70 th Meeting of the BOARD OF STUDIES
Minutes from the Meeting held on Wednesday 31 October 2012 in room AEW/003
PRESENT: Karen Khan (Chair), Julie-Marie Rhodes (Deputy Chair), Cathryn Britton, Lynn Burnell,
Clare Clarke, Janette Colclough, Ian Cole, Hilary Graham, Ted Hewitt, Mona Kanaan, Maria Law,
Tracy Lightfoot, Gillian Richmond, Helen Roberts, Angela Simpson, Mick Wolverson, Russell Yates.
Student Representative: Larissa Heath (Mid 10). In Attendance:
Walter Van Opstal, Karen Ramsden (Secretary)
The Chair welcomed Larissa Heath, student representative to the meeting. It was noted that the Board was not quorate and therefore any proposals could not be approved.
MAIN AGENDA CATEGORY ONE
BoS/Oct12/01 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Megan Edwards, Kate Flemming, Penny Broadley,
Debbie Watson, Matthew Jacobs, Sally Evans, Alison Foster, Paul Galdas, Gerri Kaufman, Martin
Bland, Helen Joyce, Peter Turner, Anne Phillips, Celia Grant, Karl Atkin, Jess Powell, Jo Green, Anita
Savage-Grainge, Amanda Mason-Jones, Fiona McInnes, Bridget Broughton. Student Representatives:
Noortje Uphoff (PhD), Dale Harlow (D12), Amanda Meek (FD11)
BoS/Oct12/02 MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
Minutes from the meeting held on Wednesday 20 June 2012 were accepted as a true record.
BoS/Oct12/03 MATTERS ARISING
BS/11/14 Development of Student Exchanges
It has been agreed that the department withdraws from the Erasumus Scheme and that this position be reviewed in two years. This decision has been made due to changes in the NMC Guidance on how to use European placements and because there are wider University discussions taking place in relation to Erasumus Exchanges.
BoS/Feb12/08 Employability Tutorial
The University has developed an Employability Tutorial for completion by Undergraduate Students.
It was previously agreed that this tutorial is less relevant for Health Sciences Undergraduate students as they are required to maintain a CAP document, but elements of the tutorial may be beneficial. This is currently under discussion by the Nursing Programme Committee and the Foundation Degree
Programme Committee is also exploring the use of this tool.
Action: Chairs Nursing and Foundation Degree Programme Committees
BoS/Jun12/21 Student Representation Policy
This Policy has been developed to bring student representation from all programmes into one forum, which will be a key committee of the Board of Studies. A DFELT group was convened in August 2012
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with Programme Leads to discuss the Policy and to explore how the department might implement a
Student-Staff Forum within the limits set out in the ‘Policy for Student Representation in Learning and
Teaching Activities’. It was agreed that the introduction of a forum needs to be student led and a meeting will be convened, upon notification of the newly elected student representatives, between student representatives, GSA and YUSU representatives and relevant academics to explore the implementation of the Forum.
Action: Secretary to Board of Studies
BoS/Jun12/23 KIS Update
A de-brief Workshop was held and it was reported that:

Staff are pleased with the support managed to publish from the KIS Team

York received its KIS widgets on all web pages by the deadline date. It was noted that many other institutions have been given an extension.

