Program and Course Development, Modification, and Discontinuance Policy - Training Policy and Procedures

  1. Back to Policies and Procedures Page
  1. Purpose
    1. Program and course development at the Davis Technical College (College) are done in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Utah System of Higher Education, the Council on Occupational Education, and Instructional Systems Design. This document clarifies the roles, responsibilities, and procedures of program development.
  2. References
    1. Council on Occupational Education Handbook of Accreditation
    2. Utah System of Higher Education Program/Course Approval and Reporting
  3. Definitions
    1. Course – Specific subject matter comprising part of a program for which instruction is offered within a specified time. Course information includes a course number, title, length and description.
    2. Program – A combination of courses and related activities (i.e. laboratory activities and/or Work-based Learning) that lead to a credential and are offered to enable students to develop competencies required for a specific occupation.
  4. Policy
    1. Programs will be supervised by an administrator who is employed by the institutional organization.
    2. Program admission standards will be defined for each program and include minimal skills required to ensure students have basic entry-level skills that provide reasonable expectations for successful program completion regardless of delivery mode.
    3. Program objectives will align with the College mission and the occupational needs of the people served by the College.
    4. Qualitatively consistent admission standards and performance requirements will provide reasonable expectations for successful program completion regardless of delivery method.
    5. Programs will include course work and competencies in:
      1. Academics (i.e., math, reading for information, science, writing, computer literacy)
      2. Job-related knowledge and skills
      3. Job-related health, safety, fire prevention and physical demands
      4. Work habits and attitudes
    6. The sequence of courses required for program completion will be organized to maximize the learning of competencies essential to success in the occupation.
    7. Program and course development and modification take place using defined procedures.
  5. Procedures
    1. Approved and implemented programs will be reviewed annually for modification and will be based on multiple inputs including industry feedback, documented market research, and recommendations from College administration. Programs will be modified mid-year when required by industry.
    2. Proposed program modifications will be reviewed by academic partners to evaluate potential impact to students.
    3. Courses not included in an approved program may be modified at any time.
    4. Significant change to an existing course, including a change in course length or significant change in content requires the creation of a new course and in the case of a course that is included in an approved program must follow the program modification guidelines and schedule.
  6. Program Discontinuance
    1. Programs will be evaluated on an ongoing basis using defined quality standards to determine industry demand; program effectiveness, efficiency, and compliance; and student and industry satisfaction.
      1. Defined quality standards may include:
        • Enrollment
        • COE benchmarks for CPLs
        • OAC feedback
        • Program cost analysis
        • Regional job projections
      2. Programs that fail to meet quality standards may be considered for discontinuation. Discussions will be held with appropriate director of programs.
      3. The decision to discontinue a program will be made by the President’s Council.
      4. A Program Discontinuance Plan will be developed to ensure the orderly discontinuance of the program. The plan will ensure the program is available for a period sufficient to enable all admitted students to complete a certificate in a publicized timeframe.
  7. Program Relocation
    1. Relocation of campus programs will be approved by the Campus President.
    2. Program relocations will take place in an efficient manner that allows students to progress without interruption of training.
  8. Substantive Changes
    1. Changes in program objective, length, content, delivery mode, or other revisions of 25% or more will be subject to a more extensive approval process as outlined by the Council on Occupational Education substantive change requirements.
    2. Substantive changes must be applied for according to the COE Board approval calendar for implementation in the following fiscal year.
Policy migration in progress

Davis Tech is in the process of migrating our policies from PDF to HTML format to conform to Title II (ADA) requirements. During this transition period, the latest approved version of the policy is available (below) in pdf format, but may contain ADA Compliance errors.

Printable PDF

Effective Date: 02 December 2021

  • Approvals and Notes
  • Reviewed: August 12, 2021