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    Major Course Review Policy

    Policy name Major Course Review Policy
    Policy number CDD006
    Date approved 8 February 2023
    Approving body Academic Board
    Responsible officer Dean
    Implementation officer Deputy Dean (relevant discipline)
    Next review date 3-5 years after approval date
    Related policies
    • Accreditation Policy and relevant procedures
    • Course Development Policy
    • Annual Course Review Policy
    • Course and Unit Change Policy and Procedures
    • Quality Assurance and Benchmarking Policy
    • Course Advisory Committee Terms of Reference
    Related forms and documents
    • Major Course Review Detail and Panel Report

    1. Purpose of this policy

    The Cairnmillar Institute (the Institute) is committed to ongoing review and refinement of its courses to ensure quality and excellence of teaching and learning. The purpose of the Major Course Review (MCR) Policy is to ensure course teams engage in the review and reporting processes.

    The Faculty of Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy (the Faculty) is the teaching division of the Institute, which is a TEQSA registered higher education provider.

    2. Policy

    2.1 Commitment to quality

    The Institute must regularly review its courses for currency and relevance. The MCR forms part of the continuous improvement cycle for teaching and learning at Cairnmillar encouraging a team approach that longitudinally reflects on content, delivery, and the student experience.

    3. Procedure

    3.1 Major Course Review Guidelines

    3.1.1. Course teams, under the guidance of the Course Coordinator, must ensure reliable and continuous review of course and unit performance.

    3.1.2. With input from course teams and course advisory committees, a MCR must be conducted within three to five years since the last accreditation cycle. An Annual Course Review is not conducted during the year that an MCR is conducted.

    3.1.3. The MCR will serve purposes including consideration of:

    1. The academic standards of the course in relation to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)
    2. The quality of the course in relation to the Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) and external academic standards where relevant (e.g. PACFA or APAC).
    3. How the course meets the needs of students and external stakeholders, including employers/industry partners.
    4. Benchmarking across other Higher Education providers of similar courses.
    5. Outcomes for graduates who complete the course including reference to specified Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs).
    6. The level of academic performance of students entering and completing the course.
    7. Changes made to the course since its introduction or last MCR and any plans for improving the course.

    3.1.4. The process for conducting and reporting on MCRs is as follows:

    1. The Dean will initiate the process by informing the relevant Deputy Dean and Course Coordinator of the MCR being due in six months.
    2. The Dean, with the assistance of the relevant Deputy Dean and Course Coordinator, will determine the Panel makeup, which will include at least one External Advisory Committee member, an academic from another university with expertise in the area, a member of the course team, Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning), Associate Dean (Research) (if applicable), a current student in the course, and a graduate from the course.
    3. The MCR Panel meeting date and membership are confirmed five months before the MCR is scheduled to take place.
    4. Course teams, in consultation with the relevant Course Advisory Committee, complete the MCR template.
    5. The completed draft MCR template is distributed to the panel members one month before the panel meeting.
    6. The panel, including the Course Coordinator, convenes to review and evaluate the draft MCR template
    7. A final report and recommendations by the panel is submitted to the Course Standards Committee who will review and submit its recommendation to the next Academic Board meeting.
    8. The Dean, relevant Deputy Dean, and Course Coordinator are advised of the outcomes of the MCR.

    4. Resources and references

    Legislative and compliance framework relevant to the development of this policy:

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