| Chapter 4 | Programme and Course Management |
4.1 Programme Management
Most Ug major programmes are in a single discipline. These programmes are managed by individual Departments, and their corresponding Curriculum Committees. Integrated programmes are managed by the respective Faculties and their Programme Committees. Committees for interdisciplinary programmes report to the Departments concerned.
Individual Faculty Boards (chaired by Faculty Deans) are responsible for academic matters within their Faculties. Academic matters are planned and organized within individual Departments through Department Boards. A Department Board comprises various committees that help carry out different functions: for example, Department Executive Committee, Curriculum Committee, Staff-Student Consultative Committee, Research Committee and Library Committee. Appendix 4-1 shows the duties and functions of Faculty Boards, Faculty Executive Committees, Deans of Faculties, Department Boards, Department Executive Committees, Chairmen of Departments, and Directors of Studies.
Management of the University Core Requirements under the new Ug curriculum structure is described in Section 2.3.
4.2 Course Documentation and Templates
Course documentation is, in general, similar to programme documentation (see Section 3.3).
A good course outline gives students a good idea of what that course is about, including course purpose, content, structure, and assessment means. Standardized information of courses is uploaded to the Chinese University Student Information System (CUSIS) (Appendix 4-2) for students’ easy reference, which includes information on course scheduling and teachers (Appendix 4-3). A course outline template and a set of guidelines (Appendix 4-4) are prepared by the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR), which serve both as a handy framework and a checklist that help teaching staff prepare course outlines.
Teachers should explain clearly in the beginning of the course its intended learning outcomes. They are also strongly encouraged to explain which courses it builds on and which courses it prepares students for in order to manage their expectation and to enhance their understanding of curriculum coherence.
4.3 Course and Programme Revision
Proposals for revision of programmes of study/ courses that are within the framework approved by the Senate, including addition, deletion and revision of individual courses, should be submitted by the Department/ Programme Board to the Faculty Board concerned for approval. Introduction or revision of GE courses must first be endorsed by (in order) the offering department, the corresponding Faculty Board, and (for CGE only) the College Assembly of Fellows, before being sent to the SCGE for approval.
Once approved, new and revised programmes/ courses will have their details included in the University’s Undergraduate Student Handbook and CUSIS.
See Appendix 3-2 for information about updating of Ug programmes and courses.
4.3.1 Regular Course Reviews
All courses should be reviewed at least once every three years by the course teacher(s) and the programme committee concerned. A course review should take course review guidelines (IF for Undergraduate Programmes Appendix 2-18, IF for Taught Postgraduate Programmes Appendix 2-19, and the Guide for Course Review Appendix 4-5) as reference. It should also cover four key areas: (i) learning outcomes, (ii) subject content, (iii) learning activities, and (iv) assessment scheme. An action plan based on the review should then be drawn to improve future teaching, which is monitored by the programme committee.
All UGE courses are reviewed every three to four years by the Standing Committee of SCGE, against (i) the stipulated expectations of GE courses, (ii) the objectives of the UGE Area assigned, and (iii) the course design originally approved. Appendix 4-6 shows the detailed procedures. Review of other University Core Requirement courses follows the procedure for the periodic course review.
4.3.2 Regular Programme Reviews
Systematic programme reviews are conducted every four to six years as directed by SCTL in addition to course reviews. The purpose of programme reviews is to allow teaching staff in a programme to deliberate over and reflect upon the quality of the programme, including both content knowledge and pedagogical practices, so that follow-up actions may be taken. Extensive details about programme review procedures are in Chapter 6.
4.4 Management of Courses not Taught by the Host Department
Good governance of service-teaching arrangements requires processes for efficient and effective communication, including the exchange of adequate information between the host programme and service-course providers. For all service-courses required as part of a major programme, clear documentation on course details, including course evaluation results, must be provided to the host programme in a timely manner. Guidelines are given in the policy Governance of Courses not Taught by the Host Department (Appendix 4-7).
4.5 Management of Off-campus Learning
Practices for management of off-campus learning (such as activities involving external partners, internship, practicum, etc.) vary, with explicit QA mechanisms formulated by individual programmes and monitored by respective Faculty Boards and through programme reviews.