CORNWALL COLLEGE
Programme Quality Handbook
HND Music Production
Cornwall College Camborne
In partnership with dBs Music
Academic Year 2016-2018
If you require any part of this Handbook in larger print, or an alternative format, please contact:
HE Operations
Tel: (01209 616256)
E-mail: ()
1 Contents
2 Welcome 4
3 Programme Team 4
4 Personal Tutor 5
4.1 Programme Resources 5
4.2 Enhancement Activities 6
5 Progression 6
5.1 Programme Progression 6
5.2 HE Careers Guidance – Cornwall College 7
6 Employment Opportunities 7
7 Teaching, Learning and Assessment 7
7.1 Referencing Guides 8
8 Assessment Schedules and Feedback 8
9 Student Feedback 9
9.1 Student Representation and Enhancement 10
9.2 Student Perception Surveys 10
9.3 Student Perception Questionnaire (SPQ) and National Student Survey (NSS) 10
9.4 What is the Student Perception Questionnaire (SPQ) and what is it for? 10
9.5 What is the National Student Survey (NSS) and what does it mean to me? 10
9.6 Closing the Feedback Loop 11
9.7 Programme Committee Meetings (PCM) 11
9.8 Complaints 11
10 External Examiners 12
11 PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION 12
PSP1. Programme Details 12
PSP2. Brief Description of the Programme 13
PSP3. Exceptions to The Cornwall College Group Academic Regulations 13
PSP4. Aims of the Programme 13
PSP5. Programme Outcomes; knowledge, understanding and skills, other attributes 14
PSP6. Distinctive Features 14
PSP7. Progression Route 15
PSP8. Admissions Criteria 15
PSP9. Academic Standards and Quality Enhancement 16
PSP10. Programme Structure 17
PSP11. Explanation and Mapping of Learning Outcomes, Teaching & Learning and Assessment 18
PSP12. Work Based/ Related Learning 26
Appendix 30
2 Welcome
Welcome to the HND Music Production at dBs HE Centre Bristol.
Bristol has long been known for its vibrant and eclectic music scene and has a long list of artists all hailing from the city:Massive Attack, Roni Size and Portishead to name a few. dBs opened their state-of-the-art HE facilities in September 2014 in central Bristol. Equipped with 10 recording and production studios, dedicated surround sound studio, Foley room, large live rooms and exceptional lecture theatre/viewing room. It is also the only education facility in the UK to house the extraordinaryAPI 1608 Recording Console. API are renowned for their extremely high-quality recording consoles, and the 1608 is no exception. It is a full-featured recording console based on the vintage API 1604, which has held its demand and value for over three decades. The 1608 adds modern features valuable to today's Engineers, Producers and Musicians, and the reliability and sound that API has been known for since its inception; including P-Mix automation. This makes the console a powerful hybrid of digital and analogue as it is able to control DAWs as well as conventional recording and mixing sessions with fader recall.
As in all dBs centres,Bristol HE students are taught by a team of excellent tutors from a vast range of professional backgrounds: all backed up by a comprehensive guest lecture programme that in the recent past has included DJ Maseo (De La Soul), Alistair Lindsey (Head of Music Production for Sony Games), Matt Colton (Alchemy Mastering) and many more at the top of their game in the industry.
3 Programme Team
Will Scott Cree will be the Programme Leader for the HND Programme as well as lecturing on several modules. Will’s main interest is in sampling and synthesis (, 0333 344 2238).
Bruce Turner will be Module Leader for Audio Mastering and Manufacture, Critical Music Listening and Research Project. Bruce is one of our core music production lecturers providing his subject expertise across a range of programmes (, 0333 344 2238).
Kris Burton will be module leader for Applied Music Production Techniques and Music Production Studio. Kris spent 6 years working at the world famous Abbey Road Studios London and is particularly focussed on recording techniques (, 0333 344 2238).
