ASC(UG)/161209/19
UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
ACADEMIC STANDARDS COMMITTEE (UNDERGRADUATE)
Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 November 2009
Present:
Professor W F Long (Convenver), Dr D C Hendry, Mrs L M Johnson, Professor F A Murphy,
Mr M Radford, Dr K I J Shennan, Mr Y Volvyne (Student Representative) and Mrs P Rowand
(Clerk). Dr R Bernard, Deputy Academic Registrar (Academic Services) was in attendance
for the discussion of item 6, Possible Revisions to General Regulation 16 in Light of
Curriculum Reform.
Apologies:
Professor J Geddes, Professor L D Ritchie, Ms R Harrington and Ms A Hogg.
1.
Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 May 2009
The minutes of the meeting held on 13 May 2009 were confirmed as an accurate record.
Copy filed as ASC(UG)111109/01
2.
Matters Arising
2.1
It was noted that the minute made reference to the fact that the next meeting of the Committee was
scheduled to take place on 28 October 2009 but that the date had been changed due to the nonavailability of Committee members on the 28th.
3.
Student Course Evaluation Form Exercise
3.1
College of Life Sciences and Medicine
The following draft response to the SCEF report from the first half-session of 2008/09 was approved
by the Committee:
3.1.1
Psychology
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/02
1. The ASC noted that the School was considering monitoring attendance at lectures to try to
increase SCEF returns and also noted the School’s reluctance to do this.
2. The ASC noted the high degree of student satisfaction with the courses provided.
3.2
College of Life Sciences and Medicine
The following draft responses to the SCEF reports from the second half-session of 2008/09 were
approved by the Committee:
3.2.1
Agriculture
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/03
1. The ASC noted the high degree of student satisfaction with the courses provided.
2. The ASC was especially pleased to see the high degree of satisfaction with the new course,
AG4509, Current Issues in Agriculture.
3.2.2
Biology
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/04
1. The ASC noted that the Course Coordinators reported a high degree of satisfaction with the
courses provided.
2. The ASC noted the dissatisfaction expressed with regard to the AURIS Lecture Theatre and
urged the School to contact Estates in this regard.
3. The ASC noted the proposed changes to BI3803, Animal Care and Welfare, in response to the
change in the numbers of agriculture students taking the course.
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3.2.3
Plant and Soil Science
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/05
1. The ASC noted that the Course Coordinators reported a high degree of student satisfaction with
the courses provided.
2. The ASC noted the uncertainty about the future of TB3503, Tropical Forest and Savannah
Ecology, due to the imminent retirement of key members of the teaching team and asked that this
be discussed at an early opportunity with the School.
3. The ASC noted that computer generated SCEFs had not been provided for FY3804, Forest
Resource Management, or FY3805, Forest Measurement and Monitoring, and asked that these
be forwarded to the ASC in time for its next meeting.
Action: Clerk
3.2.4
Public Health
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/06
1. The ASC noted that most courses appeared to have been very well received.
2. The ASC noted that the assessment criteria for HE2501, Elementary Statistics for Health
Research, were heavily criticised and that changes were planned for the next year. However, the
Course Review Summary Report did not mention this criticism. The ASC asked that specific
comment be made on this aspect in the corresponding report for this course for session 2009/10.
Action: Clerk
3. In its 2007-08 report, the ASC had requested that specific comment be made on the result of
changes to be introduced to HE2501 to address previous complaints concerning delay in
feedback from assignments. However, this had not been done. The School’s attention was
drawn to the generic comment concerning the SCEF exercise which appears at the bottom of the
ASC report.
3.2.5
School of Medical Sciences
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/07
1. The ASC noted the high degree of student satisfaction with the courses provided.
2. The ASC asked that the outcome of SSLC meetings be posted on course WebCT sites.
3. The ASC noted the high level of dissatisfaction with the practicals/tutorials on PA3802,
Mechanisms of Disease and Principals of Chemotherapy, and the comment that the
demonstrators did not perform well. The ASC asked for an immediate response from the School
regarding the measures put in place to enhance demonstrator performance in the next academic
year.
4. The ASC noted from the computer generated SCEF that DB3501, Developmental Genetics, had
been less well received than was apparent from the Course Summary Review Report. The ASC
expected that appropriate improvements would be made to the course next year and asked that
specific comment on this aspect be included in the corresponding return for this course in session
2009/10.
5. The ASC noted that the anatomy lectures and practicals for SR3504, Sports and Exercise
Science, were not well received and asked that this be addressed for the next year.
