University of East Anglia and University of Essex
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS SUFFOLK JOINT ACADEMIC COMMITTEE
10 June 2010
MINUTES
Chair
Erica Towner
Present
Dr Leon Burnett; Dr Wayne Campbell; Dr Pam Cox; Christine Dobson;
Professor Andy Downton; Chrissie Harrington; Professor Roland Kaye;
Richard Lister; Jen Mackness; Dr Brendan Noble; Professor Nigel Norris;
Diane Palmer; Professor Mike Saks; Carol Smith; Andy Speed; Susan
Spencer; Phil Thirkettle
Apologies
Phillip Belden; Angela Carter; Wendy Clifton-Sprigg; Rob Evans; Dr Aulay
Mackenzie; Claire Nixon; Dr Lucy O’Driscoll; Marilyn Watsham
Secretary
Dr Kay Thompson
In attendance
Jed Bultitude (deputising for Angela Carter); Fiona Fisk; Catherine Forsdike
(deputising for Marilyn Watsham); Ruth Harrison (deputising for Phillip
Belden); Dr Ron Impey; Sally Walker; Jackie Wright
Introduction and announcements
10/44
New members were welcomed to the Committee.
Minutes of the previous meeting
10/45
The minutes of the meeting held on 11 March 2010 were agreed to be an accurate
record of proceedings.
Matters arising from the minutes
10/46
Minutes 09/107-110 – UCS Staff Development Strategy. It was noted that the UCS
staff development strategy was the only outstanding action from the QA Review of
2008. The policy was in draft form and was being further enhanced by the UCS
Director of Human Resources. The final version would be brought to the next meeting
of the Committee for approval.
10/47
Minute 10/19 – Core responsibilities of Learning Network Centres in delivering Higher
Education. Summaries of the approach at each Centre would be presented at the next
meeting.
10/48
Minutes 10/25-26 – Academic Communities. The UCS Academic Registrar provided an
update on progress with the establishment of the communities. Conveners of each
community were meeting on a regular basis and mechanisms for communities to liaise
through Wolsey had been established. Each community had met and schedules of
activities were being developed. UCS staff could be members of more than one
community, and the communities were regarded as permeable with opportunities for
academic staff from the validating universities to become involved where appropriate.
1
Chairs’ Report
10/49
Members noted a range of items for information outlined in Paper JAC/10/32. UCS
members were thanked for their involvement and input into the UEA Learning and
Teaching Day.
New course and revalidation proposals
PGCert/PGDip/MA Clinical Practice, UCS Ipswich (revalidation)
10/50
Approved to proceed to revalidation.
BSc (Hons) Criminology, UCS Ipswich (revalidation)
10/51
Approved to proceed to revalidation. It was noted that an embedded CertHE climb-out
award had not been included because of the inter-disciplinary nature of the curriculum
at Level 4. Students exiting the course at this stage would however be eligible for an
unnamed CertHE award.
CertHE/FdSc Arboriculture and CertHE Fishery Management / FdSc Fishery
Management and Sustainable Aquaculture, UCS Otley
10/52
Approved to proceed to publicity and validation. It was confirmed that the proposed
starting date for both courses would now be September 2011. The validating
universities would liaise in terms of academic links to support the new course
development process.
10/53
Members discussed the general issue of target intake figures in CAT 1/2 forms. There
was scope to take a retrospective look at the accuracy of these figures, to determine
whether mechanisms for market analysis were working effectively. The UCS Provost
confirmed that the UCS Academic Strategy Group and the UCS Executive team were
giving careful consideration to academic planning mechanisms to ensure that all new
course developments were supported by a strong business case, and that successfully
recruiting programmes were prioritised.
Validations and revalidations 2009/10
Analysis of validation and revalidation outcomes
10/54
Members discussed an analysis of (re)validation outcomes provided by the UCS Head
of Quality. While recognising that conditions, requirements and recommendations could
vary in magnitude, common areas highlighted by panels for further action were
identified as learning outcomes (including mapping of module learning outcomes
against programme learning outcomes), assessment details and assessment criteria,
placement learning, reading lists and student handbooks. There was also scope for
improved proof-reading of documentation prior to submission. Future workshops for
course teams on preparing for the (re)validation process would address these recurring
themes, and the UCS Head of Quality and UCS Educational Developer would provide
additional guidance through individual meetings with course teams and support
material on Wolsey.
