Course Planning, Development and Approval

In order to maintain the quality of our academic offer, new course proposals must undergo a formal development process and sign-off before they can be offered in the University's academic portfolio.

A typical timeline for planning and developing a new course is 18 months and sufficient time should be factored in to enable system set-up, student recruitment and other post approval activities. 

The course planning process is undergoing redevelopment in line with the implementation of the revised Academic Framework and Curriculum Management Tool. Please contact your Faculty Quality team or Quality and Standards Office for more information. 

There are two stages to course planning.

1) Business Case in-principle approval by the Strategic Academic Portfolio Board (SAPB). The purpose is to ensure that there is an in-principle case for inclusion of a course in the academic portfolio and that it will meet the University's strategic needs. 

2) Detailed academic plans for the course, including: course aims and learning outcomes, module details such as delivery schedule, credit value, academic direction hours and assessment methods.

New course, route and module proposals should be created on the Curriculum Management Tool (CMT). In order to get CMT trained contact your Faculty Quality Office or Quality and Standards Office.

Your course design should fit with one of the main University academic calendars in order to provide a consistent framework with semester and trimester structures.

A separate planning form should be completed for short courses (see below for more information).

Course development will take place through design days, which is a supportive course design process. In this phase, course teams will develop the detailed curriculum and the approaches to learning and teaching, learning outcomes and assessment strategy, course management and student support mechanisms which will support the delivery of the course.

Course teams should outline their approach to industry engagement, including Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRB) where applicable, embed Graduate Attributes and Curriculum Hallmarks, as well as Sustainablility Goals.

Course Teams will be required to create proposals for courses and modules in the Curriculum Management Tool (CMT). In order to get CMT trained contact your Faculty Quality Office or Quality and Standards Office.

The approval process involves an examination of the academic plans for a course. It focuses on whether the course meets national and subject expectations and whether it is likely to provide a learning experience of high quality.

Course proposals are required to be completed on the Curriculum Management Tool (CMT) 4 weeks prior to the University Curriculum Approval Panel.

The University Curriculum Approval Panel (UCAP) is convened by the Quality and Standards Office and examines the new course proposal to confirm that the University course approval process has been followed and the course will provide the expected student experience. 

It will reach one of the following outcomes:

• certify approval of the course with no changes required
• request minor drafting alterations, to be approved by UCAP Chair's action a
• the proposal is returned to the Faculty; the UCAP report will detail areas for further significant development for the course team and Faculty to consider 
• withdraw the course proposal in its current presentation.

The purpose of the panel is outlined in the Terms of Reference.

The University Curriculum Approval Panel guidance document (2023-24) gives more detail about the composition and operation of the panel.

The Short Course approval process is currently being reviewed.

Short courses are courses at or below 40 credits and are normally approved by the Faculty Education and Portfolio Sub Committee (FEPSC). The Quality Manual provides information about designing a short course and the approval process. 

The current process is outlined below. 

The FEPSC approves short courses for the faculty, usually for a period of 5 years.  The process for short course approval is as follows:

• Submission of Planning Stage 1 form (PS1) to FEPSC
• If supported by the FEPSC, submission of PS1 to the Strategic Academic Portfolio Board (SAPB)
• If SAPB support in-principle approval, the Course Team complete the Short-Course-Planning-Proposal-Form and submit this to FEPSC.
  
• If the course is non-collaborative, FEPSC has the authority to approve the short course
• If the course is collaborative, FEPSC will consider and then refer the proposal to the Partnership Oversight Sub Committee (POSC).   Section 1.4 in the Quality Manual provides full details.

If you have any queries, please contact your Faculty Director of Quality in the first instance.

Course Teams developing a new course of study must appoint an External Advisor who will review the course documentation.

The External Advisor is required to attend the University Course Approval Panel in order to provide subject specialist advice, ensure alignment with sector standards, comment on whether the course meets learning outcomes, aligns with academic benchmarks and, where necessary, Professional Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) standards. 

• External Advisor procedure
• Industry Expert procedure
• External Panel Member appointment form

This is a full list of the templates mentioned elsewhere in the New Course Development and Approval section.

• Student Number annex (via Planning team)
• Financial annex guidance (via Management Accounts)
• Staff CV template (complete for all staff teaching on the course)
• Course Specification Contact quality@canterbury.ac.uk for more details
• Course Document (Franchise) - Contact quality@canterbury.ac.uk for more details
• External Advisor procedure
• Industry Expert procedure
• External Panel Member appointment form
• Student Handbook
• Short Course Planning proposal form
• Calendar Exception Request Form 
• Business Case Template
• SAPB Withdrawal Template

In preparing for course development, the following resources will be helpful:

• Regulation and Credit Framework - (Academic Framework, Assessment Procedures, General Regulations, Taught Regulations)
• Teaching resources to embed the Learning and Teaching Strategy in your course 2023-24 (scroll to bottom of page)
• Overview of the Learning and Teaching Strategy
• Assessment Criteria
• Assessment Types List and Guidance
• Mapping Module Learning Outcomes to Course Learning Outcomes - Contact quality@canterbury.ac.uk for more details
• Academic Calendars
• Framework for the Approval of Foundation Degrees
• Integrated Master's Framework
• Apprenticeship Framework
• Placements Policy and Guidance

For further information and advice on course planning and development, contact the Quality Officers: QSOEvents@canterbury.ac.uk

Course Teams should also liaise with their Faculty Director of Quality and Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching.