FAQ - Essential information for proposers

The approval process is captured on the graphic featured on the Academic Affairs webpage. The process consists of a Proof of Concept stage one, a Curriculum Plan stage two and a final combined template stage three approval. The Proof of Concept, completed in consultation with Global, Careers, Admissions in the Academic Registry and Finance and staffing by the Faculty Dean, explores the viability of the proposed programme. Once the sign offs have been secured, the proposer proceeds to providing a detailed outline of the teaching contents in the Curriculum Plan template in consultation with Academic Affairs, Academic Practice and Trinity Inclusive Curriculum. The combined proposal, approved by the School Executive, is then brought through for further consideration by:

• Academic Affairs
• Dean of Graduate Studies
• Graduate Studies Committee
• External Review
• Council

The proposer engages with Academic Affairs throughout the process from inception to approval.

The proposer, normally the prospective course director or course coordinator, completes the proposal templates in collaboration with staff to be involved in the delivery of the proposed course. The responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of information provided in the templates rests with the proposer who also submits the complete documentation to GSC and University Council and attends the GSC meeting when the proposal is considered.

PGT courses are delivered in two main formats requiring bespoke course codes i.e., wholly online or face-to-face/hybrid. Normally “Face-to-face/in person” courses have “blended/hybrid” elements of online delivery in all or some modules. Once the course is fully delivered via the internet, a course is considered online and should be mentioned as part of the course title. See definitions here as per the Curriculum Glossary.

Online Course:  where materials, learning activities, assessment and communication are delivered online in synchronous or asynchronous formats, or in a combination of both.

Blended learning: refers to the integration of complementary in-person learning experiences with online learning experiences.

Hybrid learning: refers to modules or programmes that can be taken simultaneously by students, some attending online and some in-person, working together as a single cohort. Also called "hybrid-flexible" or "hyflex" learning.

Face-to-Face/in-person: is organised around scheduled in-person (classroom-based) student attendance.

A PGT course proposal must be submitted on a bespoke template which can be obtained from Academic Affairs once the proposed structure has been fully agreed on.

PGT courses can be delivered in two main formats which require bespoke course codes i.e., wholly online and “Face-to-face/in person” with possible blended/hybrid elements in all or some modules). Once the course is fully delivered “online” this word becomes part of the course title.

A new full or abridged course proposal is required when switching the main format of delivery. So when:

• An “in-person” or “blended/hybrid” course needs to be offered entirely “online”. A new course code will be set up.
• An “online” course needs to be offered “in-person” or “blended/hybrid”. A new course code will be set up.

Any course proposal must be submitted on a bespoke template which obtained from Academic Affairs once the proposed structure has been agreed on.

A framework-based course structure is a sequence of three one-year part-time interconnected courses (bearing the same title), each worth of 30 ECTS credits, allowing students’ progression, either consecutively or with interruption at completion stage of each constituent course, from Postgraduate Certificate in year 1 to Postgraduate Diploma (Top-up) in year 2 and to Masters (Top-up) in year 3.

A framework-based course structure can developed in three ways:

1. as a brand new sequence of 3 consecutive inter-linked courses from scratch  

or

2. Top ups can be added to the already existing stand-alone PG courses such as Pg.Cert. or Pg.Dip.

or

3. Already existing stand-alone course can be re-constituted on the framework model.

Should the Top up framework structure be introduced onto the already existing stand-alone course the title of that course is retained and becomes the title of each constituent Top up course of the framework.

Any course proposal must be submitted on a bespoke template which can be obtained from Academic Affairs once the proposed structure has been agreed on.

New PGT courses must be set up to ensure progression for its graduates either immediately or in the future.

The direction of progression is as follows: graduates from a postgraduate certificate may progress to postgraduate diploma; graduates from a postgraduate diploma may progress to a Masters course, and graduates from a Masters course may progress to a doctoral programme (if one exists in a relevant discipline) or onto the PhD register. 

Should progression take place within the overall framework-based structure of Pg.Cert./Pg.Dip. (Top up)/Masters (Top up) under one course title graduates from a “lower” course automatically progress to a “higher” one without the need to apply. 

Graduates from a Masters course who would like to progress to a doctoral programme (if one exists in a relevant discipline) or onto the PhD register must apply in line with College relevant admissions regulations for research degrees.

Graduates wishing to progress from stand-alone Pg.Cert. and Pg.Dip. courses apply to a “higher” postgraduate taught course in line with College admissions regulations for a relevant course. They can avail of the provisions of the Recognition of Prior Learning policy (paragraphs 7.10 and 7.11)

Graduates from a Masters course do not apply for a stand alone “lower” postgraduate course under the same course title unless that course is in another discipline or for additional specific purpose award.