6.
Action: Clerk
3.2.6
Zoology
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/08
1. The ASC noted that most courses appeared to have been well received.
2. The ASC noted the changes proposed to ZO4538, Marine and Fisheries Biology, to address the
concerns of students about the perceived high workload.
3. The ASC noted that several level 4 courses had commented that students were not happy with
100% examination assessment and would like to have some continuous assessment to justify the
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high in-course workload. The ASC suggested that this point be discussed at School level to
ensure an appropriate balance between examinations and other assessments in Honours.
4. The ASC noted that computer generated SCEFs were not available for ZO4808, Marine Benthic
Biology, ZO3810, Biology and Control of Infectious Diseases, and BI29Z1, Zoology Field Course.
The ASC asked that these be provided in time for its next meeting.
Action: Clerk
3.3
College of Physical Sciences
The following draft responses to the SCEF reports from the second half-session of 2008/09 were
approved by the Committee:
3.3.1
Chemistry
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/09
1. The ASC noted that no computer generated SCEFs had been returned for this discipline and
requested that these be provided for its next meeting on 16 December 2009. The ASC course
review is based only on the individual Course Coordinators’ reports.
2. The ASC noted that there still seemed to be adverse comments regarding feedback on WebCT
based assessments at level 1. This was currently being addressed and the ASC asked that
specific comment be made in the corresponding return for academic year 2009/10.
Action: Clerk
3. The ASC noted the positive comments regarding supportive and innovative teaching on CM2513,
Analytical Methods in Forensic Chemistry, and CM3617, Environmental Chemistry and Chemistry
of the Elements.
4. The ASC commended the efforts being made to increase the quality of demonstrators by
providing formal training sessions.
3.3.2
Computing Science
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/10
1. The ASC noted that CS2506, Human-Computer Interaction, and CS2508, Intelligent Hardware
and Robotics, did not appear to have been well received by the students although in both cases
the practical classes were appreciated more. This comment had previously been noted (for
CS2508) and the ASC asked that the School try and address this issue in the corresponding
return for academic year 2009/10.
2. The ASC noted that practical classes for CS3514, Enterprise Computing, have been subjected to
criticism for the past 2 years but the ASC noted that these would now be redesigned for the next
academic year. The ASC requested that specific comment be made on the practical classes for
the course in the corresponding return for academic year 2009/10.
Action: Clerk
3. The ASC noted that overall there was a high degree of satisfaction with most aspects of the
discipline’s courses.
3.3.3
Mathematics
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/11
1. The ASC noted that most courses were well received.
2. The ASC noted that tutorials on MA2507, Advanced Calculus, came under much criticism but
there had been no explicit comment on how this would be tackled for future years. The ASC
expected that specific comment on tutorials would be made in the corresponding return for
academic year 2009/10.
3. The ASC noted that MX3533, Methods of Mathematical Physics, had been heavily criticised both
in terms of the lectures and tutorials (although the response rate for this course was only 5
students). Very little had been said about this in the Course Review Summary Report and the
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ASC requested that a more detailed analysis be included in the corresponding return for
academic year 2009/10.
Action: Clerk
4. The ASC noted that several courses at level 4 had been criticised for lack of clarity on
assessment criteria and the ASC requested that the School improves their explanation of
assessment criteria to students next time the courses run.
3.3.4
Physics
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/12
1. The ASC noted that there was a high degree of satisfaction with most aspects of the discipline’s
courses.
2. The ASC noted that PX1511, The Physical Universe 2, had been criticised for the difficulty of one
part of the course. However, the ASC also noted that changes to the course were being made
accordingly. The ASC requested that the specific comment be made on the effect of these
changes in the corresponding return for academic year 2009/10.
Action: Clerk
3.
3.4
The ASC noted that two part-time teaching fellows would shortly be recruited.
ASC SCEF Report Proforma
The Committee reviewed the wording of the generic comments appearing at the bottom of the ASC
Report proforma and agreed that the sentence:
“The ASC urges Schools to consider the fact that student complaints about library often result less
from poor provision than from lack of instruction on best practice for library use.”
be removed.
Action: Clerk
4.
External Examiners Reports
4.1
College of Arts and Social Sciences
4.1.1
The Committee considered the response from the College of Arts and Social Sciences to the
comments made by the External Examiners in their reports for Academic Year 2008/2009.
