Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
Guidance 5(ix)
Guidance 5(ix) Administrative and operational procedures for
collaborative programmes
1.
Administrative and operational procedures
The Memorandum of Co-operation for every collaborative programme includes an
administrative annexe identifying those responsible for the administrative functions
relating to the collaborative link.
The Centre for Academic Partnerships, the institutional contacts and the link tutors ensure
an effective partnership is sustained at an administrative level between the University and
the partner institution.
These relationships provide the University with assurance that there is a reliable and
timely exchange of information in relation to the operation, management and quality
assurance of the partnership. This is underpinned by regular visits by the University Link
Tutors. Link tutors working with the Centre for Academic Partnerships will maintain the link
between the University and the partner and act as sources of advice and are required to
notify the school and AQS of any significant operational difficulties which require urgent
resolution.
1.1
Recruitment, admissions and enrolment
Middlesex University Integrated Student Information System (MISIS), the corporate
database, can be accessed at https://misis.mdx.ac.uk/
Franchised and joint programmes
The link tutors should liaise mainly, and in the first instance, with the Admissions Office on
all admissions arrangements, and to agree procedures for UCAS and other clearing
house handbooks. Procedures should be agreed well before the intended start date and
before the final validation event.
Decisions on the admissions process should also involve the UG/PG Admissions Officer
in the Academic Registry (Admissions Office), Dean of School and/or Link
Tutors/Admissions Tutor and all counterparts at the partner institution. Careful
documentation of the communications network is most important. Specific areas to be
addressed and documented in the Memorandum of Co-operation include:
a. Entry criteria: these should be determined at validation to accord with Middlesex
University admissions regulations. Special attention should be drawn to the
requirements in paragraph B3 of the University admissions regulations for English
language qualifications from students whose first language is not English.
b. Application route: programmes which would normally recruit through a clearing house
should continue to do so via Middlesex University even if none of the programme is
taught at Middlesex University. Programmes recruiting direct should use Middlesex
University application forms or approved equivalents.
c. Procedures for processing applications will be agreed between the two institutions to
cover receipt and handling of forms, interview arrangements, communication with
applicants, and any clearing house requirements.
d. Admissions decisions should be made according to the agreed criteria by identified
personnel at either or both institutions. The Middlesex University Admissions
Tutor/Link Tutor has responsibility for ensuring adherence to procedures, deadlines
and criteria. Where staff at the partner institution are involved in admissions, they
should be made aware of the UCAS timetable, their responsibility in adhering to
deadlines and availability outside term-time as required. Terms of any articulation
agreements between the University and nominated schools and colleges will apply.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
Guidance 5(ix)
e. Data capture for the production of enrolment forms is required as for any Middlesex
University programme. For monitoring purposes in connection with the University's
equal opportunities policy, appropriate details from all applications are required to be
entered on MISIS. Where data is not input elsewhere, e.g. by UCAS, procedures
must be agreed, exploiting data transfer from the partner institutions wherever
possible. The Admissions Strategy and Technical Development Manager in the
Admissions Office is responsible for negotiating this process.
f. Student identification and qualification certificates must be verified at the point of
enrolment.
g. Data maintenance of franchised programme information will be the responsibility of
The Centre for Academic Partnerships, in liaison with MISIS team, Admissions Office
and the Data Administrators. This responsibility includes adding, deleting and
reviewing programme information as it changes for all online listings of Middlesex
University validated programmes
Validated/funded programmes
Where it is agreed between the partner and the University that applications are to be
made via UCAS the procedure outlined above should be followed. For direct applications
where the University is not involved in admissions arrangements a copy of every
completed application form should be forwarded to the UG/PG Admissions Officer in the
Academic Registry (Admissions Office), at Middlesex. Student identification and
qualification certificates must be verified at the point of enrolment.
For validated links, the recruitment and admission arrangements are the responsibility of
the institution. Student identification and qualification certificates must be verified at the
point of enrolment.
