Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement

College Research Degrees Committee annual report template

College Research Degrees Committee annual report template

College:
Reporting year:
Awards offered at Postgraduate Research (PGR) level:
Mode(s) of study:
Site(s) of delivery:
Committee Chair:
Names of Postgraduate Research Tutors:
Sign off: / Please provide the ‘sign off’ process, including date of sign off:
For example, considered at the CRDC meeting and approved on 31 January 2017.

PART A

Executive summary / This section is used to summarise for the reader the content of the report and any specific issues that need drawing attention to. This section is one that is written with the external reader in mind. The audience of the remainder of the document is primarily the College Research Degrees Committee (CRDC) team itself and University Research Degrees Committee (URDC). This section should include reference to the current School Research Plan where appropriate.
Reflection on currency and health of the doctoral degree route: / This section requires the course team to confirm that postgraduate research remains current and in good health. This section should include reflection on issues such as:
  • Research Excellence Framework (REF) outcomes;
  • staff development activity and its impact in terms of research degree provision, e.g. supervisory training and new supervisors appointed;
  • supervisor capacity, succession planning, etc;
  • meeting ambition stated in current School Research Plans;
  • School UoA research activities, such as conferences;
  • efficacy of supervision;
  • profile and esteem of UoA;
  • researcher training offered in Schools and Colleges (in addition to that coordinated by the Doctoral School).

The CRDC should reflect on any activity in the reporting year that demonstrates that the research degrees provision across the College is both current and in good health. This reflection should be evidence based.
This section should also reflect on whether the resource base in the College as a whole, and across individual Schools, remains adequate for delivery of NTU research ambitions, as highlighted in the current University Strategic Plan. / Ref. rolling action plan
Developments and initiatives: / Details of any significant initiatives which may be shareable and which have taken place during the reporting year.
Here CRDC should consider any developments or initiatives that have led to, or have the potential to lead to, practice or process enhancements which may be shareable across URDC or with the University. / Ref. rolling action plan
Student Satisfaction and Engagement (issues raised by students, and CRDC response): / This will be informed by feedback from students (also refer to PRES data when applicable)
CRDC should set out how student feedback is sought and how it has been responded to in the reporting year. Where a response to student feedback has been made (e.g. upgrading of facilities) the course team should evaluate how effective this was or, where issues were unable to be resolved, the reasons for this. / Ref. rolling action plan
Consideration of collaborative arrangements (including DTPs and DTAs) / Provides a commentary on any areas requiring special attention. This commentary should pay attention to any positive aspects as well as any problems that have been encountered during the reporting year. PGR Tutors should analyse any emerging themes and suggest actions required to remedy.
In this section the report should list all current collaborative arrangements and detail what stage they are at (e.g. first cohort, teach-out, etc.). Identify any issues raised and actions to be taken. Comment on the parity of supervision and supervisory training at the collaborative partner.
  • University verifier arrangements and comments, where appropriate;
  • Quality management processes;
  • Links to academic Schools and Departments at NTU (if appropriate);
  • Staff or student development provided in-house, or in collaboration with NTU;
  • Annual reporting.
/ Ref. rolling action plan
Analysis of the Postgraduate Research Environment: / This should provide a commentary on the parity of provision at College level and any Collaborative Partners, and should refer to the benchmarks for expected levels of provision described within the current NTU Postgraduate Research Environment Statement.
The report should consider the impact of the research environment (physical and cultural) on the postgraduate provision, e.g. currency, the student experience and research health of the College. Refer to the benchmarks for expected levels of provision described within the current NTU Postgraduate Research Environment Statement. / Ref. rolling action plan

Part B

Reflection on examiner(s) reports: / This section provides analysis of, and reflection on comments made by viva voce examiners, and identify emerging common themes that would require further action. This section is intended to allow us to learn more, and improve, from the viva process and its outcomes.
CRDC should reflect on what the examiner reports indicate about the standards and quality, and identify and recurring themes requiring further attention.
Where examiners have made recommendations or raised concerns these should be explicitly responded to in the report. Where there is an action resulting from this then it should be included in the rolling action plan and cross referenced appropriately.Where something raised is not going to be taken further, the rationale behind this decision should be provided in this response. / Ref. rolling action plan

Part C

Appeals and Complaints: / This section provides commentary on consideration given to the number and nature of any complaints/appeals, and any other issues raised, their resolution, and actions taken to improve future service levels where appropriate.
Where there is an action resulting from this then it should be included in the rolling action plan and cross referenced appropriately.Where something raised is not going to be taken further, the rationale behind this decision should be provided in this response. / Ref. rolling action plan