The 50 minute teaching hour rule imposed by HEFCE/HESA was much disliked

There are many departments who oppose the use of the timetabling system as the data source for
 contact time and would prefer to use module descriptors. The timetabling system will however continue to be used.
There is a discussion that KIS widgets will be imposed on Postgraduate programmes by the next academic year, however no confirmation has been received from HEFCE
The Head of Department reported that concerns have been raised at Senate and the general view is that the University needs to ensure that this will stand up to audit.
BoS/Jun12/24 University and Departmental Awards
Lorna Davies, BSc Evidence Based Nursing Practice Cohort D9 was the successful recipient of the
Annual Departmental Prize and will be awarded with an amazon voucher. Four nominations were received and all students nominated will receive a letter from the Board of Studies in recognition of their nomination.
Action: Chair Board of Studies
BoS/Jun12/25 University Harvard System
The University Harvard System was introduced from 1 October 2012 following a recommendation from the Departmental Library Committee. All references to Health Sciences Harvard System have been removed from the University library web pages and Student Handbooks have been updated and the referencing style has been removed from Endnote. Staff have been requested to ensure that individual module/programme specific handbooks are amended accordingly. There will be some leniency when marking students’ first submissions using the new system during the Autumn Term as long as there is consistency in the referencing convention used. All students commencing prior to
October 2012 have been notified, however staff are requested to discuss this at forthcoming supervisory meetings/seminar groups.
BoS/Oct12/04 DFELT REPORT i) Electronic Submissions
The department is exploring the introduction of electronic submissions of summative assessments across the programmes. It was considered that there was scope to move to on-line marking and a survey was undertaken to seek the views of staff on marking practices. It was reported that 27 staff completed this survey and results demonstrate that there is a mixture of opinion as to the impact this
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would have. It was acknowledged that on-line submissions may not be suitable for all student groups.
If the department opts for this system, the University processes and software packages will be used.
Discussions are ongoing, however it was reported that the department may pilot this with small groups of students. The continued use of the VLE for Postgraduate Dissertations will need consideration. ii) Feedback and the NSS
A DFELT Group was convened to explore student feedback and the NSS, in respect of improving the response rate of the department. Programme Committees have been asked to consider this further and it was reported that:

Nursing Programme – specific timetabled sessions have been scheduled in March 2013 for all graduating TPI seminar groups where students will informally feedback on the programme and
 will have the opportunity to complete the NSS on that day.
Midwifery Programme – last year’s model will be used again as this resulted in a 93% response rate.

Foundation Degree – Students will be asked to complete this at the same time as the end of module/year feedback.
Action: Chair Board of Studies to meet with Programme Leads iii) Annotation of Scripts
The pilot of the Annotation of Scripts commenced in October 2011 for the BA Midwifery Practice
Programme and the MSc Public Health Programme. Initial evaluations from the BA Midwifery students appear positive. iv) New DFELT Topics
Departmental Prizes / Awards – to review prizes awarded to students and to agree criteria for each prize.
Action: Secretary Board of Studies
Development of a Departmental Undergraduate Supervision Policy – this will reflect the best practice outlined in the University Policy in addition to specific elements which are important for the student – supervisor relationship.
Action: Secretary Board of Studies
Module Team Review – to ensure the quality of each module, reviewing student evaluations and identifying actions and exploring how module delivery can be improved. Following discussion, it was agreed that this will apply to CPD and Postgraduate programmes and should be discussed at
Programme Committee level.
Action: Deputy Chair Board of Studies to meet with Chairs Programme Committees
BoS/Oct12/05 BOARD OF STUDIES CHAIR’S REPORT
1.
NSS Report
University – The NSS report identified aspects of excellent teaching, lecturers, supervisors and support. However, it also highlighted concerns regarding slow, inconsistent and sparse feedback on assessments, low contact hours and some poor teaching.
Department
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
Midwifery – The ‘open comments’ indicated that students particularly value the enthusiasm and support they receive, the placements and simulated training. Concerns were focussed on organisational difficulties with the placements, the use of poster assessments and difficulties in contacting some tutors. One suggestion for improvement was that reading week should precede assessment deadlines rather than following them. The Midwifery Programme Committee will be discussing actions arising from this.

