/ Quality Handbook

AQH-I3-A4 Operations Manual Guidelines for the Dual Awards

Version 1.0 August 2013

Operations Manual
for
University of Sunderland (the University)
Dual Awards programmes
approved
to be offered in collaboration
with
[PARTNER NAME]

Version History of Template (for QAE use only):

Version / Occasion of Change / Change author / Date of modification / Modifications made
1.0 / Original placed in Academic Quality Handbook / S Patience / August 2013

Implementation and Modification History (for Faculty use only):

Version / Occasion of Change / Change author / Date of modifi-cation / Modifications made / Version signed off by Faculty (date & details) / Date issued to Partner for implement-ation
1.0

Your support and co-operation will be very much appreciated, and any feedback you can provide on the effectiveness of the Operations Manual template and/or notification of any broken links/other inaccuracies would be gratefully received. Please contact Quality Assurance and Enhancement at the University of Sunderland via

This document should be issued to the following people:

At the University:

  • Centre Leader
  • Shadow Programme Leader(s) as appropriate
  • Faculty Quality Officer
  • Faculty Administration Support

At the Partner:

  • Programme Leader(s) as appropriate
  • Administration Support

Contents:

  1. What is a Dual Awards programme?
  2. Quality Management Information (as in the quality annexe of the contract)
  1. Regulations for the dual awards showing key features including variations from the University of Sunderland core regulations
  1. Dual Award Quality Management
  1. Calibration of marks :
  2. University of Sunderland generic assessment criteria showing mapping of grades for undergraduate programmes
  3. University of Sunderland generic assessment criteria showing mapping of grades for postgraduate programmes
  1. Terms of reference of the Board of Study
  1. Terms of reference of the Assessment Boards
  1. Terms and conditions to accompany offer letters
  1. External Examiner role
  2. Operational Processes - Who does what when……..
  3. Contact Information
  4. [PARTNER NAME]
  5. University of Sunderland
  6. Annual Monitoring Process

INTRODUCTION

This operations manual has been designed to promote common understandings about the respective roles and responsibilities of the Partner and University staff involved in the delivery, management, quality assurance, and co-ordination of the Dual Awards offered through collaborative arrangement between University of Sunderland (the University) and [PARTNER NAME](the Partner). It is specifically tailored to accommodate University requirements relating to its Dual Awards programmes. Mutual understandings are essential to assure parity of the student experience.

This manual is developed betweenthe University and the Partner. The University and the Partner are jointly responsible for ensuring that this is issued to all staff who contribute towards programme delivery.

  1. What is a Dual Awards programme?

A dual award is a qualification given as two awards, each from a different organisation with degree-awarding powers, for the same programme of study. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Code of Practice describes them as being jointly-delivered and this ultimately distinguishes them from other forms of collaboration, particularly from validated programmes. The University of Sunderland sees dual awards as an indication of a mature partnership with an institution of comparable standing such that there will be benefits to both partners as well as to their students from combining their skills and knowledge. A dual award may be based on an existing programme in the partner or at Sunderland but should be characterised by design, development and delivery which involves both partners. In some cases the students may study in both locations, although this is not a requirement. A dual award is not the ‘badging’ of a partner award by the University.

Each participating institution must have degree-awarding powers in its own country and the award must meet all the UK Higher Education (HE) descriptors and benchmarks. Any such award must also be robustly quality assured by the UK awarding body in the same way as any other award made in its name.

The full process for the University approval and management of dual awards can be found at the url below:

  1. Quality Management Information (as in the quality annexe of the contract)

The quality annexe from the contract to be added here.

  1. External Examiner role

The policy on the role of the External Examiner can be found at the url below:

  1. Operational Processes - Who does what when……..

To be completed by the Partner and the University

  1. Contact Information

To be completed by the Partner and the University

  1. SEGi University College
  2. University of Sunderland
  1. Annual Monitoring Process

If the University of Sunderland Annual Monitoring process is to be followed, it can be found at the url below:

AQH-I3-A4 Operations Manual Guidelines – Dual Awards v1.0Page 1 of 5