Program development at Conestoga is central to the function of meeting the needs of the Conestoga community. The development process considers Conestoga's Strategic Mandate Agreement and Strategic Plan, workforce needs, confirmation of program viability and sustainability, and external regulatory/accrediting body requirements, as appropriate.

This procedure defines how programs are developed at Conestoga.

Conestoga College maintains a glossary of terms specific to the institution. The terms in use for this document are defined below.

Academic Schools

• Align new program development with Conestoga's strategic vision, mission and values, the Strategic Mandate Agreement and the strategic enrolment management plan for the school.
• Confirm expectations and requirements of external regulatory/accrediting bodies and consult with PACs and related industry experts.
• Facilitate and document endorsement(s) from the appropriate PAC/PDAC prior to presentation to ACC, for appropriate credentials.
• Work collaboratively with institutional subject matter experts including, but not limited to, the following departments: Program Planning and Pathways, Online Learning Centre, Facilities Management, Finance, Registrar's Office, Information Technology, Co-operative Education, Career Services and Work Integrated Learning, Institutional Research, and Marketing, as necessary.
• Adhere to Conestoga delivery and implementation schedules for program release and intake.
• Develop marketing materials in collaboration with Marketing and ensure that revisions are made to the Academic School Handbook prior to the start of a program.
  

Registrar's Office

• Ensure all admission-related approvals are in place before admission information is made active in internal and external systems.
• Enter admission information into appropriate internal and external systems for admission processing on notification of program approval.
• Advise the academic school on program launch times according to admission requirements and intake of program cohorts.
• Review credit transfer opportunities or challenges with proposed program design.
• Review admission requirements and outline the impact of program design on cohorts as they complete each academic level of the program.
  

Program Planning and Pathways

• Work collaboratively with the academic school to provide guidance in ensuring program development is in compliance with Ontario Qualifications Framework, as outlined within the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002 and/or Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000 and associated Directives, Guidelines, and Operating Procedures.
• Ensure program learning outcomes align with provincial program standards (where they exist) or with the validated program description and that they drive the development of program structure and design.
• Provide advice and relevant training to the academic school related to the alignment and building of curriculum from concept through implementation phases, in accordance with best practices.
• Manage CVS and Ministry approval processes for programs.
• Manage internal and external program development documentation requirements, coordinates all approval procedures, and notifies academic schools of applicable approvals and related Ministry decisions.
• Submit program development documentation per Conestoga's publication schedules and the Academic Management Calendar.
• Ensure all approvals are in place before the program is made active in internal and external systems.
• Load and maintain new and existing programs into the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System.
• Develop, review, and revise program development documents and workflows in consultation with Conestoga stakeholders.
  
• Align program development requirements across credentials and determine opportunities for alignment with other external regulatory/accreditation bodies, where applicable.
• Liaise with the Program Planning and Review Committee, Academic Forum, and other internal bodies related to the policies, procedures, and scheduling requirements related to program development, delivery, maintenance, and review.
• Plan, develop, and deliver professional development opportunities related to program development and activation at Conestoga College.
• Stay apprised of practices for the development of programs internally and externally for integration at Conestoga.
• Develop and/or support initiatives across the institution related to the capacity, sustainability, and quality of program delivery, faculty, and student experiences across the institution that support new program development and management. 

Facilities Management

• Advise on space availability and/or renovations/capital costs, as applicable.
  

Finance

• Advise on the financial viability of the new programs and funding allocation through the Ministry, as applicable.
  

Institutional Research and Planning

• Conduct environmental analysis to assess viability and sustainability over the anticipated delivery timeframe.
  

Marketing

• Ensure all approvals are in place before program information is placed on the Conestoga website and into future academic calendar documents and publicity materials.
  

Online Learning Centre

• Work collaboratively with academic schools in the design of online courses and programs.
  

Experiential Learning/Work-integrated Learning (EL/WIL)

• Support compliance with the Strategic Mandate Agreement and, where appropriate, the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada) accreditation standards.
• Maintains clear definitions of EL and WIL.
• Ensure effective and efficient operation of WIL programs through the implementation of a WIL Quality Framework.
• Maintain service and support for students participating in EL/WIL, where appropriate.
• Develop and enhance relationships with employers and host organizations who provide WIL experiences; develop appropriate placements and co-op work terms that are approved by Conestoga and the partner(s) in advance of the placement/work term start date.
• Develop, modify, operationalize and evaluate WIL in consultation with the academic schools and relevant stakeholders. This includes considering the number of students and location of program delivery.
• Ensures that WIL experiences are relevant and valuable for participating students and meet program and course-level learning outcomes, in collaboration with the academic schools and relevant stakeholders.
  

1. The Academic School submits a New Program Request Form to the Program Planning and Pathways division. That also includes the project lead or subject matter expert who will serve as the program liaison.
1. Program Planning and Pathways validates applicable labour market and MCU codes and submits a request for Labour Market Report on behalf of the academic school. Where there is MCU code duplication with other Conestoga program(s), the Academic Chair of the existing program will be consulted to reduce duplication and optimize shared expertise. Results of the consultation are documented to complete the Request for Approval to Proceed (RFAP) information.
2. A proposed program with a Labour Market Report that reflects a weak outcome will not proceed to the next phase of development unless the program has significant strategic value for the college and community.
1. Where an Academic Chair requests a program with a weak outcome move forward, Program Planning and Pathways will facilitate a consultation with the Executive Dean and Vice President, Academic.
2. Program Planning and Pathways submits initial space projections to the Space Planning Committee on behalf of the Academic Chair.
1. Where the Space Planning Committee determines there is no physical space and/or that renovations/procurement costs are not viable, the program will not proceed to the next phase of development unless a new space/equipment plan is approved by the Space Planning Committee.
1. Where an Academic Chair requests a program that has not met Space Planning requirements go forward, Program Planning and Pathways will support the amendment of delivery plans for Space Planning Committee review.
2. Where an Academic Chair requests a program go forward without the recommendation of the Space Planning Committee, Program Planning and Pathways will facilitate a consultation with the Executive Dean and the Vice President, Facilities and Capital Development.
3. Program Planning and Pathways assigns a Consultant to coordinate the development project in consultation with the Academic Chair, and in alignment with Conestoga's New Program Development Process Map (Appendix C).


