Plymouth University
Governance of academic partnership activity
Version / Date / Author / Changes1.0 / August 2015 / Pat Wilde / Initial draft for comment by Dean of Academic Partnerships
2.0 / November 2015 / Pat Wilde / Further draft following input from Dean of AP
3.0 / March 2016 / Pat Wilde / Draft for consideration/discussion prior to consideration by AP Board
4.0 (this version) / May 2016 / Pat Wilde / Noted by Academic Board June 2016
Index
1. Introduction
• Aim and scope of this document
• What is governance?
• What is academic partnership?
• Register of Collaborative Provision
2. University Strategy
3. The role of Academic Partnerships
4. The processes by which the University oversees partnership activity
4.1 Establishment and approval of institutional partnerships
• Planning and approval of institutional partnerships
• Project Boards
• Approval of collaborative taught provision following the establishment of an institutional partnership
• Academic Co-operation Agreements
• Oversight of approved institutional partnerships and programmes within AP
• Programme Committees and Joint Boards of Studies
4.2 Review of institutional partnerships and programmes
· Partner Performance Evaluation
· Periodic Review of UK Partnership Provision and for Collaborative International Partnerships
· Annual monitoring
4.3 Discontinuation of partnerships and/or programmes
4.4 Partners applying for taught or foundation degree awarding powers
4.5 Articulation arrangements
4.6 Progression agreements
4.7 Student exchanges
5. The role of the principal University Committees which relate to partnership activity
6. The roles and responsibilities of those involved in the governance and management of academic partnership at institutional level
1. Introduction
· Aim and scope of this document
The primary focus of this document is to provide a clear description of the means used by the University to govern and manage taught academic partnership activity. It will:
o outline the processes by which the University establishes, manages and discontinues partnerships
o describe the principal University Committee structures within which partnership activity is discussed and decided upon
o describe the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the governance and management of academic partnership at institutional level
· What is governance?
"Governance is generally understood as having a focus on accountability and oversight, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory responsibilities...... This encompasses the systems, structures, policies, procedures and regulations by which the University is run.
Governance is also about good decision-making, in the ways decisions are taken, recorded and communicated, the criteria against which decisions are where necessary prioritised, and ensuring that decisions are effectively implemented." (Plymouth University website, July 2015)
· What is academic partnership?
Academic partnership occurs when the University works in collaboration with one or more other organisations to deliver, assess or support learning opportunities leading or contributing to the award of PU academic credit or qualifications.
The QAA Quality Code makes clear the University’s responsibilities within academic partnership activity:
“Degree awarding bodies take ultimate responsibility for academic standards and the quality of leaning opportunities, irrespective of where these are delivered or who provides them. Arrangements for delivering learning opportunities with organisations other than the degree awarding body are implemented securely and managed effectively” (QAA Code, Chapter B10 – Managing HE provision with others, December 2012).
The range of partnership activity which falls under the scope of this document is described in more detail in the University collaborative provision Taxonomy: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook
This document will make frequent references and links to other policies and procedures which impact upon the governance of the partnership activity highlighted above. It will not reiterate the content of those linked documents to any great extent, as it is important that the University maintains a single source of information on such matters; this cannot occur if there are multiple versions of the same information. Clarity about the applicability or operation of any of the linked documents can be sought from the Central Quality Office in the first instance.
The document does not cover the management and governance of other types of collaborative activity such as study abroad, work-based learning or work placements , as these are overseen at a local, Faculty-based level (albeit in line with standard University principles and processes).
· Register of Collaborative Provision
The University produces an institutional-level Register of Collaborative Provision https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/the-wider-information-set which describes current partnership arrangements in the areas listed above. This is supplemented by local registers, held at Faculty or School level, which record other types of collaborative activity such as work placement arrangements, etc.
The section of the University’s Schedule of Delegation https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance which relates to Academic Partnerships records where authority rests for particular types of decision made in the name of, or on behalf of, the University with regard to partnership activity.
2. University Strategy
Ambition: Raising aspirations and driving engagement
We aim to build on and sustain connections with local, national and international partners to enrich our academic experience. We will continue to seek to raise aspiration amongst groups underrepresented in higher education and provide opportunities for our students, staff and the communities we serve through economic development, social inclusion, community outreach and strategic partnerships.
Working with our city, regional, national and international partners we aim to:
• contribute to an economically successful and culturally vibrant city and region through initiatives such as the Social Enterprise University Enterprise Network (SE-UEN), Peninsula Growth Acceleration and Investment Network (GAIN) and Peninsula Arts;
• continue to raise aspirations for higher education study amongst underrepresented groups in accordance with our Access Agreement;
• strengthen pathways of educational opportunity in partnership with our academy schools, local schools, University Technical College, and network of further education partner colleges;
• address health inequalities and outcomes for the City and Region through our Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, health and allied health professions, working in partnership with the National Health Service and other health and social care organisations;
• foster and promote international opportunities for our students and staff through cross-cultural events on our campuses, exchange programmes, and research and professional connections;
• take the Plymouth University experience across the nation and the world expanding delivery of our programmes and courses, where strategically relevant and sustainable, with our partner colleges, other educational establishments and businesses in the UK and overseas.
Plymouth University Strategy 2020
3. The role of Academic Partnerships
Academic Partnerships (AP) was established in 2012 to support the creation, development and sustainability of high quality partnerships with organisations that serve to advance the reputation of Plymouth University and deliver of academic excellence. The Academic Partnerships Strategy may be found at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/business-partners/partnerships/academic-partnerships/academic-partnerships-and-university-strategy
Collaborative activity involving the co-design and co-delivery of PU taught awards will normally be managed by AP. However, there may be specific exceptions to this (for example, where the collaboration involves the delivery of statutory professional training e.g. in healthcare for an NHS Trust or in teacher education in partnership with schools, etc); in such cases, the partnership will be managed via the relevant Faculty. Where the locus of responsibility for the partnership is not immediately clear, this will be resolved via discussions between the Dean of AP and the relevant Executive Dean of Faculty.