1.2
Registration and registration fees (validated programmes only)
a. The Institution Link Tutor or named student records contact at the partner institution
will be responsible for informing the Centre for Academic Partnerships – Partnership
Services of Middlesex University each year of the names of all newly-enrolled students
to be registered for the validated qualification.
b. This will include all year one students, all students who enrol with prior accreditation
directly into later years and all those students who have withdrawn subsequent to the
previous year's registration. It shall also include changes of programme for continuing
students.
c. This information should be provided within 4 weeks of the start of the programme in
the academic year.
d. Once received, the Centre for Academic Partnerships – Partnership Services will enter
all names on to a database and confirm all registrations back to the partner institution.
e. The registration information received from the partner institution will dictate the amount
to be invoiced in line with the financial annexe of the Memorandum of Co-operation
and the current ‘Fees for Collaborative Programmes’ paper. The Financial Services
(Income) department of Middlesex University will, as advised by the Head of
Partnership Services, issue the invoices within 6 weeks of the receipt of the student
registrations from the partner institution.
f. Where appropriate, Edexcel charges collected by the University shall be invoiced at
the same time.
g. Late notification by the partner institution of students registering shall result in an
additional charge as specified in the ‘Fees for Collaborative Programmes’ paper.
h. There shall be no refunds for students registered who eventually withdraw later than
the dates published in the ‘Fees for Collaborative Programmes’ paper (normally 6
weeks after the start of the programme).
i. All payments shall be made in £ sterling or Euros (where appropriate).
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
j.
Guidance 5(ix)
The University shall charge interest at the prevailing Bank of England base rate plus
2%, per month on outstanding balances from 30 days after the date of the invoice
1.3
Funding
The detailed financial arrangements for all collaborative links are documented in each
programme’s Memorandum of Co-operation – the financial annexe.
Franchised programmes
At institutions in England, franchised programmes that run on a full-time or sandwich basis
may be resourced as full-cost programmes. Arrangements for overseas or part-time
franchised programmes are more variable and are individually negotiated.
Joint and validated/funded programmes
Normally joint and validated/funded programmes offered with institutions in the UK are
funded via the mode of study (full-time, part-time, sandwich), where this is available,
unless they are full-cost programmes.
Validated programmes
Programmes are delivered and resourced by the Institution. The institution pays a fee
(‘Institution Charge’) for each student as set out by the ‘Fees for Collaborative
Programmes’ paper.
1.4
Enrolment, student records and grants (franchised and joint programmes
only)
Discussions on these aspects should involve mainly the Assistant Academic Registrar
(Student Records) and subsequently relevant School staff together with their
administrative counterparts at the partner institution.
Enrolment
a. Agreement is required on which institution will send enrolment information to
prospective students, with both parties providing documentation as required, e.g.
Middlesex University will provide term and semester dates.
b. Students on joint and franchised programmes are required to enrol at both
Middlesex University and the partner institution. Documentation requirements, e.g.
enrolment forms, student admission cards, notes for guidance, will be determined
by the Assistant Academic Registrar, Head of Student Records who will also be
responsible for training staff at partner institutions as necessary.
Student records
a. External data requirements (HESA, HESES, etc) will be returned by the Assistant
Academic Registrar (Student Records) of Middlesex University.
Edexcel (formerly BTEC) students will be registered by the Academic Registry
(Student Records) department of Middlesex University.
b. Much of the required student details information will already be on the database
entered via the admissions system. The appropriate (i.e. UK or international)
University Admissions Office is responsible for the collection/update of any missing
information. These will include credit and exemption awarded to students for
APL/APEL.
c. Forms will be provided by the school Student Office (managed by the Director of
Resources or nominee) for module choices to be recorded by the students. The
school Student Office will then enter these choices on the MISIS database. The
nominated Middlesex University Director of Resources or nominee and named
Student Records Administrator from the partner institution should liaise over this
matter.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
Guidance 5(ix)
d. Middlesex University on-line enrolment and student ID cards will be
administered/provided by the University.
e. The named student records administrator of the partner institution will notify the school
Student Office (Director of Resources or nominee) and/or Academic Registry (Student
Records) (depending on local arrangements) of withdrawals and changes of address,
etc).
f. Data /Assessment Administrators (working within the school Student Office) will be
responsible for entering assessment data for the collaborative link on MISIS. Data will
be provided by the secretary to the assessment board via the ULT.
g. The Academic Registry (Student Records) of Middlesex University will advise the
Student Loans Company of attendance for relevant students in the annual attendance
report.
h. Qualification diploma supplements will be provided by the school Student Office of
Middlesex University.
i. First destination survey statistics will be provided by the Careers Service of Middlesex
University.