Will Scott Cree will also be acting as the personal tutor
4 Personal Tutor
Your personal tutor should be the first person at the College that you speak to if you are having any personal difficulties that are affecting your studies. These could be academic, financial, health-related or another type of problem. Your personal tutor is there to provide additional academic and personal support concerning issues that may affect your studies. Personal Tutors are particularly important for students in their first year, helping them to manage the transition from school or the workplace to university-style life. Personal tutors also assist with helping you to engage with important aspects of preparation for your career and or progression to further study and profiling your progress through the programme.
Your main support for academic issues relating to specific modules will be the lecturer who is teaching that module. Your tutor will be the person who; if the College is asked, will write a personal reference for you during, or on completion of your studies.
Programme staff will communicate with students in the following ways:
· Email – messages will be sent to your student dBs Gmail address.
· College/Institution intranet / virtual learning environment on Google Drive
· Programme Notice-Board (this course and each module on it will have its own folder on Google Drive.)
· Link to College/Institution campus map or details. Information about the Camborne Campus can be found through the following link:
https://www.cornwall.ac.uk/campus/cornwall-college-camborne
· Links to disability support teams. A broad range of support can be found through the following link:
https://intranet.cornwall.ac.uk/intranet/student%20services/index.aspx
4.1 Programme Resources
Within dBs HE Centre, Bristol where teaching of HND Music Production will be carried out we have a broad range of resources:
· 10 professional studios
· Range of microphones
· Hardware synthesisers and effects
· API 1608 mixing console.
· Two IT suites each equipped with 20 iMacs with a full range of packages including Ableton Live, Pro Tools and Logic X and the very latest software plug-ins and MIDI controllers.
· 40 seat lecture theatre/screening room
· Access to dBs Bristol HE library and resource centre including a variety of programme relevant text books
· Google Drive/module sites
4.2 Enhancement Activities
The overall learning experience of the student is enhanced via the arrangement of visits either linked to specific modules or the broader subject area. Bristol is an area of great cultural interest providing many opportunities for those interested in music and the arts. The history of music in the area has left behind a legacy of landmark recordings, artists and venues and as such great scope for research and creative development. Such visits will enhance the experience of the student and add to their knowledge and understanding.
An important aspect of this course is its vocational nature. All students are encouraged to seek relevant employment or placement during their studies – that is why the actual ‘teaching’ timetable leaves you with some free time during the week. But additionally, many of the modules have vocational elements, such as practical experience, visits to and from individuals and organisations in your vocational area and simulations.
Whilst work related learning is covered in a separate module the college has a policy of embedding work related activities across the programme. This means ensuring that there is a range of experiences which relate closely to employment and work, such as visits, visiting speakers, practical assessments in simulated situations. This ensures that students have a very rich environment in which to develop their skills, and observe others working.
Students of Cornwall College and dBs Music are encouraged to develop their PDPs in a variety of ways. The tutorial system, where programme leaders act as personal tutors and see their tutees on a regular basis clearly feeds into the principles of PDP. At the end of each module, students are encouraged to review what they have learnt and how it might contribute to their employability and their personal development. And there is a similar end of term and end of year review conducted by the tutor.
5 Progression
5.1 Programme Progression
Upon successful completion of the HND the graduate should be able to progress onto the BA (Hons) Progression Year. The contribution of marks from prior levels of study to the progression award is governed University of St. Mark & St. John’s Academic regulations.
5.2 HE Careers Guidance – Cornwall College
Heidi Channell is the HE Careers and Employability Adviser at Cornwall College. Here is a list of the types of support she can provide:
• Help with CVs
• Help with UCAS applications
• Help with a Masters application
• Help with interview questions and techniques prior to an interview
• What can I do after my course?
• Advice on where to look for information: careers; volunteering; business start-up; work experience placements
• The chance to talk through their concerns, queries and ideas with someone “neutral”
You can contact Heidi via e-mail:
6 Employment Opportunities
Whilst studying this programme you will be given the opportunity to develop further personal and employability related skills, through planned module content and also external opportunities. A range of teaching approaches are used to specifically enable you to develop and enhance your communication and team working skills. Employers and other industry professionals also input into the programme giving you further contacts.
