Curriculum Design, Coursework Approval and Accreditation Policy

Intent

This Policy outlines the principles and structure for designing coursework programs and units at James Cook University (JCU; the University), with the aim of supporting outstanding student outcomes and enhancing graduate employability through a practical, experiential and research-rich learning environment that fosters professional expertise and intellectual curiosity. In addition, the Policy sets out the principles of and requirements for coursework quality assurance in association with coursework approval and all matters associated with internal and external accreditation

This Policy addresses Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) standard 3.1: Course Design and 5.1: Course Approval and Accreditation.

Scope

This Policy applies to all staff responsible for developing, approving or amending award coursework programs or units at any JCU campus, study site, or for online delivery. Staff must ensure that curriculum design principles, policy, and procedure are followed when seeking accreditation approval.

Definitions

Except as otherwise specified in this policy, the meaning of terms used are as per the Policy Glossary.

Curriculum: a sequence of planned learning experiences where students practice and achieve proficiency in content and applied learning skills. This includes, but is not limited to, learning activities, assessment, reading materials, work integrated learning, and field work.

Capstone experience: a culminating academic activity that allows students to integrate, synthesize, and apply the knowledge and skills they have gained over the course of their degree program, usually in a real-world or practical context. It typically occurs in the final year of study and may take various forms such as a project, thesis, internship, practicum, portfolio, or comprehensive examination.

Nested award: qualifications that include articulated arrangements from a lower-level qualification into a higher-level qualification to enable multiple entry and exit points.

Double degrees: two degree courses of study undertaken consecutively with graduates achieving two distinct qualifications.

Vertically aligned double degree: undertaking an undergraduate and postgraduate degree as a sequence, designed to reduce time taken to complete both degrees through the elimination of duplicative subjects.

Flexible delivery: how the timing, pace, content, assessment and location (in both virtual and physical environments) of learning can be varied, personalised and chosen by the student to suit their needs, whilst still meeting the desired learning outcomes. The extent of flexibility will be determined by course and/or subject requirements.

Digital literacy: the ability to locate, evaluate, choose, use and create technologies effectively, critically and safely for lifelong learning. Students require digital literacy to locate, engage, interact, create, share and communicate with a range of learning technologies in order to access subject information, participate in learning activities, collaborate with peers and complete assessment tasks. Staff require digital literacy to communicate, support, motivate and inspire learning for students in contemporary learning environments.

Learning technologies: the “broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching and assessment” (Association for Learning Technology, 2012)

Mode of delivery: whether a subject is delivered on campus, online or multi-modal.

College Curriculum Management Committee (CCMC) or equivalent committee– the committee in each College and in the Academy (applicable to Pathways) that receives and endorses coursework proposals related to the units offered and program hosted by that College.

Curriculum Committee – the sub-committee of Academic Board that endorses or approves all coursework proposals as appropriate.

Curriculum Management and Accreditation (CMA) team – the team that manages and processes curriculum and accreditation functions in association with the Academy.

Major – unless specified otherwise is inclusive of teaching area, specialisation, and minor (i.e., all programs that are not courses).

Program(s) – refers inclusively to courses, majors, minors, specialisations, nested courses and teaching areas.

Proposal finalisation – a process of review, feedback, and proofing undertaken by the Curriculum Management and Accreditation team prior to committing proposal forms to approval processes.

Proposer – the individual academic member of the University with responsibility for stewardship of the Proposal through the development and approval process, including convening a working group, liaising with members of the College committees and Curriculum Management and Accreditation team, and presenting the proposal at different stages of the approval process as required. The identity of the Proposer can change during the development and approval process, however:

• the proposer for new programs or units should be an academic member of the relevant College or Academy
• the proposer for amendments to programs should be the Course Coordinator
• the proposer fir amendments to units should be the Subject Coordinator

Unit(s) – refers inclusively to subjects, modules, and micro-units.

