Curriculum Planning Approval for New Academic Pathways
Notes on completing the Planning Approval Form
The overall objective of this process is for the Pathway Proposal Team to provide sufficient
information to the Dean, Faculty Board and CMT to enable each to reach a considered
decision on whether to support proposals for new pathways.
Innovative pathways which are attractive to students and which can be delivered to a high
standard will be encouraged and supported, provided that they have synergy with the strategy
and priorities of both individual Faculties and our University as a whole.
These notes are intended to help Proposal Teams complete the Planning Approval Form.
Please contact your Faculty Quality Assurance Officer in the first instance if further advice or
guidance is required, queries that cannot be resolved will be escalated to the Institutional
Quality Assurance Officer (IQAO), Academic Office.
All sections of the Form should be completed in full.
Sections 1 – 9 These must be completed and capture the basic details of the pathway
Sections 10 – 13: Funding and recruitment
10
Refer to the fee setting guidelines Factors to consider when setting/re-assessing
Postgraduate tuition fees, on how to allocate an appropriate tuition fee, particularly for
postgraduate programmes. Please state a Home/EU tuition fee, along with a Non EU
(International) tuition fee if the course will be offered to Non EU students.
11
You should refer to your Faculty Resources Officer to check the HEFCE price band
into which the proposed programme should be set.
12
It is essential that an accurate assessment of anticipated annual recruitment is
estimated in order that an informed decision can be made to the viability of the
proposal. You should consider any similar programmes offered at other Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) and the target market of the proposed programme.
13
You should outline the expected funding source for the proposed programme. If it is a
combination of Home/EU and Non EU students expected onto the course, you should
signal this by ticking both HEFCE and ‘Other’.
Sections 14 – 17: Supporting Information
These sections are designed to assure all concerned that the proposal has been properly
thought through, that it is linked to Faculty and University strategic priorities and that there is a
likely demand for it.
14
Indicate clearly why you are proposing to mount the pathway and how it builds on
existing strengths of the Department/Faculty.
15
The Corporate Plan 2009-11 is available on the ‘staff’ pages of the Intranet (click here
to access it) and reference should be made to the appropriate parts of this document.
You should also refer in this section to the Strategic Plan which Faculties are required
to submit for the February round of Strategic Planning meetings. Your Associate
Dean responsible for curriculum development will be able to supply a copy.
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Academic Office
16
It is essential that the proposal is accompanied by firm (i.e. quantitative) evidence of
likely demand. This may take various forms (e.g. trends in UCAS applications
nationally; number of inquiries from prospective students; trends in related Pathways
already offered at Anglia Ruskin; successful courses offered elsewhere). Corporate
Marketing has produced two useful guides to sources of information at both
Undergraduate and Postgraduate level.
17
List here any similar (i.e potentially-competitive) courses currently available in the
East of England and Greater London, or within the region of a collaborative partner
proposal, with approximate recruitment numbers.
Sections 18 – 25: Resource Implications
18
For all new undergraduate pathway proposals, another pathway(s) must be
withdrawn from the curriculum to prevent pathway numbers increasing. In exceptional
circumstances CMT will consider a net addition to the Faculty’s portfolio of taught
provision and shall expect a clear rationale for this.
A proposal is more likely to command support if it is to act as a substitution for an
existing pathway rather than an addition to the overall Faculty offering. If a pathway is
direct a replacement of another pathway, the deleted pathway name and proposed
withdrawal date should be included.
19
Indicate here the number and credit volume of new modules (at each level) being
created specifically for the pathway. If the pathway uses modules from any existing
programme, please indicate the % of the new pathway that will be made up of such
modules.
20
CMT will be looking for evidence that wherever possible new modules, to be costeffective, will be shared across pathways.
21
The number and total credit volume of new modules should normally be balanced by
withdrawal of a similar number/credit volume from the Faculty’s existing offering.
22
Give details (e.g) the likely location of specialist facilities, the IT and Library resources
required, the timetabling implications of the proposal (see also Section 23) and any
additional staffing needs, together with estimated costs. The Support Services
concerned should be consulted for help and advice.
23
Complete this box if expenditure of more than £25k is anticipated and specify what
this will be for: in which case, the proposal will be referred to Capital Steering
Committee before final Planning Approval is granted. Expenditure of less than £25k is
expected to be met from Faculty/college/JV revenue.
24
If another Faculty is involved, please note that the signature of both Deans is required
in section 28.
25
Complete this section indicating proposed pathway delivery pattern, note CMT
preference is the standard semester or trimester pattern. Provide details if a nonstandard delivery pattern is being proposed, especially if this involves (for example)
use of a room for a whole day at irregular intervals, or simultaneous use of several
rooms. All delivery patterns must align with university Departmental Assessment
Panels.
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Academic Office
Sections 26 – 29: Contact Details and Confirmation
26/27
These sections must be completed.
28
The Proposal must have the required signatures (HoD, Deputy Dean, Dean and
appropriate HE college/JV signatory) before being submitted, to the Faculty QA
Officer to check the form has been completed correctly before signing and submitting
to the Quality Assurance Unit in the Academic Office (address below).
29
Proposals will not be considered by CMT or JV Boards unless they have previously
been supported by Faculty Boards (or, in exceptional circumstances, which must be
explained in this section, by FB Chair’s Approval). Please give the date of the
meeting and note any riders/conditions that the Board may have expressed.
The completed form should be returned to:
Olivia Sjollema, IQAO, Quality Assurance Unit, Academic Office
2nd Floor Ashby House, Chelmsford
E-mail: olivia.sjollema@anglia.ruskin.ac.uk
Tel: 01245 493131 ext: 4875
August 2011
Academic Office