FRPD INDEX
Section A
Section B
Section C
Appendix 1
Department Reporting and Planning Document
Appendix 2
Courses with low progression rates and / or mean/median marks
Appendix 3
Programmes with low progression rates
Appendix 4
NSS responses at department and subject level
Appendix 4a (i)
PTES responses (on campus postgraduates and faculty / department results)
Appendix 4a (ii)
USS responses (UK based partner and link undergraduates)
Appendix 4a (iii)
USS responses (UK based partner and link undergraduates by department)
Appendix 4a (iv)
USS responses (UK based partner and link undergraduates by colleges)
Appendix 4c (i)
USS responses (wholly overseas postgraduates by department)
Appendix 4c (ii)
USS responses (wholly overseas postgraduates by colleges)
Appendix 5
DHLE data
Appendix 6 (i)
USS responses (wholly overseas undergraduates)
Appendix 6 (ii)
USS responses (wholly overseas undergraduates by college)
Guidance Notes
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M5 (September 2014)
page 1
ANNUAL FACULTY REPORTING AND PLANNING DOCUMENT 2014-15
SECTION A – LEARNING AND TEACHING
SECTION 1: BASIC INFORMATION
Name of Faculty
Session under Review
SECTION 2: FACULTY PROFILE (See guidance notes)
Please provide information for each department
Name of Department
Head of Department
Programmes of Study
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Other Internal Programmes
Collaborative Programmes/Working with Others with Names of Partners and Type of Partnership
SECTION 3: FACULTY STRATEGIC OVERVIEW
This should be a succinct review (maximum 10 pages) with short and longer-term strategic action
planning aligned to both the University Strategic Plan and the additional detailed policies and
strategies such as Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy and the Faculty Strategic
Implementation Plan but with flexibility to include reference to other Faculty priorities.
The Faculty Strategic Overview should focus on:
 Progress with previous action plan;
 Commentary on key priorities for the Faculty, drawn from Department Reporting and
Planning Documents, the ‘Working with Others’ Report and the ‘Research and Enterprise’
Report;
 Notable successes or achievements;
 The Faculty response to, for example, the outcome of Internal Audits; PSRB visits; QAA
reviews; the annual University ‘theme’; University strategies.
 Portfolio Planning.
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 2
SECTION 4: FACULTY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Please provide short and long term strategic action plans that arise from your strategic overview
Issue
Action Planned
By Whom
Timescale
What will
‘success; look
like?
SECTION 5: DEPARTMENTAL REPORTING AND PLANNING DOCUMENT
This section should be prepared by Heads of Department and be informed by Programme
Monitoring Reports which, in turn, would be informed by Course Monitoring Reports and other
datasets. Particular attention should be given to KPIs (see Appendix 4-6). Departments are also
encouraged to report on enhancement, good practice and achievements. The template for the
Department Reporting and Planning Document is at Appendix 1.
SECTION B: FACULTY COLLABORATIVE PROVISION AND WORKING WITH OTHERS
1. Collaborative Provision
a) Please provide brief general comments on the successes and challenges in each type of
partnership you deliver. How will you respond to these challenges and build on the successes?
b) Please provide an overview of the Faculty’s credit rating activities. (if applicable)
c) Please provide an overview of any articulation arrangements the Faculty participates in. (if
applicable)
SECTION C: RESEARCH AND ENTERPRISE
1. Research and Enterprise – Impact, Quality and Volume
The Strategic Plan of the University states that research informs teaching. In this section, you are
asked to consider how research and enterprise impacts upon the learning and teaching of both
undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 3
a) For each Department, please provide a commentary on research and enterprise, and its impact
on (a) Learning and Teaching and (b) External Stakeholders
b)
How was the impact mentioned in (a) monitored and evaluated?
c) Please list the main initiatives planned in the Faculty to enhance the impact of research and
enterprise on learning and teaching.
d) Please list initiatives planned to expand research activity and improve quality over the next
year.
e) What are your targets for Faculty performance in terms of quality and volume by the end of
2014/15.