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) - encompasses any arrangement where students undertake learning in a work context as part of their course requirements. WIL activities may include:

• professional workplace placements (also known as clinical placements, clinical education, professional placements, legal placements, professional experience, Prof.Ex, internships, professional industry experience, professional internships, and practicums) whether local, interstate or international
• fieldwork, field trips, experiential learning, service learning,
• online or virtual WIL (e.g. telehealth) with real clients or industry input
• industry-partnered projects in the classroom (e.g. hackathons, incubators/start-ups) that involve industry, community or professional partners
• a simulated work environment with industry input, consultation or assessment, or
• activities in other contexts involving industry or community partners.

Principles

• Our unique tropical and regional locations, research strengths, local facilities and staffing are leveraged to create and maintain coursework offerings
• The needs of the community, industry and professional bodies drive curriculum design
• Viable, sustainable, efficient and effective delivery methods are prioritised in curriculum design
• Delivery modality must optimise the learning experience for our students
• Coursework offerings span AQF levels to meet the current and emerging needs of our communities.
• Access and inclusion are addressed in coursework design through appropriate use of location, teaching approaches, technologies and attendance modes.

Policy

1. Curriculum Design

1.1 All curriculum design will align with the JCU Corporate Strategy, focusing upon transformative education and leveraging our impactful research.

1.2 Curriculum design will be applied to all new initiatives and amendments to existing curriculum.

1.3 The content and learning activities of each course of study will engage with advanced knowledge and inquiry consistent with the level of study and the expected learning outcomes, including:

a. current knowledge and scholarship in relevant academic disciplines;

b. study of the underlying theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the academic disciplines or fields of education or research represented in the course;

c. emerging concepts that are informed by recent scholarship, current research findings and, where applicable, advances in practice;

d. embracing new technology including generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI).

1.4 Teaching and learning activities must be arranged to foster progressive and coherent achievement of expected learning outcomes throughout each course of study.

1.5 Curriculum will be designed to enable achievement of expected learning outcomes regardless of a student’s place of study or the mode of delivery.

1.6 Any curriculum design process must include advice or input by both external and internal stakeholders (including students).

1.7 Responses to comprehensive course reviews and professional accreditation requirements must be considered in the design of new or amended curriculum.

2. Course Design

2.1 Courses must be designed within a context of the academic course portfolio, providing capacity for economies of scale through shared curriculum and resources.

2.2 The design for each award course will be specified and include:

a. the qualification(s) as per AQF, to be awarded on completion;

b. location, structure, duration and modes of delivery the units of study (or equivalent) that comprise the course of study;

c. entry requirements and pathways (including credit/recognition of prior learning (RPL));

d. course learning outcomes;

e. a course assessment matrix;

f. compulsory requirements for completion;

g. exit pathways, articulation arrangements, pathways to further learning; and

h. for a course of study leading to a bachelor honours, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, masters or doctoral qualification, includes the proportion and nature of research or research-related study in the course.

2.3 All award courses will be designed to:

a. enable maximum flexibility for students through consideration of multiple entrance and exit points, including nested programs, joint or double degrees and opportunities for accelerated or decelerated learning into an annual study load:

b. develop generic capabilities to enable graduates to demonstrate communication skills, effective problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills, ethical understanding of professionalism and the ability to work independently and with others;

c. develop digital technology skills to prepare for careers where technology, including Gen AI, will provide both opportunities and professional challenges;

d. provide work integrated learning (WIL) opportunities;

e. utilise a portfolio approach to collect learning artefacts to demonstrate course learning outcomes and other graduate capabilities;

f. utilise a capstone experience to demonstrate application of knowledge and skills;

g. facilitate mobility across JCU campus and/or exchange programs with other institutions; and

h. cultivate lifelong learners through a positive student experience at JCU.

2.4 Where professional accreditation of a course of study is required for graduates to be eligible to practise, the course of study must be accredited (or have provisional accreditation) and continue to be accredited by the relevant professional body.

3. Subject Design

3.1 Subjects will be designed to deliver specific subject learning outcomes within the context of a course or suite of courses.

