Academic Practice, Programmes and Standards Committee – former Terms of
Reference, Composition and Membership
Purpose
Academic Practice, Programmes and Standards Committee (APPSC) will oversee the
mechanisms that:
 ensure that the University’s academic provision (taught and research-based, awardbearing and non award-bearing) is of an appropriate quality and standard; and
 enhance academic practice.
Terms of Reference
1. To advise Senate on policy and strategy for teaching and learning developments.
2. To advise Senate on actions to be taken and responses to be made concerning
academic practice, programmes and standards to external agencies, including: HEFCE;
QAA; HE Academy
3. To oversee processes to assure the quality and standards of taught programmes,
including assessment practice, performance and procedures, undertaking a review at
least annually and reporting its finding to Senate
4. To oversee processes to assure the quality and standards of research study
programmes
5. To monitor outputs from the following specific processes and recommend actions arising
to Senate:
a) Annual Programme Evaluations;
b) Periodic Programme Reviews;
c) External QAA reviews;
d) External Examiner reports
6. To monitor reports from programme approval panels and recommend actions arising to
Senate.
7. To maintain a register of collaborative provision (to be updated annually).
8. To monitor External Examiner appointments.
9. To consider reports from school academic practice, programmes and standards
committees, including PSRB reports.
10. To oversee policy and matters relating to research students including reporting on the
annual reviews of research, student progression and feedback undertaken by BoS or
their delegated body.
Delegations from Senate:
 Approve new programmes of study leading to an award of City University London,
approve amendments to those programmes and exemptions to those programmes for
particular students
 Approve the appointment of External Examiners on recommendation from Boards of
Studies
 Detailed procedural aspects:
a) Approve the contents of the institutional level Academic Handbook in accordance
with relevant regulations and policies and approve mechanisms for regulating the
development of the academic handbook at local level.
b) Approve contents and formats for programme information, including programme
specifications, programme handbooks and means for capturing relevant marketing
information.
c) Approve a framework for the management of the provision of information on the
Unistats web site, including summaries, processes and relevant documents.
d) Approve and oversee the evaluation and periodic review of programmes.
e) Approve and maintain the University’s register of Collaborative provision.
f) Approve arrangements for external inspections relating to the academic quality and
standards of programmes, including those relating to PSRB accreditation and other
external government agencies (eg. QAA).
Composition & Membership
Composition
Membership
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Chair)
David Bolton
Ex-officio
Arts and Social Sciences
Laurence Solkin
Ex-officio
Cass
Wayne Holland
Ex-officio
Community & Health Sciences
Roberta Williams
Ex-officio
Engineering & Mathematical
Sciences
Cedric D'Mello
Ex-officio
Informatics
Seb Hunt
Ex-officio
Law
Susan Blake
Ex-officio
Cass
Carol Vielba
Ex-officio
Social Sciences
Andy Denis
Ex-officio
Programme Approval/
Amendments
Vacancy
n/a
External Examiners
Roberta Williams
Ex-officio
Periodic Review
Vacancy
N/A
Assessment
Nigel Duncan
Ex-officio
Research Degrees
Martin Caraher
Ex-officio
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and International)
Dinos Arcoumanis
Ex-officio
Dean of Validation
Steve Stanton
Ex-officio
Dean of Students
Malcolm Cross
Ex-officio
Director of Learning Development
Susannah Quinsee
Ex-officio
Director of Academic Services
Susannah Marsden
Ex-officio
CUSU President
Rob Scully
Ex-officio
CUSU Vice President Education and Membership
Engagement
Amish Patel
Ex-officio
Associate Deans
(Education) or
Associate Deans
(Learning and
Teaching)
Chair of School
APPSCs (if
different from
above)
Academic Leads
In attendance
Chairs of working groups
As required
Deputy Director, Academic Services (Secretary)
Megan Palmer
Assistant Director, Academic Services (Secretary)
Kathryn Kendon
Members of Academic Services
As required
Chief Information Officer
Paul Haley
Director of Property and Facilities
Kevin Gibbons
Director of Student Services
John Tibble
Agenda electronically circulated to
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Planning)
Director of Educational Relationships
Director of Academic and Professional Process Support
Director of the Strategy and Planning Unit
Director of Information Services and Libraries
Members of Academic Services
Members of the Strategy and Planning Unit
School APPSC and L&T Committee secretaries
Additional information
 Length of appointment - students for one year (renewable)
 Role of (APPSC representative) members - to provide a two-way communication
between APPSC and Schools and as such to provide a substitute should they need to
apologise from a meeting
 Reporting line – From 2010-11, advisory to the DVC (before then, direct to Senate)
 Quorum - One-third rounded up to the next whole number of the total actual membership
 Frequency of meetings - as required, at least three times a year
 Meetings in 2011-12 – Wednesday 28th September 2011, Wednesday 30th November
2011, Wednesday 22th February 2012, Wednesday 4th April 2012, Wednesday 13th June
2012
 Committees/Groups that report to APPSC o Collaborative Provision Working Group: Carol Vielba (Chair)
o Senior Tutors for Research Forum: Martin Caraher (Chair)