Accreditation for awarding of academic credit
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Section 14
Accreditation for awarding of academic credit
14.1 Introduction and principles of accreditation at Middlesex University
Accreditation is the formal mechanism for the recognition of learning that is achieved
outside the University’s validated programmes of study. It uses the Middlesex
University academic credit framework to evaluate and quantify such learning in terms
of credit points at a particular level. This recognition is important for the personal and
professional development of individuals. It also operates to quality assure the learning
outcomes and assessment of education and training activities delivered by employers
and other organisations.
Further details of the types of accreditation are provided in section 14.2 of this policy.
There are a number of main principles by which the accreditation process is managed
at Middlesex University.
 Middlesex University is responsible for the academic standards of all academic credit
awarded in its name.
 Middlesex University will implement appropriate and proportionate due diligence
procedures to assess academic, financial, legal and reputational risks associated
with proposed accreditation of external courses or other activity.
 All applications for credit will be assessed rigorously, with credit only awarded for
demonstrable learning achievement (i.e. not for time taken).
 Accreditation assessment shall be subject to internal moderation and external
scrutiny.
 The award of academic credit does not in itself constitute the award of a University
qualification but rather credit that can count towards such a qualification. The award
of Middlesex University qualifications is subject to Assessment Board decision.
 Accreditation can lead to the award of general or specific credit.
 Specific credit is that which relates to and can count towards the achievement of an
identified Middlesex University qualification.
 The award of general credit can be recognised towards the achievement of
qualifications within the Middlesex University Work Based Learning Framework and,
subject to agreement, towards other qualifications at Middlesex or elsewhere.
 The University will provide advice to support the development of a proposal/claim for
accreditation, and appropriate staff development for those involved in accreditation
assessment.
 The accreditation proposal/claim remains the responsibility of the claimant/proposer.
 Accreditation will be monitored as part of the University’s annual monitoring process.
Also included in this section is the procedure for accepting students with advanced
standing.
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14.2 Types of accreditation at Middlesex University
There are five types of activity, which can be accredited at Middlesex University:
Accreditation of external courses or training activity
This type of accreditation concerns the development, credit rating and implementation
of the award of credit to successful participants on external courses, including incompany training and professional body courses.
Accreditation of learning from work roles
This type of accreditation concerns the development, credit rating and implementation
of the award of credit to workers demonstrating learning achievement against
accredited learning outcomes based upon their work/organisational competency
frameworks.
Accreditation of Middlesex University short courses
This type of accreditation concerns the development, credit rating and implementation
of the award of credit to successful participants on Middlesex University short courses
which are outside of the University’s validated programmes of study.
Accreditation for certain external courses leading to an articulation agreement
This concerns the monitoring of the award of credit to successful participants on
category B courses offered by category 2 institutions which are the subject of
articulation agreements. For further information see section 10.
Accreditation of prior and experiential learning (APEL) of individuals
This relates to applications or claims submitted by individuals wishing to apply for
credit of both previously recognised credit obtained from prior learning such as that
demonstrated by qualifications or certificates, and for credit which can be applied to
previous experiential and/or work-based learning.
The procedure for each of the five types above is outlined in this policy. All claims for
accreditation outlined in this policy are considered via the University Accreditation
Board.
14.3 The University Accreditation Board
Middlesex University award academic credit for learning from experience, learning
achievement from a previously unaccredited course or prior certificated learning through
an Accreditation Board. The University considers proposals/claims for the award of
academic credit for the five forms of accreditation (listed above) at the following
Accreditation Boards:
 The University Accreditation Board for external activity and courses
 The University Accreditation Board for individual APEL claims
The terms of reference of the University Accreditation Boards are:
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To consider and where appropriate award credit in respect of learning outcomes from
external courses/other activity. The decision will be in respect of the number and
level of credits and the appropriateness of the proposed assessment. The award can
be made subject to specified conditions being met.
To consider and where appropriate award credit in respect of claims for accreditation
put forward by individuals to decide upon the number and level of credits.
To consider and where appropriate award credit in respect of individuals successfully
demonstrating learning achievement in respect of previously accredited learning
outcomes.
To produce an annual monitoring report on the work of the Accreditation Board for
consideration by the University’s Assurance Committee.
To advise the University, through the University’s Assurance Committee on the
quality of accreditation practice and procedures.
