Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template – teach-out
QHS VS
13
Validation Service Collaborative
Provision: Course Standards and
Quality Report template for
courses in teach-out
NAME OF VALIDATED CENTRE
Course Standards and Quality Report (CSQR)
<Reporting year date>
Course title and awards:
Mode(s) of study:
Site(s) of delivery:
Name of Course Leader(s)
Current Professional, Statutory
and Regulatory Body (PSRB)
accreditations:
For example, government or industry accreditation.
Academic session reported on:
Sign off at Centre:
Please provide the Centre ‘sign off’ process for the CSQR, including
date of sign off:
For example, The CSQR was considered at the Centre’s Academic
Board and approved on 31 January 2016.
Details of teach-out:
September 2015
Please include the date of final intake to the course, the date when
the final exam board will be or was held, and the date the teachout completes
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Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template – teach-out
QHS VS
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PART A
Executive summary
This section is used to summarise for the reader the content of the
report and any specific issues that need drawing attention to. This
section is one that is written with the external reader in mind (e.g.
Validation Service Sub-Committee (VSSC) reader, external
examiner, verifier, etc.). The audience of the remainder of the
document is primarily the course team itself.
Reflection on currency and course
health:
This section requires the course team to confirm that the course
remains current and in good health. This section should include
reflection on issues such as:
 changes to the course curriculum or modules to keep content
current;
 staff development activity (and its impact on the curriculum);
 External examiner commentary;
 PSRB accreditation;
 staff research (and its impact on the curriculum);
 learning resources;
 staff feedback etc.
The course team should reflect on any activity in the reporting year which demonstrates
that the course is both current and in good health. This reflection should be evidence
based.
Ref. rolling
action plan
For example: A member of staff may have undertaken research or development which has
impacted upon the curriculum; external examiners may have commented upon the currency
of the course.
This section should be used to report any changes made to the course in the reporting year
and when these were approved by NTU. The report should reflect how the changes
enhance the currency and health of the course.
This section should reflect on whether the resource base remains adequate for delivery of
the course.
In the final year of reporting, when teach-out is completed, the course team should provide
a report on the ways in which course health and currency was maintained during the final
year.
Maintaining student learning
opportunities:
Detail Details of how student learning opportunities have been
maintained during the reporting year.
Here the course team should reflect on the mechanisms in place to ensure that student
learning opportunities are maintained during the period of teach-out. Examples include:
 staffing
 learning resources
 developments and intitiatives to enhance the student learning experience
September 2015
Ref. rolling
action plan
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Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template – teach-out
QHS VS
13
 work-based learning and placement opportunities.
In the final year of reporting, when teach-out is completed, the course team should provide
a report on the ways in which student learning opportunities were maintained during the
final year.
Issues raised by students and course
response:
This will be informed by feedback from students at course
committees and module evaluation.
The course team should set out how student feedback is sought (for example at course
committee, end of module, end of level and end of course) and how it has been responded
to in the reporting year. Where a response to student feedback has been made (changes
to the course, upgrading of facilities) the course team should evaluate how effective this
was.
Ref. rolling
action plan
The report should highlight any specific areas where response to student feedback was
particularly effective or where issues were unable to be resolved and the reasons for this.
In the final year of reporting, when teach-out is completed, the course team should set out
how student feedback continued to be sought and responded to during the final year. The
course team should also indicate how the closure of the course was communicated to
students, and how any issues arising from this were managed.
Consideration of relationship with
Nottingham Trent University
Provides a commentary on any areas requiring special
attention. This commentary should pay attention to any
positive aspects of the relationship as well as any problems
that have been encountered during the reporting year.
In this section the report should reflect on operational strengths and areas for development
relating to the relationship with NTU such as:






