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MINUTES of the ACCA Course Board held on Wednesday 5th November 2014, 1.15pm,
Room M132.
Present:
Nigel Padbury (Chair), Graham Clifford, Pauline Coverdale, Kim Donovan,
Gillian Williams, Sandra Holmes, Gemma Stephens (Part-Time
Professional Stage P1 and P3), Max Carter (Part-Time Professional Stage
P1 – P3), Ellen Stalkeld (Part-Time Fundamental Stage Papers F4, F5 and
F7) and Martina Prochazkova (Part-Time Fundamental Skills Papers F7 –
F9).
Louise Letchford in attendance.
1.
Welcome and Apologies
The chair welcomed everyone to the Course Board, particularly the Student
Representatives. Formal apologies were received from Jenny Robertson,
Trish Coffey, Peter Stock and Andrew Grantham.
2.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 30th April 2014 were agreed to be
an accurate and true record of the meeting.
3.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
4.
Student Comments
Fundamental Stage (F4, F5 and F7)
 Generally students are pleased.
 Students raised the issues with the BPP sale. Louise added that the University
was not happy with how the BPP sale went either. It is hoped that BPP will
have a better system for next year. One order is still wrong. Ellen will advise
that student to contact Louise.
 Lesson length varies and students don’t get the full two hours from Gillian’s F4
sessions. Gillian explained that she does give a short break in the middle of
the session and that the University standard session time is actually 1 hour
and 50 minutes. Nigel and Jenny finish their sessions slightly early/late in
order to allow a small break to allow staff and students to move from session
to session.
 There is an error with the link to past exam papers. Louise explained that the
team are aware of this and are arranging for it to be fixed.
 Gillian added that there will be an F4 practice test after reading week, as
assessment methods for F4 have changed from this year.
Max Carter (P1 – P3)
Regarding P1:
 Teaching is very good and well explained.
 Student Central is kept up to date and being told about BOB (Box of
Broadcasts) was very helpful.
 Good use of interactive materials.
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Regarding P2:
 One student asked that materials be added to Student Central quicker or in
advance, however, when Max checked, all materials were online. Nigel added
that he usually uploads the materials before the session, but will try to do it
earlier. Louise and Gillian both expressed concern that uploading materials too
far in advance can have an effect on attendance – some students think there
is no need to attend as long as they have the materials.
 It would be handy to have an idea of areas for revision until students are able
to get hold of books. (this should now be less of an issue with students able to
purchase manuals directly from BPP)
Gemma Stephens (P1 and P3)
Regarding P3 (one session with Andrew all others with Graham)
 Very good student interaction within lectures.
 Time for feedback and examples.
 The teaching is good and industry examples are helpful.
 Student Central needs to be kept up to date.
General point related to the University rather than the course:
 Food and drink in the restaurant is very expensive.
 More computers and study areas are needed.
 More information needed on Student Services, printing etc.
 Students have been asked to leave study rooms. Louise to speak to Hazel
Brown about this.
Martina Prochazkova (F7, F8 and F9)
 There are three assignments with the same hand in date. Students would like
a break in between.
 The students don’t understand the 25% towards the final mark or how the
lower pass mark is an advantage now that you must pass both elements.
Students could not see the benefit compared with just taking the external
exam. Louise clarified that, although there is no longer compensation between
coursework and exam marks, very few students required it. Secretary’s note: it
is also worth noting that students would have needed to score at least 40% in
order to be within the threshold for compensation, so from this point of view
there is no change – students still need to achieve 40% in each element to be
in with the change to pass the module overall. Gemma commented that
students should not be looking to just scrape through. Nigel added that the
internal assessment is a way for students to get a good mark. It is also the
intention that topics assessed via coursework assignments would not also be
assessed in the final exam. Time needs to be put into the coursework, but
scoring 40% should not be an issue.
 Sandra advised that pass rates for external exams are lower than the
University exams.
 Gemma queried where the University of Brighton Professional Stage students
feature in the statistics. Louise explained that the ACCA sends a report
showing stats for external exams, differentiating the numbers of UoB students
sitting the exams. Therefore, UoB students feature in the UoB stats, rather
than the ACCA stats.
 Regarding the assignments, students have already had the assignment briefs
for one week and need to plan their time. Gillian explained that, although the
Christmas break is non-teaching time, that does not mean it is a holiday.
Gemma added that group work is always an issue; the bigger the group, the
harder it is. Gillian explained that the University is required to set group work,
though we do sympathise with the associated issues. Nigel added that group
work is also designed to replicate what happens in the work environment.
Note: It was decided subsequent to the meeting to extend the deadline for
submission of the F5 and F8 coursework assignments by one week.
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5.
Staff Comments
Gillian Williams – F4
 Very delightful, getting along well.
 Work is covered in good time.
Graham Clifford – P3
 Good participation, very favourable.
Sandra Holmes – P1
 Generally good.
 There was an issue with students getting hold of their text book as Sandra was
given the wrong code.
 Sandra has explained to her students that deep detail is required – google is
not sufficient.
 Students can access The Today Program via BBC iPlayer and clips can be
copied to BOB.
Nigel Padbury – F7, F8 and P2
 Generally pretty positive, a good, encouraging start.
 Students are applying themselves and interest levels are good.
 Attendance on the whole is good, except for a couple of individuals.
6.
Information Services Update
Pauline introduced Kim Donovan who is the new BBS contact at the Aldrich
Library.
Regarding the issues raised regarding space, Information Services (IS) is very
aware of these issues. The Library was built in 1996, when student numbers were
much lower. The team are trying to gain more space for students and provide
more computers and are planning to start a lap top loan system for use in the
library only. Pauline will feed students’ comments back.
Gemma suggested creating a book system for areas/tables.
Pauline explained that the University is looking at longer opening hours for the
other libraries – Aldrich is the busiest, as it is the library that opens the latest.
Subject guides are now available on the left hand side of the library home page.
The guides, under subject headings, provide guidance on where book are on
shelves, databases, recommended website etc. These can be updated at any
time, so students should let library staff know if there is something useful that
could be added. Links to library sessions, such as the End Note session, can also
be found here.
7.
Any Other Business
Ellen mentioned that the restaurant is quite cold. Gemma and Max agreed that the
Mithras House heating system is “messed up”.
Regarding the cost of food in the restaurant, Pauline explained that staff and
students can get discount on food if paying with their Unicard and 10% discount
on drinks when using a reusable mug. Gillian suggested that students raise the
issue of the cost of food with the Student Union.
Regarding space issues, Gillian explained that, although next week is reading
week, the rooms are still booked for the usual ACCA classes, so students are
welcome to come in and use the room for study.
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Max queried the out of hours access to the Aldrich Library. Pauline explained that,
during University open hours, the Library is accessed in the usual way. After-hours
access is via the side entrance and an activated Unicard will be required.
Currently access is until 2.00am, but in January and May/June it will be 24 hours.
The meeting was officially closed.
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