Section 1 - An overview of quality & enhancement at Middlesex University
No major changes
Section 2 - Approval for validation & review events
Main section /
- 2.2.3 – Addition of sentence in line with new CMA requirements
- 2.2.4b bullet point 8 – addition in line with new CMA requirements
- 2.2.4d – clarification of length of APAC approval, in line with current Marketing guidelines
- Cross ref in this section relating to a new form within section 5 to run new programmes at existing sites
- APAC to note new programmes to be delivered at existing sites (See appendices 2g and 2h)
Section 3 - Programme validation, review & modifications
Section 3 /
- Approval of a new award title will normally require a validation event – a rationale for School only events must be provided for exceptional approval. Agreed at APAC February 2016
- Academic Partnerships will send a letter to partners if MoC has not been signed prior to scheduled commencement, to alert them to the need to have an agreement in place before students can be enrolled (3.3.2.11)
- Amendment to forms to include CMA requirements
Guidance 3iv - Student involvement in validation and review events. / Title change to: Student involvement in validation and review events. Was: Student involvement in review events.
Guidance 3xiii - Assessment and regulations arrangements for validated programmes / Sections 2, 3, 5, Guidance 3i, Guidance 3xiii and Appendix 3m - to be updated following approval from Assurance Committee of the paper 'the use of MU regulations in Collaborative partners'.
Guidance 3xvii Academic Strategy / To be removed
Guidance 3xi – New: KIS Guidance - Definitions of assessment methods /
- New guidance for KIS data to go with the appendix 3g new module form
Appendix 3b - Validation/Review report template /
- To add RPL/prior learning to the items for inclusion in validation reports to add a note in validation reports when partner has own regulations and the approval status
Appendix 3g - New Module Form /
- Changes to new module form and the addition of KIS data
Section 4 – The External Examiner system
Section 4 /
- Remove rights and responsibilities from sections 4.3.3 and 4.3.4 duplicated in the University Regulations. To avoid inconsistencies
- Remove wording external assessors and auditors and change to External Examiners Subject Boards and External Examiners School Boards (throughout section)
Guidance 4v - Confirming potential External Examiners eligibility to work in the UK / Updated in accordance with HR policy and the University right to work requirements
Appendix 4a – Nomination form for an External Examiner / Updated in accordance with the University right to work requirements
Section 5 - Collaborations with other institutions
Section 5 /
- The draft Partnership Agreement will be provided to the institution at the time of the Institutional Approval event but will not be signed until conditions are met
Guidance 5vii - Serious problems and complaints procedure for collaborative partners /
- Clarified that this does not relate to complaints from students studying in collaborative partners, which are addressed in the regulations
Guidance 5viii - Programme planning leading to joint or dual awards / Updated to reflect the QAA Characteristics statement on qualifications involving more than one awarding body, as agreed at Assurance Committee (March 2016)
Appendix 5a - Institutional approval: Preliminary enquiries /
- Add (for UK Institutions only) Company Registration Number and address at which company is registered
Appendix 5g - Partnership Agreementtemplate /
- 14g changed to:
- staff details
- full student details
Award(s) (Validated) the Partner Institution must release all relevant informationthat would help the
University to offer the programme on the Partner Institution’s behalf including:
- syllabus, learning materials, etc.
- staff details
- full student details
Appendix 5h - New:
Request for approval to deliver validated programme at an additional approved delivery site / Exact title tbc. Refers to Section 5 - 3.4.1
Section 6 - Institutional Accreditation and Re-accreditation
No changes
Section 7 - Annual Monitoring Enhancement
Section 7
&
Appendix 7b - AMER briefing paper /
- Improved focus on PGT provision secured by: improved data, changes to template (Appendix 7b) and additional PGT focus meetings where appropriate
- Bespoke template and data to be provided for monitoring of IWBL provision
- Revisions to template (Appendix 7b) – eg. student engagement activity, staff no’s/details of staff with teaching qualifications etc. details to be incorporated
- Other templates to be updated as necessary
- New Briefing Paper to be developed for PG Research students to encompass all Schools.
Guidance 7i - Annual monitoring support for authors
Appendix 7a- Annual monitoring report template / New requirement to append evidence of any details of changes to Regulations.
