Special Topics & Negotiated Studies

Special Topics

A Special Topic course enables Programmes to offer a course that covers material that may hold special interest for a group of students, or may take advantage of the expertise of the visiting lecturer, or which draws on a current event.

The term ‘Special Topic’ must be used only when one-off topics/courses are to be delivered on a one-off basis to a group of students. The course must be clearly link to the aims and graduate profile of the programme. Special Topics may be delivered twice only before the topic needs to be changed.

Special Topic courses are approved to be part of a Programme at the time of Programme Approval, or may be added to a Programme as part of Programme Improvement (see Type 2 Programme Improvement). Once approval has been gained from NZQA for the establishment of a ‘Special Topic’ course, the course is set up in the Student Administration System as a generic shell.

‘Special Topic’ courses will not be used for individualised study plans. They will not be used to enrol students studying courses not listed in the regulations of the students’ programme. Instead, if this is required, then a student should be enrolled in a Certificate of Practice (COP).

Management of the allocation of ‘Topics’ and ‘Topic Titles’ passes to the Programme Academic Quality Committee (PAQC) and is regarded as a Type 1 Programme Improvement.

For each offering of a new Special Topic, a course descriptor (prescribed in the section below) is developed and approved by the PAQC. The details of the ‘Special Topic’ are recorded on the Student Administration System. The topic title is entered in the programme’s Special Topic course on the Student Management System and will display on the student’s record and transcript.

Special Topics: Course Descriptor

The course descriptor uses the standard Unitec model and includes:

Topic title, course number (where the first digit of the course number indicates the level of the course) and credit value.
Sub-title (area of study)
Aims of the ‘Special Topic’ course
Learning outcomes for the current ‘topic’
Nature of assessments for the current ‘topic’
Assessments processes
Process of study and expected teacher/learner interaction
Resources requirements
The semester in which the course will be offered.

In granting approval, the PAQC will consider whether the course:

Fits the regulations for the programme
Meets the credit, level, pre and co-requisites stipulated for ‘Special Topic’ course in the definitive document
Reflects the graduate profile of the programme
Avoids any duplication with existing courses in the programme
Retains an overall coherence of the programme
Is relevant to the content of the programme.

Note: Special Topics may be delivered twice only before the topic needs to be changed.

Negotiated Studies

The term ‘Negotiated Study’ refers to a course that allows a student to study an area of relevance and personal interest to his or her programme of study and in professional context that is not formally taught in the programme. This area of interest may be a specialisation of a taught topic or it may be an extended / further study in a related discipline or field. ‘Negotiated Study’ courses will not be used to allow cross-programme study.

‘Negotiated Studies’ courses are approved to be part of a Programme at the time of Programme Approval, or may be added to a Programme as part of Programme Improvement (see Type 2 Programme Improvement). ‘Negotiated Studies’ courses will not be used to enrol students studying courses not listed in the regulations of the students’ programme. Instead, if this is required, a student should be enrolled in as a Certificate of Practice (COP).

A learning contract for each individual negotiated study, prescribed in the section below, is agreed between the student and the Course Co-ordinator, approved by the Academic Programme Manager (AMP) and reported to the relevant Programme Academic Quality Committee (PAQC). Each PAQC is responsible for developing guidelines for approval.

Negotiated Study: Learning Contract

The Learning Contract must include:

Subject, course number (where the first digit of the course number indicates the level of the course) and credit value.
Sub-title (area of study)
Learning outcomes for the specific study
Nature of assessments for the specific study
Assessments processes
Process of study and expected teacher/learner interaction
Resources requirements

In granting approval, the APM will ensure that the study: