CHAPTER FIVE
05
Developing Degree Specifications
A
n additional responsibility for tuners in cross-institutional teams involves working with local colleagues in the development of degree specifications documents for each academic program in their respective
departments. Ideally this activity involves using initial work products created by cross-institutional Tuning teams as a catalyst for departmental exploration and evaluation of its degree offerings at each level. IEBC (2013a) provides a template for departments to use when creating degree specifications documents that includes the following five key elements: 1. PURPOSE: General statement on the degree track’s overall objective. 2. CHARACTERISTICS: Description of the degree program as it is uniquely expressed in the specific institution. 3. RESULTING EMPLOYABILITY: Summary of the discipline’s career pathways. 4. EDUCATION STYLE: Program-specific description of how curriculum is delivered. 5. PROGRAM COMPETENCIES AND OUTCOMES: List of competencies and outcomes expected in the program (IEBC, 2013a, p. 24).
TRANSPARENT PATHWAYS, CLEAR OUTCOMES. CHAPTER FIVE
33