• Section 1 - Summary
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy/Regulation
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Part A - Summary of Roles and Responsibilities
• Part B - Comprehensive Course Review Principles
• Part C - CCR Stage
• Stage One: CCR Self-Review
• Stage Two: CCR Validation
• Stage Three: CCR Implementation and Action
• Part D - CCR Reports
• Section 5 - HESF/ASQA/ESOS Alignment
• Section 6 - Definitions

Section 1 - Summary

(1) This Procedure specifies the key stages and responsibilities involved in the comprehensive review of Higher Education (HE) coursework courses at Victoria University (VU).

(2) This Procedure should be read in conjunction with the Courses Lifecycle - Annual Course Monitoring (HE) Procedure and the Courses Lifecycle - External Referencing Procedure.

Section 2 - Scope

(3) This Procedure applies to all:

1. HE Award coursework courses offered by, or on behalf of, VU in all domestic and off-shore locations.
2. HE Award Course units offered by, or on behalf of, VU in all domestic and off-shore locations.
3. HE ELICOS, Foundations and Bridging courses.
4. HE Non-Award courses that are offered to international students both on and off shore.

(4) This Procedure does not apply to:

1. Higher Degrees by Research Award courses.
2. Vocational Education and Training Award courses.

Section 3 - Policy/Regulation

(5) Courses Lifecycle Policy

Section 4 - Procedures

Part A - Summary of Roles and Responsibilities

Part B - Comprehensive Course Review Principles

(6)  The Comprehensive Course Review (CCR) is an integral part of the VU Learning and Teaching Quality and Standards (LTQS) Framework. The CCR process ensures continuous improvement and quality assurance of courses and is informed by the Annual Course Monitoring (ACM) process.

(7) All HE coursework courses are accredited internally for a period of five years. VU requires all active HE coursework courses (and the non-awards referred to earlier) to be comprehensively reviewed at least once every five years from the date of the first enrolment (not approval). In the penultimate year of the course’s accreditation period, the course will undergo a CCR to ensure the course reflects:

1. VU’s teaching and learning strategic directions.
2. The needs of graduates, professions and community.
3. Best practice in curriculum design.
4. External regulations and accreditation requirements.

(8) CCR applies to all active HE coursework courses (and as above) offered by, or on behalf of, VU at all domestic and off-shore locations. It takes into account course quality as experienced by significant cohorts of students.

(9) Where one or more College contributes to the design and delivery of the course, the administering college is responsible for the oversight of the CCR. 
(11)    Generally, courses will be reviewed as a single entity. It may be appropriate to group courses and/or locations for similar disciplines, or where there is a significant overlap of course outcomes and/or units.

(10) AQS maintains a five-year CCR schedule to ensure that all HE coursework (and as above) courses are comprehensively reviewed. Where possible, the CCR and internal re-accreditation processes will be scheduled in the same year as professional (external) accreditation processes.

(11) In October each year, the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer will notify the Executive Deans of the courses that are scheduled to be involved in a CCR in the following year. As a result of this advice the Executive Dean can decide to:

1. Seek course re-accreditation for the next five years (CCR must be completed).
2. Develop a business case for a new course that will replace this course (no CCR required).
3. Not seek course re-accreditation and commence the course cessation and transition process (no CCR required).

Part C - CCR Stage

(12) There are three stages involved in the CCR process:

1. Stage One: CCR Self-Review
2. Stage Two: CCR Validation
3. Stage Three: CCR Implementation and Action

Stage One: CCR Self-Review

(13) Self-review is a collegial and consultative process that is designed to enable all staff associated with the course to critically review the performance of the course.

(14) At the commencement of the Self-Review process, AQS will provide the CCR team with:

1. Access to the CCR Self-Review via the online Course Review Power Platform App;
2. Course Review and Monitoring Data Snapshot.
   
   The Data Snapshot provides evidence of course level performance trends, student experience and outcomes from data sets, including (but not limited to):
   1. Demand; 
   2. Enrolments; 
   3. Progress; 
   4. Retention and Attrition rates; and 
   5. Completion rates and timeframes. 
      
      All course level data is broken down by demographic/equity groups, including First Nations identification; affirmed gender; age range; disability indicator; language breakdown; socio economic status; and remoteness area.
3. Unit level data which provides information on the performance of each unit including (but not limited to):
   1. Pass rates; 
   2. Multiple fails; and 
   3. SEU response rates and mean score.
4. QILT Data, including Student Experience Survey (SES) and Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS), at study area level and course level.
5. Pathway trend data: number of pathway students, breakdown by equity groups, progress, retention, GPA and WAM of pathway students.
6. Course Assessment Matrix: current assessment methods, and their weighting, for all units in the course.
7. Course L&T Matrix: learning outcomes, assessment, graduate capabilities, T&L strategies, resources.
8. CCR User Guides.

(15) The CCR team will provide current students, recent graduates and staff with an opportunity to provide feedback and input on their experience with the course and areas for improvement.

