APPENDIX 1: ANNUAL OPERATIONAL AGREEMENT
TEMPLATE
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
ADQE (PARTNERSHIP) OFFICE
ANNUAL OPERATIONAL AGREEMENT
2015/16
with * Name of Partner Institution *
Service
Service Level Provision
Partner’s Responsibilities
Provision of Calendar of
To provide, prior to the start of the
To provide to the University the
Business 2015/16
autumn term, an accurate Calendar of
required documentation and
Business relating to partnership activity other material described in the
for 2015/16.
Calendar of Business by the
dates specified and to provide
to the external examiner the
relevant information set out in
the Partner Handbook 2015/16.
Partner Handbook
To provide to the partner institution a
To take account of the
revised and updated version of the
procedures, policies and so on
Partner Handbook prior to the
contained within the Partner
beginning of the academic year.
Handbook and ensure all
relevant staff are conversant
with the content.
Appointment of external
To administer fully the appointment of
To provide to the University at
examiner(s) and related
new external examiners, and the
least four months before the
administration
continuing appointment of ongoing
end of an external examiner’s
examinerships, prior to the start of the
tenure a completed nomination
academic year.
form for a replacement
examiner.
External examiner report
To receive the annual external
To receive the electronic report
administration and follow- examiner reports via the office of the
and to produce an action plan
up
Vice-Chancellor (VC). An
based on the external
acknowledgement will be sent to the
examiner’s comments. The
examiner by the University on behalf of report, response(s) to the
the VC. The ADQE (Partnership) Office external examiner(s) and
will send an electronic copy to the
associated action plan will be
partner institution and will arrange for
appended to the Annual
the payment of the external examiner’s Monitoring Report (2014/15),
fee normally within 4 weeks of
which will be submitted to the
receiving the report and it being judged ADQE (Partnership) Office in
to be suitable. Any significant issues
December 2015. This report will
identified by the University within
be considered by CPC in
reports will be discussed with the Pro-
February.
Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for
collaborative provision and, where
appropriate, followed up with the
partner institution.
Student handbooks
HE Committee minutes
Operational meetings
To receive and review the student
To provide electronic copies of
handbooks for the 2015/16 academic
student handbooks for each
year.
validated course.
To receive copies of minutes (or
To provide ADQE with copies
extracts of minutes) of committee
of the minutes of the committee
meetings where HE matters relating to
where HE matters are
Sussex-validated courses are
discussed, particularly Sussex
discussed and decisions made. These
validated courses. Copies
may be shared with Collaborative
should be sent in a timely
Provision Committee.
fashion.
To organise regular operational
To contribute to the drawing up
meetings to be held at either institution, of the meetings’ agendas, to
by agreement. The University will
produce alternately the notes of
contribute to the drawing up of the
the meetings and to follow up
meetings’ agendas, will produce
on relevant action points to the
alternately the notes of the meeting
agreed timescale.
and will follow up on relevant action
points to the agreed timescale.
Organisation and
To provide a comprehensive,
To work with the University in
servicing of the Steering
professional service in the setting up
agreeing a date for the
Group meeting(s)
and administering of the partnership’s
meeting(s), the list of members
Steering Group meeting(s).
and the meeting’s agenda and
to follow up on relevant action
points to the agreed timescale.
Annual monitoring
To offer support to the partner
To provide a report that meets
(incorporating
institution on the production of the
the University’s requirements
examination board
quantitative and qualitative Annual
as set out in the latest Partner
reporting)
Monitoring Report, to include a report
Handbook by 14 December
on examinations; to receive the report
2015 and to respond
in December 2015 and to ensure that it appropriately to any requests
is available for the Collaborative
made by the Collaborative
Provision Committee’s consideration at Provision Committee in
its February 2015 meeting.
response to the report by the
date specified by the
Committee in its written
response.
Examination Board
To receive in December 2015 the
To provide to the University by
administration
dates, composition and membership of 14 December 2015 details of
examination boards to be held in
the dates, composition and
2015/16 and to report this to the
membership of examination
Collaborative Provision Committee at
boards to be held in 2015/16.
its February 2015 meeting.
Appointment of
To appoint an appropriate partnership
To work with the partnership
Partnership tutor and
tutor(s) as the academic link between
tutor, meeting at least three
related administration
the University and the partner
times annually, to facilitate
institution and to provide the
positive developments, where
partnership tutor(s) with the latest
possible, within the academic
approved terms of reference for the
framework within which the
role. The ADQE (Partnership) Office
validated provision is offered.
will be responsible for the
reimbursement of partnership tutor
expenses. Partnership tutors are asked
to provide to the Collaborative
Provision Committee a report on an
annual basis.