14.3.1 The University Accreditation Board is constituted as follows:
 Head of Academic Development IWBL or nominee (chair)
 External Examiner (appointed to the board)
 University School Deputy Dean(s) or nominee
 University School/Institute for Work Based Learning (IWBL) Accreditation
representatives (as appropriate)
 Accreditation proposal/claim assessor(s) as appropriate
 Secretary to the board
14.3.2 The Collaborative Programme Accreditation Board
Collaborative programmes may, as part of validation or subsequently as a
consequence of review, apply for authority to award specific credit in respect solely of
the collaborative programme. The quality assurance principles of Middlesex University
apply in respect of the partner institution.
The Collaborative Programme Accreditation Board is constituted as follows:
 Programme Leader (chair)
 Middlesex University Link Tutor
 Assessor(s)
The terms of reference of the Collaborative Programme Accreditation Board are:
 To consider and where appropriate award credit in respect of claims for accreditation
put forward by individuals and to decide upon the number and level of credits.
The decisions of the Collaborative Programme Accreditation Board are reported to the
assessment board of the programme concerned and are subject to scrutiny by external
examiners aligned to the programme. The operation of the Accreditation Board will be
included as part of the programme annual monitoring report required by the University.
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14.4 Individual right of appeal
Individual claimants who are students of the University may appeal against
Accreditation Board decisions on the same grounds and following the same procedure
as prescribed in the University assessment regulations for appeal against assessment
board decisions.
14.5
Accreditation of external courses and other activity
14.5.1 Development of the accreditation proposal
Enquiries may be directed in the first instance to a University School/IWBL Accreditation
Board Representative who will identify the appropriate expertise required to:
 Make an initial assessment of the suitability of the organisation and activity for
accreditation (in consultation with the relevant University School Deputy Dean/IWBL
Head of Academic Development or nominee).
 Complete the Accreditation Initial Approval Information form and make a
recommendation to ‘approve’, ‘refer’ or ‘reject’ the initial accreditation enquiry
regarding progress to accreditation proposal stage.
 The University School/IWBL Deputy Dean/Head of Academic Development will
confirm the decision regarding approval to proceed to accreditation proposal stage
by signing the Accreditation Initial Approval Information form. This approval includes
confirmation of the provision of appropriate resources to support the development,
assessment and quality monitoring of accredited activity.
Once the relevant University School/IWBL have confirmed that the organisation and
activity are suitable, this will be confirmed to the Secretary of the University Accreditation
Board who will:
 Send out an information leaflet on the accreditation process to the client organisation
including details of the requirements of an accreditation proposal.
 Keep a record of enquiries/information sent out and monitor progress
The University School/IWBL will identify the appropriate expertise required to assess the
proposal and support proposal development.
The client organisation will submit the completed Accreditation Proposal form to the
University Accreditation Board.
14.5.2 Credit rating the proposal
The relevant School/IWBL appoint an Assessor(s) for each proposal. The secretary to
the University Accreditation Board issues the Assessor(s) with the Accreditation
Assessment form as well as the completed Accreditation Proposal. The role of the
Accreditation Proposal Assessor is to assess a proposal and make a recommendation to
the University Accreditation Board with respect to its appropriateness in relation to the
volume and level of credit sought. The proposal and assessor recommendations are
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considered by the University Accreditation Board. The University Accreditation Board will
consider:
 the number of credits
 the level of credits; and
 the appropriateness of the proposed learning outcomes and assessment
requirements
The University Accreditation Board decides if the proposal is approved (or otherwise)
with or without conditions and recommendations and also has the authority to approve
the award general or specific credit. Following the decision of the University Accreditation
Board, the Secretary to the Board will:
 inform the client of the board’s decision, including any conditions and for
accreditation;
 arrange for an invoice to be raised in accordance with the accreditation contract; and
 produce a Memorandum of Co-operation for approval by the Deputy Chief Executive
and subsequent dispatch to the client.
14.5.3 Implementing the accreditation
The secretary to the University Accreditation Board will produce a Memorandum of Cooperation covering arrangements for registration, monitoring, external assessment and
the payment of fees.
The client’s proposal must include details of a learning and assessment team, which
shall be subject to approval by the University; changes to the learning and assessment
team after initial approval must be notified to the University Accreditation Board for its
approval. Where the credit to be awarded is at Framework for Higher Education
Qualifications (FHEQ) Level 5 or above the University School/IWBL to which the
accredited activity is aligned shall identify an appropriate External Assessor. This may be
from those already appointed but it is possible to nominate an External Assessor purely
for the purpose of examining accredited activity following the normal external examiner
nomination process as detailed in the Learning and Quality Enhancement (LQE)
Handbook. External Assessors will report on standards to the University Accreditation
Board and to Academic Quality Service (AQS).