4.1.2
It was noted that the BACE programme team had reviewed the turn-around time for the provision of
feedback to students on completed assignments in light of the comments made by External Examiner,
Mr Mark Smith. It was observed that the BACE programme was run in conjunction with the Camphill
community and that the arrangements for marking assignments were therefore different from that from
other programmes and that consequently marking would take longer. As a result of their review the
marking teams would aim to decrease the turn around time to 6 weeks in 2010/11 with a view to
reducing the time further in 2011/12 to 4 weeks. The ASC commended the decision to decrease the
return time for feedback. The importance of informing the students of the expected turn around time
and of adhering to that timescale was emphasised.
4.1.3
The Committee noted that Professor Joseph Thomson, the External Examiner for Law, had indicated
that he was considering resigning due to the fact that he had not been paid by the end of September
despite the timely submission of his report. It was agreed that clarification should be sought from
Registry regarding the delay in the payment of Professor Thomson’s honorarium.
Action: Clerk
4.1.4
It was observed that the format of the response relating to the School of Divinity, History and
Philosophy differed from that of other Schools in that the External Examiners’ comments had not been
replicated. The Committee found it helpful to have the External Examiners’ comments included and
requested that they be provided for the next meeting of the Committee.
Action: Clerk
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/13
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4.2
College of Life Sciences and Medicine
4.2.1
The Committee considered the response from the College of Life Sciences and Medicine to the
comments made by the External Examiners in their reports for Academic Year 2008/2009.
4.2.2
Professor Gordon Lindsay’s comments regarding the discrepancies between student performance in
continuous assessment and examination performance, the percentage of marks assigned to
continuous assessment and the proposed changes to the reduce the number of assessed elements
whilst leaving the continuous assessment as it is at present were noted. The Committee observed
that the School of Medical Sciences had not yet provided a response to these comments and asked
that this be provided for consideration at its next meeting.
Action: Clerk
4.2.3
The Committee noted the School’s Professor Quinn’s comments regarding encouraging staff to use
the full range of marks available at the higher scales (first class). The Head of School had responded
by stating that he ‘suspect(ed) that this is a problem …. and it might be helpful to ensure all staff
involved are advised accordingly, and encouraged where work is exceptionally good to ward
appropriately exceptional marks”. The Head of School had also expressed the view that this point
was unlikely to be confined to the disciplines of Genetics and Immunology. The ASC would welcome
clarification on this statement and asked that the School provide confirmation of the action which will
be taken to ensure that a full range of marks will be used.
Action: Clerk
4.2.4
The Committee noted Professor Allan Mowatt’s comments on the CAS system and felt there would be
merit in forwarding these to the CAS Working Group for consideration. It was remitted to the Clerk to
forward these comments on to the Clerk to the UCTL and the Clerk to the CAS Working Group. The
School had not yet responded to these comments and the Committee asked that a response be
provided as a matter of urgency.
Action: Clerk
5.
5.1
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/14
Internal Teaching Review
Summary Reports
The Committee considered the Summary Reports and the agreed responses to recommendations
from the following Schools:
5.1i
School of Mathematics
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/15
5.1.1
With reference to point 3.6, the School of Mathematics’ response regarding the Student Staff Liaison
Committee (SSLC), the ASC would ask that the School confirm that the SSLC includes not just
reactive discussion to the delivery of courses, but also gives student representatives the opportunity
to contribute to the planning of courses and programmes? In its response to this query, the School
may wish to cite SSLC minutes that demonstrate such contributions.
Action: Clerk
5.1.2
With reference to point 3.27, the ASC requested that record keeping of such activities ensures than
an accurate account of such development can be demonstrated should the need arise. The ASC’s
concern relates to the use of the word “informal” in the School’s response.
5.1.3
With reference to point 3.29, the ASC supported, and will forward to Estates, the School’s comments
regarding the provision of blackboards.
Action: Clerk
5.1ii
School of Physics
5.1.4
With reference to point 3.7, regarding elected student representatives, the ASC requested that the
School advise how student representatives are able to contribute to the planning of programmes and
courses, rather than simply react to issues. If the SSLC is used, it would helpful if such instances
were cited in SSLC minutes.
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/16
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5.2
One Year Follow-Up Reports
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/17
The Committee noted that the One Year Follow-Up Report from the Graduate School of the College of
Life Sciences and Medicine was for the ASC (Postgraduate) to consider.
6.
Possible Revisions to General Regulation 16 in Light of Curriculum Reform
6.1
Dr Bernard advised the Committee that changes would require to be made to the General Regulation
governing student progression (General Regulation 16) in light of Curriculum Reform and the move
away from 20 credit point courses to 15 and 30 credit point courses.
