Coursework Course Review Procedures

Parent Policy

Coursework Course Review Policy

Each faculty must publicise on its website the schedule of course reviews planned during the 5-year review cycle and provide the link to the Office of Planning and Quality (OPQ) for the OPQ course review website.

The terms of reference for course review are drawn from the criteria for course approval, including the strategic case, the academic case and the business case for the course.

Self-review report

Self-review is the first phase of the review process. The course under review documents its directions, progress, achievements and strengths, as well as areas for development and improvement, in relation to:

• the strategic case: reasons for continuing with, and demand for, the course;
• the academic case: course structure, operation and educational design, standards and outcomes;
• the business case: resourcing, course management, quality assurance, marketing, cross-faculty and cross-institutional issues;
• compliance issues including Monash Protocols, Australian Government Protocols, and where relevant, Malaysian and South African Government Protocols.

These constitute the terms of reference for course review.

The review must be publicised throughout the faculty and to external stakeholders, together with a call for submissions to be directed to the secretary to the panel. The deadline for submissions is set by the secretary in consultation with the dean.

The dean in consultation with the associate dean (education), course coordinator and course management committee will appoint a self-review team to lead the self-review and produce a self-review report on the basis of information and data relating to the terms of reference. The self-review report forms the basis for the review that will follow. The report consists of a completed self-review template (Course Self-Review Template under development) structured to reflect the terms of reference and including recommendations with priorities for implementation. Appendices must include information about previous course reviews and external reaccreditation reports where applicable.

Additional information about self-review processes can be found at the AUQA Self-Review for Higher Education Institutions  (pdf 491kb).

Responsibility

Dean
Associate Dean (Education)
Faculty manager
Course coordinator
Course management committee
Review secretary
Self-review team

Review panel

The role of the review panel is to validate the self-review report through endorsement, amendment or rejection of its recommendations, and if considered appropriate, to recommend the course for re-approval by the faculty board.

Review panels for academic areas are nominated by the dean in consultation with the Associate Dean (Education), course coordinator and course management committee of the course being reviewed.

Selection of panel members is based on their experience and expertise with regard to the terms of reference. Panels normally include the following: 

• panel chair: normally a senior staff member of the faculty but from outside the course under review;
• two senior academics from relevant areas but external to Monash University (an international perspective is encouraged);
• one member of the faculty but from outside the course under review;
• one member of a relevant professional, industry or employer group;
• one senior student and one recent graduate of the course.

The secretary to the committee is an appropriately experienced Monash member of professional staff, normally a nominee of the faculty manager.

Responsibility

Dean
Associate Dean (Education)
Course coordinator
Course management committee
Review secretary

Review process

The secretary to the panel provides the review panel members with the self-review report and support documentation, with an invitation to request any additional documentation they may require.

The secretary to the panel convenes the review visit in consultation with the dean and panel members.

During the visit the panel will meet with interested parties, tour facilities, receive submissions and requests for interviews, and at the end of the visit, present preliminary findings. A sample calendar of events is available ( Course Review: sample calendar of events under development).

Where reviews involve teaching activities or research on more than one campus, or teaching programs facilitated by partner organisations, the review panel will determine in consultation with the dean the need to travel to locations other than the administrative centre of the academic area.

During the visit the panel meets with interested parties, tours facilities, receives submissions and requests for interviews, and at the end of the visit, presents preliminary findings.

Responsibility

Dean
Review panel members
Secretary to the review panel

Review report

The chair of the review panel works closely with the secretary to prepare the review report which must be submitted to the dean within two months of the review visit.

The review report is an annotated copy of the self-review report plus an executive summary indicating immediate priorities, recommendations for medium or longer-term developments, and an indication of whether the course is recommended for re-approval by the faculty board.

Responsibility

Chair of review panel
Secretary to the review panel

Follow-up action plan

On receiving the review report, the dean in consultation with the Associate Dean (Education), course coordinator and course management committee:

• reviews the panel’s recommendations and their assigned priorities;
• reports major issues or findings to other relevant committees;
• develops an action plan (and if necessary modifies the faculty operational plan);
• if recommended by the review panel, submits the course for re-approval to faculty board;
• oversees implementation of the action plan, in particular any recommendations whose implementation is considered necessary prior to re-approval.

A template for a standard implementation plan is available (Course Reviews: sample format for implementation plan under development).

Responsibility

Dean
Associate Dean (Education)
Course coordinator
Course management committee

Review reporting

Responsibility

Head of the academic area being reviewed
Secretary to the review panel

Contact Person: Cheq Role Account