BOARD OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Undergraduate Studies held on 15 February 2016.
Present:
Professor R Leng (Chair), Dr D Britnell, Mr P Brown, Mr C Hindhaugh, Dr P Matthews,
Dr J Pearson, Dr T White, Dr D Wood.
In attendance: Mr D Brandist, Dr J Taylor.
Ms Y Salter Wright and Ms N Snodgrass Tan (for item 21/15-16).
Dr A Awesti and Dr J Harrison (for item 26/15-16).
Apologies:
Dr W Curtis (vice Dr F McKay), Professor P Corvi, Dr C Jenainati, Dr J Lee, Professor L Roberts.
15/15-16
Minutes
RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2015 be approved.
16/15-16
Matters Arising on the Minutes
(a) Institutional Teaching and Learning Review (minute 2(d)/15-16 refers)
RESOLVED:
The Board should await further details of the forthcoming institutional review of Teaching and
Learning, and then consider its appropriate involvement.
(b) Working Group on Scaling (minute 7(b)/15-16 refers)
RECEIVED:
An oral report from the Chair on the progress of the Working Group on Scaling.
(c) QAA Consultation on Degree Characteristics (minute 7(c)(ii)/15-16 refers)
REPORTED:
That, following a sector consultation in 2015, the QAA had published degree characteristics
statements for Masters and Foundation degrees as follows:
(i) All integrated Masters degrees align to the Masters Degree Characteristics Statement, as set
out in paper QAWG 4_15-16;
(ii) All foundation degrees align to the Foundation Degree Characteristics Statement as set out
in paper QAWG 5_15-16.
(d) HEAR – Section 6.1 Additional Information (minute 10(d)/15-16 refers)
REPORTED:
That the Chair has informed the School of Law of the Board’s concerns over the proposal for
the inclusion of a Law Personal Development Certificate in Section 6.1 of the HEAR (BUGS
minute 5/15-16 refers) and a revised proposal from the School was awaited.
(e) SSLC Undergraduate Annual Report (minute 11/15-16 refers)
CONSIDERED:
(i)
An oral report from the Chair outlining developments and responses from the relevant
offices within the University and noting that the Chair was in discussion with the
Teaching Quality Office who were currently investigating departmental practice in
relation to electronic submission of assessed work and the application of penalties for
late submission, with a view to determining whether clarification of the rules
concerning late submission penalties is required;
(ii)
A report from the Capital, Space and Amenities Group, from its meeting on 27 January
2016, considering space and timetabling issues raised by the SSLC (paper BUGS 13/1516).
RESOLVED:
(iii)
That the Board supported as best practice the use by academic departments of Tabula
or Moodle for the submission of assessed work, noting that electronic submission was
not appropriate for certain types of assessment;
(iv)
That departments be encouraged to consider the efficiencies to be gained by printing
hard copies of assessed work, if required, within departments following electronic
submission by students.
(f) Amendment to Regulation 11 of the Procedure to be adopted in the Event of Suspected
Cheating in a University Test (minute 12/15-16 refers)
REPORTED:
That the Academic Quality and Standards Committee at its meeting on 2 December 2015
(AQSC minute 39/15-16 refers) and the Senate, at its meeting on 27 January 2016 (Senate
minute XX/15-16 refers), had approved the recommendation made by the Board under BUGS
minute 12/15-16.
(g) Undergraduate External Examiner Reports 2014-15 (minute 13/15-16 refers)
REPORTED:
That the report from the Warwick Medical School on points raised by External Examiners for
the MBChB degree would be presented to the Board at its next meeting.
RECEIVED:
(i) An oral report from the Chair concerning the ongoing consideration of new External
Examiner reports received from D. Herd, N. Hewitt-Dundas, J. Holford, K. Hollingsworth, J.
Lamb and M. Peyerimhoff (paper BUGS 11/15-16).
(iii) An oral report from the Chair on the proposed Working Group on the 17-point marking
scale.
17/15-16
Chair’s Action
REPORTED:
That the Chair, acting on behalf of the Board had approved the following requests:
(a) A variation of assessment, on the grounds of disability, for a named student in the
Department of History, in that the three-hour examination in modules HI32G and HI323 be
reduced to two-hours, together with a 2000-word assessed essay for each module; module
HI33Q be assessed by a two-hour exam and a 4500-word essay (standard deadline applies);
and, module HI32J be assessed by a 9000-word dissertation (standard deadline applies).
(b) A variation of assessment, on the grounds of disability, for a named student in the
Department of History, in that the three-hour examination in modules HI323 and AM421 be
reduced to two-hours, together with a 2000-word assessed essay for each module (deadline
being 1 April 2016 for both modules).
18/15-16
New Courses of Study
RESOLVED:
(a) Centre for Lifelong Learning
Foundation Degree/BA Early Childhood
That the recommendation of the Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Board of
the Faculty of Social Sciences, from its meeting on 25 January 2016, that the proposal
to introduce the above named revised course, including an exit qualification of a
Certificate in Early Childhood, as set out in papers UFSS 39a-h/15/16, be approved.
(b) Centre for Applied Linguistics
BA Linguistics and English Language
That the recommendation of the Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Board of
the Faculty of Social Sciences, from its meeting on 25 January 2016, that the proposal
to introduce the above named new degree, as set out in papers UFSS 40/15-16 and
UFSS 41a-j/15-16, be approved.
(c) Psychology
BSc Psychology with Linguistics
That the recommendation of the Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Board of
the Faculty of Science, from its meeting on 3 February 2016, that the proposal to
introduce the above named course as set out in paper SUGS 21/15-16, be approved,
subject to the satisfactory clarification of the minor issues noted by the Undergraduate
Studies Committee of the Board of the Faculty of Science at its meeting.
