Roles and Responsibilities

The elected body governing academic matters at the University of Windsor. Senate regulates academic programs (including their establishment, modification, and discontinuation), determines academic standards, and develops and ratifies bylaws, policies, program, and academic regulations. All course and program proposals and modifications must be approved by Senate.

A standing committee of Senate. Its mandate is to make recommendations to Senate with respect to the areas of program and curricular development. The PDC's primary concern is the maintenance of high academic standards and high quality programs. It is charged with the production and presentation to Senate of Program Review Reports for academic programs and Program Review Status Reports reviewing programs' progress in achieving their review recommendations. The PDC also reviews new program proposals, major program modifications, course additions and course and calendar changes. Any item/issue which falls under the mandate of the PDC must receive the Committee's approval before being referred to Senate, which has the ultimate and final responsibility for the academic well-being of the University. The PDC is supported in this work by the University Secretariat, the Office of the Registrar, the Centre for Teaching and Learning, and others with significant program review experience.

A subcommittee of PDC, tasked with the review of all completed cyclical program reviews and the development and prioritization of recommendations based on those reviews. The committee is selected from and elected by the PDC, and is supported in its activities by representatives from the Office of Institutional Planning, the Registrar's Office, the Provost's Office, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning, as needed. The UPR Committee presents its draft reports to the PDC for final approval.

Responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the University’s bicameral system of governance -- that is:

• Board of Governors (oversight of all operational aspects),
• The Senate (oversight of academic matters),
• Standing Committees
• A number of ad-hoc committees.

In terms of quality assurance, the University Secretariat provides advice and guidance in the development of new or changed courses and programs, coordinates the approval processes at the PDC and Senate level and the evaluation of completed program reviews, and assists the UPR Committee and the PDC in the development of final program review reports to be received by Senate. The Secretariat is responsible for the maintenance of document records for the Senate and its standing committees.

Play consecutive roles in the approval of new programs and courses, and in program and course change processes. The Graduate Studies Council also reviews graduate programs subsequent to their approval by their respective faculty councils, but before their passage to PDC.

The chief academic officer at the University of Windsor. The Provost oversees all academic programs, and is responsible for overall academic planning, the development of new academic programs, and the disbursement of academic program funds. The Provost acts as the sole point of communication between the Quality Council and the University of Windsor.

Coordinates cyclical program review, including scheduling, orienting and supporting programs undertaking cyclical review, liaising with Institutional Planning and the Registrar’s Office to facilitate access to institutional data and other indicators of program quality, and overseeing external and internal review processes.

Responsible for the overall planning and coordination of a faculty’s intellectual culture, including academics, research, creative activity and the attendant stewardship of resources in support of those endeavors. With regard to quality assurance, Deans lead the development of faculty academic plans (which in turn inform departmental planning), and are involved in program development, data collection and analysis, input into, review of and response to program reviews, quality enhancement initiatives, institutional planning, and the development of quality enhancement initiatives in keeping with the University’s strategic plan. The role of Deans in quality enhancement focuses not only on leadership within their respective faculties, but on collaboration and coordination with faculties and service units campus-wide. In addition, Deans provide support as possible, given limited resources, for the achievement of departments’ cyclical review recommendations. The Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies also provides leadership and support for the development and review of graduate programs across campus.

Responsible for ongoing program development, improvement and review; curriculum refinement and design; course and assessment design; and the development of program self-studies. They play a key role in the continuous growth of their departments through cycles of inquiry, initiative, and reflection, individually and collectively.

The first stage of the approval process for all program-based quality assurance activities.

Provides departments with institutional data from sources such as Alumni Surveys, Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey, the UWindsor Graduate Success Survey, enrollment, head count, employment and graduation rates. Please visit the Office of Institutional Planning website at http://www.uwindsor.ca/oip/ for more information.

Provides consultation as needed to all committees dealing with program issues. In addition, this Office provides departmental data regarding a number of key indicators, including grade distributions and success rates. The Registrar’s Office is responsible for the administration of new programs in terms of ensuring course scheduling and tracking student progress through degrees. The Registrar’s Office also submits new program proposals to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities for funding approval as necessary.

Provides consultation and support for programs seeking to develop or refine curricula and program delivery, and can provide guidance regarding the collection, analysis and contextualization of student achievement data. The Centre emphasizes quality enhancement in all aspects of the teaching, learning, and assessment environment.

A number of programs at the University undergo regular accreditation by the professional bodies of their own fields. Generally this process involves a full program review on a cyclical basis, including site visits, examination of curricula and facilities, and evaluation of student outcomes. Recommendations arising from these reviews are generally achieved through the action of deans, department heads and faculty members, in concert with the usual processes for course and program change at the University.

Oversees quality assurance processes for programs at publicly-funded universities in Ontario. The Quality Council assists in the development of university quality assurance processes and audits those processes regularly to ensure that universities’ practices conform to the Quality Assurance Framework. In addition, the Quality Council reviews summaries of all University Program Reviews as well as all proposals for new degree programs.

Reviews some program proposals and major changes to existing programs in order to approve program funding.