Guidance Notes Support for Programme Teams

Guidance Notes – Support for Programme Teams

These guidance notes are intended to provide supplementary support for programme teams in the production of the Annual Programme Monitoring Report. Individual Faculties can adapt the guidance notes to suit the requirements of their Faculty where it is felt that this would be beneficial.

The notes are intended to provide some useful prompts to support the programme team in the production of Section 1 (Overview Commentary) of the report. The list is not however exhaustive, and the intention is not that each APM report should address each question in written form.

Student Retention Data

Does the student retention data highlight any areas of concern with regard to progression, significant withdrawal, interruptions, transfers or return from interruptions rates?
Are there any particular issues associated with the profiles of students (e.g. ethnicity, age profile etc.)?
Are there any particular issues associated with any particular groups of students (e.g. those that were admitted through clearing, those admitted through a Progression or Articulation Agreement)?
How does the data compare with previous years? Is there a significant trend?

Student Success Data

Does the student success data highlight any areas of concern with regard to completion rates and classification profiles?
Are there any particular issues associated with the profiles of students (e.g. ethnicity, age profile etc.)?
Are there any particular issues associated with any particular groups of students (e.g. those that were admitted through clearing, those admitted through a Progression or Articulation Agreement)?
How does the data compare with previous years? Is there a significant trend?

Admissions Data

Were targets met and were there any issues related to meeting the targets?
Are the numbers of applications in line with the sector (where data is available)?
How do applications compare with previous years’ levels? Is there a significant trend?
Are there any issues with converting offers to registrations?
How do registration numbers compare with benchmarks (where data is available)?
How do registration numbers compare with previous years? Is there a significant trend?
Is there anything of significance to note in the qualifications profile?
How do qualifications upon entry compare with previous years’ levels?

Employability Data (Destination of Leavers of Higher Education)

Particular consideration should be given to graduate level employability rates

How does the data compare with benchmark data (where available)?
How does the data compare with previous years’ levels? Is there a significant trend?

Equality and Diversity Data

Is there evidence that there is equality of opportunity for disabled students / all ethnic groups / independent of gender?
How does the level of students with disabilities / ethnic mix / gender mix compare with previous years’ levels? Is there a significant trend?
Is there anything significant to note in terms of the age profile of recruited students?
How does the age profile compare with that of previous years? Is there a significant trend?

Programme Curriculum

Are there any issues identified by External Examiners, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) and through all sources of student feedback in relation to the programme curriculum?
How can the issues be addressed?

New programmes / Programmes in Teach Out

Where a new programme has completed its first year of operation, have there been any particular programme start-up issues that require further consideration?
Where further work was required on addressing recommendations from the programme validation event, what progress has been made with regard to these?
Where a programme is in teach out, have there been any particular teach-out issues that require further consideration?

Learning, Teaching and Assessment

How does the programme align with the principles of the new University Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-2020?
Have any major developments in learning, teaching and assessment taken place?
Does the enrolment profile have any implications for the learning, teaching and assessment activity of the programme?
Are there any issues identified by External Examiners, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) and through all sources of student feedback in relation to learning, teaching and assessment?
How can the issues be addressed?
Have any particular issues been raised with regard to placement learning and work-based learning?

Learning Resources

Are there any issues identified by External Examiners, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) and through all sources of student feedback in relation to learning resources?
How can the issues be addressed?

Student Support

Are there any issues identified by External Examiners, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) and through all sources of student feedback in relation to student support arrangements?
How can the issues be addressed?

Student Engagement

What is the programme-specific approach to engaging students as partners in the quality assurance and enhancement of the programme?
Are there any issues with regard to student engagement in such processes?
What issues have been identified by students through the student engagement mechanisms employed?

Operation and Management of the Collaborative Partnership (where applicable)

Is the partnership operating in line with the roles and responsibilities set out in the Collaborative Agreement?
How effective are the links between the two institutions at a programme level with regard to aspects such as link tutor arrangements, the nature, frequency and appropriateness of communication between the two institutions in relation to both academic and administrative matters?
Have there been any staff changes and have staff CVs been approved by the University academic School?
Have all staff teaching and assessing on the programme undertaken the Associate Tutors programme?