19/15-16
Annual Course Review Summary Reports
RESOLVED:
(a) That the Faculty-level summaries of the annual course review reports for the Faculties of
Arts (paper AUSC 29/15-16), Science (paper SUGS 15/15-16) and Social Sciences (paper
UFSS 36/15-16), be approved.
(b) That the annual course reviews for MBChB (paper MUSC 25/15-16) and the Diploma in
Orthodontic Therapy (paper MUSC 26/15-16), be approved.
(c) That the Board noted the very positive responses by departments to SSLC
recommendations recorded in paper UFSS 36/15-16.
(d) That the Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Board of the Faculty of Arts be asked to
consider whether the low incidence of potential cases of cheating recorded by
departments in the Faculty of Arts compared to departments in other faculties might be
connected to the level of utilisation of electronic submission of assessed work by
departments in the Faculty.
20/15-16
First Year Board of Examiners Conventions
CONSIDERED:
A written report from the Chair and Secretary to the Board, in response to a recommendation
of the Undergraduate Appeals Committee of the Board of the Faculty of Science, from its
meeting on 10 November 2015, “That the Board of Undergraduate Studies consider further
clarification to sections 9 and 10 of the first Year Board of Examiners Conventions to ensure the
clear communication of requirements for both first attempt and resit examinations” (paper
BUGS 12/15-16).
RESOLVED:
That the conclusions of the Chair and Secretary as set out in paper BUGS 12/15-16 be
endorsed.
21/15-16
Student Discipline Framework Review
CONSIDERED:
An oral report from the Director of Delivery Assurance and Resolution, seeking the views of
members of the Board on the provisional statement of Expected Behaviour for students and its
supplemental information, as set out in paper BUGS 14/15-16.
RESOLVED:
That Board members be encouraged to submit any views on the provisional statement to the
Director of Delivery Assurance and Resolution, it being noted that another general consultation
session had been scheduled on Wednesday 24 February 2016, from 10am – 12 noon.
22/15-16
Role and remit of the Collaborative, Flexible and Distributed Learning Sub-Committee
REPORTED:
(a) That at its meeting on 12 November 2015, the Collaborative, Flexible and Distributed
Learning Sub-Committee had recommended that how best (and where) to both approve and
monitor courses involving (accredited and non-accredited) placements, be considered as part
of the wider review of Academic Governance, to commence in the Spring Term (CFDLSC
minute 8(j)/15-16 refers.)
(b) That at its meeting on 12 November 2015, the Collaborative, Flexible and Distributed
Learning Sub-Committee had resolved:
(i) That a proportionate process and policy for monitoring quality frameworks for placements
should be developed, that should take in to account:



the extent to which the host organisation is involved in assessments contributing
to the qualification(s) awarded by the University;
whether students supply or secure their own placement or professional practice
and whether the professional or industrial practice is being undertaken specifically
for the purposes of following a course of study;
requirements and obligations of professional, statutory and regulatory bodies
relevant to the placement itself and/or the partner organisation as a placement
provider;
(ii) That the Chair of the Committee and the Teaching Quality Office consider the matter
further and report the Committee’s resolutions as relevant, to the Boards of Undergraduate
and Graduate Studies and both groups reviewing course approval and annual course review
processes.
23/15-16
Revision to University Regulation 8.10
RECOMMENDED:
That the recommendation from the Faculty of Medicine Undergraduate Studies Committee for
revisions to University Regulation 8.10, as set out in paper MUSC 23/15-16, be approved.
24/15-16
Criteria and Approval Process for Undergraduate International Exchange Programmes
RECEIVED:
A paper from the Office of Global Engagement outlining the new criteria and approval process
for Undergraduate International Exchange Programmes (paper SUGS 18/15-16).
RESOLVED:
That the Office of Global Engagement be informed of the Board’s view that the University must
retain the possibility of permitting student placements on the basis of different criteria (e.g.
student electives on the MBChB, which are not always related to another higher education
institution or to the development of educational opportunity in the host country).
25/15-16
Institutional response to the TEF Green Paper
RECEIVED:
The University of Warwick response to the TEF Green Paper (paper BFS 18/15-16), it being
noted (as reported by the student representative present) that the Students’ Union regarded
as unacceptable the University’s position on withdrawal from the scope of the Freedom of
Information Act (response to Question 23 refers).
26/15-16
Use of Contextual Data in the Admissions Process
CONSIDERED:
A proposal from the University of Warwick Working Group on Admissions and Contextual Data,
to use contextual data in the admissions process, as outlined in paper BUGS 15/15-16,
together with an oral report from Dr A Awesti and Dr J Harrison.
RESOLVED:
(a) That the proposal from the University of Warwick Working Group on Admissions and
Contextual Data, as outlined in paper BUGS 15/15-16, be supported, it being noted that
the Working Group would in due course present a report on proposed operational detail;
(b) That the Board would encourage the University to prioritize making IT solutions available
to departments to support the use of contextual data in the admissions process.
27/15-16
Directors of Undergraduate Studies lunch - Spring Term
REPORTED:
That the Directors of Undergraduate Studies spring term lunch would take place on Monday 14
March 2016, from 12 noon to 2 pm, in room CMR 1.0, University House, it being noted that the
Chair intended to discuss, inter alia, (i) proposals to reformulate the current approved Marking
Scale, and (ii) departmental practice relating to the discussion of external examiners’ reports in
SSLC and/or other fora.
jat/16.02.16