Organisation and Management
benchmarking tool
Principle
Practice
Underdeveloped
Developing
Satisfactory
Enhanced
Outstanding practice
Partnership
Decisions about course organisation and
management are made by committees
with no students on, or are seen as
administrative processes with no need for
student input.
Course organisation and management
issues are discussed at staff-student liaison
committees, but largely as informative
updates from staff rather than seeking
students’ views. Student representation
often feels tokenistic rather than
meaningful.
Academic staff and student feedback
is usually sought when decisions are
made about course organisation and
management, and staff and students’
concerns are often addressed. The degree
of commitment to partnership decisionmaking varies across the institution.
Staff and students have meaningful
dialogue about organisation and
management issues in most, if not all,
departments, and tangible changes are
made as a result of these conversations.
There is some strategic collaboration
between the institution and its students’
union to help facilitate this.
Students are treated as partners with
academic staff and are genuinely
involved in every decision that affects
their experience, whatever level or
department of the institution the decision
is made. The institution and students’
union’s relationship is strong and clearly
articulated, taking a strategic approach to
partnership decision-making throughout
the institution.
Consistent
processes
Processes and procedures vary widely
across the institution, including within the
same department.
Processes and procedures are broadly
consistent within departments.
Processes and procedures are broadly
consistent across the institution, although
combined students may face some
problems.
Processes and procedures are broadly
consistent for every student.
Processes and procedures are consistent
and accessible for every student
throughout their course.
Designed around
the needs of
academic staff
and students
Administrative processes and procedures
are confusing and inaccessible to many
students and staff.
Administrative processes and procedures
are not usually designed around the needs
of academic staff or students, although
some complaints may be responded to.
Student feedback is sometimes sought
and acted upon to improve administrative
processes and procedures.
Processes and procedures are designed
in order to facilitate academic staff and
students, and are regularly reviewed in light
of student and staff feedback.
There are regular opportunities to develop
and amend processes and procedures
in partnership with staff. The needs of
students and teachers take priority when
designing processes and procedures.
Clearly
signposted and
widely
understood
Little information is available to help
students navigate their way through the
administration and many are unclear who to
contact to find out.
Information about processes and
procedures is available, but may be hidden
in a handbook or confusingly written.
Students may be referred between
departments or services more than once
before their problem is solved.
Information is usually clear and available,
if not actively promoted. Most staff can
successfully direct students to the person,
department or service who can help them.
Clear and accessible information is
available and promoted to students, who
understand the procedures they need to
follow.
All staff and students understand the
processes and procedures they need to
engage with, and know who to contact to
find out more. They are also aware of how
changes are made in partnership between
staff and students.
Quality learning
spaces
Learning spaces are frequently the wrong
size or layout, and often inaccessible.
Rooms are often found messy or wrongly set
up. Ambient factors such as temperature,
lighting and smell are variable and may not
be conducive to learning.
Learning spaces are usually accessible
although may not be the most appropriate
space for certain types of learning.
Learning spaces generally fit the needs of
students and teaching staff, including those
with disabilities.
There are a variety of different types of
learning space tailored to different types
of learning.
Each learning space is suitably and
adequately equipped to best facilitate the
type of learning that will happen within it.
Appropriate
resources and
technology
Technology is often not provided, out of
date or broken, and resources such as lab
equipment or computers are scarce.
Some working technology is provided and
resources are often available, but nobody
seems to know who to contact if they’re not.
Adequate resources for learning are
provided and usually in good working order.
Appropriate technology is present in most
of the rooms and it is clear who to contact if
it isn’t working.
Each is equipped with the resources
and technology required, and this is well
maintained and promptly repaired if broken.
Appropriate technology and resources are
always provided and well maintained.
Student
and staff
involvement
There is little or no student or teaching staff
involvement in decisions around facilities.
Students and staff raise issues about
facilities but they are often not addressed or
take a long time to be resolved.
Student and staff complaints about
facilities are usually addressed when raised.
Students and staff are proactively asked for
feedback on facilities and their issues are
nearly always addressed promptly.
Students and teaching staff are fully
involved in the planning and evaluation
of learning spaces and new facilities are
designed primarily to fit their needs.
Accessibility is not a consideration when
planning the course, meaning that it may be
physically impossible to attend all contact
sessions due to poor timing or location.
Learning resources and course documents
are not available in any other formats.
Administrative processes are confusing and
may actively disadvantage some groups of
students.
It is possible for students to attend all
compulsory elements of their course,
although some processes, procedures and
resources may be inaccessible to some
students. There is little conscious thought
given to making programmes accessible to
all students, and the response to reported
accessibility problems is patchy and ad hoc.