Section 8- Internal Audit
No changes
Section 9 - Student Engagement in Quality Enhancement and Assurance
Section 9 /
- Updated to reflect the discontinuation of the MSS, introduction of UKES and the amended arrangements for module feedback
Appendix 9b – Boards of Study Minutes Template /
- Minor changes made to this form to ensure numbering accurately represents that used in Agenda.
- Template revised to avoid duplication and ensure all items are considered.
Section 10 - Approval, monitoring and review of articulation agreements
Section 10 / Once a process has been agreed by the Articulation Board and the Assurance Committee, wording will be included in this section to meet the externality requirement set by the QAA
Appendix 10a – Template forInstitutional recognition form / Form is being revised to avoid duplication with the Articulation Agreement templates and to include QA section.
Section 11 - Professional, Statutory and or Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs)
Section 11 /
- New process for maintaining and updating the PSRB spreadsheet (approved atMarch Assurance Committee). AQS to maintain the spreadsheet and request updates from Schools during the summer term each year for inclusion in the PSRB Annual Report for AC due to be submitted in September each year. The new spreadsheet is to indicate which programmes needs to be included in the KIS data return and other pertinent information
- Delete sections 11.1.4 and 11.1.5 and add statement about Schools to notify AQS of outcomes o
Section 12- Publicity and marketing
Section 12 /
- The marketing and publicity guidelines for Accredited external courses and activities were previously included under section 12.1 – Collaborative Partnerships.
- This didn’t accurately reflect the type of relationship that we have with these organisations/institutions.
- Therefore we have removed reference to accredited courses from section 12.1, and added a new section 12.3 – Accredited external courses and activities.
- We also updated the PDF of marketing guidelines for external courses and activities that will be linked to from section 12.3.2 (attached). The description has been updated, along with a change in logo that should be used.
- 12.1.2 – Accredited partnershas been removed from bulleted list
- 12.3 – Accredited external courses and activities has been added
- Marketing guidelines Accredited external courses and activities PDFdescription has been updated along with logo used
Section 13 - Opening New Middlesex University overseas campuses
No changes
Section 14 - Accreditation for awarding of academic credit
Section 14 /
- Section 14.1 has been amended so that the ’Types of accreditation…’ are listed under the appropriate heading in section 14.2
- The ‘principles’ section in 14.1 has been amended to avoid repetition in later sections’
- Terminology has been amended to refer to ‘Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)’ consistently as this reflects the term used by QAA CoP
- To add a section identifying the arrangements for expiry of agreements, such that the Accreditation Board will receive a schedule of agreements for external credited learning due to expire within the next 12 months at the last meeting of each academic year and the Board will note any agreements which are not renewed and the last date at which students may be awarded credit (new para 14.5.5)
Guidance 14i - Procedure for accepting students with advanced standing / To be removed as now superseded by the main section
Appendix 14a Programme Leaders feedback form / To be removed as now superseded by the RPL Assessment Plan
New appendix : RPL Assessment Plan Template (to become 14a) / New Appendix for the RPL Assessment Plan Template. The template has been considered & welcomed by the University AccreditationBoard.
Section 15 - Certificates, diploma supplements and graduation
Section 15 / To add: Normally” the name of a partner will appear on both the certificate and diploma supplement and that “any variation is subject to the agreement of the Academic Registrar who may exceptionally allow the name to appear on the Diploma supplement only”
Section 16 - Associate colleges, sixth form colleges and schools
No changes
Section 17 – Research Procedures
Updates that are required to the PGR procedures once approved at Assurance Committee to go to school research committees as follows: /
- Updates to the Admissions procedure to include- changes required in line with the launch of the online admissions portal
- Addition of distance education guidance
- Tier 4 guidance to be more explicit
- Partner sections to be reviewed
- Non-enrolment procedure
- Professional doctorate guidance as this was not included the first time
- Overseas travel for data collection
- Clarity on the PGR BoS process and templates
- Clarity on the PGR Progression and templates
- Clarity on max registration periods (updates to be made to regs too)
- Clarity on impact of interruptions (updates to be made to regs too)
- FAQs
- Programme change requests, e.g. between ArtsD and PhD (this was approved at the last RDB and Dick was actioned to take this to assurance)
- Application and application decision forms to be deleted as this will be online
Glossary / To insert new definitions, approved by AC, for dual, joint and double degrees.
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