LEARNING AND QUALITY COMMITTEE
Minutes of the Fifth meeting of the Learning and Quality Committee in the 2012-13 academic session, held on Wednesday 13th February 2013 in Seacole 309/10, Avery Hill Campus
Present: / S. Jarvis (Chair) / Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development)S. Naylor (Officer) / QA Manager Learning and Quality Unit
R. Blackburn / DLQ, School of Science
D. Brander / Student Union, Vice President (Education and Welfare)
W. Cealey Harrison / Head of Learning and Quality Unit
C. Delage / DLQ, School of Architecture, Design and Construction
J. Cullinane / DLQ, School of Business
A. Grant / DLQ, School of Engineering
V. Habgood / DLQ, School of Health & Social Care
D. Hayes / Head of Partnership Division
C. Ierotheou / DLQ, School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences
E. Kehoe / Deputy Head of Office of Student Affairs
S. Leggatt / DLQ, School of Education
A.. Murphy / Head of Learning Services, ILS
Z. Pettit / DLQ, School of Humanities & Social Sciences
D. Sheppard / SQAO, Faculty of Business
S. Walker / Head of Educational Development Unit
In attendance / D. Mutti / Banner Team
K. Thompson / Planning and Statistics
LQC/12/5.1 / Items from Chair
Chair noted that informal discussions between FOOs, DLQs, SQAOs and the LQU had taken place with the aim of collating views on the future of quality management at the University and to take into account the change to a Faculty based structure. Further formal meetings with take place and a formal proposal will be promulgated with the hope that the direction the University will be pursuing is established by Easter 2013.
LQC/12/5.2 / Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The minutes of the meeting of January 2103 were agreed as an accurate record subject to one major change to actions concerning the development of an implementation plan for the University Tutoring Policy: the removal of the clause regarding the potential for School derogation from the policy.
LQC/12/5.3 / Matters arising from the Minutes
12/3.6 refers / HEAR technical developments were considered as a separate agenda item at the February meeting. The original request for a formal report from the Deputy Head of OSA in respect of HEAR development, as made in December 2012, was reiterated.[1]
12/4.3 refers / PSRB listing in Banner.
In response to members’ notes that information in Banner was not up to date LQU met with PACO and it was confirmed that Banner had been update based on School responses to KIS data requests as recently as November 2012 in order to ensure KIS data accuracy. PACO and LQU agreed that building ALL listed bodies into Banner at this time was unnecessary and that PSRB bodies will be built into Banner as additional and new accreditations for programmes arise. Both acknowledged the need for PAS, PACO and the LQU to ensure accuracy of data for a wide variety of uses (KIS, HEAR, QAA review). All agreed to devised a consultation method with Schools and report to central committee on an annual basis: establishing feedback loops. Longer term developments of enabling Banner to create multiple time stamped records against individual programmes remains a technical/developmental issue to be resolved.
12/4.4 refers / EDU completed the revisions to the University Policy on Personal Tutoring and this will be sent to Council in March 2013. School implementation plans will be required following Council endorsement of the policy and the action requiring EDU to provide guidance on the conduct of first semester students’ meetings remains outstanding. The DVC(Academic Development) has discussed student attendance monitoring with the Director of Information Systems and it was reported that the START project has commenced its working group. LQC was informed that there was only one instance of the term “Primary Advisor” in use on Bannerweb and this had now been replaced with “Personal Tutor”
LQC/12/5.4 / The Higher Education Achievement Record
A representative of the Banner team made a presentation which reflected the current technical level of completion of the HEAR. For the purposes of the presentation the HEAR content was divided into 3 essential sections and LQC noted that 2 sections are in place - 1 – 4.2 (Standard programme information), Section 4.3 (the transcript). Section 6.1 (Additional Student information) is essentially in place though there remain a number of outstanding issues that continue to present the University with challenges in compiling the information on student activities, in much the same way that all other HEIs faced. These concerned:
- The relationship of the HEAR to the Employability Passport and the inclusion of non-University employment in the HEAR
- The need to include the Greenwich Graduate Attributes that have been developed since the first itineration of the Greenwich version of HEAR
- The clear identification of roles, ownership and verification of data and submission to OSA for the compilation of the HEAR.
- Use of descriptive language tailored to the needs of the end users (students and employers).
- The Inclusion of UK partners in the HEAR roll out
- Data ownership and logistics of collation
LQC was concerned over the complexity of arrangements for collating work based data, even for work within the University, and acknowledged this could be revisited in the light of the development of the Employability Passport, provided the Passport could be built into the HEAR. LQC further acknowledged the work Business has been undertaking with the Passport and requested that they present its activities and finding to share their practice with the institution.
LQC requested that OSA reconvene the HEAR working group with appropriate representation to ensure these issues are both discussed and resolved with appropriate Offices , Departments and Faculties of the University.
Action / The Business School to present to LQC a review of the activities it is currently undertaking to implement the Employability Passport
Reconvene the HEAR Working Group
Provide LQC with a formal paper which places all these issues into context and which can be circulated so that relevant parties both understand and sign up to their role in completion of the HEAR / DLQ Business
OSA
OSA
LQC/12/5.5 / University review schedule 2013-14
LQC received a first draft of the 2013-14 review schedule, in which provisional dates and Chairs had been allocated. LQC requested School members to consider the schedule and to provide the LQU with feedback on both dates and any potential conflicts of interest that might arise through the confirmation of the nominated chairs.
LQC agreed that Faculty boundaries would be ignored when appointing Chairs: to not do so would make the whole system inoperable. Chairs may be appointed to programmes within their Faculties but not for those programmes which currently reside in the School from which the Chair comes.