Approval of new courses
To provide advice and guidance on the Complete the appropriate forms
completion of the proposal forms for
and submit to ADQE in time to
Portfolio Approval Committee (PAC).
meet any agreed deadlines.
Liaise with the relevant Head(s) of
Work with the University to
School to seek approval for the further
agree a validation schedule
development of any proposed course
once approval for development
for validation.
of a course has been granted.
When/if approval for development is
given, agree a validation schedule.
Approval of curriculum
To receive proposed course
To provide to the University a
and other changes
amendments and changes to
rationale for the change(s) plus
regulations governing validated
relevant supporting
provision and policies relating to the
documentation to a timescale
course(s) or the affiliated institution.
set out in the Partner
Where required, and where possible,
Handbook 2015/16.
the University will advise on matters
relating to curriculum and other
proposed changes and will liaise with
academic colleagues and colleagues
within the University’s administration to
provide the best and most accurate
advice and information possible in a
manner and to a timescale that
facilitates a smooth approval process.
Recording of student
To receive a list of student names and
To provide by the deadline
names and numbers on
numbers (by course cohort) as at 1
given in the Partner Handbook
validated courses and
December 2015 by the deadline given
a list of student names and
related financial
in the Partner Handbook (unless other
numbers (by course cohort) as
administration.
arrangements have been agreed) and
at 1 December 2015 (unless
to arrange for the invoicing of the
other arrangements have been
partner institution for the annual fee
agreed) and to indicate whether
based on these numbers.
study is part- or full-time.
To advise partners of any changes to
To ensure that the annual
fees and annual charges during the
invoices are paid within the
summer term of the academic year
timescale set by the Finance
before revised charges come into
Department of the University.
effect.
Staffing
To maintain up-to-date records of the
To notify the University of
CVs of all teaching staff delivering
changes to key staff delivering
validated provision, providing
validated provision at partner
CVs for newly appointed
institutions.
teaching staff and updated CVs
for staff when appropriate.
Reviewing of the partner
To review the partner institution’s draft
To submit for review in good
institution’s publicity
publicity material and prospectuses
time all relevant draft publicity
material and
where mention is made of provision
material and prospectuses
prospectuses.
validated by the University of Sussex,
where mention is made of
ensuring that all relevant information is
provision validated by the
accurate and that the correct University University.
logo has been used. To advise the
partner institution within ten working
days of receipt of the draft of any
required amendments.
Updating the partner
To update the partner institution on a
To take account of important
institution on
regular basis, either through the termly
developments in the sector and
developments in the HE
operational meetings or independently, to incorporate these into course
sector
on matters affecting the sector, for
and institutional documentation,
example revisions to sections of the
as appropriate.
QAA’s Quality Code.
Course validation and
To offer a professional, comprehensive To follow the guidelines for
revalidation
course validation and revalidation
validation and revalidation as
service as set out in the University’s
set out in the University’s
Partnership Procedures: Validation and Partnership Procedures:
revalidation of taught courses at
Validation and revalidation of
partner institutions and the Partner
taught courses at partner
Handbook 2015/16.
institutions and the Partner
Handbook 2015/16.
Institutional recognition
To offer a professional, comprehensive To follow the guidelines for
and rerecognition
institutional recognition and
recognition and rerecognition
rerecognition service as set out in the
as set out in the University’s
University’s Partnership Procedures:
Partnership Procedures:
Recognition and rerecognition of
Recognition and rerecognition
partner institutions providing validated
of partner institutions providing
provision and the Partner Handbook
validated provision and the
2015/16.
Partner Handbook 2015/16.
Memorandum of
To arrange signature of the
To ensure that all staff
Agreement
Memorandum of Agreement by both
managing or delivering the
parties following recognition or
University’s validated provision
rerecognition of a partner institution
are conversant with the content
and ensure that all appropriate
of the Memorandum of
University staff are conversant with the Agreement and the
content and the responsibilities of both
parties.
Signed on behalf of [name of partner institution]:
……………………………………………………………………….
Name
Title
Signed on behalf of the University of Sussex
……………………………………………………………………..
Name
Title
responsibilities of both parties.