2. Research Students
Research Students Enrolled
Full Time at
31st July
201x
Part Time
at 31st July
201x
Full Time at
31st July
201x
Part Time
at 31st July
201x
Architecture Computing and
Humanities
Business
Education and Health
NRI
Pharmacy
Engineering and Science
Total
a) In what areas does the Faculty have the most opportunity to grow research student numbers?
b) Please describe new initiatives at the Faculty level aimed at enhancing the quality of student
training and supervision of research students.
c) Please summarise the successes and challenges in the Faculty in 2013/14 regarding postgraduate
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 4
research student activity (Max. 500 words).
3. Research and Enterprise Activities. Please provide brief general comment on successes and
challenges in the Faculty in 2013/14 in meeting the research and enterprise plan of the
University (Max 500 words).
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 5
FRPD Appendix 1 – Department Reporting & Planning Document
Department
Head Of Department
SECTION 5.1 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
SECTION 5.2 – PROGRESS WITH ACTION PLAN IN LAST REPORT
SECTION 5.3 – DETAILED COMMENTARY
(Drawing from PMRs and other evidence relevant to the Department, this should focus on: KPIs
aligned to the University Strategic Plan [e.g. recruitment, progression, achievement,
employability]; outcomes of student surveys [e.g. NSS, PTES, USS, iGraduate, new arrivals, student
engagement]; external examiners reports and other external reviews; achievements, good
practice and enhancement activities. Departments may also wish to report on other matters
relevant to, for example, PSRBs, or their response to University policies or the annual University
‘theme’.) Maximum limit 2 pages.
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M5 (September 2014)
page 6
SECTION 5.4 – DEPARTMENT ACTION PLAN
Issue
Action Planned
(what is
department
doing?)
By Whom?
Timescale
What will
‘success’ look
like?
SECTION 5.5 – DEPARTMENT ACTION PLAN FOR PROGRAMMES AND COURSES THAT HAVE LESS
THAN 10 STUDENTS REGISTERED
Programme / Student
Action
By Whom
Timescale
What will
Courses
Registrations
Planned
success look
like?
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 7
Guidance Notes for Faculty Reporting and Planning Document (FRPD)
The guiding principle for an effective hierarchy of reporting / monitoring and action planning within the Faculties
needs to start at the course level and should enable Faculties to identify strategic issues. The re-focusing of the
University’s structure, with emphasis on a Department  Faculty relationship, has presented the opportunity to
develop a Department approach to reporting and planning, although it is acknowledged that some University
priorities, such as ‘employability’ and ‘personal tutoring’ are managed and led at Faculty, rather than Department,
level in some Faculties. In the context of Chapter B10 of the QAA Code, it is considered that Faculty-level reporting
on ‘Working with Others’ is highly relevant, particularly with the appointment of Faculty Directors of Partnership (or
equivalent) with oversight of this provision.
Course and programme focus is a critical element in the development of learning and teaching and needs to remain
a key component of reporting and planning. As such, it forms the basis for the Department-level reporting and
planning document and must engage all academic staff, particularly in action planning for enhancement.
A summary of the reporting and planning process is shown in the diagram below. Thus the FRPD will be comprised
of the following sections:-
Section 1 and 2 Faculty Profile
Section 3 and 4 Faculty Strategic Overview and Action Plan
Section 5
Departmental Reporting and Planning Document (submitted as separate reports in Appendix 1)
Section B
Faculty Collaborative Provision and Working with Others
Section C
Research and Enterprise
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 8
Student Course
Evaluation
Programme
Evaluation
Link Tutor
Reports
Placement
Evaluation
Course
Coordinator
Evaluation
External
Examiner
Reports
PSRB Reports
External
Examiner
Feedback
Course
Monitoring
Report
Programme
Committee
Meetings
KPI Datasets:
Pass rate
Median grade
Student
Surveys e.g.
NSS / USS
DLHE
KPI Datasets:
Progression/retention
Achievement
Recruitment
data
Annual Programme Monitoring
Report
(also include commentary on good
practice and enhancement)
Working with Others Report
Department Reporting and
Planning Document
Faculty Reporting
& Planning
Document
Faculty Strategic Overview
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 9
Research and Enterprise
Report
Appendices
to FRPD
Section A
Faculty Profile
Much of the information to populate this section is available from the Planning and Statistics (PAS) web pages or
Faculty data.
Collaborations and Working with Others
Collaborative partnership arrangements fall into three main types:
1. Partner Colleges
2. Full Cost Collaborations both home and overseas
3. Lifelong Learning network
You should also indicate whether programmes are franchised, validated or externally validated.
