Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee

Mandate and Functions of the Academic and Curriculum Committee

In keeping with the University’s vision, mission and values, and its strategic priorities, the Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee (SACC) shall advise and make recommendations to the Senate on the academic activities of the University, with the goal of supporting the continuous development of an educational culture committed to teaching excellence and the highest quality academic programs.

1. The Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee will coordinate the development of policies, guidelines and recommendations on learning and teaching affecting the academic activities of the University for consideration by Senate. This will include:

Assessment, class scheduling
Experiential learning
Technology-enhanced learning, including on-line delivery
Academic integrity and misconduct

In determining its priorities for the development of the above, the SACC will report to Senate every September, outlining its plans for the year and seeking Senate’s approval of them. Senate may also, at the request of its members, ask the SACC to address certain issues within its mandate, regardless of the priorities that have been approved.

2. The Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee will participate in the annual academic planning cycle of the University by:

Assessing and making recommendations to Senate on the academic case for new academic offerings, changes to existing offerings, and the discontinuation of existing offerings including changes to:

Degrees
Degree components (egs. Honours, Majors, Concentrations, Minors, Certificates, Micro-certificates, Micro-programs)
Courses

If the proposed changes include a new resourcing component, these changes will be forwarded to the Senate Planning Committee (SPC) to assess and make recommendations to Senate on the financial feasibility of the changes.

Coordinating and monitoring the implications of curricular changes on other academic units and ensuring that changes are accurately reflected in the Academic Calendar.

Ensuring that course and program changes align with current and future academic policies adopted by Senate and recommending to Senate any exceptions to these policies.

3. When directed by Senate, the Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee will advise and make recommendations to Senate on:

Broader issues to do with curriculum design, innovation and development
Any other strategic matters relevant to learning and teaching, curriculum or the academic offerings of the University

Coordination with other Committees

The SACC shall coordinate its activities with the following committees:

Academic Standing and Admissions Policy Committee

The Academic Standing and Admissions Policy (ASAP) committee is currently responsible for recommending general academic regulations and applying them, for considering eligible candidates for admission and scholarships and for reviewing student appeals. Any recommendations coming from SACC that may overlap with the responsibilities of ASAP will be discussed with the members of ASAP before they are presented to Senate.

Senate Program Academic Review Committee

The duties of the Senate Program Academic Review Committee (SPARC) are to oversee the review of every academic program offered by the University. During the review process, recommendations for program quality and improvement are an integral part of the review and hence liaising between SACC and SPARC would benefit both. Note that the VPAR or delegate chairs both SACC and SPARC.

Senate Planning Committee

The SACC and the SPC will coordinate their respective responsibilities regarding the academic review process. However, if the VPAR delegates responsibility for SACC to an AVP, the AVP and VPAR will ensure coordination between the activities of the two committees.

Teaching and Learning Centre Initiative

The Teaching and Learning Centre Initiative Committee (TLCI) has taken on the responsibility of supporting professors’ teaching and learning responsibilities and activities. Because the overall guidance and structure to learning and teaching will be provided by the SACC, the TLCI chair will be an ex offico member of the SACC to ensure coordination between the two committees.

The SACC may establish appropriate working groups to discuss relevant learning and teaching issues, as it deems necessary. These working groups will be formed through a call for volunteers from the AVPLT, with the goal of having representation from a broad spectrum of faculty, students, and academic staff. The working group may also bring in experts as needed.

Composition and Membership of the Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee

The Senate Academic and Curriculum Committee (SACC) shall consist of the following members:

Vice-Principal Academic and Research, or delegate, as Chair,
One (1) full-time Faculty member from each Academic Division,
One (1) member of the Contract Faculty,
One (1) Librarian,
One (1) undergraduate student and one (1) alternate,
One (1) representative from the Decolonization Circle,
Registrar, or delegate (non-voting),
Chair of the Senate Teaching and Learning Centre Initiative Committee (TLCI) ex officio
(non-voting)
Representative from the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Anti-Racism (AR) Office
(non-voting).

Quorum for the Committee shall be five (5) voting members.

Committee members from the full-time Faculty, Contract Faculty and Librarians shall be appointed by the Senate Nominating Committee and shall serve for terms of two (2) years, renewable once. Student members shall be appointed by the Students Representative Council, one of whom will serve on the Committee and the other will serve as the alternate when the primary member is not able to attend. Student members must be full-time or part-time students in good standing and shall serve terms of one (1) year, renewable once. The representative of the Decolonization Circle will be appointed by the members of that Circle. The EDI and AR representative will be chosen by the Vice Principal Student Affairs and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.