The term “strand” has a very specific administrative meaning in Trinity. A course strand is a bespoke academic pathway set up for a direct admission entry within an overall “umbrella” PGT “parent” course which normally is a postgraduate certificate, a postgraduate diploma or (rarely) Masters. A strand has specific strand-linked learning outcomes (SLOs) matched with the overall “parent” programme learning outcomes (PLOs) and must be considered by the Graduate Studies Committee for Council approval. Thereafter, the Academic Registry sets the new strand up for a direct admission entry with a bespoke strand course code.

A strand can have a bespoke title, related but different to that of the “parent” course in which case the award title at the postgraduate certificate and postgraduate diploma level reflects that title while the Masters level award is normally always generic. There can be more than one strand within a “parent” course.

The term “strand” can be replaced by a “pathway” which does not require a bespoke administrative course code and does not have to be considered by the GSC and approved by Council. There is no direct admissions entry into a pathway. Subject "pathways" can be set up by course directors at the School level and can change on an annual basis.

Course directors and course coordinators are required to have academic lecturing contracts in the School(s) and cannot be staff on research or teaching contracts. One person may not hold both roles. Normally, staff on research contracts, Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows and PhD students may teach on PG modules in limited capacity in line with the guidelines from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Adjunct Assistant Professors normally do not act as module coordinators as adjunct staff do not have contractual obligations to the university and cannot be required to deliver or to coordinate teaching if other demands intrude on their availability.  30% of the total ECTS volume of a programme can only rely on teaching delivered by adjunct staff. The threshold should be determined in relation to lecture hours across the whole programme. The 30% does not prevent courses from suggesting a higher teaching contribution by adjunct staff but this, recognised as a clear risk, would need to be accompanied by a narrative providing the justification and a set of mitigating measures supporting the overall stability of course delivery.

Only one eligible staff member can hold the role of module coordinator, course director and course coordinator. If a new postgraduate course is to be led by a course director and assisted by a course coordinator each role will be held by a different person and should have a separate brief outlined in the course proposal.

No one person, be it the course director or a course coordinator, may hold the role of module coordinator across the majority of course modules. The proposer needs to ensure the buy in from staff in the School/s in the delivery of the modules and their coordination. This safeguards the delivery of the course in the event of the course director's/coordinator’s absence like illness.

The Course Director's role is normally as follows:

• Ensuring the overall academic integrity of the course.
• Overseeing the administration of the course (including admissions and assessment), in consultation with the Course Coordinator.
• Liaising with module coordinators about modules that will be available each year.
• Liaising with the relevant academic staff as regards to module choices, contributions made by teaching staff (FTSEs distribution), external examiners, course advertising, financial management.
• Overseeing an induction for incoming students before the beginning of the course.
• Being a contact for student questions or concerns relating to the optional modules or to the course as a whole.
• Overseeing and chairing meetings of the Course Committee, admissions sub-committee, and the Courts of Examiners.
• Coordinating modules assigned to Course Director.

The Course Coordinator's role usually involves:

• Assisting the Course Director in the running of the course.
• Carrying out academic administration in support of module delivery, liaising with contributing teaching staff.
• Coordinating with students to elect a student representative to sit on the Course Committee.
• Coordinating student feedback on all modules.
• Organising and chairing (in leu of course director as required) meetings of the admissions sub-committee, Course Committee and the Courts of Examiners.
• Sitting on the admissions sub-committee and Course Committee.
• Being a point of contact for student question or concerns relating to the core modules or to the course as a whole.
• Liaising with students and their concerns relating to module delivery or to the course as a whole.
• Coordinating modules assigned to Course Coordinator.

Some of these functions can also be the responsibility of an administrator. Respective responsibilities pertaining of each of the two roles should be clearly defined and assigned in the course proposal. 

The Course Administrator's role usually includes:

• Arranging venues and class timetables.
• Organising setup of equipment and rooms to ensure smooth delivery of lectures.
• Organising Course Committee meetings and court of examiners meetings.
• Assisting with recruitment of new applicants.
• Management of course assessment and collation of marks.
• Acting as progression manager in SITS.
• Ordering and payments associated with the course consumables.
• Following up and liaising with internal and external lecturers.
• Providing first level of contact with students.
• Preparing student documentation and transcripts.
  
  

Members of the academic lecturing staff and School Managers can act and be listed as admissions assessors.

This function is usually carried out by a school administrative staff member who supports the course.

Proposers should contact in the first instance Trinity Global (Director of Recruitment, Associate Director of Recruitment, Student Recruitment & Markets Insights Manager), and the Communications Office, and their own School or Faculty marketing staff (if in place) for support in promoting the course. Information on the proposed promotion strategy must be included in the business case template of the course proposal.

New courses can only be promoted/advertised after they have been approved by Council. However, Trinity Global must be consulted at the early preparation stage of the proposal to discuss bespoke marketing opportunities for the proposed course.

