2015/16 Annual Institutional Review Report of Pearson

Licensed Centre Programmes

We would like to bring the following changes to the Institutional Review Report requirements to your attention:

Section 1 is only slightly changed from previous versions. The right hand side of each of the tables asks for details of the number of overall number of learners registered, the number of students achieving a pass, a merit or a distinction grade and the number of students progressing onto degree programmes.

Sections 2 to 5 are questions that will normally have a Yes response, although space is provided for you to comment if the response is No.

Section 6 is the first change. This has been added so that Licensed HEIs can confirm if new students are registered with Pearson on time and that the appropriate fees have been paid.

Section 7 asks for details of any changes to quality assurance procedures for programmes under the licence agreement.

Section 8 concerns any provision outside the UK and asks for details of arrangements made including partnership agreement with International partners.

Section 9 asks for details of significant changes and enhancements. Any franchise provision should be stated here and a clear overview of how this provision is monitored.

Section 13 continued thematic area, which focuses on Digital Literacy.

Section 15 asks the University to confirm if it wishes to continue with the HEI licence agreement for the next academic year i.e. 2016/17.

2015/16 Annual Institutional Review Report of Pearson Licensed Centre Programmes

This annual Institutional Review Report (IRR) should relate to all licenced programmes run as institutional awards under the Licence Agreement during the 2014/15 academic year. In most cases this will mean BTEC Higher National programmes, but may also include other BTEC level 4-7 Professional Qualifications.

Please submit your IRR to to arrive before the end of March 2016. Contact details for the University Principal Examiner are:

Allison Jay – email:

Any breach of the licence agreement signed by your HEI, including failure to submit the completed IRR by the end of March 2016, will result in a warning letter being issued within 30 days and possible sanctions being imposed (see 11.2 of the HEI Licence Agreement (revised 2013)).

ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROGRAMME DETAILS

Centre name:

Pearson Approved HEI number:

Reviewed by:

Date IRR submitted:

Position in Institution:

E-mail address:

Name of person and Committee/Board approving submission of the IRR:

  1. AWARDS

a)Please provide the number of awards for each Higher National or other level 4-7 Professional Qualification covered by the Licence Agreement delivered at the University Campus.

Please add the following data:

Notes: Please indicate with a * programmes that are also run at partner institutions.

Please do not include awards data in this section for programmes run at partner institutions

Title of programme / Number of students registered / Number of students achieving a pass grade / Number of students achieving a merit grade / Number of students achieving a distinction grade / Number of students progressing onto a degree programme

Note: This section refers to the number of students registered in 2013-14, and the number of students receiving a pass, merit, or distinction grade in 2014-15.

b) For each licensed programme delivered by a collaborative partner centre, please complete the table below:

Notes:

Please do not include awards data in this section for programmes run at the University Campus.

Title of programme / Number of students registered / Number of students achieving a pass grade / Number of students achieving a merit grade / Number of students achieving a distinction grade / Number of students progressing onto a degree programme

ANNUAL REVIEW OF LICENSED PROGRAMMES

2. External Examiner arrangements

Are External Examiners in place for each programme covered by the Licence Agreement?
Yes / No
If this is not the case please give details below:

3. Academic standards and assessment

Have your External Examiners for each programme covered by the Licence Agreement confirmed that the standards set are appropriate for the level of the Qualifications? /
Yes / No
If this is not the case for any programme please give details below:

4. Academic standards and student performance

Have your External Examiners for each programme covered by the Licence Agreement confirmed that the standard of student performance is at a level appropriate for the programme they have studied? /
Yes / No
If this is not the case for any programme please give details below:

Please note that Pearson’s University Principal Examiner may separately request copies of the 2014/15 external examination reports for your programme(s).

5. Completions and withdrawals

Have all completions and withdrawals statistics for all programmes under the Licence Agreement been updated on Edexcel Online? (Please note this should be completed by the 15th November each year.) /
Yes / No
If this is not the case for any programme please give details below:

6. Student registrations and fees

Have all new students enrolled onto Level 4-7 programmes under licence, for the academic year 2015/16,been entered onto Edexcel Online on time and the appropriate fees paid? /
Yes / No
If this is not the case for any programme please give details below:

7. Quality assurance processes for licensed programmes

Have your quality assurance procedures for programmes covered by the Licence Agreement changed in the last 12 months? /
Yes / No
If this is the case please outline the changes here:

8. International provision

Do you, either directly, via partner arrangements or distance learning, offer ANY programmes under licence to students based outside the UK? /
Yes / No
If yes, please summarise your international arrangements including partnership agreements:

9. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS

Please provide information of:

a)any significant changes in provision this session, such as newly validated licence programmes; changes in franchise position; cessation of programmes; delivery by distance learning etc.

b)Please list all programmes under licence that have been approved or re-approved since the previous IRR i.e. March 2015.

c)Details of ALL franchise provision being offered should be stated and confirmation of how this provision is being monitored by your centre

Note that this information together with Programme Specifications should also be forwarded to

Comments:

10. TRENDS, FUTURE PLANS AND LOCAL INITIATIVES

Please outline any current trends e.g. increase/decline in student numbers, future plans (short-term/long-term), local initiatives including distance learning, for BTEC Higher National programmes and other BTEC level 4-7 Professional Qualifications offered under licence.

Comments:

11. ISSUES WITH PROGRAMME PROVISION

Please summarise any issues with regard to programmes covered by the Licence Agreement, including issues that have arisen from External Examiners’ reports and with respect to the student experience (including teaching and learning resources and issues from programme committees):

  • unresolved issues raised in previous session(s): action taken
  • new issues and action planned to resolve them: where possible, state where the responsibility lies for action and give a timescale for resolution
  • any appeals or complaints in relation to the licenced programmes, including any matters referred to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Comments:

12. GOOD PRACTICE

Please give any examples of good practice at institutional level in relation to programmes covered by the Licence Agreement that you wish to draw to the attention of Pearson, including examples of good practice raised by External Examiners, and Internal and External Reviews of programmes covered by the Licence Agreement.

Comments:
None

13. THEMATIC AREA 2015/2016

The thematic area for the 2015/2016 Academic Year is Digital Literacy.

Please provide a full and detailed picture of what your institution does in order to promote students’ digital literacy. Topics covered might therefore include:

  • How do you ensure that your provision promotes students’ digital literacy?
  • How do you promote the use of technology in learning and teaching?
  • How do use technology in assessment and feedback?

●What do you think are the benefits to your students and institution of providing Higher Nationals?

●Do you have any suggestions for how Higher Nationals can be improved?

Comments:

14. OTHER COMMENTS

Please add any comments you may wish to make that have not been covered in the report.

If you have received any relevant (non-confidential) reports during the year from bodies external to your institution (e.g. QAA Higher Education Review, QAA Institutional Review, QAA Review of College Higher Education or Professional Accreditation reports, etc.), use this section to make any comments, or to provide the reference or link to such reports.

Comments:
None

15. Licence Agreement Confirmation

Please confirm by signing below that the University wishes to continue to deliver the above qualifications and will continue to operate within the requirements of the Licence Agreement for Higher Education Institutions offering BTEC Higher Nationals and other BTEC level 4-7 Professional Qualifications under Licence (Revised 2013) for the 2016/17 Academic Year.

Signature: ______

Job title: ______

If this is not the case please give details below:

1

Licensed Centre Institutional Review Report pro-forma. Issued October 2015