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Having a single, codified source for information about the academic structure:
Makes it clear how schools and colleges are related to departments, how departments are related to academic plans and sub-plans, and how departments are related to curricular subjects.
Defines how elements of the academic structure are related to budgetary units.
Enables the electronic connection between data systems that consume the academic structure and saves the time and resources that would be needed to maintain separate systems.
Ensures consistency in reporting about the academic structure by maintaining a single source of attributes of departments, plans, sub-plans, and curricular subjects.
Definitions:
Academic structure
A data-based representation of faculty and governance policy and actions associated with the academic units and academic programs of the university.
Policy:
All entries in the academic structure must be approved through faculty governance steps (department/academic unit; school/college; campus-level Graduate Faculty Executive Committee [GFEC] and University Academic Planning Council [UAPC]; Board of Regents [BOR] or subsequent steps if required).
The provost or provost’s designee (currently the vice provost/director of Academic Planning and Institutional Research [APIR]) is the sole authority to communicate the completed governance actions to the Registrar’s Office for entry into the specified Student Information System (SIS) tables/fields. Currently, that communication is via formal memo; when fully implemented the digital curriculum/program management system will become the vehicle for communication.
The Student Information System is the system of record for the academic structure data, and any IT or data system that requires this information for operation will consume it from the Student Information System, or from an immediately downstream source—either the Curricular and Academic Data Store (CAOS) or InfoAccess (data views to be developed).
The academic structure defines the official linkage between academic programs (degrees, enrollments) and courses (course enrollments, student credit hours) and academic units (“responsible adult”/chair, faculty, instructors, staff, budgets, expenditures).
Any system or record that requires a list of any of the components of the academic structure or a link between programs and units is required to use the academic structure as the sole, official record.
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:
