UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
BOARD OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Undergraduate Studies held on Monday 28 th October
2002.
Present:
Professor J Jones (in the Chair), Professor R Burns, Dr K Flint, Mr T Kwok, Mr
R Leng, Dr G Martin, Professor A McFarlane, Professor S Petersen,
Professor A Phizaklea, Mr A Reiss
Apologies:
Professor T Bugg, Dr J Burrows, Dr R Naylor, Professor M Whitby
In Attendance: Dr D Petley (for item 13/02-03(b) only), Mr N Hull, Dr J Taylor
01/02-03
Terms of Reference
REPORTED:
(a)
That the Terms of Reference of the Board were as follows (revisions since
2001/2002 are shown in italics):
(i)
To consider and make recommendations to the Academic and Quality
Standards Committee on issues relating to the assurance and
enhancement of the quality of learning and teaching across all
undergraduate provision.
(ii)
To make recommendations to the Senate, after consultation with
academic departments and the Faculty Boards, on all matters
affecting undergraduate study in the University including strategic
considerations.
(iii)
To scrutinise all new undergraduate course proposals and report to
the Academic Quality and Standards Committee on consideration of
such proposals.
(iv)
To consider reports from the Faculty Boards on the periodic reviews
of undergraduate courses.
(v)
To advise the Academic Quality and Standards Committee on matters
relating to examinations in undergraduate courses.
(vi)
To advise the Academic Quality and Standards Committee on the role
of internal and external examiners for undergraduate degrees.
(vii)
To report to the Academic Quality and Standards Committee annually
on the issues raised in reports by external examiners.
(viii)
To consider submissions from the Faculty Boards for non-standard
examination methods, including seen papers, open-book
examinations and reading times, and to make recommendations to
the Academic Quality and Standards Committee.
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(b)
(ix)
To exercise delegated powers on behalf of the Academic Quality and
Standards Committee in approving, on personal grounds, minor
variations in the arrangements for the sitting of undergraduate
examinations by individual students.
(x)
To consider all matters affecting admissions practices and policy and
make recommendations to the Academic Standards and Quality
Committee.
That the Senate, at its meetings on 4 July 2001 and 2 nd October 2002,
approved the terms of reference under (a) above and had also resolved:
That the responsibility for consideration and approval of four-year
undergraduate Masters courses lie primarily with the Board of Undergraduate
Studies.
02/02-03
Membership 2002/2003
REPORTED:
That the Senate, at its meeting of 2 nd October 2002, had approved the membership of
the Board of Undergraduate Studies for the academic year 2002/2003 as follows:
Chair (a Pro-Vice-Chancellor)
Two full-time members of the
academic staff from each of the
Faculties or Arts, Science and Social
Studies appointed by the Senate:
Arts
Science
Social Studies
One full-time member of staff from
the Faculty of Medicine appointed by
the Senate
One member of the Board of
Graduate Studies appointed by the
Senate
The Chairs of the Undergraduate
Studies Committees of the Boards of
the Faculties of Arts and Social
Studies and the Chair of the SubFaculty of Science
Arts
Science
Social Studies
Two members nominated by the
Union of Students
03/02-03 06/02-03
First Appointed
2002
Professor J Jones
2002
2001
2002
2002
2002
2002
2001
Professor M Whitby
Professor R Burns
Professor T Bugg
Dr G Martin
Mr R Leng
Professor A Phizacklea
Professor S Petersen
2002
Dr J Burrows
2001
2001
2001
2002
Professor A McFarlane
Dr K Flint
Dr R Naylor
Mr T Kwok
2002
Mr A Reiss
Reserved Items
See separate minutes (attached) for academic members of the Board only.
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07/02-03
Minutes
RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the last meeting of the Board held on 6th June 2002 be approved.
08/02-03
Matters Arising on the Minutes
REPORTED:
(a)
New Degree Courses (minute BUGS30/01-02(a)&(b) refer)
That the Senate, at its meeting of 3rd July 2002, had approved the Board’s
recommendations under the following minutes:
(i)
(ii)
(b)
87/01-02(d)(ii) – MChem in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry with
Industrial Training as set out in Paper SFS50/01-02;
87/01-02(d)(iii) – BA in Law and Business Studies (3 year) (QD) and
BA in Law and Business Studies (4 year) (QD) as set out in Paper
UFSS97/01-02.
Periodic Review of Computer Science and Computer Systems Engineering
(minute BUGS31/01-02 refers)
That the Academic Quality and Standards Committee, at its meeting of 12 th
June 2002, had resolved that:
(c)
(i)
the report of the Periodic Review of Computer Science and Computer
Systems Engineering, as set out in Paper BFS29/01-02, be approved;
(ii)
it was the view of the Committee that the Department’s response to
the report, as set out in paper BFS30/01-02, was inadequate as a
statement of how the Department intended to address the issues and
recommendations raised in the report;
(iii)
the Committee approved the recommendation of this Board that the
formal response to the Review report from the Department of
Computer Science be revised to include further details of the steps
that will be taken to implement the recommendations of the report and
a suggested time frame in which they will be carried out.
Regulation 9.3 (minute BUGS32/01-02 refers)
That the Senate, at its meeting of 3rd July 2002, had recommended that
Regulation 9.3 governing the degree of BSc and undergraduate Masters’
degrees in science (except for Engineering) be amended to allow the Boards
of Examiners to require to withdraw students who have failed necessary
laboratory work, as set out in Paper SFS76/01-02.
(d)
Regulation 9.5 (minute BUGS33/01-02 refers)
That the Academic Quality and Standards Committee, at its meeting of 12 th
June 2002, had recommended that Regulation 9.5 governing the degree of
BA (leading to Qualified Teacher Status) be amended as set out in Paper
UFSS95/01-02.
(e)
Appeals Regulations (minutes BUGS34/01-02 refers)
That the Academic Quality and Standards Committee, at its meeting of 12 th
June 2002, had recommended that the amendment to the appeals process
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for undergraduate and postgraduate courses to take into account the Human
Rights Act and related legislation, as set out in Paper BUGS8/01-02, be
approved.
09/02-03
Chair’s Action
REPORTED:
That the Chair, acting on behalf of the Board, had approved a proposal from the
Warwick Business School for the addition of reading time to the module Forecasting
(IB3210), as set out in paper BUGS07/02-03.
10/02-03
Chair’s Business
REPORTED:
That a review of the undergraduate curriculum, as established by the Steering
Committee at its meeting of 7th August 2002, would commence shortly.
11/02-03
New Degree Course
CONSIDERED:
The recommendation of the Board of the Faculty of Social Studies, at its meeting of
16th October 2002, that the proposal from the Centre for Lifelong Learning for a new
Foundation Degree in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, be approved as set
out in paper UFSS14/02-03 subject to amendments so that the Learning Outcomes
are ‘demonstrated’ rather than ‘developed’ (section 9) and clarification is provided of
the monitoring and evaluation processes, to include arrangements for the
establishment of an SSLC (section 13).
RECOMMENDED:
That the proposal from the Centre for Lifelong Learning for a new Foundation Degree
in Post-Compulsory Education and Training be approved subject to the amendments
requested by the Board of the Faculty of Social Studies and to the Centre for Lifelong
Learning being asked to ensure:
(a)
the provision of more detailed learning outcomes in section nine of the course
proposal form;
(b)
the satisfactory completion of sections 10 and 11.
RESOLVED:
That the Chair, be empowered to approve the above amendments on the Board’s
behalf.
12/02-03
Composite Reports of the Undergraduate Staff-Student Liaison Committees
CONSIDERED:
The Composite Reports of the Undergraduate Staff-Student Liaison Committees
(2001/2002) from:
(a)
the Faculty of Arts (Paper BFA23/01-02);
(b)
the Faculty of Science (Paper SFS75/01-02);
(c)
the Faculty of Social Studies (Paper UFSS20/02-03).
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RECOMMENDED:
That the composite reports be approved, as set out in papers BFA23/01-02,
SFS75/01-02 and UFSS20/01-02.
13/02-03
Undergraduate Admissions
CONSIDERED:
(a)
A proposal from the Leicester-Warwick Medical School to waive the English
Language requirements of the University for overseas applicants who have
appropriate dentistry qualifications (Paper BUGS08/02-03).
(b)
A proposal from the School of Engineering to consider students from the
Hong Kong Institutes of Vocational Education for direct entry into year two of
their undergraduate programmes (Paper BUGS09/02-03).
(c)
A report from the Undergraduate Admissions Office regarding the newly
introduced Ontario Secondary School Diploma and their recommendations for
the baseline level for offers of admission (Paper BUGS12/02-03).
RESOLVED:
14/02-03
(d)
That the proposal from the Leicester-Warwick Medical School to waive the
English Language requirements of the University for overseas applicants who
have appropriate dentistry qualifications be approved as set out in paper
BUGS08/02-03, subject to the careful monitoring by the Leicester-Warwick
Medical School of students admitted with such qualifications.
(e)
That the proposal from the School of Engineering to consider students from
the Hong Kong Institutes of Vocational Education for direct entry into year two
of their undergraduate programmes be approved as set out in paper
BUGS09/02-03.
(f)
That the Chair would seek further clarification from the Assistant Registrar
(Undergraduate Admissions) regarding the proposal for the setting of a
baseline level for offers of admission from students with the new Ontario
Secondary School Diploma and that the Chair be empowered to consider the
proposal on behalf of the Board.
(g)
That the Assistant Registrar (Undergraduate Admissions) be requested to
attend future meetings of the Board of Undergraduate Studies if an item
regarding undergraduate admissions practice is on the agenda.
Report from the Sub-Faculty of Science
CONSIDERED:
A report from the 16th October 2002 meeting of the Sub-Faculty of Science (Paper
BUGS10/02-03) concerning its recommendations regarding:
(a)
the timing of the first meetings of the Sub-Faculty of Science and the Board of
Undergraduate Studies;
(b)
a proposal from the School of Engineering to discontinue BEng and MEng
degrees in Electrical Engineering after the 2003 intake (Paper SFS07/02-03,
copy attached).
RECOMMENDED:
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(c)
That the proposal from the School of Engineering to discontinue their BEng
and MEng degrees in Electrical Engineering after the 2003 intake be
approved as set out in paper SFS07/02-03.
RESOLVED:
(d)
15/02-03
That the Board consider further the timings of the first meetings of the SubFaculty of Science and the Board of Undergraduate Studies once staff
responsible for the timetabling of University Committees have been
consulted, such that if possible:
(i)
the first meeting of the Sub-Faculty of Science occurs later than week
three of the first term to allow departments in the faculty more time to
prepare papers;
(ii)
the first meeting of the Board of Undergraduate Studies be scheduled
at an appropriate time to allow all its business to proceed efficiently
through the committee structure.
The format for the transfer of marks
RECEIVED:
An oral report from the Secretary to the Board on the issue of the format for the
transfer of marks between departments.
RESOLVED:
That the Secretary to the Board write to all Chairs of Departments and Examinations
Secretaries reiterating the University regulation that marks must be transferred in
written form and be hand-delivered, it being noted that the use of e-mail is acceptable
providing both the sender and the recipient use their official University e-mail
addresses.
16/02-03
Warwick Skills Programme
RESOLVED:
That this item be deferred to the next meeting of the Board.
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