A Middlesex University School/IWBL representative will act as Accreditation Link Tutor.
The role of the Accreditation Link Tutor is to:
 act as moderator to the client's assessment team ;
 liaise as appropriate with the External Assessor;
 be responsible for communicating recommendations for the award of credit to the
University; and
 contribute to and facilitate the submission of an annual monitoring report.
The recommended pass list signed by the client organisation and the Middlesex
University Accreditation Link Tutor will be ratified by the University Accreditation Board.
In the event that there is no agreement between the Accreditation Link Tutor and the
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other members of the assessment team then the Middlesex Accreditation Link Tutor
should inform the Chair of the University Accreditation Board at once. The chair may
then decide to involve the External Examiner to the Accreditation Board as appropriate
and withhold ratification of the pass list until the External Examiner and if necessary the
full Board can be consulted. The decision to award academic credit rests entirely with the
University and is exercised through the University Accreditation Board.
The secretary to the University Accreditation Board will request that the client be invoiced
in respect of fees relating to the issue of student certificates of credit, within 30 days of
the ratification of the results of students on the pass list.
The secretary to the University Accreditation Board will request the finance office to
invoice the client for the annual charge for annual monitoring.
14.6
Accreditation of learning from work roles
The procedure for the accreditation of learning from work roles is the same as that for
accrediting external courses or other activity.
Please see 14.5.1 for the procedure for developing the accreditation proposal, 14.5.2
for the procedure for credit rating the proposal and 14.5.3 for implementing the
accreditation proposal.
14.7
Accreditation of Middlesex University short courses
14.7.1 Development of the accreditation proposal
The proposer completes a Middlesex University Short Course Accreditation Proposal
form using the notes for proposers as a guide to determining the proposed credit
rating. The proposal is first submitted to the appropriate Head of Department for
approval signature and then forwarded to the University Accreditation Board for
consideration.
14.7.2 Implementing the accreditation
The University School/IWBL/Service concerned is responsible for:
 planning and development;
 the appointment of tutors and an External Assessor if the accreditation is at FHEQ
Level 5 or above;
 monitoring staff and student opinion and responding to issues which arise from
such monitoring;
 ensuring that assessment decisions are reported to the University Accreditation
Board;
 providing the University Accreditation Board/IWBL with the information required to
produce and dispatch appropriate certificates of credit; and
 transferring to the IWBL the appropriate certification fee.
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The standard feedback questionnaires completed by all short course participants will
be analysed and summarised at school/service level. University Schools/service areas
should audit selected reports as part of the quality monitoring procedures and should
include comments in the School/service quality monitoring report.
14.8
Accreditation of external courses leading to an articulation agreement
14.8.1 Development of the accreditation proposal
Expressions of interest may be made by a potential client via a variety of routes e.g.
through personal contacts in University Schools/IWBL; in response to central or
University School/IWBL initiatives.
All enquiries for articulation must be routed to the University School/IWBL aligned to the
programme against which the articulation is sought. The School Deputy Dean/IWBL
Head of Academic Development (or nominee) will make an initial assessment of the
suitability of the course for articulation.
14.8.2 Approval of articulation proposals
All articulation proposals are considered and approved by the University Articulation
Board (see section 10)
14.8.3 Monitoring of students from articulating institutions
For category B programmes (see section 10 for definition), academic standards and
the quality of provision will be monitored on an annual basis through the review of
anonymised samples of assessed student work from the articulating institution at the
appropriate level; i.e. level 5 for articulation into level 6 and at level 4 for articulation
into level 5. The review follows the University guidelines for the assessment of such
work, including the involvement of External Examiners/Assessors, and will be
managed through the University Accreditation Board.
Articulating institutions will provide sample assessments and associated anonymised
samples of assessed student work as per University assessment sampling guidelines
and including pass, borderlines and fails.
The Accreditation Board will confirm the continuing appropriateness of academic
standards at the articulating institution to the University Articulation Board (see
appendix 10c). Articulating institutions will bear the costs for such additional
monitoring.
14.9
Accreditation of prior and experiential learning of individuals
14.9.1 General principles
Claims for recognition and accreditation of prior and work based learning may be for
specific credit (i.e. the number of credit points which may be credited towards a
particular programme of study) or general credit (i.e. quantified in terms of credit
points and level but not assigned to a particular programme of study).