1.5 Student loans/grants/hardship fund/access bursary/council tax
For programmes funded by HEFCE via Middlesex University the following will apply:
a. Any support payments made by the Student Loan Company, including those for
supplementary grants, are transferred direct to the students’ bank accounts by the
Student Loans Company.
b. The Academic Registry (Student Financial Support Office) is responsible for ensuring
accurate programme entries on the annual SLC HEI database.
c. Access to Learning Fund application forms to be forwarded to the Academic Registry
(Student Financial Support Office) of Middlesex University for consideration.
d. Council tax exemption form requests are ordered online via MISIS self-service.
Tuition fees
a. Collection of tuition fees will be undertaken by the Financial Services (Income)
department of Middlesex University when students enrol and are based at a Middlesex
University campus.
b. Middlesex University's Financial Services (Income) department will invoice sponsors
for fees for students based at a Middlesex University campus.
c. Middlesex University’s fee policy shall apply regarding the collection of tuition fees.
Where appropriate, the Head of Partnership Services in conjunction with the Financial
Services (Income) & (Payments) departments of Middlesex University will arrange for the
transfer of funds to, or the invoicing of the partner institution as detailed in the financial
annexe of the Memorandum of Co-operation.
1.6 Student records (validated/funded programmes only)
Discussions on these aspects should involve mainly the University Assistant Academic
Registrar (Student Records) and the Head of Partnership Services together with their
administrative counterparts at the partner institution.
a. External data requirements (HESA, HESES, etc) will be returned by the Assistant
Academic Registrar (Student Records) of Middlesex University.
b. Edexcel (formerly BTEC) students will be registered by the Academic Registry
(Student Records) of Middlesex University.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
Guidance 5(ix)
c. Partners are to provide details of all students for whom they wish to receive funding to
the University Academic Registry (Student Records)) within published time frames.
The following information shall be produced for each student:
 programme title
 year of attendance
 mode of attendance
 student Address
 student surname
 student forename(s)
 date of birth
 gender
 country of permanent residence
 residential category (UK,EU or overseas)
 fee payer
 country of birth
 nationality
 special needs declaration
 (at the end of the year) whether the student is ‘complete’ within the published
Hefce definitions
d. The named student records administrator of the partner institution will notify the
student records manager of the Academic Registry (Student Records) or nominee of
withdrawals and changes of address, etc, complete the bi-annual verification of
attendance return and the student progression return.
e. Academic Registry (Assessment and Conferment) will be responsible for entering the
relevant assessment data for validated/funded programmes on MISIS. Data will be
provided by the partner institution via the ULT.
f. The Academic Registry (Student Financial Support) of Middlesex University will advise
the Student Loans Company of attendance for relevant students in the annual
attendance report.
g. The Academic Registry (Student Records) section shall carry out periodic data
reviews of partner institutions to establish the accuracy of all data reported to
Middlesex University and to improve the relationships and procedures involved in data
retrieval and reporting.
h. Qualification diploma supplements for validated/funded programmes shall be provided
by the partner institution.
1.7
Access to University facilities
In preparation for validation, arrangements will be discussed regarding plans for the
development of resources in the partner institution and the University, the rights of access
to University facilities for staff and students on the programme (where appropriate),
communications and the development of links between Learning Resources and the
partner institution. The Memorandum of Co-operation will set out the agreement regarding
these issues, and be finalised at validation. The agreement will be subject to annual
review and will be confirmed to partner institutions in the form of student entitlement
sheets, appropriate for each type of collaborative programme, at the end of the academic
year for distribution to students for the following year.
Joint and franchised programmes
Access to University learning resources facilities is generally as per in-house provision
and each individual agreement will be set out in the Memorandum of Co-operation.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
Guidance 5(ix)
Validated, and validated/funded programmes
Students on UK-based validated/funded and validated collaborative programmes at
partners do not normally have access to University facilities unless specific arrangements
have been agreed between the institutions. The exact arrangements are set out in the
Memorandum of Co-operation.
1.8
Information provided to students
The Memorandum of Co-operation should be available for students to view at the partner
institution.
