LIST OF ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS AND OTHER
TERMS RELATED TO HIGHER EDUCATION
* Plymouth University specific
Name
Full name
AAB*
Award Assessment
Board
Is the board which is responsible for deciding
on the progression and awards for all
students registered for a particular award in
order to ensure that such decisions are fair in
accordance with the PU regulations.
ACP
Association of
Acp.ac.uk
Collaborative Providers
The purpose of ACP is to promote the
collaborative working of institutions for the
delivery of College Based HE / HE in FE.
ACP also aims to represent the interests of
collaborative provision to policy makers and
to work consultatively with other bodies
within the sector.
ADPC*
Academic
Development
Partnership Committee
Is the University’s strategic decision-making
committee (the membership of which
includes a Deputy Vice Chancellor and all
relevant Pro Vice Chancellors) which is
responsible for deciding whether to submit
any new programme or course of study (or
any changes therein) to the University’s
programme approval process.
ALP*
Academic Liaison
Person
Academic Partnerships
AP*
AP
APCL*
APEL*
APL*
Website
address
Other info
Formally known as University of Plymouth
Colleges (UPC).
Alternative Provider
Accreditation of Prior
Certificated Learning
Accreditation of Prior
Experiential Learning
Accreditation of Prior
Learning
* Plymouth University specific
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APM*
Annual Programme
Monitoring
BA
BEd
BSc
CAS
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Education
Bachelor in Science
Confirmation of
Acceptance to Study
Certificate in Higher
Education
Certificate in
Professional
Development
Combined Universities
in Cornwall
Council for Validating
Universities
CertHE*
CPD*
CUC
CVU
Is the process undertaken by the University’s
programme managers and their teams to
review the operation and delivery of a
programme or course of study during an
Academic Year and to prepare an action plan
for the operation and delivery of that
programme or course of study during the
forthcoming Academic Year.
www.cvu.ac.u
k
‘The Council of Validating Universities is the
only body in the UK specialising exclusively
in good practice and standards for that
aspect of higher education which concerns
the validation of programmes of study by
universities and colleges ('awarding
institutions') or delivery by other colleges or
organisations ('partner institutions'). The term
'collaborative provision' is often used to
describe this form of partnership.’
CVU is interested in all collaborative
provision, so would cover HE in FE,
European and International partnerships, and
maybe the business element if a University is
conferring an award for a programme linked
to a professional body or company.
DipHE
EAP
FD*
FdA
FdSc
FEC
FLE
FPM*
Diploma in Higher
Education
English for Academic
Purposes
Foundation Degree
Foundation Degree in
Arts
Foundation Degree in
Science
Further Education
College
Forecast Late
Enrolments
Faculty Partnership
Manager
* Plymouth University specific
Previously known as a Subject Forum Chair
(SFC).
2
FT
Full time
FTE
HE
HEA
Full time equivalent
Higher Education
Higher Education
Academy
Is any Student (including a research Student)
who satisfies the requirements of HEFCE in
force from time to time for registration for fulltime study or sandwich study.
www.heacade
my.ac.uk
‘The Academy's mission is to help
institutions, discipline groups and all staff to
provide the best possible learning experience
for their students.’
HEA has registers of external examiners for
foundation degrees www.heacademy.ac.uk/SubjectNetwork.htm
HEAR
HEFCE
Higher Education
Achievement Report
Higher Education
Funding Council for
England
www.hefce.ac. Was established under section 62 of the
uk
Further and Higher Education Act 1992
‘Working in partnership, the Higher
Education Funding Council for England
(HEFCE) promotes and funds high-quality,
cost-effective teaching and research,
meeting the diverse needs of students, the
economy and society.‘
HE in FE publications www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/heinfe/pubs.htm
HER
HESA
HESES
Higher Education
Review
Higher Education
Statistics Agency
JBS*
Higher Education
Students Early
Statistics
Higher National
Certificate
Higher National
Diploma
Individual Learner
Records
Integrated Masters
Programme
Joint Board of Study
KIS
Key Information Set
HNC
HND
ILR*
IMP*
* Plymouth University specific
www.hesa.ac.
uk
‘HESA is the central source for the
collection and dissemination of statistics
about publicly funded UK higher education’
Is the board established by the University
and the College as a sub-committee of the
Academic Partnerships general board to
oversee all Programmes provided at the
College.
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MR*
Module Record
NSP
National Scholarship
Programme
National Student
Survey
National Union of
Students
Office for Fair Access
Office Independent
Adjudication
NSS
NUS
OFFA
OIA
PDR
PG
PGCE
PPD*
P&R
PT
PU*
QA*
www.nusonlin
e.co.uk
www.ofsted.go ‘Ofsted is the inspectorate for children and
v.uk
learners in England. It is our job to contribute
to the provision of better education and care
through effective inspection and regulation.
We achieve this through a comprehensive
system of inspection and regulation covering
childcare, schools, colleges, children's
services, teacher training and youth work. ‘
OFSTE
D
OVC
Is a document setting out the details of the
curriculum and the teaching, learning and
assessment processes agreed by the
University for each module that forms part of
a programme.
Office of the ViceChancellor
Performance
Development Review
Postgraduate
Postgraduate
Certificate in Education
Personal Professional
Development
Planning & Review
Meetings
Part time
Plymouth University
www.plymouth
.ac.uk
Quality assurance
* Plymouth University specific
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QAA
Quality Assurance
Agency
www.qaa.ac.u
k
The QAA’s mission is ‘to safeguard the public
interest in sound standards of higher
education qualifications and to inform and
encourage continuous improvement in the
management of the quality of higher
education. We do this by working with
higher education institutions to define
academic standards and quality, and we
carry out and publish reviews against these
standards.’
QAA provides information on collaborative
provision audit, codes of practice,
frameworks for HE qualifications, subject
benchmarks, etc.
RAE
RUT*
SAP*
SNC
SNP*
SPQ*
TNE
UCAS
UG
UPSU
UKVI
UUK
Research Assessment
Exercise
Registered University
Teacher
Subject Assessment
Panel
Student Number
Control
Student Number
Projections
Student Perception
Questionnaire
Transnational
Education
Universities and
Colleges Admissions
Service
Undergraduate
University of Plymouth
Students’ Union
UK Visas and
Immigration
Universities UK
RUT registration enables access to AP
portal, please e-mail
academicpartnerships@plymouth.ac.uk for
details.
Is the panel which considers the results of all
modules in a particular subject.
www.ucas.ac.
uk
UCAS is the central organisation that
processes applications for full-time
undergraduate courses at UK universities
and colleges
www.upsu.co
m
www.universiti
esuk.ac.uk
Universities UK (UUK) is the representative
organisation for the UK’s universities.
Together with Higher Education Wales and
Universities Scotland, its mission is to be the
definitive voice for all universities in the UK,
providing high quality leadership and support
to its members to promote a successful and
diverse higher education sector.
* Plymouth University specific
5
UVAC
University Vocational
Awards Council
VC
WP
Vice-Chancellor
Widening Participation
* Plymouth University specific
www.uvac.ac.
uk
‘UVAC is the higher and further education
sector's voice on matters relating to higher
vocational learning. It is a not-for-profit
membership organisation made up of more
than 90 higher education institutions and
further education colleges from across the
UK.’
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