Dalhousies Program Approval Process

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Dalhousies Program Approval Process

• Faculty of Health Professions
• June 10, 2008
• Presented by
• Andrea Power, Manager, Senate Office
• Kim Thomson, Special Projects Coordinator,
• Presidents Office

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Overview

• Program proposals
• New programs, modified programs, terminated
  programs, articulated programs
• Process stages
• Internal assessments
• Information requirements
• Atlantic Advisory Committee on Health Human
  Resources (AACHHR)
• Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission
  (MPHEC)
• Timelines
• Working group on program approval processes
• Questions, issues follow-up

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Program Proposals Guidelines for Completing
Proposals

• New program
• Any program not currently offered no existing
  credential
• Modified program e.g.,
• Name change
• Program structure (duration, entrance
  requirements, focus)
• Concentration (major, minor, honours, joint
  majors, specializations, etc.)
• Program form (change to co-op, integrated,
  sequential, interdisciplinary)
• 25 or more of existing content changes
• Target clientele
• Costs

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Program Proposals (Cont)

• Terminating a program
• A program is considered terminated when the
  institution intends to no longer admit students
  into the program and to permanently remove the
  program from its offerings
• Articulated programs
• Articulates components of a post-secondary
  program delivered by one institution with
  components of the program delivered by another
• All forms and their corresponding guidelines are
  available from the Senate website
  (http//senate.dal.ca//Policies20and20Forms/Form
  s.php)

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Process Stages

• Learning need identified
• 1. Department or School develops proposed program
• 2. Unit completes appropriate program proposal
  form
• 3. Various internal (Dalhousie)
  assessments/consultations (Registrars Office,
  Facilities Management, Library, Financial
  Services, UCIS, etc.)
• 4. Faculty review approval
• School Curriculum Committee/Faculty of the Whole
  Deans Office External Faculty
  Council (approval required) Dean (approval
  required)
• 5. Submit to VP Academic for submission to
  Atlantic Advisory Committee on Health Human
  Resources (AACHHR), if meets criteria Approval
  Required
• - separate form

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Process Stages (Cont)

• 6. If a graduate program ? Faculty of Graduate
  Studies (FGS) Approval Required (contact Dieter
  Pelzer)
• 7. Submission to Senate Office
• 8. VP Academic for financial review/assessment
• 9. SAPBC Recommendation to Senate
• 10. Senate Approval Required
• 11. Board of Governors Approval Required
• 12. Maritime Provinces Higher Education
  Commission (MPHEC) Approval Required

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Internal (Dalhousie) Assessments

• Process Stage 3
• Library Library resources adequate? If not,
  cost of raising to appropriate standard?
• Registrar requirements, length, schedule,
  confirm credential name
• Facilities Management space report
• UCIS computing facilities/resources
• Financial Services student fees
• Other Faculties enrolment other impacts
• Other as appropriate (e.g., Communications
  Marketing)

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Information Requirements for New Program
Proposals

• Program identification
• Program description
• Student outcomes
• Human physical resources
• Finances
• Relationship to other programs (at Dal, other
  institutions)
• Need for the program
• Program development process
• Graduate program information (c.v. for each
  faculty member)
• Health program information
• END of MPHEC Information Requirements

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Information Requirements (Cont)

• Enrolment tuition revenue
• Other revenue
• Incremental costs
• Impact on university services
• Program reviews, approvals, consultations
• Required for Proposed Program Modifications

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If a Graduate Program ? FGS

• All proposed graduate programs ? Faculty of
  Graduate Studies (FGS), including
• information on scholarship funding
• curriculum vitae for each faculty member
• FGS appoints internal review committee external
  reviewer
• Following review reports, assessment approval
  by FGS Academic Program Review Committee
• Review approval by FGS Faculty Council

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Senate

• Senate Office review for completeness of
  information
• Required Approvals
• Faculty Council
• Faculty Dean
• Other Deans if impact on other Faculties
• Office of VP Academic undertakes financial review
• Review recommendation by Senate Academic
  Priorities Budget Committee (SAPBC)
• Proposer, Dean other Faculty members invited
• Review approval by Senate

12
Board of Governors

• Review approval by Academic Affairs Research
  Committee (AAR) on behalf of the Board
• Proposal presented by Chair of Senate to AAR

13
Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission
(MPHEC)

• Last stage of approval process
• Mandate (2005 Maritime Provinces Higher Education
  Commission Act)
• quality assurance
• data information info feeds into StatsCan
  tracks enrolments regional transfer
  arrangements etc.
• cooperative action e.g., regional studies of
  co-horts

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MPHEC Program Assessment Process

• Program Assessment/Approval Process
• Institution (VP Academic) submits program
  proposal (hard copy electronic)
• Cursory analysis by MPHEC staff
• Circulation of proposed program to Maritime
  universities for comment and feedback
• Proposer responds to issues raised by other
  institutions (through the Office of the VP
  Academic)
• MPHEC staff assess based on pre-determined
  criteria
• Program is approved if meets pre-determined
  criteria (about 6 weeks)
• Program is submitted to AAU-MPHEC Academic
  Advisory Committee (AAC) for in-depth assessment
• AAC advice goes to Commission for final decision
• All approved programs are expected to undergo an
  external review, normally by year 5 of operation

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AACHHR

• Approval by the Atlantic Advisory Committee on
  Health Human Resources (AACHHR) required when the
  proposed program impacts health practitioners or
  health services. Four criteria
• Aimed at training health practitioners
• Provincial governments will become defacto
  employers of a significant portion of the
  graduates
• Delivery or management of health-related programs
  may be influenced by the availability of these
  graduates
• Proposed health or health-related education or
  training program is provided with provincial
  government support

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AACHHR (Cont)

• AACHHR Form, submitted through the Office of the
  VP (Academic), requires
• Program identification
• Same as Senate/MPHEC info
• Program description
• Same as Senate/MPHEC info
• Program need
• Specific information regarding health/human
  resources aspects of program
• Resource implications
• Same as Senate/MPHEC info

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Typical Timeline

• 6-12 months Faculty level
• Program proposal developed, including internal
  and external consultation and review ( AACHHR
  approval if applicable)
• Submission to Faculty of Graduate Studies
• 6-12 months University level MPHEC
• Review and approval by Faculty of Graduate
  Studies, SAPBC, Senate, Board of Governors,
  MPHEC
• Hopefully, program approved in time to promote to
  prospective students for the following academic
  year
• Program offered (IF all has gone smoothly!)

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Working Group on Program Approval Processes

• For input/feedback requires approval by Senate,
  Board
• Notice of Intent
• Early identification of potential issues
• Early heads up to internal bodies
• Assistance offered to Faculty for proposal
  development
• Strategic Considerations
• Brief Program Description
• Resource Requirements
• Program Proposal Consultant
• Pre-determined dates (3/year?) for proposal
  review by SAPBC
• feed into Senate, Board AARC meeting dates

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Questions, Issues Follow-up