UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
BOARD OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Undergraduate Studies held on Wednesday 8th June
2011.
Present:
Professor R Leng (in the Chair), Dr C Jenainati, Dr S Kettell, Dr G Martin, Dr
F McKay, Dr A Phillips, Dr J Robinson, Mr S Ruston.
Apologies:
Professor T Bugg, Professor S Gilson, Professor N Johnson, Dr J Kidd.
In Attendance: Dr T Bell, Dr J Taylor.
19/10-11
Minutes
RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 23rd February 2011 be approved.
20/10-11
Matters Arising on the Minutes
Progress of Board recommendations
(a) Wireless Access in the Humanities Building (minute 14/10-11 refers)
REPORTED:
The Director of IT Services had stated that whilst wireless access is provided
for in their central-budget funding, this only covers provision in centrallytimetabled rooms, and although further wireless access can be provided
relatively easily on request, there would be a charge to the department or
faculty in question (minute BUGS 14/10-11, resolution (c), refers).
RESOLVED:
That, in light of increasing student expectations, the Board recommends to the
Information Policy and Strategy Committee that it considers the provision of
wireless access all teaching and learning spaces on campus without
additional charge to the departments which use these spaces.
(b) Large lecture space (minute 14/10-11 refers)
REPORTED:
That the Capital Planning and Accommodation Review Group had
acknowledged the scheduling issues in large and medium sized lecture
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theatres and would shortly be considering a proposal to build further lecture
theatre space (minute BUGS 14/10-11, resolution (e), refers).
(c) BSc Accounting and Finance (Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
(minute 15/10-11 refers)
REPORTED:
That the Warwick Business School had provided a revised Part Three of the
Course Proposal Form for the BSc Accounting and Finance (Undergraduate
Partnership Programme) and had approved module proposal for the two
modules for which the students taking the placement will register.
CONSIDERED:
The proposal from the Warwick Business School for the BSc Accounting and
Finance (Undergraduate Partnership Programme), including the revised Part
Three and module descriptors (papers UFSS 49/10-11 (revised), UFSS
49a/10-11 and UFSS 49b/10-11).
RESOLVED:
That the proposal from the Warwick Business School for the BSc Accounting
and Finance (Undergraduate Partnership Programme), be approved.
21/10-11
Chair’s Action
REPORTED:
a) That the Chair, acting on behalf of the Board, had agreed on
medical grounds, to waive the Fifty Per Cent Rule for the cases
below, all of which are in the proportion 0% (exam): 100%
(assessment):
i.
ii.
iii.
a named student in the Centre for Lifelong Learning;
two named students in the Department of Sociology;
a named student in the Department of English and
Comparative Literary Studies;
b) That the Chair, acting on behalf of the Board, had approved a
proposal from the Department of Philosophy for a seen exam paper
for the examination for the module PH304 Textual Studies.
22/10-11
The Student Experience Post-Browne
CONSIDERED:
A report on the subject of student experience and future University provision
written by the Sabbatical Officers of the Students’ Union (paper BUGS 14/1011).
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RESOLVED:
(a) That Heads of Departments be invited to provide, for the Board’s
consideration, their department’s plans to implement the Senior
Tutor’s Personal Tutoring Guidelines, with a view to determining and
recommending good practice in this regard.
(b) That the Students’ Union be asked to provide data and guidance on
undergraduate students’ expectations with regard to “hidden” course
costs and on how these costs might best be publicised.
(c) That the Academic Quality and Standards Committee be asked to
consider students’ concerns over contact hours as noted in the report.
(d) That Student Careers and Skills be asked to consider the inclusion in
student induction arrangements of information for students on what
personal tutors can provide.
(e) That the Board would recommend to the Academic Quality and
Standards Committee that it consider the issue of standardisation of
contact hours in its review of this topic.
23/10-11
International Student Barometer (ISB)
REPORTED:
The following minute from the Academic Quality and Standards
Committee from its meeting of 19th May 2011:
RECEIVED:
A paper from the Assistant Director (Planning & Student Experience),
International Office, on the International Student Barometer (ISB)
Autumn Wave 2010 results (Paper AQSC 53/10-11).