Nursing (includes FD, Diploma and Degree) – The ratings for the degree programme continue to improve with notable improvements in ‘organisation and management’ and ‘assessment and feedback’. Ratings for the diploma programme have declined in a number of areas, particularly the ‘teaching on my course’ and ‘overall satisfaction’. Positive comments reflect good personal supervision, the choice of placements and the simulated training. Concerns highlighted inconsistent and poor feedback and issues with timetabling and organisation. Students would welcome more support with academic writing and more OSCEs.
Three key themes were identified in the ‘open comments’ section across the Undergraduate
Programmes. i) Quality of Feedback on Assessments
This was identified as a priority for the department during the previous NSS results and from this, the department explored Annotation of Scripts and reviewed the Undergraduate Programme Feedback
Sheets. The following additional actions have been agreed for this academic year:
The Undergraduate Programme Feedback Sheet to be further amended – to add a section on ‘areas for future development’. It is hoped that this will further strengthen student feedback. All markers are encouraged to use the updated feedback sheet which is available on the staff intranet. If the incorrect sheet is used, this may be returned to the marker for recompletion.
In light of feedback from PTES, the Graduate School Board may undertake a review the Postgraduate
Programme Feedback Sheet and introduce a similar model. This would help to improve the quality and consistency of feedback.
Audit of Feedback on Assessments – It has been proposed that three students of varying academic abilities be identified from each programme to review feedback the students received. It is envisaged that the Programme Committees will take responsibility for the audit and for identifying actions. To be discussed at Undergraduate Programmes Board and Graduate School Board.
Action: Chairs Undergraduate Programmes Board and Graduate School Board
Annotation of Scripts – It was proposed that the implementation of annotation of scripts should be considered across the programmes and some groups of students would benefit from a higher level of feedback and support. It was suggested that annotation of scripts could be implemented for Nursing
Year 1 / Foundation Degree Year 1 and Postgraduate first two modules prior to Dissertation. It was acknowledged that students attend Postgraduate programmes and CPD programmes from a range of academic backgrounds and therefore annotation of scripts could be deemed as beneficial for some of these students.
Following discussion, it was agreed that:

The introduction of annotation of scripts should be on a staged approach

Suitable modules to be identified at Programme Committee level
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

Midwifery Programme – to be implemented for all students
Chairs of Programme Committees to identify modules and discuss with the Academic Coordinator to agree arrangements and timescales.

Guidance for staff to be developed to ensure equity and quality of feedback

Action: Chair Board of Studies to meet with Programme Leaders to discuss further
Concern was raised regarding workload implications for the Student Assessment Office and Student
Information Services and regarding compromising publishing results by publication dates.
Role of Undergraduate Personal Supervision – A DFELT Group will be convened to review the role of the Undergraduate Personal Supervisor. This will include how supervisors support students in using feedback to improve future submissions.
Action: Secretary Board of Studies
Postgraduate Personal Supervision – The Graduate School Board utilises a different model of supervision, however it has been agreed that ways in which supervision can be strengthened for postgraduate students in relation to academic support and the use of feedback will be explored. ii) Timetabling Issues – Communicating Changes
The Undergraduate Programmes Board will be requested to explore this.
Action: Undergraduate Programme Board iii) Quality of Placement Experience
This will be discussed at Undergraduate Programmes Board, where common themes and issues will be identified and solutions explored.
Action: Undergraduate Programme Board
The Department is seeking to triangulate the NSS data with other forms of student feedback, such as cohort/module evaluations and meetings with student representatives. It has been agreed that following elections for new student representatives, a meeting will be arranged with Programme
Leads, student representatives and the Student Information Services Manager to explore how the department can enhance the quality of learning and teaching and the overall student experience.
Action: Secretary Board of Studies
2.
Teaching Structure and Environment
The Chair reported that the PVC for Teaching and Learning has been seeking views of staff with regards to plans to build a Teaching Building on Heslington West. This will be presented to the SMG meeting in November 2012.
3.
Learning and Teaching Forum
Introduction to Pedagogic Research - to be held on Thursday 8 November 2012
Marking and Feedback Workshop – to be held on Friday 23 November 2012
BoS/Oct12/06 DEPARTMENTAL VLE UPDATE
Board of Studies received an overview of the findings from the Quality Enhancement Evaluation of the
VLE, led by Dominic Ennis ( summary report linked to the minutes ). The full report can be obtained from the Deputy Head of Department PG Programme. The key recommendations are:
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
Reading List – to improve the use of EARL. Discussions to be held with the HS Librarian to offer training and assistance with embedding EARL as standard departmental practice.