7 Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Your performance in a module will be assessed during the academic year, normally through a combination of assessments. You must pass the assessments in order to be credited with that module for your award. The method of assessment varies between modules and your lecturers will advise you of the method(s) to be used. This reflects the need to develop a range of different knowledge, understanding and skills. During your programme you may experience some, or all, of the following types of assessment:
· Coursework essay questions
· Coursework case study problems
· Practical’s
· Portfolios
· Research project
In all cases these are chosen and designed to assess your achievement of the particular learning outcomes for the module. You will be given Assessment Criteria which are used to judge the extent of your achievement.
Please note that ALL assessment marks and results are provisional until confirmed by the Subject Assessment Panel and verified by the Award Assessment Board.
Please see the Programme Specification (Appendix 10.1) for further details on how the teaching, learning and assessments are achieved within each module.
7.1 Referencing Guides
https://intranet.cornwall.ac.uk/intranet/learning-services/documents/Harvard_Referencing_July13.pdf
8 Assessment Schedules and Feedback
Each Programme has a designated Google Drive Folder which houses further details of each of the modules contained with a programme. A full assessment schedule will be available via the course folder on Google Drive. Any changes made to the schedule will be done in consultation with the student body and will be fully communicated to the students that are affected.
All coursework should be submitted through the individual Module Moodle sites. Your work will be marked anonymously and returned to you, with feedback, through Moodle. Marks will be returned to you within 20 working days (four weeks) of submission.
Marking stage / / /Internal moderation stage / / /
External moderation stage / /
SAP (ratification) stage / / /
1The sample for the internal moderation comprises 20% or 10 assessment pieces minimum. The sample should include a range of assessment pieces including borderlines and fails.
9 Student Feedback
Student will have the opportunity to feedback through:
· Student review meetings
· Input to Programme Committee Meetings
· Module feedback
· Tutorials
· Open door policy – students are encouraged to have open and ongoing dialogues with staff without feeling the need for a formal meeting.
9.1 Student Representation and Enhancement
Student representation for each stage of the programme is made through programme committee membership, which should also reflect on enhancement activities and their impact and sustainability. Furthermore, programme committee meetings are not considered quorate without student representation.
In addition to student presence through programme committee membership, it is noted that students also have representation though the Student Union.
9.2 Student Perception Surveys
The National Student Survey (NSS) and the Student Perception Questionnaire (SPQ) offer the opportunity for the Student Voice to be gathered from students individually. Additionally, there may be local methods for collating survey feedback on individual modules.
9.3 Student Perception Questionnaire (SPQ) and National Student Survey (NSS)
All students are given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire (SPQ) between January and March in the first year of their programmes. The questionnaire is arranged under a range of headings, the answers to which give us student views on how effectively we support their learning experience, these include teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, learning resources, personal development opportunities. Student responses are used only in statistical form to produce a subject level report and to enable comparative data to be prepared at faculty level.
In addition students are asked to participate in the National Student Survey (NSS) at the end of their programme. Both of these provide valuable information to enable staff to improve programmes and the learning experience.
9.4 What is the Student Perception Questionnaire (SPQ) and what is it for?
· to give students the chance to tell us what they feel about their experience of teaching and learning at the Cornwall College Group
· to allow us to identify those issues that are perceived by students as affecting their education, either positively or negatively
· to provide us with a University-wide perspective and to enable staff to prioritise our actions to improve the quality of the educational experience at the Cornwall College Group
What does the survey achieve?
At subject level you can expect the findings of the SPQ to be discussed at staff-student liaison groups and Programme Committee Meetings within the college. A related Action Plan is prepared to address students' concerns and this is in turn linked to the Pearson Quality Assurance process, addressed through formal meetings between Pearson and the college. The Director of Higher Education will review the questionnaire results with senior managers and programme teams as appropriate.
9.5 What is the National Student Survey (NSS) and what does it mean to me?
This national survey is designed to provide information on how universities support the student learning experience. It provides vital information to prospective students and their advisers to help them make an informed choice on what they want to study and where they should study it. The results are shown on the national Unistats website (www.unistats.ac.uk).