6.2
It was noted that, in accordance with General Regulation 16:
(a) to progress from programme year 1 to programme year 2 students currently required to obtain a
total of at least 80 credit points at level 1, and
(b) to progress from programme year 2 to programme year 3 students currently required to obtain a
total of at least 200 credit points at levels 1 and 2
and that these credit point totals equated to a 2 course shortfall. It was further noted that neither of
these thresholds were divisible by 15 credit points.
6.3
The Committee considered whether these thresholds should be decreased to 75 and 195 credit points
respectively or increased to 90 and 210 credit points respectively.
6.4
The Committee was unanimously of the view that the credit point totals should be increased to:
(a) 90 credit points for progression from programme year 1 to programme year 2, and
(b) 200 credit points for progression from programme year 2 to programme 3.
FOR ROUTINE APPROVAL
7.
Composition of Students’ Progress Committee
7.1
The Committee approved the composition of the Students’ Progress Committees for 2008/09, as
detailed below.
Composite Undergraduate Students’ Progress Committee:
Professor J Geddes, DUP (Arts and Social Sciences)
Dr K I J Shennan, DUP (Science)
Mrs L M Johnson, DUP (Education)
Dr D C Hendry, DUP (Engineering)
Professor L D Ritchie, DUP (Medicine)
Mr M Radford, DUP (Law)
Professor F A Murphy, DUP (Divinity)
Medicine:
Professor G Hawksworth, Convener
Professor G Youngson, Deputy Convener
Professor M Cotter
Dr S Davies
Professor W F Long
Dr C Kay
Dr B Golden
Professor S Heys
Dr M J MacLeod
Professor S Bhattacharya
Dr P Johnston
Professor H McKenzie
Dr M Cruickshank
Dr S Ross
Division of Applied Health Sciences
Paediatric Surgery
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences
Medical Sciences
Child Health
Surgery
Medicine and Therapeutics
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Pathology
Medical Microbiology
Obst & Gynae
Division of Medical & Dental Education
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Dr A Schofield
Dr W Watson
Dr A Denison
Dr R Patey
Professor M Vickers
Dr M Crilly
Professor M Laing
Dr J Cleland
Professor J Newton
Dr A Mason
Mr A McIntosh
Professor J Jayasinghe
Mrs E Pryde
Dr K I J Shennan
Ms L M Johnson
Professor J Geddes
Mr M Radford
Professor F A Murphy
Dr D C Hendry
8.
Division of Medical & Dental Education
Diabetes & Endocrinology
Division of Medical & Dental Education
Division of Medical & Dental Education
Division of Applied Health Sciences
Public Health
Associate Dean (Inverness)
General Practice & Community Education Unit
Dundee – Dentist
Dundee – Dentist
Aberdeen - Dentist
Aberdeen – Dentist
Aberdeen - Dentist
SPC Science
SPC Education
SPC Arts and Social Sciences
SPC Law
SPC Divinity
SPC Engineering
Reports on Course Capping
Copy filed as ASC(UG)/111109/18
8.1
The Committee approved the annual report submitted by the School of Language and Literature
regarding capping the number of students taking Level 4 English courses.
FOR INFORMATION
9.
Revision to SENAS Forms
9.1
The Committee noted that revisions had been made to SENAS forms for level 1 courses and
programmes in light of Curriculum Reform and that the SENAS forms for courses from levels 2 to 5
remained unchanged meantime. Schools had been given a deadline of 29 January 2010 for the
submission of SENAS forms to the Registry. The deadline for ASC approval of submitted forms was
12 February 2010.
9.2
Given the changes to programmes and courses in light of Curriculum Reform it was expected that a
higher than normal number of SENAS forms would be submitted for approval. Standard practice was
for course proposal/amendment SENAS forms to be considered by either the Director of
Undegraduate Programmes (DUP) for Arts & Social Sciences or Science (reflecting the historical role
of the ASCs for Arts & Social Sciences and Science) and for programme proposal/amendment
SENAS forms to be submitted to the DUP for the relevant area of study. Given the higher than normal
volume of SENAS forms expected, it was suggested that there would be merit in sharing the workload
amongst the DUPs.
10.
Course Proposals
The Committee noted that a list of all courses and programmes approved by Convenor’s Action since
the October meeting could be found at the following link: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/senastracking/report/
11.
Date of the Next Meeting
It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would take place at 2.00 pm on Wednesday,
16 December 2009 in Committee Room 2, University Office.
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