Academic Partnerships maintains risk registers covering the collaborative activity which it oversees. These are regularly reviewed and updated by the Academic Partnerships Senior Management Team and considered by the Academic Partnerships Board.
Collaborative activity involving the establishment and operation of PGR collaborative activity is managed by the Graduate School.
4. The processes by which the University oversees partnership activity
Institutional level processes which govern the establishment, review and discontinuation of taught collaborative provision are approved by University Teaching and Learning Committee and overseen by the Central Quality Office.
The University has approved the institutional level procedures, all of which can be accessed via the Quality Assurance Handbook (Taught Programmes) at https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook
Quality assurance and oversight of PGR collaborative provision is managed by the Graduate School.
4.1 Establishment and approval of institutional partnerships
· Planning and approval of institutional partnerships
Opportunities for taught provision collaboration with new partners may be identified by either AP or Faculties/Schools (or occasionally, by another area of the University). These collaborations may relate to arrangements by which the University and the partner co-design and co-deliver taught provision; where the partner solely designs and delivers a programme which is approved by the University; or where the partner offers an identical programme to that which operates in Plymouth.
AP will normally take the lead in developing these relationships and will liaise with the cognate Faculty/School within the University at an early stage. Where an opportunity is identified by a Faculty/School or other area, it must be discussed with AP at a very early stage. This recognises that while a Faculty/School may drive a partnership of particular significance to itself, AP has the PU responsibility for oversight of all institutional partnerships. These discussions must take place before any firm commitment is given to the potential partner.
The document “Planning and approval of a new collaborative partnership (Taught Provision)” https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook describes the process by which new institutional partnerships involving taught provision are established, encompassing partner identification, risk assessment, due diligence enquiries, site visit, consideration by Academic Partnerships and Development Committee and the formal approval process itself. In line with the Expectation of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, ADPC makes a decisions on the “business case” for a partnership, but decisions about the academic probity of the proposal (and hence the final recommendation to the University that the partnership be approved) rests with the Approval Panel.
· Project Boards
AP will establish and chair a Project Board for each institutional partnership. This may be established prior to consideration of the proposal by ADPC or subsequently, depending on the nature of the collaboration. The initiation of the Project Board will be decided upon by the Head of UK Partnerships or the Head of International Partnerships. The Board will be chaired by the relevant Head and will include representatives from AP (including the Central Quality Office), School/Faculty representatives and Business Partners.
The Project Board may continue once the collaboration is approved, although it will then focus on ongoing operational matters.
· Approval of collaborative taught provision following the establishment of an institutional partnership
Once an institutional partnership has been approved (following the process described above), proposals for taught collaborative provision may be considered via the “Approval of a new programme/award” process https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook. Again, ADPC decides on the business case for such proposals, with the Approval Panel making the final recommendation once academic issues have been investigated.
· Academic Co-operation Agreements
Following institutional approval, an Academic Co-operation Agreement will be finalised by AP and signed by the Vice-Chancellor/Deputy Vice-Chancellor and partner representative in line with the University’s protocols for the signature of such documents as stipulated in “Agreements Covering Academic Collaboration between Plymouth University and Other Organisations” https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook
CQO will arrange secure storage for the original agreement and will also update the University’s Collaborative Provision Register. The University has standards forms of ACA, which have been drawn up in liaison with the University Solicitor https://intranet.plymouth.ac.uk/legal/solicitor/
The ACA contains a schedule listing approved programmes, which is updated by the Head of Partnership Operations as required.
· Oversight of institutional partnerships and programmes within AP
Once a partnership has been approved, it will be overseen within AP by the Head of UK Partnerships or the Head of International Partnerships, as appropriate. They will be supported in this area by the Head of Partnership Operations.
· Programme Committees and Joint Boards of Studies
Once a partnership has been established the above bodies will be established – the function of each is described in “The role of the principal University Committees which relate to partnership activity”, below.
4.2 Review of institutional partnerships and programmes
· Annual Programme Monitoring
All programmes are subject to annual monitoring https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook The University has established processes for this activity, which is based on the preparation and ongoing updating of programme action plans in the light of information received via external examiners’ reports, student feedback, recruitment, retention and achievement data, etc. Action plans are drawn up by the partner and considered via the Joint Board of Studies (see section on “The role of the principal University Committees which relate to partnership activity”, below).
· Periodic Review of individual institutional partnerships normally takes place every 5-6 years. https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/periodic-review
PR focusses on academic standards and on the quality of the student experience. University staff outwith AP and external advisers are involved in the review process.
The initial phase of the Periodic Review process is Partnership Performance Evaluation (PPE), which considers a range of quantitative and qualitative information in order to make a judgement on the ongoing suitability of the partner from a “business” perspective. This includes consideration of the partner’s current and planned HE strategy, a revised set of due diligence checks and an assessment of the partner’s engagement and compliance (or otherwise) with the Academic Co-operation Agreement. An “interim” PPE (“health check”) is carried out each year for each institutional partnership – these reports contribute to the full PPE report prepared for the Periodic Review.
4.3 Discontinuation
The University has established processes https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/central-quality-office/quality-assurance-handbook for the discontinuation of taught provision collaborative arrangement between the University and a partner organisation. These encompass:
• discontinuation of a specified programme/programmes (but with the institutional partnership continuing for other provision).