4. The Consultant facilitates the completion of the Request for Approval to Proceed (RFAP) documentation required for internal approvals.
1. The Consultant facilitates a meeting between the Academic Chair and the Finance Department to complete a financial plan projection which includes the feedback provided by the Space Planning Committee.
2. The Consultant works with the Academic Chair, any assigned subject matter expert, and other relevant stakeholders to meet Conestoga, Ministry, CVS, PEQAB, and/or accreditor expectations regarding program design, Essential Employability Skills, General Education/Breadth requirements, experiential learning/work-integrated learning requirements, and other design parameters and processes.
1. Where a program is required to incorporate General Education/Breadth requirements, the School of Interdisciplinary Studies will be consulted.
2. Where a program will include Experiential Learning/ Work-integrated Learning (EL/WIL) experiences, the leadership team of the relevant service departments will be consulted. These experiences will be in alignment with the EL/WIL Typology (Appendix D) and associated criteria and guidelines.
3. The Consultant, in collaboration with the Academic Chair, ensures discussion has taken place with all relevant stakeholders in preparing the RFAP documentation, including consultation with accrediting or regulatory bodies to ensure requirements are addressed in the development of the program.
4. The Academic School brings forward the proposed program concept for review and endorsement to the PAC (or PDAC) for new programs.
1. PAC endorsement is typically received in advance of submission to PPRC but movement through internal approvals may be impacted where this endorsement has not been received prior to presentation to ACC.
2. When appropriate, the Consultant ensures the RFAP and associated documents are updated to incorporate PAC/PDAC feedback.
5. The Academic School presents the completed RFAP to the Program Planning and Review Committee (PPRC). The documents are reviewed by the PPRC and feedback is provided prior to further program development.
1. The Consultant ensures that the RFAP and associated documents are updated to incorporate PPRC feedback.
5. Upon addressing comments made by PPRC, the RFAP is presented to Academic Forum to discuss fit with overall Conestoga plans, identify synergies, validate workforce need and anticipated viability, and ensure sustainability.
1. Academic Forum makes a recommendation for approval to ACC.
1. The program may be sent back to the academic school for additional information or clarification and subsequently reviewed again.
2. The Consultant ensures the RFAP and associated documents are updated, to incorporate Academic Forum feedback.
6. Upon approval from Academic Forum, the RFAP is presented to ACC by the Academic School.
1. ACC makes a recommendation for approval to ACASA.
1. The program may be sent back to the academic school for additional information or clarification and subsequently reviewed again.
2. The Consultant ensures the RFAP and associated documents are updated to incorporate ACC feedback, as appropriate. The Consultant ensures the ACASA summary is completed in consultation with the Academic School.
7. Upon recommendation for approval from ACC, the ACASA Summary is presented to ACASA by the Academic School.
1. ACASA makes a recommendation for approval to the Board of Governors.
1. The program may be sent back to the academic school for additional information or clarification and subsequently reviewed again.
2. The Consultant ensures the RFAP, ACASA Summary, and associated documents are updated to reflect ACASA feedback in consultation with the Academic School.
8. Upon recommendation for approval from ACASA, the Chair of ACASA then presents the program to the Board of Governors for formal approval.
1. The Board of Governors approves the program for delivery.
1. The program may be sent back to the academic school for additional information or clarification and subsequently reviewed again.
9. The Consultant manages the document submission process of the proposed program documentation to CVS (for all Ontario College credentials), PEQAB (for degrees), and Ministry through to the final funding approval.
1. Where required, the Consultant will manage external quality assurance reviews required for new program delivery, including PEQAB or professional accreditation requirements in consultation with the Academic Chair.
10. Program Planning and Pathways will input program design information into the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System.


11. Upon finalizing the program structure in the ERP, the Academic School will finalize the mapping of Program Learning Outcomes to program courses. This is an iterative process that might trigger revisions to course descriptions and adjustments for the Program Learning Outcomes where possible.


12. Upon required external approval:
1. The Office of Academic Administration will communicate program approval to academic support offices and the academic school.
2. Program Planning and Pathways will make any changes to the program design that may have resulted from CVS and/or Ministry review into the ERP and set the program status as active.
3. The Registrar's Office will enter the appropriate admission and program information in the ERP for admissions processing.
4. Marketing will publish program information on marketing materials, including, but not limited to: Conestoga's corporate website, the academic calendar and publicity materials.
5. Academic schools will continue liaising with accrediting/regulatory bodies upon notification of final approval to complete the program design details in accordance with requirements.
13. As a quality assurance measure Program Planning and Pathways will:
1. Maintain a database to monitor the status of program development, review, approval and communications with Ministry, CVS and external approval bodies.
2. Maintain records of program approvals in accordance with the Retention Procedure.