10/55
Members noted the improvement in outcomes over the last three years, although there
was still work to do in order to reduce the number of conditions and requirements in
some areas. A decline in the number of new courses coming forward for validation now
that UCS was in a more steady state was regarded as beneficial in terms of managing
the workload within UCS centres.
10/56
Members discussed the number of conditions and requirements relating to staffing
2
resources, and agreed that confirmation of the availability of sufficient human resource
should take place within Schools and Centres prior to validation, as part of the initial
planning process and the CAT 1/2 stage.
10/57
Members were reminded of the procedure for signing off conditions, requirements and
recommendations. It was agreed that it would be helpful for this stage of the process to
be more transparent in formal committee minutes.
10/58
The UCS Head of Quality was thanked for his helpful report, and it was agreed that it
would be useful to include commendations in future to facilitate sharing of good
practice.
Summary of feedback on the (re)validation process
10/59
Members received a report from the Essex Academic Partnerships Manager
summarising feedback from staff and students on the (re)validation process. It was
reassuring to note that course teams were now feeling better prepared for (re)validation
events, and that several panel chairs had commented favourably on the improvement
in the quality of validation documentation over the past few years, although (as noted
above) there was still scope for improvement in some areas.
10/60
It was agreed that the inclusion of student representatives on revalidation panels had
been a successful new development, with student respondents agreeing that the
experience had been an interesting and valuable one, if rather daunting. Further
discussions would take place regarding the mechanisms for selecting and training
student representatives, in liaison with UCS Students’ Union.
10/61
Members discussed the use of the term ‘revalidation’, and whether an approach that
placed more emphasis on review and ongoing development would be more
appropriate. It was noted that both UEA and Essex operated a system of periodic
review on a five-yearly cycle for internal courses, and it was agreed that there was
scope to adopt a similar approach within UCS. Courses could be reviewed in cognate
groups, building on the process of course convergence across UCS centres which was
already underway (see minute 10/30). There was general support for such an
approach, although it was agreed that the scope of the review should be carefully
defined to ensure that it was sufficiently broad and that significant changes to courses
were subject to appropriate internal and external scrutiny.
10/62
Members supported the proposed action plan, which would be taken forward by the
Partnership Management Team.
UCS at Suffolk New College institutional review report
10/63
Members received the report of the institutional review of UCS at Suffolk New College
which had taken place on 30 March 2010. It was recommended to the Senates of the
validating universities that the UCS centre be re-approved at institutional level for a
further period of five years commencing September 2010, subject to the
recommendations outlined in the report being responded to by agreed deadlines.
10/64
It was confirmed that while initial approval of Suffolk New College in 2007 had been
subject to the condition that academic programmes be confined to the built
environment and initial teacher training subject areas, this limitation had now been
removed.
Ofsted inspection – PGCE SCITT programmes
10/65
Members received a verbal update on the Ofsted inspection of the two PGCE SCITT
programmes for Suffolk and Norfolk. While UCS had yet to receive the final report,
3
indications were that the outcome would be very positive at both primary and
secondary level. The North East Essex consortium SCITT was also currently
undergoing an Ofsted inspection, and a further update would be provided at the next
meeting.
Verbal update on National Student Survey 2010 response rates
10/66
The UCS Head of Quality reported that the overall NSS response rate had increased
slightly in 2010 from 58% to 59%, again sufficient for publication on the Unistats
website. Most subject areas acquired the minimum 50% response rate for publication,
with engineering falling below this level. Telephone surveys again proved to be the
most popular method of eliciting a response (42%), with 40% responding online and
18% by post. The results were expected in late July, and an analysis of the survey
outcomes would be provided at the next meeting.
