Academic Planning
Academic Planning Unit focuses on matters relating to planning for academic activities in Higher Education Institutions.
It supports the activities of Academic Board, the Rector and Governing Council by providing relevant information for strategic decision making and control on academic matters. It also has connective functions with the Academic Board’s Committees and serves as a nerve centre for “interdepartmental information room”
The Director reports directly to the Rector for the day to day running of the Directorate. However, the unit does not deal directly with the students.
Duties and responsibilities
The assigned duties, tasks and responsibilities of the Directorate are as follows:
Academic Planning Unit as drivers of good planning and quality assurance activities therefore has responsibility for long term planning of Academic Programmes, standard setting and quality control, coordination of training programmes, monitoring and control of academic resources and provision of professional advices and support services to other arms of top Management of the Polytechnic.
Specifically, the duties which the Directorate of Academic Planning shall undertake include the following, amongst others:
- Developing, analyzing and compiling Academic Brief Documents from Departments and Schools.
- Planning for the establishment of new Academic Programmes and the sustenance of program quality on approval by the appropriate authorities.
- Monitoring, assessment and maintenance of academic quality (e.g. carrying capacities, students enrolment standard, full time equivalent (FTE Students), Teacher-Students Ratio (TSR), curriculum delivery and students performance records, academic (teaching) infrastructure and academic support facilities, space requirements etc.)
- Academic Resource Monitoring
- Maintaining a register of all academic spaces and their utilization, as well as items of furniture for teaching/learning.
- Coordinating time table for effective utilization of space.
- Identifying new guidelines/criteria and examining existing ones for relevance in the resource allocation processes.
- Annual updating, projection, analysis and interpretation of data for the planning and preparation of the Polytechnic recurrent budget (in liaison with the Polytechnic Bursar and Registrar).
- Analyzing cost of academic Program provision.
- Advising on enrolment target in relation to facilities and space availability.
- Academic Programmes Delivery/Accreditation Monitoring and Research Coordination.
(a) Collecting relevant data on trends in the activities of the Polytechnic (e.g. enrolment, diplomat output, success rates, staff turn-over, academic staff workload, time tabling etc. by way of monitoring academic programmes delivery for Management’s records and use.
(b) Promoting interdisciplinary and interdepartmental collaboration in curriculum planning, formulation and continual review for relevance in liaison with industry.
(c) Coordinating efforts of all Departments in the accreditation process and liaising with National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in all accreditation matters.
(d) Providing necessary information to Departments on national minimum academic standards.
(e) Organising internal mock accreditation exercise.
(f) Documenting and storing information on Academic programmes and on research findings for Management’s records and use.
(g) Articulating policies and strategies to stimulate research activities.
- Carry out periodic performance audit, using performance indicators for academic functions.
- Propose and review criteria for recurrent fund allocation to academic units within the Institution for Management’s consideration and approval.
- Compile and keep backup records of Academic Board policy decisions and activities within the context of the vision, mission and core values of the Polytechnic.
- Participate and support other arms of the Polytechnic in the presentation and review of the Academic Calendar, Annual Plans, Physical Plans and Strategic Development Plans by way of supplying date, logistics and professional advice.
- Preparing periodic Statistical Digest and Reports on Academic Matters and Staffing (Academic and Non-academic) for publishing.
- Organise Annual Academic lectures including Inaugural Lectures etc.
- Plan and organise the Institution’s semester examinations.
From the array of duties, tasks and responsibilities stated above, it is obvious that the Directorate has a list of coordination work, liaison duties, monitoring and periodic reporting responsibilities as well as providing linkage services with external relations
(e.g. NBTE, NYSC, JAMB, Ministry of Education etc.)
Consequently, Academic Planning Directorate has connective functions with three levels of decision making process.
(a)Operational Control – i.e. different Academic Departments, Academic
Board/Management Committees and Academic Support units like SIWES, Centre for Information and Technology Management, and Management Information System (MIS) for information gathering, consultation and programme implementation.
(b)Strategic Choice – Those involved in the activities of interlocking groups e.g. Schools, Service Directorates, and Physical Planning Unit who have responsibility for making intelligent choices.
(c)Strategic Control – Through the work of the Academic Board, Resource Allocation
Committee (i.e. Registry, Bursary, Rectorate and the Governing Council)
The Directorate of Academic Planning collaborates and works with the following units and Committees among others:
- Examinations Planning Committee
- Physical Planning Committee/Unit
- Curriculum Monitoring Committee
- Space Allocation Committee
- Academic Ceremonies Committee
- Research Committee
- Publications Committee
- Lecture Time-Table Committee
- Examinations Audit Committee
- Accreditation Committee
- Resource Allocation Committee/Bursary