Part D

Consideration of the student journey / The team should provide sets of data related to student enrolments, transfer, conferment and withdrawals. The course team should consider patterns and trends related to these data. Actions arising from this discussion should be added to the rolling action plan.
Student enrolment, project approval, transfer, conferment, extensions and withdrawal data should be included as an appendix to the report. Data for a three year period (the reporting year and two previous years) should be provided by the Doctoral School.
The questions set out below are designed to aid the team in analysing patterns and trends that are highlighted by the data. These questions are not exhaustive, and course teams may report on additional areas. This section should be presented as a narrative. Yes/no responses to these questions are not acceptable.
Enrolment
  • Have enrolments remained stable over the last three years? If not why might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
  • Are any enrolment trends in line with the sector more generally? If not is there a reason why this might be the case?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Project Approval
  • Are student project approvals falling within the expected timeframe? If not why might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
  • Are any project approval trends similar across Schools?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Transfer
  • Are the patterns of transfer similar across the last three years? If they are different, why might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
  • Are patterns of transfer similar across Schools?
  • Does the data suggest a change that concerns the team?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Conferment and completion (with external benchmarking)
  • What is the rolling three-year Research Degree Qualification Rate (RDQR) at College level? If this is lower than the current NTU RDQR (HEFCE), why might this be the case? How does this compare to the 7-year RDQR sector average. Are there any implications of this?
  • Does the data suggest a change from previous years that concerns the team?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Extensions
  • How many extensions beyond the expected registration period have been
granted in the past year? Give reasons. Are there any implications of this?
  • Are patterns of extensions similar across Schools/supervisory teams?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any further action required?
Suspensions
  • How many suspensions have been approved in the reporting year? How many of these are repeat suspensions?
  • Are there any patterns to the reasons for suspensions? Are these similar across Schools?
  • Are there any implications of this, and on the basis of this analysis, is any further action required?
Withdrawals
  • Are patterns of withdrawal similar across the last three years? If they are different, why might this be the case? Are there any implications of this?
  • Are patterns similar across Schools?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Probation
  • How many students were placed on probation in the reporting year? Give reasons. Are there any implications of this?
  • Are patterns similar across Schools?
  • On the basis of this analysis is any action required?
Alumni Destinations
The course team should also provide some information on graduate destinations / further study destinations over a three-year period, utilising data provided by the Employability team. / Ref. rolling action plan

September 2016page1

Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement

College Research Degrees Committee Annual Report template

Part E Rolling Action Plan:

CRDC should firstly report on progress made with the previous year’s action plan and note any actions that are incomplete or are on-going. Where actions are on-going they should be incorporated into the action plan for the coming year. The action plan should explicitly state where actions are rolled over from the previous plan.

All actions should be cross-referenced to the main body of the report. Actions should be specific, have final dates for completion rather than be ‘on-going’ and should specify the person/group or committee responsible for taking the action forward.

The rolling action plan is a separate document that can be easily considered at each committee meeting. You need to include the following kinds of information:

  • what is the issue that needs addressing?
  • what do you anticipate being the final outcome?
  • what action(s) will need to be taken to reach this outcome?
  • when will these actions be aimed to be completed?
  • who will lead?
  • at which course committee will it be addressed/ discussed/reviewed?
  • the date when the issue gets closed down?

No. / Action Point / Section in CRDC report: / Date to be completed: / To be completed by:
1. / Review the assessment on module XXXXX in line with feedback from the external examiner and verifier / C1 / Review to be completed 31 March 2017 / Supervisor, PGRT, Chair of CRDC, URDC, URC

September 2016page1

Nottingham Trent University Quality Handbook Supplement

College Research Degrees Committee Annual Report template

Appendices

Appendix 1 – NTU Summary Statistics (for academic year 1 August to 31 July, provided by NTUGS during August)

  • Current student numbers per year of study split by School, H/WEU and overseas, Full-Time and Part-Time
  • RD1PA/RD2T by School
  • Suspensions/extensions/withdrawals (Inc. transfers out)
  • In examination on 31 July
  • Conferments

Appendix 2 – Annual report from LLR on provision for PGR students

Appendix 3 – Annual report from Employability Team on provision and engagement of PGR students (e.g. events, training)

Policy owner
CADQ
Change history
Version: / Approval date: / Implementation date: / Nature of significant revisions:
Sept 2016 / 13.07.16 (URDC) / 01.10.16 / Minor revision – clarification about the reflection on examiner(s) reports
Equality Impact Assessment
Version: / EIA date: / Completed by:
Sept 2016 / NA

September 2016page1