Student entry questionnaire outcomes 2009/10
10/67
The Committee received a summary of student entry questionnaire outcomes, following
the survey of new entrants in October 2009. The improvement in satisfaction since the
previous survey was noted, particularly in respect of enrolment where there had been
some initial difficulties associated with the launch of a new online system. There was
still further work to do in this respect, but satisfaction levels had increased by 16%.
10/68
Members noted that satisfaction rates were generally very good, and commended the
survey which provided useful management information on a critical phase of the
student journey. It was noted that the survey complemented other methods of obtaining
feedback on the enrolment and induction processes, such as the use of ‘mystery
shoppers’ and focus groups of incoming students. UCS Academic Board had recently
discussed whether there was scope for more pervasive student survey methods,
including an annual student survey which mirrored the NSS.
10/69
It was confirmed that the data would feed into the SARE process at course,
School/Centre and institutional level.
Retention 2009/10
10/70
Members received a report on in-year retention, which provided a snapshot of the
situation as at 11 May 2010. It was noted that the data was derived from SITS, and
was thus dependent upon withdrawals being recorded on the system in a timely
manner. More accurate data would be available at the end of the academic year. The
UCS Head of Quality reminded members of the categorisation system, which provided
a mechanism for auditing courses with higher levels of withdrawal (where student
numbers made the data sufficiently meaningful). The Committee were pleased to note
that 84% of courses fell into the A or A* category and thus would not be subject to
audit.
10/71
The data would be analysed as part of the SARE process, along with accompanying
completion and achievement data, in order to identify any overarching issues and to
compare with relevant national benchmarks.
10/72
Members noted that enrolled numbers on some courses were low, although it was
recognised that in some cases this was because courses were pathways within an
overarching programme. More careful analysis of the business case for new
programmes in future would help to ensure that the student experience was not
compromised by small cohort sizes and that courses remained financially viable.
4
Annual Academic Report 2008-09 action plan update
10/73
Members received an update on the Quality Enhancement Plan for January 2010 to
December 2010, arising from the 2008/09 UCS Annual Academic Report. While good
progress had been made on most action points, there was still need for further work on
action points 8 (audit of the use of Wolsey in learning) and 10 (improved use of
external benchmarking data). These would be prioritised over the forthcoming months.
Quality Enhancement Strategy action plan 2010/11
10/74
Following consideration of the Quality Enhancement Strategy at the previous meeting,
members noted the associated action plan for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Student Engagement Strategy action plan 2010/11
10/75
Following consideration of the Student Engagement Strategy at the previous meeting,
members received the associated action plan for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Updated UCS Publicity Protocol
10/76
Members approved the proposed updates to the UCS publicity protocol, which were
designed to ensure that all publicity material accurately reflected the relationship
between UCS and the validating universities. The UEA and Essex Partnerships offices
would ensure that their respective marketing and communications teams were aware of
the revised protocols.
10/77
It was noted that the UCS prospectus and website, and the websites of the colleges
forming part of the UCS Learning Network, were checked on a regular basis by the
validating universities.
QAA Collaborative Provision Audit update
10/78
Members received an update on the QAA Collaborative Provision Audit. The briefing
visit had taken place in May, with the partner visit to UCS Ipswich due to take place the
following day. The main audit visit would take place in late June, with initial outcomes
expected in mid-July.
QAA Integrated Quality and Enhancement Review schedule
10/79
Members received a summary of future activity in preparation for QAA Integrated
Quality and Enhancement Review. Relevant staff from the UCS Learning Network
Centres had received QAA reviewer training, and developmental engagements at each
of the colleges were scheduled for spring 2011, with a focus on assessment.
Validation reports
10/80
The Committee recommended to the Senates of the validating universities that the
following courses be approved for delivery at the named UCS centres for a period of up
to five years commencing September 2010, subject to the conditions, requirements and
recommendations in the validation reports being responded to by agreed deadlines:
UCS Bury St Edmunds
BA (Hons) Counselling (Level 6 progression route) *
CertHE / FdSc Sports Development and Coaching
UCS Great Yarmouth
FdSc Sport, Health and Exercise
CertHE / FdA Commercial Art and Design Practice
5
UCS Ipswich
DipHE /BA (Hons) / PGCert / PGDip / MA Health and Social Care Practice
UCS Lowestoft
BA / BA (Hons) Inclusive Practice and Integrated Working (Level 6 progression route)
CertHE / FdA / BA / BA (Hons) Leadership and Management
* validated for two years only, to align with the revalidation of the FdA programme.