LQU representatives noted that changes to Chairs will only be undertaken where a clear rationale is presented. LQU further noted that, predicated upon the adopted Faculty structure, future event Chairs will be supported through personal training related to the event they are to Chair. This is likely to involve use of formal briefing papers supplied well in advance of the meeting which will draw attention to the nature of the event, the nature of the programme and the constitution of the panel.
Action / To consider the schedule and provide written commentary and confirmed dates to the LQU
To draft a final version and to include all potential approvals from those new programmes authorised by APC during 2012/13. / School DLQ
and QAO
LQU
LQC/12/5.6 / Student participation in approval and review panels
LQC received a first draft for a policy to introduce student representation on approval and review panels. It was agreed that a number of revisions need to be made prior to the policy being sent to Council for endorsement and implementation. Adjustments to the policy centred on providing the University with a staged approach to future implementation, ensuring equality of panel membership, making some adjustments to timelines and training and to provide more detail on selection procedures. LQC requested that the Student Union be engaged in the promotion of the policy and that promotional sheets be designed ready for circulation should endorsement be attained. These are summarised as:
The University will adopt the policy only for internal and UK based programmes of study in the first instance. Logistical and pedagogical issues provide a rationale for not introducing the policy for overseas collaborations.
The policy, if endorsed for 2013-14, will be trialled across a limited number of programmes involving all current Schools.
Specific changes included:
- Removal of clause 8 relating to quoracy if a student member is not present
- Adjustment of training sessions from May to September so as to shorten distance between training and participation in events
- Student nominations may be within the same Faculty (by May of each year) so as to promote engagement with disciplines related to their own study
- Student Union to engage in the promotion of the policy
Action / Second draft of Student Representation on Panel Events paper to be completed taking into account the above points and represented to the next meeting of LQC prior to placement on Council agenda.
Policy information sheets be designed for distribution to students. / LQU
LQU/SU
LQC/12/5.7 / Key Information Sets and programme review
Representatives of Planning and Statistics presented 2 datasets from the KIS which provided sector analysis and comparison with Greenwich averages for the proportion of examination assessments and proportion of schedules hours against degree outcomes. The KIS Project Board had requested that LQC consider building into the review process KIS data of this nature. LQC considered that such data would be useful provided that it is made available in an easily retrievable format for programme teams. The Committee was of the view that greater use should be made of evidence in the self-evaluation documents for review events that highlighted indicators of success and areas of change resulting from the analysis of data.
LQC noted that the figures present by PAS showed that the University has a lower percentage of examination assessments than the sector norm. Over the three years of an undergraduate programme the weighing placed on examinations falls to a much greater extent than the university average. It was agreed that the use of such data provides the University with a tool with which to re-consider its programmes’ assessment pedagogies, assessment loading relating to staff complement and a potential reduction in plagiarism.
Action / To consider how to design and utilise KIS datasets as standard part of the review process and to amend the QAH and its guidance accordingly.
To place the KIS comparative datasets onto School LQC/Board agendas for further consideration at School level.
To place the dataset onto the PAS website / LQU and PAS
DLQ
PAS
LQC/12/5.8 / Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies
a)QAA Consultation on reviews to institutional review (IR)
LQC received the consultation document concerning revised institutional review method from the QAA. The committee acknowledged that the majority of questions contained in the document remained non-contentious though the question as to whether collaborative provision ought to retain a separate judgement within the merged review processes was discussed at length. It was agreed that the University draft a response which takes into account general School views and the committees overall view that Institutional Review should contain a separate judgement on collaborative provision so that institutions with high levels of collaborative provision are not presented with judgments on internal provision that are weighted too heavily towards the collaborative.
It was further noted that although the University is detailed to undertake its IR in Spring of 2014, this would make it 5 years since its last IR and not in keeping with the aim to move to a 6 year cycle, which might conceivable place the University’s next IR at a later date. The Chair and Head of LQU agreed to raise this with their next meeting with QAA representatives.
LQC acknowledge that the Institutional Preparation Group should reconsider its membership in the light of the merger of Institutional Review and Collaborative Provision Review into one event.
b)RIBA accreditation report
LQC received the formal report from RIBA in respect of all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Architecture. LQC congratulated the School on receiving formal accreditation without any conditions being place on the team, thought there were a substantial number of recommendations. The School’s responses to the recommendations are already being put into place and external examiners alerted to these in turn so they may assess their impact in their annual report to the University. RIBA will formally review these actions and outcomes in a mid-term visit, expected in June 2014.
LQC advised that the School ensure that it addresses comments made in the general report whereby the School could make further enhancements to its provision, even if those comments had not led to a specific recommendation.
Action / Draft response regarding Institutional Review consultation by deadlines required by QAA taking into account any further School comments. / LQU
LQC/12/5.9 / School LQC Minutes
LQC noted an ongoing issue at MSA in respect of submission of revised course specifications. This now appears to have been resolved but Science LQC was asked to confirm that the matter has been satisfactorily concluded.
LQC/12/5.10 / Items from the Directors of Learning and Quality
No issues were raised
LQC/12/5.11 / Items for information
LQC noted the Psychology and Counselling Benchmark report and the School of Health and Social Care representative noted that a short deferral of the review in Counselling has been agreed and that the programme teams had incorporated a number of amendments to the programme as a result of the revised benchmark.
LQC received and noted minor amendments to the New Arrivals Policy
AOB / None
Date of next meeting
Wednesday 20th March 2013
Blake 028
Medway Camps
Commencing at 13.00
Officer: Stephen Naylor
Tel: 8159
Email:
Learning and Quality Committee 12-M5 February 2013Page 1
[1] Officer’s Note: this additional action relating to update of PSRBs in Banner was not considered by LQC: the minute is a summary from the LQU .