REPORTED:
(a)
That the findings of the Autumn wave 2010 of the ISB survey
were very positive overall, particularly regarding the learning
experience;
(b)
That best practice was shared amongst departments – no one
department was in the ‘top scorers’ for all indicators;
(c)
(i)
(ii)
That the main areas highlighted for further work were:
Performance feedback
Marking criteria
(d)
That the results of the ISB had been presented in detail to
Senior Management and to a wider audience, noting that attendance
was higher from central administrative staff than representatives of
academic departments;
CONSIDERED:
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(a)
Areas of the learning experience to be prioritised for further
improvement;
(b)
Suggestions on how to share best practice between academic
departments regarding the learning experience to help achieve
greater consistency in student satisfaction across the University;
(c)
How best to disseminate the results of the International
Student Barometer.
RESOLVED (inter alia):
(e)
That the Board of Undergraduate Studies be invited to
consider ways to encourage sharing of information between
departments and across faculties, such as through informal lunch
meetings between groups of three Directors of Undergraduate
Studies from a range of disciplines (to allow for easy arrangement of
suitable dates and for a collegial atmosphere to discuss best
practice) for which a topic could be suggested, such as ‘feedback’ or
‘marking criteria’;
(AQSC Minute 78/10-11, refers)
CONSIDERED:
The above resolution (e) of the Academic Quality and Standards Committee.
RESOLVED:
(f) That the Board would have a proper role in recognising and
disseminating good practice in areas such as feedback and marking
etc. and to this end would invite practitioners to future meetings of the
Board with a view to identifying, endorsing and disseminating good
practice to academic departments and reducing undesirable variance
in practice.
(g) That to initiate this process, the Mathematic Institute be invited to talk
to the Board in the coming Autumn Term concerning its commended
personal tutoring arrangements.
24/10-11
UUK-GuildHE Review of External Examining Arrangements
REPORTED:
That at its meeting of 19th May 2011 the Academic Quality and Standards
Committee considered the final report and recommendations from the UUK
review of external examining arrangements in universities and colleges in the
UK (Paper SC.419/10-11) and a paper from the Secretary on potential
changes in response to the recommendations (Paper AQSC 57/10-11), and
resolved (inter alia):
(d)
That the recommendation to make external examiners reports
available to students be further considered at the Boards of Undergraduate
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and Postgraduate Studies, noting that the report on changes to the Academic
Infrastructure (following the recent consultation considered by the Committee)
was expected to be published shortly;
(AQCC Minute 82/10-11, refers)
CONSIDERED:
The above resolution (d) of the Academic Quality and Standards Committee.
RESOLVED:
(a) That the view of the Board was that External Examiners’ reports are not
freestanding documents intended as summative judgements but constitute
part of a process and dialogue with departments and that to publish them to
students out of this context is unlikely to be beneficial and could be
misleading.
(b) That the Board would therefore not recommend that External Examiners’
reports be published to students, but that the current system of including
student representatives on the University Committees that formally consider
the reports and the ensuing dialogues with departments arising from them,
was the most appropriate way of sharing their content with the student body.
25/10-11
Regulation 11: Cheating in University Tests
RECEIVED:
Summary data from departments regarding any cases of cheating in
University tests dealt with by Heads of Departments under Regulation 11 (B)
(2) (b) in the academic year 2009/10 (BUGS 13/10-11).
26/10-11
Undergraduate External Examiners’ Reports for 2009/10
RECEIVED:
(a) The procedure for the consideration of External Examiners’ reports by the
Boards of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies (paper BUGS 1/10-11).
(b) The report from the Board Sub-group established to consider the reports of
the External Examiners summarising key points in the reports for 2009-10
and making recommendations to the Board for further action (paper BUGS
4/10-11).
CONSIDERED:
(c) The reports of External Examiners for Undergraduate courses for 2009/10
received since the last meeting of the Board (paper BUGS 11/10-11);
(d) Pro-forma responses to the External Examiners’ reports received from
departments since the last meeting of the Board (paper BUGS 12/10-11);
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RESOLVED:
(e) That the teaching staff on the BA Philosophy and Literature be congratulated
on Professor Hagberg’s highly complimentary report.
(f) That the Warwick Medical School be asked to respond to Professor LloydWilliams’ comments on students’ weakness in pharmacology and
interpretation of clinical data.
(g) That the pro-forma responses in paper BUGS 12/10-11 were satisfactory.
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