Ref. rolling
action plan
verifier arrangements;
Collaborative Partnerships Office – Validation Service relationship;
Centre for Academic Development and Quality (CADQ) iterative and approval processes
links to academic Schools and Departments at NTU (if appropriate);
staff development provided by or in collaboration with NTU;
annual reporting.
In the final year of reporting, when teach-out is completed, the course team should reflect
on the relationship in the final year, and report on how final closure of the course, and
associated student records was reported to NTU.
Actions relating to PSRBs and other
external agencies:
This should provide a commentary on any interactions (e.g.
accreditation visits, reviews and their outcomes) with PSRBs or
other external agencies that have, or will have, a significant
impact on the course.
During the reporting year, has the course been reviewed by any external bodies, such as
government agencies, industry accreditation, quality assurance agencies, or the University?
September 2015
page
Ref. rolling
action plan
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Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template – teach-out
QHS VS
13
If so the course team should note the outcomes of such events and any significant changes
to the course as a result. The report should also consider the impact of such reviews on
the course as a whole, course currency, the student experience and subject health.
If there have not been any reviews the course team should report whether there has been
any other significant interactions with PSRBs or other external agencies during the reporting
year and whether this has impacted upon or will impact upon the course.
In the final year of reporting, when teach-out is completed, the course team should indicate
that all external stakeholders, such as PSRBs and government institutions, have been
informed of the closure of the course.
September 2015
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Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template – teach-out
QHS VS
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Part B
Reflection on external examiner(s)
comments:
This section provides the course’s consideration of good
practice and recommendations raised by the external
examiner(s). This will form the basis of the letter of response
to the examiner(s).
Where there is more than one external examiner please make
it clear which external raised which points.
The course team should confirm that the external examiner has been made aware of the
teach-out, and report on mechanisms in place to ensure that external examining
arrangements are in place for the duration of the teach-out period.
Ref. rolling
action plan
The course team should continue to reflect on what the external examiner report(s)
indicates about the standards and quality of the course during the teach-out period to
assure the University that standards are being maintained.
Where externals have made recommendations or raised concerns these should be explicitly
responded to in the report. Where there is an action resulting from this then it should be
included in the rolling action plan and cross-referenced appropriately. Where something
raised is not going to be taken further, the rationale behind this decision should be provided
in this response.
Where an external has provided a negative response to any of the questions on the report
(i.e. answered ‘no’ rather than ‘yes’) the course team should investigate this further and
respond appropriately in this section. .
In the final year of teach-out the course team should still respond to the external
examiner’s feedback, and provide an appropriate letter of response to the examiner.
Part C
Reflection on University verifier(s)
comments:
This section provides the course’s consideration of good
practice and recommendations raised by the University
verifier(s).
The course team should continue to reflect on what the verifier report indicates about the
standards and quality of the course during the teach-out period to assure the University
that standards are being maintained.
Ref. rolling
action plan
Where the verifier has made recommendations or raised concerns these should be explicitly
addressed. Where there is an action resulting from this then it should be included in the
rolling action plan and cross-referenced appropriately. Where something raised is not going
to be taken further, the rationale behind this decision should be provided in this response.
In the final year of teach-out the course team should still respond to the verifier’s feedback.
September 2015
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Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template – teach-out
QHS VS
13
Part D
Consideration of student enrolment,
progression, achievement and
withdrawal
The course team should provide sets of data related to student
enrolments, progression and achievement, and withdrawals
using the templates provided by NTU. The course team should
consider patterns and trends related to these data. Actions
arising from these discussions should be added to the rolling
action plan.
Student, progression, achievement, and withdrawal data should be included as an appendix
to the report. Data for a three year period (the reporting year and two previous years)
should be provided using the template provided by NTU. . In the final year of teach-out the
closure data template should be used.
Ref. rolling
action plan
The questions set out below are designed to aid the course team in analysing patterns and
trends which are highlighted by the data. These questions are not exhaustive, and course
teams may report on additional areas. This section should be presented as a narrative. Yes
/ no responses to these questions are not acceptable.
When teach-out is ongoing:
Progression (using data from the progression table)
 Are the patterns of progression similar across the last three years? If they are different,
why might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
 Does the data suggest a change in progression rates that concerns the course team?
 Are the patterns of progression in line with similar courses at the Centre? If not, is there
a reason why this may be the case?
 Are there any trends which suggest currently enrolled students may not complete within
the teach-out period? If so what arrangements have been made for these students?
 On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Achievement (using data from the achievement table)
 Are percentages of students in each classification similar across the last three years? If
they are different, why might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
 Does the data suggest a change that concerns the course team?
 Are the patterns in line with similar courses at the Centre?
 On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Withdrawals (Using data from the withdrawal column in the progression data
table)
 Are patterns of withdrawal similar across the last three years? If they are different, why
might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
 Are any of the withdrawals as a result of the teach-out situation?
 Are patterns in line with similar courses at the Centre?
 On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
When teach-out has completed:

Have all the enrolled students completed the course and been awarded?

What are the arrangements for any students who have not completed, for example
awarding of an interim award?
September 2015
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Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement
Validation Service Collaborative Provision
Course Standards and Quality Report template
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Part E Rolling Action Plan:
When teach-out is ongoing, the course team should continue to action plan in order to ensure standards, and student learning
opportunities are maintained. In the final report, when teach-out has completed, no action plan is required, however a summary of
progress made on the previous year’s action plan should be provided.
The course team should first report on progress made with the previous year’s action plan and note any actions which are incomplete or
ongoing. Where actions are ongoing they should be incorporated into the action plan for the coming year. The action plan should
explicitly state where actions are rolled over from the previous plan.
All actions should be cross-referenced to the main body of the report. Actions should be specific, have final dates for completion rather
than be ‘ongoing’ and should specify the person, group or committee responsible for taking the action forward.
The rolling action plan is a separate document which can be easily considered at each course committee. You need to include the
following kinds of information:

what is the issue that needs addressing

what do you anticipate being the final outcome

what action(s) will need to be taken to reach this outcome

when will these actions be aimed to be completed

who will lead

at which course committee will it be addressed / discussed / reviewed

the date when the issue gets closed down
No.
Action Point
Section in
CSQR:
Date to be completed:
To be completed by:
1.
Review the assessment on module XXXXX in line with
feedback from the external examiner and verifier
C1
Review to be completed
31 March 2013
Module leader, course
leader, course committee
Changes to assessment
to be completed and
submitted to NYU for
approval by June 2013
September 2015
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