Directives

Word/Term

Definition

Academic Administrator

Refers to Program Chair, Course Chair, or Academic Manager

GeneSIS

The student information system of the College

PQA

Program Quality Assurance

PQR

Program Quality Review

Action

Responsibility                         

1.

 Annual Curriculum Review

1.1

Each Fall term, bring forward electronically the existing approved curriculum into the next academic year, creating a new version in the curriculum module of GeneSIS.

Academic Development, Registrar’s Office, Information Technology Services 

1.2

Each year, establish the Annual Curriculum Review schedule.               

Office of Vice President, Academic,in consultation with the departments

1.3

Update the program curriculum and narrative information  in GeneSIS for the upcoming academic year, based on feedback gathered from survey data, advisory committees, students, and professors. 

Professors and staff in each department

1.4

Approve all program curriculum and narrative changes and forward to the Curriculum Administrator.

Academic Administrator

1.5

Review and approve the revisions to the programs of study and narrative information and forward to the Curriculum Coordinator in the Registrar’s Office

Curriculum Administrator and Academic Administrator

1.6

Activate the  revised programs of study, including any retro-changes, in GeneSIS.

Curriculum Coordinator, Registrar’s Office, in consultation with Academic Administrator

1.7

Download the Program Narrative Information for publication on the web and in the College Calendar and monographs.

Creative Services

2.

Program Mix Review

2.1

Compile data and calculate Quality Index Scores for a program, which include:
a.  capstone questions from KPI surveys;
b.  selected questions from student course feedback surveys,
c.  Admission, Registration and Employment statistics;

Staff in the Academic Operations and Planning Department, Institutional Research and Planning

2.2

Compile program costing data and calculate the program contribution.

Staff in the Academic Operations and Planning Department

2.3

Review the Quality Index Score and Program Contribution for a program or program cluster.  

Academic Administrators, and Vice President Academic

2.4

For a program not meeting the established College benchmarks for the Quality Index and/or the program contributions:
a.  develop a remediation plan with strategies to address the concerns; and/or
b.  request that the program undergo an in-depth program quality review in the next academic year; or
c.  recommend the program for suspension to the Dean and Vice President Academic.

Academic Administrator.

3.

Program Quality Review

3.1

Coordinate the Program Quality Review as outlined in the Manual: Program Quality Assurance at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology.

PQA Administrator

3.2

Tabulate, process and provide reports on program data collected by the College over the previous five years.

Staff in Information Technology Services

3.3

In the Spring Term, confirm programs to be reviewed during the next academic year.

Deans in consultation with the Academic Administrators

3.4

Appoint a PQR Team Leader for each program under review and assign release time as defined in the manual Program Quality Assurance at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology.

Academic Administrators

3.5

Conduct reviews of mandatory General Education courses in each program under review as identified each year by the PQA Adminstrator. Provide the review report to the PQA Adminstrator, the Academic Administrator and the PQR Team Leader.

General Education Committee

3.6

Conduct Essential Employability Skills (EES) reviews for all courses in each program under review, excepting online elective general education courses, as identified by the PQA Adminstrator. Submit the review report to the PQA Adminstrator, the Academic Administrator and the PQR Team Leader.

Essential Employability Skills Committee

3.7

Conduct the PQR as outlined in the the Manual: Program Quality Assurance at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology. This includes:
a.  reviewing five years of data related to Critical Performance Indicators including demand for the program, placement, attrition/retention, program costs and Student Feedback survey feedback.
b.  soliciting input regarding the program from internal stakeholders including students, professors and academic administrators, and from external stakeholders including advisory committee members and employers.
c.  coordinating and conducting a thorough curriculum mapping for the program.
d.  assessing the program against the stated quality criteria.
e.  writing the PQR Report which includes findings, recommendations for improvement, and an implementation plan.
f.  submitting the PQR Report to the Academic Administrator based on the schedule outlined in the PQR Manual.

PQR Team Leader, in consultation with professors, colleagues, General Education Committee Chair, Essential Employability Skills Committee Chair, and the Academic Administrator.

3.8

Review and affirm the PQR Report and submit it to the PQA Administrator.

Academic Administrator

3.9

Execute the implementation plan as documented in the PQR report.

Academic Administrator

3.10

Each May submit a status report of the progress made against the implementation plan to the PQA Administrator until all recommendations have been implemented.   

Academic  Administrator

3.11

Retain PQR reports and associated status reports for consultation. Reports must be kept on file for two full review cycles.

PQA Administrator

3.12

Review the PQR Manual Program Quality Review: A Guide for Team Leaders prior to the training of team leaders for the upcoming academic year.

PQA Administrator

4.

Review of Online Elective General Education Courses

4.1

Coordinate the review of the online elective General Education courses.

Chair, General Education Committee

4.2

Each semester, confirm courses to be reviewed in the next semester.

Academic Administrator

4.3

Seek students and professors as volunteers to participate in the review process for each course. Ensure that professors are not in the same School as the course under review.

Chair, General Education Committee

4.4

Review each course for overall adherence to General Education objectives.

General Education Committee

4.5

Review each course according to practices outlined by the General Education Committee.

Student Reviewer; Professor

4.6

For each course under review, collate the review material, and compile a summary report identifying areas for improvement. Submit the report to the Academic Administrator responsible for the course.

Chair, General Education Committee

4.7

Review all the information provided and identify any areas requiring improvement in the course. 

Academic Administrator, professors

4.8

Create and execute an implementation plan based on the review recommendations.

Academic Administrator

4.9

Each year, submit a status report of the progress made against the implementation plan to the PQA Administrator until all recommendations have been implemented.  

Academic Administrator