3.2 The volume of learning within a subject will be guided by the credit point weighting.

a. 3 credit points aligns to 120 hours of learning activities for the subject.

b. Larger-scale subjects with subject learning outcomes that cannot be delivered within a 120 hours of learning will utilise multiples of 3 credit point units (6, 9, 12 or 24). Any subject using one of these non-standard groupings of subjects must receive endorsement from the College Curriculum Management Committee prior to approval from Curriculum Committee.

c. Units of study designed with less than 120 hours required to achieve learning outcomes must design modules with methods to re-aggregate multiple modules into 3 credit point packages in order to receive Commonwealth Government Funding.

3.3 Subject design will incorporate both discipline-specific and generic knowledge and skills.

3.4 Subjects will be designed with:

a. increasing cognitive and skill demand as students progress through commensurate AQF descriptors, with definitive subject coding to designate year levels within course structures;

b. consideration of all additional costs that a student may be required to pay, including any need to purchase additional equipment;

c. opportunities to enhance student experiential learning; and

d. caution to prevent psycho-social harm while still exposing students to a range of viewpoints.

3.5 Subjects to be re-utilised at a higher AQF level will only be permitted when learning outcomes and assessment have been re-aligned with the relevant AQF level.

4. Course and Curriculum Approval

4.1 All programs and units must be compliant with the requirements of the HESF Funding Agreement between the Commonwealth and JCU under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

4.2 All programs and units must meet applicable regulatory and professional/discipline accreditation requirements, subordinate to the HESF and AQF.

4.3 All programs and units must be developed and delivered in accordance with University policies and procedures and approved in accordance with the JCU Delegation Schedule and Academic and Student Sub-delegations Register.

4.4 Course approval and self-accreditation processes are overseen by the Academic Board and its Curriculum Committee. They are applied consistently to all courses of study, before the courses are first offered and during re-approval or re-accreditation of the courses.

4.5 The decision to (re-)approve or (re-)accredit a course of study is informed by overarching academic scrutiny of the course of study that is competent to assess the design, delivery and assessment of the course of study independently of the staff directly involved in those aspects of the course.

4.6 The resources required to deliver the course as approved or accredited will be available when needed.

4.7 The Academy is responsible for assuring program quality, reporting on the governance and administration of approval and accreditation processes for all programs.

4.8 A College (or authorised management structure) is nominated to ensure the quality of each program and the delivery of each unit. Colleges will determine a structure for the   coordination and administration of the approval of all units assigned to it.

4.9 The establishment of, amendments to, and suspensions/discontinuations of, coursework programs/units must be approved by the appropriate delegation and processes, as per the Coursework Approval Procedures.

4.10 The University will publish the approved coursework curriculum information for each academic year in the Course and Subject Handbook.

4.11 Coursework programs and units are offered on condition that:

a. Programs remain consistent with the published coursework curriculum and changes are made with appropriate approval;

b. Staffing and facilities, resources and support mechanisms, continue to meet regulatory standards;

c. Formal comprehensive course reviews are completed regularly; and

d. The coursework offerings will remain consistent with the University’s Corporate Strategy and will not pose an unacceptable risk to the University.

5. Professional Accreditation

5.1 The Academy will determine whether professional accreditation for a discipline or course will be sought and/or maintained. Professional accreditation is managed by the Curriculum Management and Accreditation Team as per the Professional Accreditation of Courses and/or Disciplines Procedure.

5.2 Students undertaking courses with external accreditation must be informed of the accreditation status and any changes to status or conditions applied to the course to meet accreditation requirements. Communication to students will be via LearnJCU.

Related policy instruments

JCU Delegation Schedule

Academic and Student Sub-Delegations Register

Award Finalisation and Graduation Policy

Coursework Approval Procedures

Comprehensive Course Review Procedure

Course Sustainability Procedure

Subject Quality Review Procedure

Curriculum Design Procedure

Professional Accreditation of Courses and/or Disciplines Procedure

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Coursework Approval Procedure - Schedule B

Schedules/Appendices

Nil

Related documents and legislation

Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (Cth)

Administration

NOTE: Printed copies of this policy are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Revision History