VLE Template – There is a plan to offer clarification on usage expectations, but being flexible for staff to take more ownership to develop their sites as much as required to deliver teaching.

Lines of Communication and Responsibility – This needs addressing with guidance as there is some confusion regarding who to contact for support and advice.

Continued support for and development of e-submission activities

Nuturing departmental e-learning champions and improving dissemination /acknowledgement of good practice in the department – It was suggested a show and tell agenda item at staff meetings.
BoS/Oct12/07 STUDENT ISSUES
The following were received from Larissa Heath, BA Midwifery Practice Mid 10: i) Overseas Electives to Africa - Concerns have been raised in relation to safety issues, insurance and preparation of students for experiences during overseas electives.
Response: Midwifery students attend electives on an observational basis and the RCM do not insure students going abroad. However, there was an expectation that this group of students would be hands on and students were involved in some difficult and traumatic circumstances. This requires discussion at Programme Committee level and has therefore been directed to the Chairs of the Nursing and
Midwifery Programme Committees. It was also suggested that HYMS are contacted to ascertain their position on this.
Action: Midwifery and Nursing Programme Committees ii) Student Services Area – to have a microwave and/or kettle for student use.
Response: The Student Information Services Managers have discussed this request with the SRB
Zoned Facilities Manager. Neither request is possible on the grounds of health and safety. Students are encouraged to attend their own college Junior Common Room for access to facilities, which include vending machines, audio-visual technology as well as a social area. Representatives were advised that students discuss the possibility of changes Colleges with NurSoc. iii) Preparing to Study – it was suggested to expand the preparing to study pages on the departmental web site and VLE to include a video showing the department and a FAQ section to include library, accommodation, placement and campus issues.
Response: The Welcome Website Team met on the 16 October 2012 to discuss this suggestion in addition to all other elements of feedback received. The team are planning to work through the issues raised and hope to have an improved site for next years students. The Marketing Manager asked that the student representative be thanked for her input.
MAIN AGENDA CATEGORY TWO
BoS/Oct12/08 MINUTES FROM BOARD’S SUB COMMITTEES
Board of Studies confirmed receipt of minutes from:
Departmental Library Committee (April 2012 and July 2012)
Undergraduate Programmes Board (May 2012 and July 2012) - In the absence of the Chair
Undergraduate Programmes Board, it was reported that:
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i) Education Commissioning for Quality Template - The report is required by the SHA and is written annually based on Course Reports and forms the basis of the annual contract review. This has been revised following the significant difficulties experienced across HEIs last year. In future a rating will be given to the HEI based on this report, which will affect funding; this will not occur this year as the process is too immature. The ECQ template will be on the agenda for Contract Review meetings throughout the year, HEIs will be required to provide evidence that they are addressing the given issues, this could be in the form of committee minutes demonstrating that discussion has taken place and action agreed. The Chair requested that all members look over the document, to get a sense of what the Department will need to provide as input from a range of sources will be necessary.
Programme Leaders will be leading on the completion of the ECQ and members of the Board may be contacted for information. ii) Students Reporting Unprofessional Conduct or who raise Practice Concerns - The draft guidance for link lecturers and personal supervisors regarding students involved in serious untoward incidents whilst in practice have been sent to the Chair of the Partnership Group for feedback. This will be implemented once approved.
Postgraduate Programmes Board (May 2012 and July 2012) - The title of this Board has reverted back to the Graduate School Board as this aligns with the terminology used by the University.
BoS/Oct12/09 DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
Wednesday 13 March 2013 commencing at 1.30pm. Venue to be confirmed.
This concluded the Main Agenda Section and student representatives left the meeting.
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