All students should be given access to the following:
 University regulations
 the programme handbook
 programme specification
Validated programme specifications must be updated annually and provided via the
University Link Tutor to the school for approval prior to the start of the academic year.
Partner institutions supported by the Centre for Academic Partnerships ensure that
programme handbooks are updated annually.
The programme specifications for joint and franchised collaborative programmes shall be
published on the University’s web site. Programme specifications for validated and
validated/funded collaborative programmes are publically available in a similar or other
suitable form.
1.9
Management of assessment
Collaborative partners are required to follow the University procedures for invigilation as
set out by Registry and accessible via the web at http://www.mdx.ac.uk/regulations. All
collaborative partners are also required to retain examination scripts and a sample of
other work as agreed with the school for a period of one academic year.
All programmes are also required to have appointed external examiners in accordance
with the procedure and guidelines set out in section 4.
Franchised programmes
Coursework and examination are set by the University. Coursework is normally marked by
the partner institution and moderated by the University. Examinations are marked and
moderated by the University.
The external examiner acting for the Middlesex programme will normally be appointed as
external examiner for all franchised programmes. All examinations and coursework shall
be reviewed by external examiners as per the University’s regulations.
Joint programmes
Coursework and examinations are set and marked by the module leader. Coursework
and/or examinations are moderated by the University.
The external examiner will be appointed by Middlesex to examine all modules whether
delivered at the University or the partner institution. All examinations and coursework shall
be reviewed by external examiners as per the University’s regulations.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
Guidance 5(ix)
Validated and validated/funded programmes
All assessment is written, undertaken, marked and moderated by the partner institution.
All examinations and coursework shall be reviewed by external examiners as per the
University regulations.
1.10
Registration of finalists
Franchised and joint programmes
For joint and franchised programmes, registration will be completed by Academic Registry
in liaison with administrative staff at the partner institution.
Validated programmes
The partner institution will provide registration information to the Centre for Academic
Partnerships.
1.11
Assessment boards
Joint and franchised programmes
Programme, progression and final year assessment is undertaken by the University
assessment boards. The composition of assessment boards is as set out in the University
regulations.
Validated and validated/funded programmes
Assessment boards take place at the partner institution. The composition of the
programme and progression boards is as set out in the programme handbook. The Centre
for Academic Partnerships will contact partner institutions to collect the assessment board
dates at the start of the academic year.
The programme and progression boards will normally be chaired by a member of the
senior staff of the partner institution. The chair of the finalist assessment board shall be
the University’s Deputy Dean, (or nominee). The approved nominee may include the
University Link Tutor, senior staff of the University, or after three years of operation senior
staff of the partner institution.
The conferment list confirmed by the partner institution’s assessment board must be
signed by the chair of programme assessment board and by the external examiner
appointed to the programme, wherever possible at the board or within 7 days.
The University Link Tutor is responsible for passing the decision of the programme
assessment board (in the form of a pass/conferment list) direct to the Head of Partnership
Services in the Centre for Academic Partnerships (for validated programmes) or the
Academic Registry (Assessment) of Middlesex University (for validated/funded
programmes) for the issuing of certificates. S/he should keep a copy in case of
subsequent queries. All conferment lists should be completed clearly and in accordance
the published conferment of finalists’ guidelines, available from the Centre for Academic
Partnerships.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
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Administrative and operational
procedures for collaborative programmes
1.12
Guidance 5(ix)
Certificates
Joint and franchised programmes
The Academic Registry (Assessment) of Middlesex University produces and sends out all
finalist certificates to students’ home addresses or to Partner Institutions for distribution.
Validated programmes
The Academic Registry (Assessment) of Middlesex University produces and the Centre
for Academic Partnerships – Partnership Services sends out all finalist certificates to the
nominated contact at the partner institution.
1.13
Publication of results
Joint and franchised programmes
For all students on joint and franchised programmes, publication of results will be done by
the relevant school Student Office in accordance with normal University procedures, i.e.
via MISIS following publication of results.
In addition, written notification of results (diploma supplement), following publication, will
be sent to students' home addresses or as negotiated with partner institutions. The
Director of Resources or nominee will liaise with their administrative counterparts at the
partner institution.
Validated programmes
For validated programmes, the partner institution will be responsible for the publication
and distribution of results as advised by the assessment board.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/guidance5ix.doc
2013/14