Guidance Notes on the Validation Document

GUIDANCE NOTES ON THE VALIDATION DOCUMENT

INTRODUCTION

These notes provide guidance on the completion of the validation document. If you require any further assistance please contact the Academic Standards and Quality Service or Academic Services at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Faculty of Business and Society / David
Faculty of Creative Industries / Gareth
Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science / Cerys
Faculty of Life Sciences and Education / Alaw
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama / Iestyn

PREAMBLE

Faculty Sign-off
This should be the electronic signature of a senior member the Faculty/College. If more than one Faculty is involved in the delivery of the course, a senior member of that Faculty must also sign the document.
Introduction to the Validation Document
The introduction should provide an overview of the documentation submitted to the Validation Panel.
It should contain a short rationale for the course and introduce any collaborative partners involved in its delivery.
Contents Page
The contents page has been prepopulated. Three of the headings (applications of recognised teacher status; approved site visit reports and the collaborations management handbook) will not be relevant to course proposals which do not include a partner organisation. These can be deleted from the template.
PART ONE
COURSE SPECIFICATION
Initial Information
General Comments / This is the key validation document and will be used to promote the course to applicants. Where relevant, it should be written in a language which appeals to prospective students: this applies particularly to Section A.
Faculty / The name of all participating faculties.
School / The name of all participating schools.
Course Title / This should be the title which has been agreed by the faculty after consideration was given to the proposal via the Initial Course Proposal Form (ICPF) and Portfolio and Student Lifecycle Group.
Couse Code / The course code which was assigned to the course when the ICPF was completed.
Course Leader / The person responsible for the oversight of the course.
Awarding Body / The University of South Wales
Location(s) of delivery / All locations where it is proposed that the course will be delivered.
Final Award / The final outcome which a student can achieve.
Intermediate Awards / For example: Cert HE/Dip HE/PgC/PgD.
Mode of Study / X in all of those which apply.
Duration of Study / X in all those which apply.
UCAS Code / Can be obtained from Enquiries and Admissions.
JACS Code / Can be obtained from the Faculty or SAS. It should have been recorded on the ICPF.
QAA Subject Benchmarks / Add the weblinks to the subject benchmark statements which have been considered in the development of the course.
Professional or Statutory Bodies / Add the names of the bodies or enter ‘none’. The University encourages all courses to apply for recognition from a professional body. You will have been asked to address this on the ICPF.
Some professional bodies will not accredit a course until it has been delivered for a specified period. In these cases you should enter ‘approval will be sought’.
Submission Date / The date the documentation was submitted to Academic Standards and Quality (ASaQS).
Date of Approval / The date the course was approved. This will trigger that date of re-approval through Course Review and Revalidation.
Different versions of the document / Add the email details of the person who can supply this document in a different media.
Section A – Course Introduction and Summary
Philosophy / This section provides an opportunity to promote the reasons why this course is proposed. For example:

• To whom will the course appeal and be appropriate for?
• In what ways will it advance the understanding, competencies and employability of those who graduate with the award?
• How does it support the University’s mission;
• How is it responding to local, national and international needs?

Brief description of activities / Describe the types of activities which will take place at each level of the course (learning and teaching) and what they are designed to achieve.
It is important that you provide indicative learning hours at each level of the course. For undergraduate courses refer to the requirements of the Academic Blueprint.
Distinctiveness / For example:

• What will the student have the opportunity to study and what skills they can acquire?

• What makes the course different to similar courses on the market?

• How will it provide students with ‘the edge’ in the employment market?

• What is significant about the composition of the teaching and support team?

• What links are there to employers; industry and professional awards?

Contribution to the development of the course / How were the views of students, employers and staff taken into account in the development of the course?
Section B – Educational Aims of the Course
Main Educational Aims / What will the course prepare students for?
Section C – Intended Learning Outcomes for the Final Award
Learning Outcomes for the Final Award / What are the intended learning outcomes of the course as described under the key headings. These should map to the learning outcomes matrix. If you need to add more learning outcomes create additional lines.
NB: the learning outcomes for intermediate awards should be included in the Course Handbook
Section D – Key Skills for the Final Award
Key Skills for the Final Award / What key skills will be developed under the 6 headings.
NB: the key skills for intermediate awards should be included in the Course Handbook
Section E & F – Course Content, Means of Assessment and Delivery Schedule
Course Content, Means of Assessment and Delivery Schedule (FT and PT) / The Academic Blueprint Checklist must be taken into account for undergraduate programmes.
‘Terms taught’ should provide information on the period over which the module is delivered. For example: a 20 credit module over two terms or a 20 credit module over one term.
The requirement to include the ‘month of assessment submission or examination’ is to ensure that assessment bunching is avoided wherever possible.
Guidance on the CELT website should be used to cross reference the meaning of terms such as ‘Assessment Category’, Type of Assessment’. Reference. The Assessment FOR Learning Policy and the Assessment Tariff should be consulted.
Arrangements for immersive learning / At the relevant levels, arrangements for immersive learning must be clearly specified and the modules which provide this learning clearly identified.
DBS checks / It is important that any modules where a DBS check is required are clearly identified.
Section G – Learning and Teaching Methods and Strategies
Learning and Teaching / Describe each of the activities and the number of hours which apply. The percentage is the total over the duration of the course.
Section H – Ethical Issues
Ethical Issues / Guidance on ethical issues can be obtained from the Ethics Champion in your Faculty or the Graduate Research Office.