Accessibility is considered during the
design stage of each programme, although
some processes may be “standard” and
not changeable. Learning resources are
available in alternative formats on request,
although procedures for accessing these
may be unclear to students. Accessibility
issues are usually responded to quickly
and fed into the next year of planning and
course design.
The department or institution sets clear
minimum standards for accessibility which
are adhered to by each programme team.
These cover the format and availability
of resources; processes and procedures;
timings of contact sessions; facilities
and buildings. Different access needs are
responded to promptly and no student is
disadvantaged by their access needs.
Accessibility and the needs of students
are of paramount importance whenever
decisions are made about organisational
issues. Timings of contact sessions are
decided in partnership with students to be
as accessible as possible for their cohort.
All learning resources and organisational
processes are easily accessible to all
students, and regularly reviewed in
partnership with students.
Minimal costs
Students are expected to pay substantial
additional costs in order to undertake core
learning activities that are essential to their
course.
Costs are often associated with
administrative processes. Students with
less available income may feel some
disadvantaging effects and a poorer quality
experience as a result of these costs.
Students are able to participate in all
essential and most optional activities
that form a core part of their course,
either through reducing costs or providing
bursaries. Some thought has been given
to advancing equality of opportunity with
relation to course costs.
Costs are consciously minimised or
mitigated with bursaries so that all students
can enjoy the same quality of educational
experience. No costs are associated with
processes: all additional costs are to
improve the learning experience.
Any additional costs are extremely minimal
(or very well mitigated by good bursary
provision) and fully justified. No student
receives a lower quality education or a
lower grade because of their income.
Appropriate
information and
decision-making
Hidden course costs are not communicated
to students, and may have substantial
disadvantaging effects on students’ ability
to succeed or stay on the course.
Most essential costs are communicated
to students in advance, although they
may be surprised with hidden fees for resit
exams or course materials that were not
communicated at application or module
selection stage.
Particularly large potential costs are
drawn to students’ attention at application
or module selection stage, and usually
justified. Available bursaries are publicised,
although in a different place.
All additional costs are made clear to
students on application, and the cost
implications of various choices within the
course are clearly articulated. Information
about bursaries is clearly signposted from
course pages or handbooks.
All additional costs are fully articulated
to all prospective and current students.
Decisions about changes that could incur
costs are taken in partnership between
staff and students, with accessibility and
equality of opportunity as paramount
considerations.
Information and
documentary
resources
Essential information may be unavailable to
students before they begin their course or
module, leaving them unprepared and with
little prior knowledge about what they will
be studying. Resources such as required
reading materials are poorly signposted,
hard to find and inaccessible.
Key information such as the course
handbook, reading lists and key contacts
are usually available before students start
their course/module, although they may be
out of date, in a less accessible format or
hard to find.
Key information such as the course
handbook, reading lists and key contacts
are easily accessible as soon as students
begin their course or module.
Virtual Learning
Environment
(VLE)
The VLE is rarely updated or not used.
The VLE is used but takes a while to be
updated and merely duplicates content
students already have in the most part.
The VLE is generally kept up to date, and
resources are either located in the VLE or
signposted clearly from it. The VLE does
more than act as a document repository:
tutors may use it for online discussions and
to share links.
All the information students need is easily
accessible to them before they begin the
course or module, and helps them to make
informed choices. Resources such as links
to required reading articles or to the library
catalogue are included in the VLE, which
is updated at least weekly and used in a
dynamic way.
Students have all the information and
resources they need at the time when
it is necessary for them to have it. This
is decided as a result of conversations
between staff and students about what
should be provided when, and in what way.
All information and resources are up to date
and easily accessible.
Timetabling
Timetabling of contact sessions and
assessments often results in clashes, back
to back sessions, extremely long breaks
between sessions or adjacent sessions in
locations that are not close together.
Timetable or assessment clashes are
infrequent for many students, although
joint honours students suffer from their
departments’ poor communication.
Departments and central services mostly
liaise effectively to ensure there are no
clashes in timetables, assessments or
professional/ vocational course elements.
Each programme is designed from a
student-centred perspective, ensuring
that timetabling of contact sessions and
assessments allows for adequate breaks
and travel time. This includes the particular
needs of part-time students.
The needs of students and teaching staff
take the highest priority when making
decisions around course structure, and
staff and students are fully involved in these
decisions.
Distribution of
workload
Little thought has been given to workload
distribution, meaning clustering of
deadlines is common. Distribution of credits
or modules may be uneven throughout
the year.
Generally the distribution of credits or
modules is fairly even throughout the year,
although there is still some clustering of
deadlines at particular times of the year.
Workloads and credits/modules are usually
evenly distributed across the year, although
joint honours students occasionally have
problems.
All programmes, including part time and
joint honours, have workloads spread
evenly across the year, with no clustering
of deadlines.
