Curriculum Approval

Designing a Program

• What are the goals of the program?

• How should the program be structured to achieve these goals?

• What are the appropriate courses at each stage?

• Does the program meet the Degree Learning Expectations?

UTQAP

• Approval process for new and greatly modified programs laid out in University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP)

• Based on COU Quality Assurance Framework• Revised process approved by Ontario

Universities Council on Quality Assurance (September 2012)

• UTQAP also spells out program review process

New Programs

• When is a program “new”?

• When it has substantially different learning outcomes (goals) and program requirements from existing programs

• Applies to Specialist, Major programs, not to Minors

Examples

• Major in Environmental Studies– No comparable program

• Specialist in Management and International Business– Study abroad, work abroad components

Criteria for Approval

• Are goals (learning outcomes) appropriate?• Will structure of program achieve goals?• How do goals fit with Degree Level

Expectations? How will the program meet these?

• Are available resources adequate?

Approval Process for New Programs

• Program must be appraised externally• Sign-off from Dean’s Office, Provost’s Office• Divisional Approval• Central U of T Approval• Approval by Quality Council of Ontario• Time required: 2 years

Major Modifications

• UTSC has undergraduate programs in almost every area.

• Most proposals commonly represent initiatives that build upon our extensive existing programming, and consequently constitute major modifications, rather than truly new programs.

Examples

• Health Informatics: new stream in Computer Science Specialist

• Major in Media Studies: substantial revision of curriculum and consequent learning outcomes.

• New freestanding Minor: Creative Writing

Definition of Major Modification• Addition of new Specialist or Major where there

is an existing Specialist or Major – e.g. new Major in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution where a Specialist already exists.

• Changes to program content that affect learning outcomes, but do not meet threshold for a “new program”.

• Creation of a new freestanding Minor.• Addition of a new stream.• Addition of, or substantial changes to, admission

requirements of a program.

Example of a Major Modification

• Addition of admission requirements to Psychology and Mental Health programs

Approval Process for Major Modifications

• Approval by Department - most important step

• Sign-off by Dean’s Office• Approval by Academic (Affairs) Committee• Report to Provost’s Office• Report to AP&P• Report to Quality Council• Criteria for approval same as for new

programs