New Course Proposal Guidelines
Guidelines for proposing a new course.
This page provides guidance for proposing a new course. If you are updating an existing course, please see the guidelines for course and programme updates instead;
Existing Course and Programme Updates Guidelines
Before starting your proposal
Please contact the DDoLT (Curriculum) informally before starting your proposal, with at least the following information:
- Tentative course title, level, year, and number of credits
- Who the target audience is, and why the course is needed.
The DDoLT (Curriculum) or delegate will schedule a meeting with you to discuss your plans and whether a full course proposal makes sense.
Guidance
It may be useful to read through our brief guide to course design before your meeting;
Form
If it is agreed that a full course proposal make sense, you will need to work out more details of your course design (see the guidance document above for how to approach this) and complete the course proposal form below;
Deadlines
New courses must be approved by the December BoS meeting to ensure allocation of teaching staff for the following academic year. Since it may require considerable discussion and iteration to prepare the proposal, you should contact the DDoLT (Curriculum) as early as possible, ideally in spring or summer, and you should plan on submitting your full proposal by November.
Proposal submission and approval
When your proposal is complete, please submit to iss-bos@inf.ed.ac.uk by the agenda deadline (usually one week prior to the BoS meeting). This is to allow your colleagues time to fully consider your proposal. Late or incomplete paperwork WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED and will need to be considered at the next available Board of Studies.
The Board will consider all internal academic and resourcing issues, as well as any possible external issues (combined programmes, core non-honours courses), consulting College where necessary. The board may approve your proposal (perhaps conditionally), request changes and consideration at a future BoS, or reject the proposal.
If your proposal is conditionally approved, you will need to make any final changes before resubmitting a final approved version to ISS.
ISS will use your approved proposal to create the formal course record on EUCLID. Note that, once on EUCLID, this will be the only working version of your course, and the original proposal information will not be maintained by ISS. Any subsequent changes to an approved course must be requested via the Board of Studies.
Useful Documentation
The following information may be useful when you are preparing a course proposal. Please consult the DDoLT (Curriculum) if you need further guidance.
School of Informatics Course Design Guidance
This document summarizes some general advice about course design, as well as issues specific to our School.
Learning Outcomes & Assessment Guides
- Writing Learning Outcomes and Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Informatics Summary and Policy on Course Workload and Assessment
It may also be useful to review the SCQF Level Descriptors (linked below), which define the types of learning outcomes appropriate to different levels of study.
External reference points
- Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level Descriptors (2019) (These define the characteristics of different levels of study, e.g. Level 8, 9, 10, 11 courses.)
- QAA Computing Benchmark Statement (Describes the nature of study in the field and what graduates might reasonably be expected to know, do and understand at the end of their studies.)
Graduate Attribute Guides
Programme and Course Approval and Management Policy