Working with others includes credit-rating, articulation agreements, student exchanges/mobility (primarily Erasmus)
and student placements.
Evidence Base
The evidence base will comprise:
a) Statistical reports available from the PAS web pages
b) National Student Survey outcomes from the PAS web pages
c) Employability and Further Study Statistics (DLHE)
Http://www.gre.ac.uk/offices/pas/student-surveys/dlhe/dlhe-2012-13-leavers
d) External examiners reports and responses
e) External review/audit reports and responses
f) Student feedback from programme committees and other for a (USS, PTES)
g) Link Tutor reports on collaborative provision
h) Reports from partner institution
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 10
Faculty Strategic Overview (Section 3)
This section should be prepared by the PVC/Faculty Executive drawing on the documents and evidence
of Section 5 (Departmental Reporting and Planning Document) and Sections B and C.
Departmental Reporting and Planning Document (See Appendix 1)
Departments are required to develop their own consultative and reflective approaches to review the
evidence base and prepare the annual Departmental Reporting and Planning document. In recognition
of the importance of local delivery in effective quality assurance and enhancement, the processes by
which Departments use to approach the task of review are not prescriptive, but Departments are
encouraged to consider the following approaches:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Round table discussions by programme/course teams
Departmental away days
Focus groups
Reviews of the evidence base
Formation of cognate groups based around certain themes
Discussions of good practice and enhancement
Departmental Reporting and Planning (Section 5) and Appendix 1
5.1 and 5.2 Summary and Progress.
Provide a short commentary on the key points arising from your review of the Department’s activities
and the degree to which all actions undertaken, i.e. those identified in last year’s SMRD, were achieved
during the session. In some case these might be best commented upon in the Faculty section.
5.3 KPIs and evidence base
Given the developments of GreWeb are still in train and the need to reformat the course and
programme monitoring reports to provide the KPI information, for reports relating to 2013-14, KPI data
was produced centrally by PAS.
1. The data sets show courses and programmes at Aug 1st 2014 where:
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 11
a. Pass rates on courses fall outside Performance Indicator boundaries of 75% for
undergraduates at academic level 4, and 80% for undergraduate courses at level 5 and
above, and for all post-graduate courses. The data shows all courses irrespective of student
enrolment.
b. Median marks for courses are outside the range of 45-70% at undergraduate level and 5575% at postgraduate level.
c. Programme outcomes in terms of progression of total students by programmes that are
outside a KPI threshold of more than 15% being unsuccessful and / or more than 15% of
students who have reassessment pending by programme. For details of the breakdown by
year group please go to:
http://gm-xi4-prod:8080/BOE/BI
select: Portal Reports
select: Special Reports
select: FRPD KPI3 – 31 July
Remove the files not required
select: Run Query
Choose tab: KPI3
Show data
d. DLHE data
2. The other data sets relevant to the Key Performance Indicators cover the NSS results at
departmental level and are highlighted where % agree scores are below the sector average.
Departments are also encouraged to consider the data at a subject level with a comparison against
the sector average for that subject. This analysis requires you to view the data on the PAS site.
3. The PTES data, USS data on campus year 1, and USS data for off-campus students has also been
provided at either a Faculty or Departmental level, where appropriate (depending on student
numbers). Given the good response rates the off campus data has also been provided at a Partner
level further broken down at UG and PG level.
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 12
4. External Examiner Reports, outcomes of student surveys course evaluations, employability; PSRB
reports are also important indicators that inform action planning.
Section B
In completing this section please note:
 Please keep commentary succinct and strategic.
a) Each type of collaborative provision (i.e. franchised, validated and externally validated, Partner
College and full-cost) should be considered separately.
b) Commentary should focus on the number of credit-rating arrangements, the level and amount
of credit offered and how the quality assurance of the arrangements is maintained.
c) Commentary should focus on the number of articulations and the programmes that students
articulate onto. Details should be given on how the Faculty ensures that the curriculum at the
partner remains appropriate and at a comparable standard.
Section C

Please keep commentary succinct and strategic.

In answering the questions and making comments in this section, consideration should be given
to the Strategic Plan 2012-2017.
Quality Assurance Handbook, Appendix M8 (September 2014)
page 13