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The type of credit sought (general or specific) and whether the learning has been
previously credit rated, i.e. certificated learning which has a recognised credit rating or
not previously credit rated, i.e. certificated (not previously accredited) or uncertificated
determines the route for accreditation of the claim.
The following general principles apply to all claims:
 Appropriate description of the learning claimed and supporting evidence must be
provided by the claimant.
 Claimants for uncertificated learning will have access to a University Tutor
(normally by taking a ‘Review of Learning’ module at the appropriate level) but
retain full responsibility for the claim they submit.
 Assessment of previously unaccredited learning will be by (an) appropriate
expert(s), will be subject to moderation and will be considered by the appropriate
University Accreditation Board.
 General or specific credit for certificated learning for which established
equivalence can be determined by reference to national or international reference
points (e.g. National Academic Recognition Centres) cannot be accredited at a
higher level or with a greater number of credit points.
 Specific credit for learning cannot be awarded at a higher level or with a greater
number of credit points than the general credit rating of the same learning.
 All credit awarded will be certificated. In the case of general credit a Certificate of
Credit will be awarded. All credit used for an award bearing programme will be
recorded as part of a student diploma supplement.
 Claimants may appeal against the decisions of the University Accreditation Board
in accordance with the University appeal regulations.
Awards of specific credit will be reported to the appropriate University School/IWBL
Assessment Board via entry on the MISIS. Awards of general credit will be made by
the University Accreditation Board. Decisions of the University and Collaborative
Partner Accreditation Boards will be subject to the scrutiny of the appropriate External
Examiner. Awards of credit to candidates on a professional doctorate programme are
made by an accreditation panel drawn from the Assessment Board of the Professional
Doctorate.
Credit counted towards a qualification is termed specific credit. Under the
assessment regulations of the University the maximum amount of specific credit which
can be counted towards a qualification is normally 2/3 of the total required for the
qualification, e.g. 240 in the case of the 360 credit points required for an honours
degree. The remaining credit gained from Middlesex University must be at or above
the minimum level(s) for the award specified in the University assessment regulations.
Assessment of learning not previously accredited will be subject to the University
assessment charge for accreditation of prior and work based learning. The charge is
reviewed annually.
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14.9.2 Claims for specific credit
Requests for accreditation for specific credit from potential students will receive a
standard letter from the University admissions office. The letter will inform enquirers
of accreditation opportunities and advise those seeking accreditation for certificated
learning to apply on the University application form, giving full details of course
content and proof of successful completion including detailed diploma supplements.
Normally specific credit will be awarded at the time of admission to a particular
programme of study. Enquirers seeking accreditation of learning from experience will
be referred to IWBL and will normally be required to register as associate students
until their claim has been assessed and an offer of admission with advanced standing
to a programme has been made.
If the claim is based upon certificated learning which has already been credit
rated the Admissions Manager (Pre-accreditation) (or nominee), in consultation as
appropriate with the appropriate Programme Leader (or nominee) determines whether
specific credit and/or exemption can be awarded against the programme of study the
claimant wishes to pursue.
Credit awarded on the basis of the University tariff should normally be determined
prior to the offer of a place and details of the credit awarded should be specified in the
offer letter.
If the claim is based upon certificated learning which has not previously been
accredited the claimant will be instructed to provide the relevant course content details
and proof of successful completion. If the claim is based upon experiential learning
then the claimant will be referred to the IWBL. The IWBL will contact the claimant and
advise on how to develop a claim, normally following the ‘Review of Learning’ module.
14.9.3 Claims for general credit
All requests for accreditation from claimants seeking general credit, including those
who have not yet determined a specific programme of study for which they wish to
apply should be referred to the IWBL. Claims for learning which has previously been
accredited will be reported to the next meeting of the appropriate University
Accreditation Board.
Claims for learning which have not previously been accredited will normally be
prepared using the ‘Review of Learning’ module on campus, off campus or by
distance mode.
Claims for accreditation based solely or partly upon learning from experience shall be
developed following a University approved process (normally a ‘Review of Learning’
module at the appropriate level) of structured reflection upon experience to identify
and evidence learning achievement. The claimant shall have access to information
relating to the format and content of an accreditation claim.
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The claimant shall also have the opportunity to obtain guidance from a Tutor who has
been trained to act as an adviser to individuals developing accreditation claims.