Revalidation reports
10/81
The Committee recommended to the Senates of the validating universities that the
following courses be re-approved for delivery at UCS Ipswich for a period of five years
commencing September 2010, subject to the conditions, requirements and
recommendations in the revalidation reports being responded to by agreed deadlines:
DipHE / BA (Hons) Computer Games Design
DipHE / BA (Hons) Film
DipHE / BA / BA (Hons) Graphic Design
DipHE / BA / BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Graphic Illustration)
DipHE / BA / BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Motion Graphics)
BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design
BSc (Hons) Nurse Practitioner
PGCE Norfolk and Suffolk Primary SCITT
Course discontinuation
10/82
The Committee recommended to the Senates of the validating universities that the
following courses be discontinued with immediate effect:
UCS Ipswich
BSc (Hons) Acute Healthcare Practice (Accident and Emergency)
BSc (Hons) Acute Healthcare Practice (Orthopaedics)
10/83
The Committee recommended to the Senates of the validating universities that the
following courses be discontinued when all remaining students have completed:
UCS at Suffolk New College
FdSc Building Control (one remaining student due to complete in June 2011)
FdSc Building Surveying (one remaining student due to complete in June 2011)
JAC membership and terms of reference 2010/11
10/84
The updated membership and terms of reference of the Committee were approved for
the 2010/11 academic year.
Chairs’ Action
10/85
Members noted action taken by the joint Chairs on behalf of the Committee to approve
a range of items as outlined in Paper JAC/10/65.
10/86
It was recommended to the Senates of the validating universities that:
a) an additional course title, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice, be
included as part of the PGCert/PGDip/MA Education for Health and Social Care
Professionals programme at UCS Ipswich.
b) BA (Hons) / BSc (Hons) Individual Studies be discontinued at UCS Ipswich (existing
students to be supported until completion, which is anticipated to be June 2011)
6
10/87
The following new course proposals, which had already been reported to the Senates
of the validating universities, were noted:
UCS Lowestoft (2010 entry)
BA (Hons) Inclusive Practice and Integrated Working (Level 6 progression route)
UCS Bury St Edmunds (2011 entry, new joint routes)
CertHE/DipHE/BA/BA (Hons) English and Psychology
CertHE/DipHE/BA/BA (Hons) Business Management and Psychology
CertHE/DipHE/BA/BA (Hons) English and Sociology
CertHE/DipHE/BA/BA (Hons) History and Psychology
CertHE/DipHE/BA/BA (Hons) History and Sociology
Recruitment Update 2010/11
10/88
Members received an update on applications to date for the 2010/11 academic year.
Schedule of validation and revalidation events for 2010/11
10/89
The schedule of events for the next academic year was noted.
Summary of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) links
10/90
Members received for information a summary of all UCS courses with PSRB links.
Report form UCS Academic Board
10/91
Members received the minutes of the UCS Academic Board meeting held on 18
February 2010.
Annual report from Partnership Management Team
10/92
Members received for information an annual report from the Partnership Management
Team.
Any other business
10/93
The Committee expressed their sincere thanks to Dr Ron Impey for his major
contribution to both UCS and the former Suffolk College in his role as Head of Quality,
and wished him well for his forthcoming retirement at the end of July. It was noted that
Dr Mark Lyne, currently Head of Academic Standards at Writtle College, had been
appointed as the new UCS Head of Quality Enhancement, and would be commencing
in post on 6 July.
Schedule of meetings for 2010/11
10/94
Wednesday 1 December 2010, 14:00 – 16:00, UCS Ipswich
Thursday 10 March 2011, 14:00 – 16:00, UCS Ipswich
Thursday 9 June 2011, 14:00 – 16:00, UCS Ipswich
Dr Kay Thompson
Academic Partnerships Manager
University of Essex
June 2010
7