Schedule for Course Scheduling and Updates to Programs and Courses
In order to make informed decisions regarding their degree and reach the best academic outcomes, students need access to timely, clear and accurate information. The Programs and Courses website is the official medium for this information. The following schedule of updates ensures that published information about program and course content is reliable and consistent from when enrolment has opened to students for a given year, and that this information is updated in a structured and considered manner.
An exceptions approval process is incorporated in order to manage unforseeable circumstances that risk misrepresentation of program or course content to students.
| Tier 1 – University Accredited and Regulatory Content (includes allowance for university quality assurance and review processes) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Change | Late revision authority | System editor |
| AQAC meeting 6 two years hence, (eg AQAC meeting 6, 2019 for 2021) proposal deadline (see AQAC webpage) | Program/Plan – New or Disestablished UG for the following year | DVC(A) | DSA |
| AQAC meeting 5 proposal deadline (see AQAC webpage) | Program/Plan – New or Disestablished PG for the following year | DVC(A) | DSA |
| AQAC 5 accreditation deadline | Subplan – new, disestablishments | DVC (A) | DSA |
| Program/Plan – Orders | DVC (A) | DSA | |
| Program/Plan – Learning Outcomes | DVC (A) | DSA | |
| Program/Plan – Admission Requirements | DVC (A) | DSA | |
| Program/Plan – Mode of Delivery | DVC (A) | DSA | |
| Program/Plan – Partnership Arrangements | DVC (A) | DSA | |
| Course – New Course – to be listed in Program/Plan(s) or Subplan(s) | — | — | |
| Course – Course Name – to be listed in Program/Plan(s) or Subplan(s) | — | — | |
| Course – Course Code – to be listed in Program/Plan(s) or Subplan(s) | — | — | |
| Tier 2a – College accredited regulatory content that directly impacts programs | |||
| Deadline | Change | Late revision authority | System editor |
| 1 November | Subplan – Learning Outcomes | DVC (A) | College |
| Subplan – requirements | DVC (A) | College | |
| Course – Disestablish Course | AD(E) | DSA | |
| Course – New Course – to be available as elective only | AD(E) | DSA | |
| Course – Course Name – if available as elective only | AD(E) | DSA | |
| Course – Course Code – if available as elective only | AD(E) | DSA | |
| Course – Field of Education | AD(E) | DSA | |
| Tier 2b – College accredited regulatory content | |||
| Deadline | Change | Late revision authority | System Edits |
| 1 November (Semester 1, Summer, Autumn) 1 April* (Semester 2, Winter, Spring) *Subject to notification of all enrolled and/or affected students |
Course - Course Description (Significant change) | AD(E) | College |
| Course – Prescribed Texts | AD(E) | College | |
| Course – Assumed Knowledge | AD(E) | College | |
| Course – Workload | AD(E) | College | |
| Course – Requisites | AD(E) | DSA | |
| Course – Mode of Delivery | AD(E) | College | |
| Course – Co-taught status | AD(E) | College | |
| Course – Learning Outcomes | AD(E) | College | |
| Program/Plan – Introductory Description | AD(E) | College (CMS) | |
| Program/Plan – Typical Study Plan | AD(E) | College | |
| Program/Plan – Typical Study Plan for new students | AD(E) | College | |
| Tier 3 – Contextual and Technical Content (no restrictions) | |||
| Deadline | Change | Late revision authority | System editor |
| None | Subplan – Introductory Description | College | |
| Course – Other Information | College | ||
| Course – Areas of Interest | College | ||
| Subplan – Areas of Interest | College | ||
| Subplan – Additional Information | College | ||
| Program/Plan – Areas of Interest | College | ||
| Program/Plan – Employment Opportunities | College | ||
| Program/Plan – Further information | College | ||
| Subplan – Contacts | College | ||
| Program/Plan – Contacts | College | ||
| Course – Course Description (minor update) | College | ||
| Course – Preliminary Reading | College | ||
| Course – Indicative Reading Lists | College | ||
| Course – Course Convener | College | ||
| Other – cannot be grouped into the deadlines provided above | |||
| Submission Date | Action | Late revision authority | System editor |
| As per the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy | Course – Indicative Assessment | AD(E) | Colleges |
| 1 July | Course – Fees and fee distribution changes | Registrar | DSA |
| 1 May – 1 August | Course – Scheduling: for the following year | See below | Colleges |
| From opening of enrolments onwards Course Publishing Variation Form Required |
Course – Scheduling: late changes | DSA | Registrar/Education Minister |
Exception approval
Late revisions after the dates specified in the Schedule or those beyond one revision to a plan, subplan or course are only acceptable in the case of significant, unavoidable and unexpected circumstances. These are circumstances where all of the following criteria are demonstrated:
- The requirement to make revisions is beyond the control of the individuals and area/s involved;
- Could not reasonably have been foreseen (apart from new staff appointments); and
- Failing to update the information will significantly misrepresent the information that is available to students.
Examples of circumstances that meet these criteria include:
- A course which relies on specialised equipment is scheduled in First Semester. Students are enrolled but the equipment unexpectedly breaks down in late January. The College decides to modify the Course Description, Learning Outcomes and assessment for the course to permit the course to continue. The Associate Dean of the College approves the revisions and the College informs all students who have already enrolled in the course.
- In June, a Commonwealth department contacts ANU offering ongoing internships in the second half of the year for the cohort of a particular major. The major has been revised once already and an internship is not normally part of the major. The College proposes an amendment to the major for approval by the DVC(A) to include the new internship effective immediately and informs all students in the major.
- SELT feedback and grade distributions for a Second Semester course indicate that students are enrolling without sufficient background skills and knowledge to succeed. The course is scheduled for Second Semester the following and students are already enrolled by the time the SELT feedback is received. The Convener applies to the College AD(E) to add to the course prerequisites and the College/School informs all enrolled students, including providing advice to students who may no longer meet the prerequisites.
- A staff member unexpectedly leaves the University. As the sole member of staff with expertise in that course, and with no potential to find a sessional staff member to run the course, the College notifies all students and advises the Registrar through a Course Publishing Variation Form of the request.
- A new staff member is appointed in January and based on their background is best positioned to develop and deliver a new later year course. With support, they put a proposal to the College Associate Dean to develop the course, which is endorsed by the Associate Dean. The College then puts up a request to the DVC(A) through ASQO to have the course added as an elective into a relevant major, which would be a second change to that major for the year and after the published deadlines. Noting that the proposal does not involve the removal of any courses and only an addition to the elective list, the DVC(A) approves the request.
Obvious errors will continue to be able to be revised throughout the year as discovered. It is also expected that the impact of a change to a course, including whether it is compulsory or an elective course, would be considered under the third criterion above.
Applications that meet these criteria are to be submitted to the relevant approval authority for consideration; the approval authority base their decision on the direct benefits for students of making the change against the implications of not approving the change.
The relevant late revision authority will maintain records of approvals and rejections, to enable annual reporting and monitoring (at both College and University level) by the Academic Quality and Assurance Committee.
