Section 4: Approval of Short Courses

Course initiators should download the CIQ proposal form and Costing and Pricing tool, and review the requirements of the forms. Prior to submitting proposals to the CIQ process, course initiators should:

i) consider how the course aligns with UCL, faculty and department strategic objectives, and with the department’s portfolio of courses.
ii) investigate the potential market for the proposed course and its USP.
iii) discuss with the Head of Department the business case for the course, and confirm their support for the proposal.
iv) discuss costing and fee setting with the department finance manager.
v) plan the basics of their course, including content, structure, entry qualifications (if any), teaching and learning hours, learning outcomes and assessment details, and work out how to succinctly describe these.
vi) discuss requirements and suitability with the Digital Education team if the course is proposed to be online or have a blended element.
vii) identify the short course department approver, as the approver’s name and email address will be required when submitting the proposal. The approver should be the Head of Department, unless the course is being initiated by the Head of Department, in which case an alternative academic will have to be named as department approver on the CIQ form.
viii) plan a scheduled start date for the course, allowing enough time for the course to be approved and any required changes made, content including online requirements to be developed, and marketing be carried out.

Department and faculty approvers should take all of the following into consideration when assessing a course proposal. Approvers should: 

i) ensure the proposal aligns with institutional, Departmental/Divisional and Faculty strategic objectives.
ii) evaluate the proposal in relation to other courses and programmes in the department/faculty, and if relevant, in other departments/faculties. Decide if the course fits appropriately into the faculty portfolio in terms of subject, mode, aims, and possible progression routes.
iii) check if the business case described in the CIQ proposal form is feasible. As a minimum there should have been desk research conducted which illustrates a clear market for the course. The Costing and Pricing tool should have been completed, with all expected development costs included, and a fee proposed.
iv) ensure the course design is well thought through, learning outcomes align with tasks, and that the number of hours for the course, and assessment methods, are appropriate. The proposed method of running the course (in person, blended or online) should also be suitable.
v) determine that, if there is a partnership involved in developing or delivering the course, whether internal or external, that the partnership is appropriate.
vi) check that any external accreditation planned is suitable and at a correct level for the course.
vii) Identify that there are valid methods proposed for obtaining learner feedback, and the initiator has also considered other ways to evaluate the course.
 

Amendments to any of the following details for non-credit-bearing short courses previously submitted and approved via the CIQ process will need to be resubmitted through the CIQ process for Departmental/Divisional and Faculty approval:

i) the parent Department/Faculty of the course or activity; 
ii) accreditation information or organisation; 
iii) delivery/development partner; 
iv) the title of the course; 
v) the number of contact or learning hours involved;
vi) significant change to content; 
vii) learning outcomes; 
viii) assessment details; 
ix the audience for the course; 
x) mode of delivery (in person/blended/online) or platform (Extend, FutureLearn etc);
xi) price change – or + 10%;

Credit-bearing Short Courses can be separated into the following categories:

i. Seats/places on modules forming part of existing UCL programmes that are ‘unbundled’ and offered as short course options, with or without assessment, for Short Course Learners to attend alongside UCL Students and UCL Affiliates;
ii. Standalone short courses that are either new or derived from modules from UCL programmes and offered independently and exclusively to Short Course Learners outside the UCL teaching timetable. 

New credit-bearing Short Courses falling into the category 4.2.ii require approval using the process for new module approval specified in Chapter 7, Part B, Section 3, and with the following adjustments:

i) Departmental and Faculty Teaching Committees will review new applications once per term according to locally set submission deadlines.
ii) Organisers should allow at least six months between final Faculty approval, and first teaching of the course, to allow for systems set up and promotion and marketing.
iii) Prior to submitting the course for Departmental review, a business case including a financial forecast and outline delivery plan should be signed off by the Departmental finance manager and attached to the application. If Faculty approval is given, the new credit-bearing Short Course must be submitted to UCL Education and Student Experience (shortcourses@ucl.ac.uk) to be added to the central register of credit-bearing Short Courses.