Course Performance Reports and Faculty Academic Program Reports - Guidelines

Intent

These guidelines provide further details to underpin the policy requirements for the completion of annual Course Performance Reports and Faculty Academic Program Reports.The guidelines are updated annually to reflect relevant timelines as well as any enhancements arising from the previous year’s process.

Scope

These guidelines and the associated policy apply to all Faculty Pro Vice Chancellors, Heads of School, Course Coordinators and other staff with designated responsibilities for the preparation of the reports required by the policy.

Definitions

Academic Program: the suite of courses owned by a Faculty

Course: an approved Higher Education Award of the University as defined in the Glossary of Terms for Policies in the Student and Teaching & Course Management chapters - JCU

Course Performance Reports (CPRs): Annual reports completed by the Course Coordinator for each undergraduate and postgraduate course.

Faculty Academic Program Reports (FAPRs): Annual reports completed by the Faculty Pro Vice Chancellor identifying key strengths, weaknesses and priorities for the following year as identified from the Faculty’s suite of Course Performance Reports.

Procedures

  1. Report preparation

The Course Performance Report is to be completed annually by the Course Coordinator for each undergraduate and postgraduate course delivered by the University. The Faculty Academic Program Report, which is the responsibility of the Pro Vice Chancellor, uses the Course Performance Reports as a basis for the identification of collective issues and strategies.

  1. A Course Performance Report is to be completed annually by the Course Coordinator for each undergraduate and postgraduate course delivered by the University and for all locations where the course is taught. The report will be underpinned by relevant data as provided by the Corporate Planning and Performance Office and other sources.

  2. The Course Coordinator should consult with all staff who have taught into the course so that the report is a comprehensive assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the course. First Year Coordinators should be included where relevant in these discussions.

  3. The Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic will be responsible for approving each year the Faculty courses that require a Course Performance Report.

  4. On approval by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, some courses may be combined for reporting purposes where the subjects are the same e.g., for joint degrees or graduate certificates and diplomas.

  5. All teaching locations can be included in the one Course Performance Report, but consultation with each location must occur and data separated out and compared where relevant.

  6. A Course Performance Report template is provided each year.Appendix A to these Guidelines outlines the template’s section headings and broad content requirements for each section. The template sets out the core information required.Faculties may wish to expand the template to include additional information relevant to the Faculty’s collective strategic priorities.

  7. The Faculty Academic Program Report is to be completed by the Faculty Pro Vice Chancellor, drawing on all Course Performance Reports within that Faculty as a basis for the identification of collective issues and strategies.

  1. Approval and Timelines

  1. Course Performance Reports are to be submitted to the Head of School for approval before they are forwarded to the Corporate Planning and Performance Office, and to the Pro Vice Chancellor, to inform the Faculty Academic Program Report.

  2. The Corporate Planning and Performance Office will provide each Faculty with consolidated data/information sets from the Course Performance Reports to assist in the preparation of the Faculty Academic Program Report.

  3. The Quality Enhancement Office will coordinate the reporting process to key University Committees.All Faculty Academic Program Reports are to be submitted to the Quality Enhancement Office.

  4. Each year the Quality Enhancement Office will consult with the Offices of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Teaching and Learning Development and Corporate Planning and Performance to prepare an updated timeline for the completion and submission of both Course Performance and Faculty Academic Program Reports so that the reports align with and are included in the annual planning cycle discussions.

  1. Reporting Structure

  1. The process for consideration of Faculty Academic Program Reports, Course Performance Reports or excerpts of these by key University level Committees will be determined on an annual basis with a view to informing university wide strategies for course enhancement.

  2. Course Performance Reports and Faculty Academic Program Reports will be placed on the Quality Enhancement Office website for reference by the relevant Committees as required.

  3. It is expected that the relevant Faculty Committee has a role in the review of the Course Performance Reports and Faculty Academic Program Reports. Overseeing the implementation of the strategies or actions identified in the Reports is a key quality assurance and enhancement role for the Faculty Committee. Key strategies should be captured in the Faculty plan.

  1. Available data

The data to be interrogated by the Course Coordinator for the Course Performance Report is contained within the spreadsheets forwarded by Corporate Planning and Performance Office to each of the Faculties and divided into sections as follows;

  1. Course Information

This section provides details of the course, course code, and Faculty who owns it, the level (UG or PG or HDR), the Course Coordinator, and the location split by campus (Cairns, Townsville, Singapore and Brisbane).


  1. Course Demand and Retention

Course Demand and Retention is the first section and comprises data for previous 6 years:

  • Commencing Enrolments;

  • Total Enrolments;

  • Commencing Student Load (EFTSL);

  • Total Student Load (EFTSL);

  • Part Time Ratio (EFTSL to Enrolments ratio);

  • Retention;

  • First preferences (QTAC); and

  • Conversion of Offers to Enrolments (QTAC);

  1. Student profile

Student profile is the second section and comprises data from previous year only:

  • Percentage Commonwealth Supported Places;

  • Percentage Domestic Fee Paying;

  • Percentage Higher Degree Research

  • Percentage International Fee Paying;

  • Percentage Internal and External Mode;

  • Gender (Percentage Male and Female);

  • Age Group Percentages: School Leaver (<20); Post School Leaver (20-22); and Mature Age (25+);

  • Percentage Taught by Owning Faculty and Outside Faculty

  • Indigenous Participation and Access Rates;

  • Low SES Participation and Access Rates;

  • Rural/Remote Participation and Access Rates; and

  • Percentage Success.