The GSC considered on 19 May 2022, and recommended to Schools, marketing principles from Trinity Global that new full-time PGT programmes should be approved and be open for applications by 1 October or should not include formal non-EU and EU student recruitment targets for the first year of admissions. Programmes approved after this date will be promoted but can expect challenges in meeting student recruitment ambitions. Formal non-EU student number targets should not be included in the financial plans unless the programme can be open for applications by October 1st, in order to ensure there is sufficient time available for the recruitment targets to be met. This does not mean that non-EU students cannot apply, only that the business case should reflect the likelihood that only EU students will be recruited if a course is not approved and ready for applications at the peak time for non-EU applicants.

A PGT course volume is expressed in ECTS credits where 1 ECTS equates to 25 hours of student effort expended for example on contact hours, independent study, time spent on assignments and assessments, in work placements and on professional attachments.

Postgraduate Certificate has 30 ECTS equalling 750 student effort hours

Postgraduate Diploma has 60 ECTS equalling 1500 student effort hours

Masters has 90 ECTS (comprising 60 ECTS taught and 30 ECTS research) totalling   2,250 student effort hours.

There may be rare instances of deviation from the above norms. Irrespective of the PG course delivery being part-time or full-time and its structure being either traditional or framework-based, PG taught modules come in 5 ECTS or 10 ECTS credit volumes while the research module has 30 ECTS. 5 ECTS modules are delivered over 1 term/semester and 10 ECTS modules can be delivered over 2 terms/semesters but fully within the same academic year. The research Module of 30 ECTS must be fully delivered within one academic year leading to a submission of its deliverable by the end of August. On part-time courses students must normally pass all taught modules within a lower academic year before they can rise to the next higher academic year.

There is a difference between using “Semester” and “Term” for timetabling modules.  Generally speaking, the Academic Year consists of:

1. Semester 1 = Michaelmas Term (both end before the break up for Xmas)
2. Semester 2 (ends early June) = Hilary Term of 12 teaching weeks + Trinity Term of 6 weeks
3. Summer session of 12 weeks from June to end of August.

When using the term “Semester” please state that the taught module is scheduled over the teaching weeks only, otherwise Council derogation is required.

Normally, taught modules are timetabled during Semester 1/Michaelmas Term and/or Semester 2/Hilary Term while a Masters research/dissertation module is timetabled to cover also the summer session as the deadline for submission of the research deliverable is by the end of August. Masters students have a right to be adequately guided and supervised in their work on their research deliverable through the whole summer as this period is covered by their annual fees.

The proposer should consult the Timetabling Policy and the Academic Year Structure (AYS) for further detailed guidance. 

https://www.tcd.ie/calendar/academic-year-structure/

https://www.tcd.ie/media/tcd/about/policies/pdfs/Timetabling_Policy_Procedures_June_2023.pdf

The Trinity Award Structure provides an overview of the Award Types offered by Trinity.

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Adjunct Assistant Professors normally do not act as module coordinators as adjunct staff do not have contractual obligations to the university and therefore cannot be required to deliver or to coordinate teaching if other demands intrude on their availability. 30% of the total ECTS volume of a programme can only rely on teaching delivered by adjunct staff. The threshold should be determined in relation to lecture hours across the whole programme. Courses proposing a higher proportion are required to provide robust justification and clear mitigation plans to reduce the teaching/learning risk.

The proposer is required to consult with other Schools/Disciplines where there is shared (supplementary/complementary) disciplinary/subject expertise and where there are established courses in the domain of the proposed course to ensure that synergies with existing courses can be explored.

A CV needs to be provided for any external non-academic staff, for example, from industry, if the staff member is delivering essential module content rather than being invited as a guest lecturer. It is important to consider GDPR when sharing personal information included in the course proposal with the secured prior consent of the CV owner.

Academic Affairs and the Dean of Graduate Studies must be contacted in relation to a proposed change in the commencement date subsequent to the approval of the course by Council. The request is submitted during the academic year to GSC for noting and approval as a Section B item. Alternatively, it is submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies directly for approval by Council under vacation procedures. The Academic Registry picks up the new commencement date from the GSC minutes via Council approval or directly from Council under vacation procedures through the Secretary’s Office.

A fee for the first year of a new course should only be changed in exceptional circumstances. Head of School and Faculty Dean sign off is required, and the Finance Partner needs to update the financial statement accordingly. If the course has been approved at GSC but not yet opened for recruitment, a memo from the Dean of Faculty to request a fee change should be submitted to GSC for minuting purposes and Council approval, which will then be actioned by the Academic Registry.

The information on ECTS can be found on the Academic Practice website and the following pdf.

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https://www.tcd.ie/teaching-learning/ug-regulations/Academic_credit_system.php