Quality Assurance

Annual Monitoring Of Taught Programmes

Notes of Guidance

1. The University is committed to the annual monitoring of all its taught
programmes within the context set by the QAA’s Code of Practice: Section 7 ‘Programme Approval, Monitoring and Review’:

 ‘Institutions should monitor the effectiveness of their programmes:

• to ensure that programmes remain current and valid in the light of developing knowledge in the discipline, and practice in
   its application;
• to evaluate the extent to which the intended learning outcomes are being attained by students;
• to evaluate the continuing effectiveness of the curriculum and of assessment in  relation to the intended learning outcomes;
• to ensure that recommendations for appropriate actions are followed up  to remedy any identified shortcomings’.

2. The aim of the annual monitoring exercise is for the Department offering the  programme, the Faculty and the University collectively to provide a secure  mechanism whereby they can all be assured that programmes are meeting  their aims.  Responsibility for annual monitoring of  each undergraduate and taught postgraduate programme lies primarily with the Department owning it.  It is important that the Department is able to  identify concerns which are  specific to a particular programme or common to a number of them, reflect and report upon them and take appropriate action. This applies equally whether those concerns relate to its own modules or those of other departments which are integral to the programme(s) in question.

3. Programme Teams will undertake the annual monitoring of all taught  programmes.  They will report formally to the Department’s Learning and  Teaching Committee (or equivalent) during the autumn term.  Faculties will  oversee this activity via the minutes of the Departmental Boards.

4. The following notes refer to sections of the Annual Monitoring Form:

Section 1
Departments will organise the annual monitoring exercise on individual  programmes or on groups of programmes.  In  the case of the latter, distinction  will be drawn between programmes set at different levels

 e.g.  Postgraduate
         Undergraduate
         Degree
         Diploma
         Certificate
         and of different types

 e.g.  Master’s
         Single Honours
         Joint Honours
         Bespoke Joint Schemes
         Major
         Minor
         HND

         and of different modes

e.g.   Full-Time
         Part-Time
         Distance Learning
         External Degree
         Franchised Provision

Please note that Senate has agreed that new schemes must be monitored separately for the first three years of operation.

Section 2
Please reflect and report here on developments since the last monitoring exercise, covering for example changes in programme structure, assessment strategy or teaching delivery.  The action taken and date of implementation should be clearly identified.

Note that Action Points identified in Sections 3,4,5 and 6 below should be  followed up in this section NEXT YEAR.

Section 3
The aim of this section is to enable the Programme Teams to focus on a range  of issues relevant to learning and teaching on the programme(s) under review. 
In some cases there will be statistical reports (e.g. Student Progression and Attainment, Equal Opportunities,  and Student Careers Destinations) issued to departments each session.  Where headings are not relevant to the particular
programmes (e.g. Work Placements), please note as ‘N/A’ but it is expected that most of these topics will be considered each year.

Agreed action and responsibilities should be clearly identified.

Section 4
Evaluation and feedback from staff and students form a significant part of the  annual monitoring exercise.  Please list here the major points arising from the  examples given, the action to be taken and those responsible for taking it.

Section 5
Departments are required to obtain appropriate external input into their processes for programme development.  The nature of this input will vary according to the nature of the programme, and departments should have a clear and explicit rationale for the particular form of external input selected.  Departments are also expected to include external views in the sources of information for annual monitoring of programmes.  Departments are reminded that the QAA Code of Practice notes that appropriate sources of information for annual monitoring of programmes may include: external examiners’ reports; any reports from accrediting or other external bodies; staff and student feedback; feedback from former students and their employers; student progress information; material available to students such as programme specifications, student handbooks and websites.

Section 6
This section allows departments to identify Action Points arising from the  areas not already covered above.

Section 7
This section offers departments the opportunity to reflect on the implications  for the relevant Programme Specification(s) and reminds them of the need to  ensure that they update them to take account of any agreed changes.

ALM/mes
April 2012