Academic Board Course Approval & Management Procedures

Guidelines for APC Shepherds

Definition

A shepherd is a member of the Academic Programs Committee with designated responsibility for one or more faculties or graduate schools. A shepherd’s role is to:

It is not the role of shepherds to advocate on behalf of their own faculty.

Shepherding Allocations

Two shepherds, a primary and a secondary shepherd, are allocated to each faculty/graduate school. Allocations are reviewed annually. The list of shepherding allocations and contact details for shepherds can be viewed at Academic Programs Committee Shepherds.

Role of Shepherds

From 2012, all proposals will undergo a dual shepherding process. The Secretary to the Academic programs Committee (APC) forwards the proposal to the primary shepherd, who assesses it and makes a written recommendation to the APC. The primary shepherd forwards the proposal together with their recommendation to the secondary shepherd (copying the Secretary to the APC for information).

The secondary shepherd assesses the proposal together with the recommendation of the primary shepherd, and makes his/her own written recommendation to the APC.

The APC receives the proposal together with the recommendations of both shepherds. Where the shepherds’ recommendations agree, unless any member of the Committee wishes to have the proposal discussed by the Committee, the APC adopts the shepherds’ recommendations as the Committee’s recommendation to the Academic Board. Where the shepherds’ recommendations do not agree, the Committee discusses the proposal in detail and makes an independent recommendation to the Academic Board.

Proposals Requiring Dual Shepherding

The following types of proposals must always be shpeehrds by a primary and a secondary shepherd:

All other proposals will be shepherded by the primary shepherd only. The primary shepherd may request that a proposal undergo dual shepherding, and shepherds encouraged to flag any proposals that might require or benefit from dual shepherding.

Shepherding New Course Proposals

Shepherds must be very familiar with the new course approval process. Their role is to work with faculty/graduate school staff in the development of subject and course proposals and give advice in accordance with policies approved by the Academic Board. They should provide advice to the faculty/graduate school/course standing committee on the completion of the appropriate form(s) and ensure that it is referred to the appropriate approving authority as detailed in the pathway approved by Academic Board.

For new course proposals the following forms must be completed:

And, as required:

The concept proposal form is also required for new course proposals. It is submitted to the Concept Proposal Committee for approval before the course proposal form is developed. The shepherd does not consider the concept proposal form.

The new course proposal form contains the academic components of the proposal. Faculties/Graduate Schools/Course Standing Committees (CSCs) may request advice from the Shepherd advice regarding the completion of the new course proposal form. The form is submitted to the Academic Secretary. Where there are matters requiring clarification arising from the contents of the New Course Proposal form, the Academic Secretary may seek the advice of the shepherd in resolving these queries or request the shepherd to liaise with the appropriate body (Faculty/Graduate School/CSC) to assist with this process.

The shepherd ensures that the proposal is complete, and assesses the information provided for each question in sections A and B of the form (with the exception of question A7. Entry Requirements and Draft Resolution on Selection, which is assessed by the Selection Procedures Committee). Section C relates to information required by the Student System. It is particularly important to ensure that the structure of the program is clear and coherent (confirming that points for value of subjects for each year of the course adds up to the requisite total, generally 100 points per year, and that the compulsory subjects are clearly indicated) and that the progression from one year to the next is clearly defined. The shepherd is required to make a written recommendation to the Academic Programs Committee (APC) on whether the proposal should be endorsed and will be asked to speak to his/her recommendation when the proposal is considered by the Committee. The shepherd may choose to recommend that the APC:

Shepherding Changes to Courses

Academic shepherds are involved in the approval process for the following types of changes to courses:

1. Major Changes to Existing Courses

For major changes, the following form must be completed:

And, as required:

The concept proposal form must be completed where there are resource implications or the course is delivered by more than one faculty. The concept proposal form is forwarded directly to the Concept Proposal Committee for approval and is not considered by the shepherd.

Where major changes to a course are proposed, the above forms (as required) are submitted to the Academic Secretary, who forwards them to the appropriate committee(s).

 

MAJOR CHANGES REQUIRING ACADEMIC BOARD APPROVAL

The Towards 2011 Report recommended that faculties/CSCs be given delegated authority to change compulsory subjects in a course (or stream/major/specialisation), provided that the changes do not constitute more than 25% of any year in the course (or stream/major/specialisation), and do not affect the structure or mode of delivery of the entire course.

Major changes which require the scrutiny of the Academic Programs Committee include:

The faculty/graduate school/CSC may seek the advice and assistance of the shepherd with the completion of the Major course change proposal form. Shepherds should also advise the faculty/graduate school/CSC if they consider that the proposed change requires the submission of a concept proposal, where the faculty has not already done so.

The shepherd will examine sections A and B form (with the exception of question A10. Entry Requirements Change, which is assessed by the Selection Procedures Committee) of the proposal in detail and discuss any concerns with the relevant faculty/graduate school/CSC and attempt to resolve any difficulties before making a recommendation to the Academic Programs Committee. (Section C of the Major course change proposal form relates to information required by the Student System and does not require the scrutiny of the academic shepherd.)

Shepherds are required to make a written recommendation to the APC, on whether the committee should:

2. Changes Made by Faculties/Graduate Schools under Delegated Authority

Minor changes made under delegated authority are no longer reported through Academic Programs Committee to the Academic Board quarterly. Instead the following reports will be required:

3. Urgent & Late Changes

This process is conducted entirely by email in order to expedite matters. Urgent or late changes which may include minor matters that ordinarily would be handled by a faculty/graduate school/CSC under delegated authority (e.g. assessment changes made after publication of the handbook) are sent directly to the secretary of the APC (via the late-change@unimelb.edu.au email address). Late changes in new-generation undergraduate degrees must endorsed by the Chair of the relevant CSC before submission.

The secretary of the APC will forward the proposal to the shepherd, who assesses the late change, taking into account the timing of the change, the rationale for the change, its impact on students and particularly the impact on course planning. Shepherds need to be assured that the proposed changes are justified. It is essential that wherever possible students are not disadvantaged by late changes and in reviewing the request shepherds are required to ensure that this is the case. The shepherd makes a recommendation directly to the President of the Academic Board via email, copied to the secretary. The change is reported to APC at the subsequent meeting.

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