(16) The CCR team will undertake external referencing in accordance with the requirements Courses Lifecycle - External Referencing Procedure . External referencing is undertaken against appropriate comparator institutions and must use comparison data that is credible, tenable and recent. It should include:

1. course design and methods of assessment;
2. student achievement of learning outcomes;
3. cohort analysis of student performance data, including analysis of variations in retention, progression and completion rates by entrance pathway and international students compared with domestic students;
4. where relevant, course information provided to applicants.

(17) Utilising all the data provided and obtained, CCR teams complete the self-review space in the online Course Review Power Platform App, which asks them to consider:

1. Course Overview, including:
   1. Target Completion Dates;
   2. Course Team Members;
   3. Focus Groups;
   4. Course Overview;
   5. Course Learning Outcomes; 
   6. Course Completion Rules;
   7. Admission Requirements;
   8. Course Structure;
   9. Approved Pathways;
   10. Victorian and interstate Competitors;
   11. Professional Accreditation.
2. Data Analysis, including:
   1. Course Applications;   
   2. Course Enrolments;
   3. Course Progress Rates; 
   4. Course Retention and Attrition;
   5. Course Completions;
   6. Unit Pass Rate Summary;
   7. Multiple Fails By Unit;
   8. Student Evaluation Of Unit (SEU);
   9. Student Experience Survey (SES);
   10.  Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS);
   11. Pathways.
3. Learning & Teaching, including:
   1. Course Design and Structure;
   2. Course Delivery;
   3. Assessment;
   4. Work and Community Engagement;
   5. Course Staffing and Leadership;
   6. Student Support;
   7. Learning Facilities and Environment;
   8. External Benchmarking and Referencing;
   9. Professional Accreditation.
4. External Referencing, including:
   1. Activities planned for the following 5 years and specific tasks associated with those activities.
5. Course Future, encompassing:
   1. Opportunities: Emerging Developments in the Field of Education/Discipline;  
   2. Challenges: Changing Needs, identified risks and internal conditions.

(18) Proposals for course improvement are detailed as Course Improvement Actions in the action tab of the Power App. Previously identified ACM and CCR actions are reported on.

(19) Where a negative difference is noted in a specific area, and/or progress is below the average pass rates for the year level in the preceding year, a Course Improvement Action must be included in the action tab of the online Course Review Power Platform App.

(20) Course Improvement Actions must be developed using the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-framed) principles and should be targeted at the particular areas indicated by the data or L&T area.

(21) Course Improvement Actions may include both immediate and longer-term strategies to address particular areas of negative trends, as well as stable or improving areas where the Course team identifies that further improvement is achievable.

(22) The self-review is reviewed by AQS, endorsed by the Program Head and Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching (or equivalent) and approved by the Executive Dean (or equivalent).

(23) The CCR Self-Review process must be completed within eight weeks of the review commencing.

Stage Two: CCR Validation

(24) A CCR Validation Panel will be convened to consider the information provided by the college in the Self-Review.

(25) The CCR Validation Panel will, as a minimum, comprise:

1. Chair: Nominated by the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, the Chair is a senior academic staff member who is not directly involved in the College or course under review.
2. Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer (or representative).
3. Chair, Academic Board (or representative).
4. Director, Academic Quality and Standards.

(26) An Executive Officer, from AQS, will be appointed to support the panel.

(27) It may be appropriate for the panel to review Self-Review as a group for similar disciplines, or where there is significant overlap in course structure and curriculum.

(28) A CCR Validation Panel Report will be developed as an outcome of this process and will document the panel’s:

1. endorsement (or not) of the CCR recommendations;
2. comments and suggestions for further actions; and
3. affirmations and commendations.

(29) The CCR Validation process must be completed within four weeks of the CCR Self-Review report being submitted to the panel.

Stage Three: CCR Implementation and Action

(30) CCR recommendations will be implemented and noted in the CCR Action Plan. It will detail:

1. the endorsed CCR recommendations;
2. proposed timelines for completion; and
3. activity and impact achieved.

(31) CCR recommendations will be actioned via:

1. Internal course re-accreditation (and external re-accreditation where applicable); and
2. Annual Course Monitoring or other quality assurance processes undertaken by the College.

(32) The CCR Action Plan must be fully implemented within 18 months from the conclusion of the CCR Validation process.

(33) AQS is responsible for the maintenance of all CCR records, including:

1. CCR Schedules;
2. CCR Self Review Reports;
3. CCR Validation Panel Reports; and
4. CCR Action Plans.

Part D - CCR Reports

(34) The Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer will report on an annual basis to the Learning and Teaching Quality Committee and Academic Board on completed CCR reviews and action plans.

(35) The Academic Board standing committees will monitor the implementation of the CCR Action Plan.

Section 5 - HESF/ASQA/ESOS Alignment

(36) HESF: 1.4.1, 1.4.3 and 1.4.4 Learning Outcomes and Assessment; 5.3.1 – 5.3.4 and 5.3.7 Monitoring, Review and Improvement.

Section 6 - Definitions

(37) Nil.