  1. The Student Experience and Reputation

The Student Experience will be the third section and will comprise data for last 5 years:

  • SFS Semester 1 (Course Satisfaction) - all and 1st year;

  • SFS Semester 2 (Course Satisfaction) – all and 1st year;

  • No of Respondents for CEQ;

  • CEQ – Overall Satisfaction;

  • CEQ – Good Teaching Scale;

  • CEQ – Generic Skills Scale;

  • CEQ – Student Support Scale;

  • CEQ – Graduate Quality Scale;

  • CEQ – Learning Community Scale;

  • CEQ – Learning Resources Scale;

  • GDS – Further Study

  • GDS – Full-time & Part-time Employment

  • AUSSE – Respondents;

  • AUSSE – Education Experience;

  • AUSSE – Active Learning; and

  • AUSSE – Work integrated Learning.

The Corporate Planning and Performance Office will include ‘traffic light’ and other indicators for each of the data sets to assist Course Coordinators to more easily identify good and not so good results. The indicators will be around some business rules such as a data set not meeting or exceeding a Faculty or University target or result trends over time.These will be set in consultation with the Associate Deans, Teaching and Learning (ADTLs).


Appendix A

Course Performance Report Template

A reporting template is provided to facilitate the consistent completion of the Course Performance Report and provide the minimum reporting requirements for courses. The template outline is presented below. The completed report should be as brief as possible whilst providing the necessary details. Dot points will enable summary course reports to be compiled by the PVC and for key University Committees.

Faculties may choose to add their own data to the Report (for example to suit their professional accreditation requirements) but they are requested to keep to the section headings and sequence so as to allow for collation and meaningful program comparisons by Faculty committees, Education Committee and Academic Board as required.

Below is a guide to what should be included under each of the template headings..

1. Course Details

This section provides details on the course including the Course Coordinator, AQF level, locations and any associated courses covered in the report.

2. Consultation Process

This section briefly outlines the consultation process taken to develop the report.

3. Course Demand – EFSTL Trends in 2012

This section outlines the key trends in 2012 course demand with reference to: QTAC preferences; conversion to offers; commencing student enrolment trends; commencing EFTSL; part-time trends; international student interest (fee type); demand differences in location/mode; participation of Indigenous students; participation of low SES students; participation of regional/remote students

4. Retention

This section outlines the key trends in 2012 course retention, including any differences by location, and the associated planned actions for 2013.

5. Student Achievement

This section outlines known issues regarding student performance in the course in 2012, with reference to different locations, student success rates, any skewed distribution of grades (as reported at your School Assessment Committee) and the achievement of Indigenous students. Associated planned actions for 2013 should also be covered.

6. Moderation of Assessment

This section outlines the internal post assessment moderation activities undertaken to ensure consistency of judgement in assessment tasks. It should also indicate the ways in which benchmarking (externally) has occurred to ensure appropriate standards of grading, and the planned actions for 2013.

7. Student Evaluation Data

This section comments on the main issues that have been highlighted from the 2012 student evaluations, and outlines the associated planned actions for 2013. Reference should be made to the SFS, including trends in satisfaction over the duration of the course, Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), Graduate Destinations and the AUSSE.

8. Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Compliance

This section covers the match with the relevant AQF level volume learning requirements and steps taken and actions planned to ensure compliance with these.For non-AQF courses, this section covers steps taken to meet the criteria set out under Chapter 4, Section 1.2 of the Threshold Standards.

9.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) Development

This section describes the process used to develop the Course Learning Outcomes.

9.2 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

This section lists the CLOs.

10. Progress Towards Course Mapping of Learning Outcomes and Assessment

This section outlines how the process of course mapping is being addressed.

11. English Language and Numeracy Proficiency

This section outlines the entry requirement for English language and/or numeracy proficiency for the course and the ways in which proficiency: is assessed on entry and during the course; development is embedded through curriculum design; and exit levels are proposed to be benchmarked.Associated actions for 2013 should also be covered.

12. Articulation Agreements

This section comments on the pathways into the course and exit points.

13. Course Staffing

This section comments on any staffing issues associated with the course, the numbers of sessional staff involved in delivery and any suggestions regarding professional development needs.

14. Learning Spaces and Technologies

This section comments on how learning spaces and technology support this course.

15. External Reference Group

This section provides details on the membership and activities of the External Reference Group for the course.

16. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) and Work Related Experiences

This section comments on the types of WIL experiences provided and ways that student work related experiences and supervision are coordinated and the quality of is assured.

17. JCU Strategic Intent

This section comments on how the course supports JCU’s Strategic Intent.

18. Alignment with Original Course Proposal

This section applies only to courses approved since 2009 on the basis of a business plan. The Quality Enhancement Office has a list of these courses and will provide the relevant Course Coordinators with a copy of the business plan.Comment is to be provided on the course performance against the stated objectives and targets in the original business plan.

19. External (Professional) Accreditation

This section applies to courses that are subject to external accreditation.It provides details on accreditation dates and the status and timeline for any actions required to meet accreditation recommendations.

20. Summary of Future Key Actions for this Course

This section briefly outlines future key actions for this course.

21. Sign Off and Submit Finalised Report

This section provides for Course Coordinators and then Heads of School to sign off on the report and for the Head of School to then submit the report directly to the Corporate Planning and Performance Office.

Related documents, legislation or JCU Statutes

Course Performance Reports and Faculty Academic Program Reports – Policy and Procedures

Approval Details

Policy sponsor:

Director, Quality Enhancement

Approval authority:

Executive Director, Finance and Resource Planning

Version no:

13-1

Date for next review:

21/02/2014

Modification History

Version no:

Approval date:

Implementation date:

Details

13-1

11/04/2013

12/04/2013

Updates to annual reporting requirements

12-1

28/02/2012

29/02/2012

Stella Coppola last updated this page on 11 Apr 2013.