The claimant has sole responsibility for the formulation and submission of the
accreditation claim.
14.10 Entry Routes for Advanced Standing
14.10.1 Programme General Credit
Where an external organisation wishes to accredit training activity a proposal must be
submitted to the University Accreditation Board following the procedure outlined in
section 14.5 of this policy. Subject expertise will be drawn from appropriate areas of
the University to support such applications. The work of students on such
programmes will be sampled by an external examiner.
All those undertaking the external programme would then be awarded credit which
they could either receive as a Certificate of Credit which could be used towards an
award at Middlesex University or another University or use the credit towards a
professional practice/work-based learning qualification within the University Work
Based Learning Framework.
14.10.2 Programme Specific Credit
External organisations (including other Higher Education Institutions) wishing to
accredit activity to give specific credit and advanced standing towards an award of the
University must enter into an Articulation Agreement with the University. The process
and requirements for this is outlined in section 10.
Where an institution has an award validated by the University and subsequently
wishes students currently registered to be given advanced standing an Articulation
Agreement would also be required.
14.10.3 Individual General Credit (certificated or from work-based learning)
Individuals who wish to gain general credit would be registered on a ‘Review of
Learning’ module and prepare a portfolio which would be submitted to the University
Accreditation Board for consideration. The process is set out in section 14.5 above.
The University Accreditation Board will award general credit if appropriate. An
External Assessor looks at a sample of all individual claims.
The student could then either leave with a Certificate of Credit, use the credit towards
a work-based learning award within the University Work Based Learning Framework
or negotiate the use of some or all of the general credit as specific credit for advanced
standing against a named award at Middlesex or elsewhere.
14.10.4 Individual Specific Credit
Where an individual wishes to gain specific credit and advanced standing towards a
University award this falls into two categories as below.
Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)
Claims for Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning should be submitted to
University Accreditation Board for consideration.
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Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL)
To be accepted onto programmes with advanced standing in cases where articulation
arrangements do not apply, or the applicant’s previous learning has not been
accredited via the University’s AP(E)L procedures, then the following four conditions
will apply and at least one of them has to be met to gain entry with advanced standing:
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the student’s qualification will be recognised by NARIC as being at an equivalent
level for the advanced entry proposed, or
the student’s qualification will be recognised by the University’s Articulation Board
as being a category A programme, or the awarding institution as being category 1
as described in section 10
documentation will be provided to University School Deputy Deans/ IWBL Head of
Academic Development (or nominated person) which provides an evidence base
that the qualifications are of an appropriate standard. Valid criteria for establishing
the standards of a qualification would generally be those as applied to
programmes recognised, for the purposes of articulation, as category A
programmes, or from category 1 awarding institutions - described in section 10, or
Programme Leaders (or nominees) may arrange to test the competency of
candidates to verify that students have achieved the appropriate standard for the
advanced entry proposed . It is suggested that appropriate module assessments
could be used for this purpose.
In addition, based on the syllabus of the students qualifications, Programme Leaders
(or nominees) will verify that these are of sufficient scope and content so as to be an
adequate preparation for entry into the Middlesex programme and that the credit that
will be given to the student to allow advanced entry is appropriate in terms of level and
quantity. A simple transcript would not ordinarily be sufficient for this purpose, unless
the Programme Leader (or nominee) was familiar with the syllabus of the qualification
in question.
Where assessment of the student’s achievement of programme learning outcomes at
their highest level will not be undertaken at Middlesex University, then the Programme
Leader (or nominee) will verify and confirm that at least one of the following applies:
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any programme outcomes not to be assessed at their highest level by the
University have been achieved by the applicant as part of their prior qualification.
This would involve establishing the validity of standards, and the appropriateness
of the content of the prior qualification. Valid criteria for establishing the standards
of a qualification would generally be those as applied to programmes recognised,
for the purposes of articulation, as category A programmes, or from category 1
awarding institutions as outlined in section 10. Alternatively, programme leaders
(or nominees) may arrange to test the competency of candidates to verify that
students have achieved the learning outcome to the appropriate level or
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that achievement of programme outcomes that are assessed by Middlesex
University confirms that any programme learning outcomes not assessed by the
University have in effect been met. That is, if a student is to successfully achieve
programme learning outcomes assessed by the University, then it can be
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expected that the student must have achieved all of the programme outcomes that
are not assessed at their highest level by the University.
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