. This policy sets out the essential information which is communicated to students and other stakeholders and which meets relevant national regulatory requirements.

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4.5.2 Application

This policy applies to all coursework units (including as part of a postgraduate research program) and modules offered by QUT, and to all staff and students involved with unit and module information.

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4.5.3 Roles and responsibilities

Position	Responsibility
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education)	ensures provision of training on and curriculum support for academic staff who design and implement units and modules approves procedures and guidelines on units and modules made under this policy ensures dissemination of policy and procedures monitors unit completion data and advises University Academic Board as necessary
Vice-President (Digital) and Chief Digital Officer	ensures provision of curriculum information through information technology resources
Executive dean	oversees and assures unit and module information within a faculty as Chair, Faculty Academic Board
Course coordinator (or equivalent)	oversees unit design aligned to course level design
Study area coordinator (or equivalent)	oversees unit and module design aligned to study area design
Unit coordinator (or equivalent)	develops and revises unit outlines aligned to course level designs and informed by evidence provides additional information to students enrolled in the unit in the week prior to the commencement of the relevant teaching period implements unit-level design consistent with the accredited unit outline
Unit staff (teaching and marking)	contributes to the implementation of unit-level design consistent with the accredited unit outline
Head of school	oversees and assures units and modules within a school ensures allocation of resources to support implementation of units and modules within a school
Associate dean (learning and teaching)	consults with other discipline areas and faculties when new units/modules or changes to units/modules may have consequences for curriculum beyond the immediate discipline determines the area that is most appropriate to teach particular units and modules
Student	engages with unit and module information
Faculty academic board	approves new or changed unit outlines (may be delegated) (C/4.1) approves new or revised modules and module information (may be delegated except where the module provides the basis for advanced standing or entry into an award course)

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4.5.4 Unit information and outlines

All units must have associated unit information approved by the relevant faculty academic board or delegated authority (A/3.7 and C/4.1), before the unit can be offered. The specifications of a unit are described and approved through the unit information, and a subset of this information is made available to prospective and continuing students through the unit outline.

This information is prepared by the Unit Coordinator (B/3.5.6) and must conform to the requirements outlined in the Unit and module information protocols available from the Digital Workplace (QUT staff access only).

Unit information is considered within the context of the course or courses that it serves consistent with relevant course approval requirements.

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4.5.5 Publishing dates and additional information

Unit outlines must be available prior to the commencement of the relevant teaching period to provide students with sufficient time to plan their studies and enrol in classes.

Changes to published unit outlines must be kept to a minimum to avoid any adverse impact on students.

Any additional information must be consistent with the unit outline and not alter intent or detail of the unit outline.

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4.5.6 Consultation with other disciplines

Faculties consult with other discipline areas and faculties when:

reviewing, changing, discontinuing or establishing a new unit or module that may have consequences for a range of courses beyond the immediate discipline, including the period of offer
establishing a new or changed course will have consequences for units or modules from other disciplines that were previously included in a course
establishing a new or changed course to determine which area is most appropriate to teach particular units and modules. Curriculum which provide a discipline base are most appropriately taught by whichever school or discipline area is recognised as most expert in the discipline. The professional application of a discipline, however, may be best taught by the school or discipline area responsible for the course.

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4.5.7 Module information

Module information is prepared by the responsible curriculum leader and is approved by the relevant faculty academic board or delegated authority (A/3.7 and C/3.3). The specifications of modules are described and approved through the module information and must conform to the requirements outlined in the Unit and module information protocols available from the Digital Workplace (QUT staff access only).

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4.5.8 Definitions

Module means the most basic component element of learning offered at QUT. Modules may be stand-alone elements of learning or may be grouped to achieve stated learning outcomes in award or non-award study. Typically, they provide a structured and coherent set of learning and/or assessment activities that work alone or in concert with other forms of learning. A module may or may not have a credit point value but may lead to a credential, provide a basis for advanced standing into an award course (C/3.3.4) and/or contribute to meeting entry or other requirements for an award course (C/5.4.8). Where a module leads to a credential or advanced standing, the learning must be quality assured and assessed formally and provide a credit point equivalence.

A unit is a structured and coherent set of learning activities that normally work in concert with other units to contribute to one or more course learning outcomes. Each unit is assigned a unit code and a credit point value (C/3.1) and approved by faculty academic boards. The list of faculty/school codes and level indicators for units is available on the HiQ website (QUT staff and student access only).

A unit outline provides information to current and prospective students and other stakeholders, and is also used for approval of the unit.

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Modification History

Date	Sections	Source	Details
27.07.20	All	University Academic Board	Revised policy to reflect modules and CourseLoop developments and amendment to unit outline publication date
09.01.19	All	Director, Governance and Legal Services	Revised policy to include approved position title change from assistant dean/s to associate dean/s
25.05.18	All	University Academic Board	Revised and simplified policy including unit viability and completion moved to individual reports - effective 01.01.19
27.03.15	All	University Academic Board	Revised policy
27.07.12	All	University Academic Board	Revised policy. Minor revisions and addition of policy outcomes section (C/4.5.2)
23.03.12	C/4.5.4	University Academic Board	Inclusion of specific information on the use of content matching software and other minor changes
19.02.11	All	Vice-Chancellor	Policy revised to include approved name change for Office of Teaching Quality to Learning and Teaching Unit and position title for Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching Quality) to Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching)
14.11.08	All	University Academic Board	Revised and renumbered policy to C/4.5 - effective from 01.01.09 (includes former policies C/7.10 Unit outlines, C/7.1 Course and unit viability, and C/7.2 Responsibility for teaching units) (endorsed by University Teaching and Learning Committee 21.10.08)
24.03.06	All	University Academic Board	New policy (endorsed by Teaching and Learning Committee 07.03.06)

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