Students can see clear pathways through
their programme, with module progression
and assessments planned to build on those
preceding to form a coherent, holistic
course structure.
Information
Little information is made available to
students before they make choices.
Some information about the content and
delivery of modules or pathways is available
to students before they make choices,
although it may not be up-to-date or
accessible.
Up-to-date, useful information about
the content and delivery of modules or
pathways is available and accessible to
students before they make choices.
Detailed, up-to-date information about
the content and delivery of modules or
pathways, as well as prerequisites and
progression opportunities, are available in
advance of students’ decision-making.
High quality information, including
feedback from students, is provided well in
advance of students’ decision-making. The
information provided is regularly reviewed
by staff and students.
Selection
Processes for selecting choices are opaque
and often unfair.
Some thought has been given to making the
selection process fair and transparent, but
often this is not the case.
Processes for selecting choices are broadly
fair and equitable.
Processes for selecting choices are fair,
equitable and transparent, and students are
helped to navigate them.
Decisions around pathways are made in
partnership with personal tutors as part
of students’ overall personal development
plan.
Flexibility
There is no flexibility to change options after
selection. No opportunities are available to
take options from outside students’ home
department.
Options may be changed, but the process to
do so is confusing and unclear to students.
Students are usually limited to modules
within their home department.
There is some flexibility to change options
after selection, and this is made clear to
students. There are limited opportunities to
take modules from outside students’ home
department.
There is considerable flexibility to change
and refine choices, and students may
choose modules from a range of disciplines.
Guidance is available to help students
shape their pathway.
Students are fully supported to make
choices around pathways, including
selecting course elements from other
departments and changing options after
selection.
Accessibility
Little thought has been given to
accessibility when approving placements.
Placements are often inaccessible to many
students due to location or affordability.
Some thought is given to accessibility when
approving placements, although some
placements may be less accessible due to
location or affordability.
Accessibility is always considered when
approving placements. The location of
placements is accessible most of the time.
Accessibility is a key concern when
approving placements, and the vast
majority of placements are accessible.
Some support is available to students to
reduce the costs of the placement.
All placements are accessible in terms
of location and affordability. Placement
approval is conducted in partnership
between staff and students.
Learning
Placements may not be relevant to the
course being studied, and students learn
little from them.
Placements are usually relevant to the
course and students learn from them,
although this is not formally structured.
Placements are linked to the learning
objectives of the course. Students formally
reflect on their learning at the end of the
placement.
Placements are an integral part of the
course’s learning objectives. Students
reflect on their learning at regular points
throughout the placement.
Support
Students have no formal links with the
university/college whilst they are on
placement.
Students are able to contact the university/
college whilst on placement but may not
have dedicated placement support.
Students have a named point of contact
in the university/college who makes
occasional proactive contact with the
student.
Students have a named point of contact in
the university/college who makes regular
proactive contact with the student.
Students are supported by a tutor
throughout the placement, who not
only helps to resolve issues but actively
facilitates the student’s learning whilst on
placement. Contact is regular, proactive
and dialogic. Students fully understand how
the learning from their placement fits into
their course as a whole.
Unplanned
changes, e.g.
staff sickness,
room changes
Unplanned changes significantly impact
students’ experiences. They occur
frequently and are not dealt with in a timely
fashion.
Unplanned changes, although infrequent,
do impact students’ experiences. Response
time may be slow and communication is
poor.
Unplanned changes are usually responded
to quickly and students’ experiences are
occasionally impacted in a minor way.
Unplanned changes are quickly
communicated to students and wherever
possible alternative arrangements are
made. Negative impacts are minimised.
Planned
changes, e.g.
course
structure,
curriculum
design, course
closure
Major changes that should be planned are
not. These changes significantly impact
students’ experiences.
Most major changes are planned,
although the execution may be poor and
students’ experiences may be impacted.
Communication around changes is poor
and there is little opportunity for student
and staff consultation.
Major changes are well planned in order
to have little negative impact on current
and future students’ experiences.
Communication of changes is usually
timely, and there has been some
opportunity for student and staff
consultation.
Major changes are well planned and
regularly reviewed to ensure students’
experiences are not negatively affected.
Communication between staff and students
is dialogic rather than consultative.
1
Partnership
decision-making
2
Consistent,
accessible
processes and
procedures
(such as handing
in work, filing
mitigation,
choosing
options, being
issued reading
lists)
3
Facilities
equipped and
accessible for
learning
4
Accessible
approach to
organisation and
management
5
Additional
course costs
are minimised or
mitigated
6
Availability of
relevant
information and
resources
7
Studentcentred course
structuring
8
Selection
of options/
choices/
modules
9
Partnership
approach to
placements
10
Management of
changes
All major changes are well planned, part of
a broader strategy and regularly reviewed
in partnership between students and staff.