Section I – Employability and Employer Engagement
Employer Engagement / Provide a brief description of each of the activities which apply and how they contribute to the employability of students.
Section J – Learning Support
Learning Support / Provide a brief description of each of the activities which apply.
Section K – Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements / These should have been provide on the ICPF and can be transferred to this validation document.
Section L – Exit Points
Exit Points / This section has been pre-populated unless there is a professional award.
Section M – Progression Routes
Progression Routes / These are particularly important where the course being considered is required to have a progression route. The most common example is a Foundation Degree offered at a partner college where there is a requirement for a progression to honours usually offered at the University.
If the course is a progression route from other courses it must be specified where those courses are being delivered.
Section N – Quality Assurance Arrangements
Quality Assurance Arrangements / Most of these sections have been pre-populated.
Transitional Arrangements / It is important that the sections concerning transitional arrangements for students on courses which the proposal might replace are clearly specified.
Arrangements for Feedback to Students / The arrangements for providing feedback to students on their assessed work within 20 working days are fully articulated.
External Examiners / External examiners appointed to the course must be recorded in the Course Handbook
Engagement with Subject Benchmark Statements etc. / Please describe the ways in which the Course Team have engaged with Subject Benchmark Statements, QAA Quality Code, CQFW and FHEQ.
Section O – Course Specific Regulations
Course Specific Regulations / Where a course does not conform to the University’s standard regulations the reasons should be outlined in this section. These will normally be in response to the requirements of a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body and concerns matters such as module size and pass marks.
Section P – Costs associated with the course
Course Fees / An accurate course fee must be recorded.
Additional costs / It is vitally important that students are made aware of any additional costs they might incur when studying the course. These could be, for example, equipment or uniform costs; the purchase of materials, or travel costs linked to fieldtrips or other external event.
TEMPLATE FOR AN ADDENDUM TO THE VALIDATION DOCUMENT FOR DISTANCE ONLINE DELIVERY
The template should be completed where a course has already been approved and a proposal has been received to offer it through distance online delivery.
PART TWO
MODULE TEACHING TEAM TABLE
This should be a record of all the contributors to the delivery of each module associated with the course.
EXAMPLE MODULE SPECIFICATION

Module Specification

Module Code: / SD1SXX
Module Title: / Understanding The World According to Garp
Owning Faculty: / Creative Thinking and Understanding
Faculty School: / Creative Thinking
Module Leader: / John Irving
Module Team:
Name / Faculty/School/Partner / Type
John Irving / Creative Thinking / FT staff
Jenny Fields / Creative Thinking / HPL
Roberta Muldoon / Society College / FT staff
First Year of Intake: / 2017
Final Year of Intake: / 2023
Credit Value: / 20
Credit Level: / 4
Pre-requisites: / None
Co-requisites: / None
Language of Study: / English
Percentage of module taught in Welsh: / None
Equivalent Module: / None
JACS Code:
ASC Code:
This module is a component of the following course(s): / BA American Literature
If this module is replacing another module please provide the module code / SD1S22
Module Aims: / To provide students with a basic understanding of the narrative of the novel The World According to Garp.
Content Summary: / The module will explore the themes contained within the novel. These include death, gender roles and sexuality.
Learning and Teaching Methods[1]: / Activity Type / Number of Hours
Lecture / 24
Seminar / 24
Tutorial / 15
Project Supervision
Demonstration
Practical classes and workshops
Supervised time in studio/workshop
Fieldwork
External visits
Work based learning
Independent study / 127
Placement
Year abroad
Directed study
Formative assessment - scheduled
Formative assessment - independent / 10
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcome 1: / Demonstrate an awareness of the themes contained within the novel
Learning Outcome 2: / Compare and contrast the views expressed within the module with those of current society
Learning Outcome 3:
Learning Outcome 4:
Assessment Category / Assessment
Title / Description / Duration / Word Count / Weight (%)
Written
assignment / Essay 1 / Critical analysis / 2,000 / 40
Written assignment / Essay 2 / Comparative essay / 4,000 / 60
Assessment Matrix
Title of Assessment
Learning Outcomes / Essay 1 / Essay 2
1 / X
2 / X
3
4
Key Skills: / D1: Communication / X
D2: Enquiry and Analysis / X
D3: Problem Solving
D4: Digital Skills / X
D5: Working with Others
D6: Employability
Concise/Indicative Reading List
Leve, A (2009) The World According To John Irving, Oxford University Press
Sheppard, R. Z. (2015) Life Into Art: Novelist John Irving, Prentice Hall
Validation Details
Date of Creation: / August 2016
Date of Revision:
LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM EMPLOYERS
Employers should be consulted about new course proposals and evidence should be provided for the validation event.
STAFF CVs
The CVs for all staff contributing to the course should be included on the standard template.
RECOGNISED TEACHER STATUS
Applications for Recognised Teacher Status for staff from outside the University should be completed on the standard template available on the ASaQS website,
APPROVED SITE VISIT REPORTS
This report, available on the ASaQS, website should be completed for proposals for courses involving a collaborative partner or extensions to existing collaborative partnerships.
MARKETING INFORMATION
The key features which describe the course should be added here. They can be transferred from the Initial Course Proposal Form which approved the development of the course.
You should discuss the actual text which will be created for the course with Marketing and Student Recruitment.
PART THREE
COURSE HANDBOOK
A draft Course Handbook should be created based on the template held on the CELT website
PART FOUR
COLLABORATIONS MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK
Where a proposal involves a collaborative partner a draft Handbook should be created based on the template held on the ASaQS website.

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