Guidelines For Periodic Review 2011-12

2.0  External Views

  1. The Department should attach to its SERs the reports of external examiners for the programmes over the previous two years, together with a record of the Department's deliberations of the reports at its Learning and Teaching Committee (or equivalent) and Departmental Board and any subsequent follow-up action.  The Department should inform its externals of the Departmental Review and encourage them to write to the Academic Secretary on issues they feel deserve special mention.
  2. The Department should attach to its SERs any recent accreditation reports (where relevant) and explain its processes for securing external input into its development and review procedures. 
  3. The University will appoint as a member of the Review Panel at least one External Assessor who is experienced in the management of learning and teaching activities and has appropriate subject expertise, from a list nominated by the Department.  If departments do not provide suitable nominees within a reasonable timeframe, the Pro Vice Chancellor shall nominate the External Assessor.  A fee of £385 will be payable to the external assessor in 2011-12.

2.1       Views of Students

  • The views of students are fundamental to the review process.  A summary of the results of student questionnaires prepared for general module and scheme review processes should be attached to the SER, together with an explanation as to how the Department uses them and reports back to its students.
  • Minutes of Staff-Student Consultative Committees for the previous two years should also be appended.
  • Registry staff will ask the Guild of Students to submit its views on the department’s student support processes, drawing on the issues identified by the Course Representatives’ Council.

2.2.  Departmental Committees

             1. The structure of Departmental Committees should be explained;
             2. The Department is asked to provide copies of minutes of Departmental Boards, and Learning and Teaching 
                 Committees over the previous two years, with particular focus on meetings relating to module and programme
                 development and reviews.  The outcome of Annual Programme Monitoring Exercises should accompany this material.

2.3.  Information to Students

The Department is asked to provide samples of its Student Handbooks.

Programme Specifications for all taught schemes (UG and PG) will be consulted by Review Panel members over the Web.


2.4.  Data

The Department will provide a summary of the teaching load of each member of academic staff in terms of contact hours for the following:

lectures
seminars/tutorials
practicals

postgraduate supervision
other (eg field trip).

The Registry will provide data covering:

UG applications and admissions
Average 'A' level scores
Staff Student ratios
Cost per Student
Student FTEs
NSS Results for the previous year

NB  Student Handbooks, committee minutes etc may be submitted electronically.

ALM/mes
June 2011