There is a strategy in place for responding
to unplanned changes which is also
regularly reviewed by students and staff.
Full partnership decision-making between
staff and students lies at the core of the
institution’s change management strategy.
Organisation and Management
benchmarking tool
This benchmarking tool, produced collaboratively by NUS and
the Student Engagement Partnership, aims to improve the
organisation and management of higher education courses.
It can be used by course leaders, heads of administration,
students’ unions or course representatives to benchmark
practice within higher education providers against ten
principles of good organisation and management.
These principles are based around NUS’s 2011 Charter on
Course Organisation and Management, but have been updated
in order to reflect the changing needs of a new cohort of
students. The tool has been shaped primarily by elected student
officers, with input from both the Higher Education Academy
and the Association of University Administrators.
10
1
2
Principles of Effective Course Organisation and
Management
Partnership decision-making
The principle that students should be partners in the organisation
and management of their course.
Consistent, accessible processes and procedures
The principle that course organisation and management processes
and procedures should be accessible for students and be of a
consistent standard within each pathway/course/department.
Where practicable this should apply across the institution
(particularly for combined students)
How to use the tool
You can use the tool at a course, departmental, faculty or whole institution
level. Read each of the principles, and decide which of the boxes best
describes where you think your institution is. Some of the principles have
different aspects of practice associated with them: you may wish to
take an average of the scores for each principle, or treat each aspect of
practice separately.
3
4
Accessible approach to organisation and management
The principle that organisation and management should) never
prevent a student from fully participating in every aspect of their
course. The institution should ensure that students can make
informed decisions from application and throughout their course.
5
Additional course costs are minimised or mitigated
The principle that students should be fully informed about all costs
associated with their course, and that steps are taken to minimise
or mitigate any additional costs.
6
Availability of relevant information and resources
The principle that information and resources for learning and
development should be appropriate and provided in an accessible
and timely manner.
7
Student centred course structuring
The principle that teaching staff and student needs should take
the highest priority when making decisions about timetabling,
assessments and creating options and modules. Students’
workloads and time commitments should be fairly distributed
throughout the year. Where students study across multiple
departments/institutions, care should be taken to avoid clashes
in timetables, assessments and professional/vocational course
elements.
8
Selection of options/choices and modules
The principle that the module selection process should be clear,
transparent and fair to all students, with the maximum possible
amount of information being shared with students before they
make their selections.
9
Partnership approach to placements
The principle that the organisation and management of
professional placements should, as far as possible, be
transparently planned and implemented in partnership with each
individual learner. There should be communication between the
key contact at the institution and at the placement. The student
should be appropriately supported throughout.
10
Management of changes
The principle that any changes to students’ learning experiences
should be managed in full consultation with students in order to
minimise any negative impact on their learning.
Once you’ve mapped out your current level, you may wish to choose a couple
of priority areas to work towards achieving the next level. The tool is a good
starting point for discussions between staff and students about how you can
work together to improve feedback and assessment.
You could also share practice with other willing departments, institutions or
unions, perhaps on a regional basis or by mission group. You can learn from
institutions that benchmark themselves higher than yours: what good practice
could you borrow and adapt? If they’ve recently made changes, what were the
challenges they faced?
Things to bear in mind
Each of the “outstanding” practices involve staff and students working in
partnership. This partnership needs to be meaningful in order to work, which
means that both groups must listen and be willing to compromise. Some of the
principles may be mutually incompatible in some institutions: for example, it
may not be possible to achieve “outstanding” in both facilities for learning and
student-centred course structuring if the institution cannot afford to renovate
all its buildings. Have honest conversations about what is and isn’t possible.
Make sure you are including the right people in your conversations: academic
staff have control over some aspects of organisation and management, whilst
much control is held by departmental or central administrative staff. Some
practices are easily changed locally, whilst others require a more wholeinstitution approach
You may not be able to achieve “outstanding” in everything at once. Decide
where best to target your resources: do you want to work hard to get one
particular area to “outstanding”, or do you want to spend that time getting
three or four areas up one level from their current position? Are there
specific departments you want to work with, or is a central minimum standard
what is required?
You may disagree with some of the levels in the benchmarking tool – and
that’s OK! The tool was created collaboratively by student officers, based
on principles put together from research into what students value in terms
of organisation and management. This doesn’t mean it will work at every
institution. Feel free to tweak it or build on it to make it more relevant to the
context of your institution. You could use it to start a conversation between
staff and students – what can you take from the tool and use to enhance the
course organisation and management at your institution?
If you have any questions, please contact nss@nus.org.uk.
Facilities equipped and accessible for learning
The principle that every space in which teaching/learning/
development takes place should be fully and appropriately
equipped and accessible for students.