Minutes of the Meeting of the Cardiff University Academic Standards and Quality Committee

12/503

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND QUALITY COMMITTEE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY 2013 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, MAIN BUILDING AT 10.00 AM.

Present: Professor Patricia Price (Chair), Ms Beth Button, Professor Martin Coyle, Professor Stephen Denyer, Professor Paul Dummer, Dr Joanne Hunt, Dr Brian Jenkins, Dr Alan Kwan, Ms Claire Morgan, Professor Simon Noble, Ms Hannah Pask, Dr Zbig Sobiesierski and Professor Ken Wann.

In attendance: Mrs Jill Bedford, Mr Rhodri Evans, Mr Stephen Griffiths, Mr Andrew Lloyd, Mr David Lloyd, Miss Karen T Moore, Dr Chris Turner and Dr Sarah Williamson.

Apologies for absence were received from Mr A Arya, Professor Peter Donnelly, Professor Roy Evans and Ms Gail Williams.

709 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting of the Academic Standards and Quality Committee held on 10 October 2012 (paper 12/367) were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

710 MATTERS ARISING

Received and considered paper 12/441, 'Matters Arising'.

Arising therefrom:

710.1 Report on the Operation of the Quality System (Minute 694.1)

NOTED

.1 that Senate, at its meeting on 31 October 2012, had received ASQC’s report on the Operation of Quality and Standards Processes: Session 2011-12 (paper 12/331R), and had confirmed (Minute 510.1) that it has confidence in the operation of the University’s Quality and Standards processes detailed in paper 12/331R, and that the processes:

·  were meeting their stated purposes;

·  were operating within their stated cycle of activity; and

·  that there were appropriate plans for their future development.

710.2 Collaborative Provision Sub-Committee (Minute 697.2)

NOTED that the Chair of ASQC had appointed Mrs Janet MacDonald, PGMDE, as the ASQC Moderator for the new Master of Educational Practice (MEP).

710.3 External Examiner Reports (Minute 694.3)

NOTED that options were being considered for External Examiner Reports to be made available to students via the web from session 2013-2014.

711 APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES

711.1 Academic Standards and Quality Committee

NOTED the following appointments to the Committee:

-  Dr Joanne Hunt, CLAWS, with immediate effect, to serve as one of the three Heads of Schools or senior academic staff experienced in the management of academic standards and quality procedures from Electoral Group B, appointed by the Senate until 31 July 2015 replacing Dr P Roberts;

-  Mr Apoorv Arya, CARBS, to serve on ASQC as a student representative until 31 July 2013;

-  Professor Simon Noble, MEDIC, with immediate effect, to serve as the member of Academic Staff from Electoral Group A, appointed by Senate, until 31 July 2015.

712 ITEMS FROM THE CHAIR

There were no items from the Chair.

713 INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW 2014

Received and considered paper 12/489, ‘Institutional Review 2014 – Briefing’.

NOTED

.1  an overview of the work underway in the University in preparation for Institutional Review 2014, identifying:

-  a small number of areas to the University where further action was planned to be accelerated; and

-  a timetable of action for 2012-13 and 2013-14;

.2  that the timetable of action for 2012-13 and 2013-14 would be updated periodically and there would be updates to the University Executive Board, on a quarterly basis in the first instance, and more frequently in the lead up to IR;

.3  that areas of additional scrutiny may include the changing University structures and strategies, and the delivery of revised quality processes;

.4  that ASQC would welcome clear statements on the quality processes currently under review and the timetable for such reviews to be completed;

.5  that a revised version of paper 12/489 would be referred to Senate at its next meeting;

.6  that a paper was being prepared to detail the resources required to undertake the planned activities leading up to IR.

714 ASSESSMENT

714.1 Annual Report on Assessment

Received and considered paper 12/442, 'Annual Report on Assessment 2011-12’.

NOTED

.1  the progress being made by the Assessment Matters project and the actions being taken to ensure that the management of assessment was being enhanced across the University, as detailed in paper 12/442;

.2  a number of minor corrections, amendments and clarifications to paper 12/442, including inter alia:

-  the amendment of the Summary Indicators Table in 2.4 on page 4 of paper 12/442 as the award of 1sts/2:1s comparable to the Russell Group average had narrowed significantly and that in some disciplines it would be comparable;

-  further work to establish whether the issue of BME students and students with disabilities being much less likely to achieve a 1st class or 2:1 degree than their counterparts also applied to progression (section 3.2, page 5 of paper 12/442);

-  clarification of what was needed to move Cardiff further up the NSS rankings from 109th (in 2011-12) to within the top half and the upper quartile for the ‘Assessment and Feedback’ section of the survey (section 3.3, page 6 of paper 12/442);

-  incorporating the observations regarding the postgraduate research student submission rate as detailed in the 2010/11 Annual Postgraduate Research Monitoring outcomes (paper 11/1009R);

.3  a proposal that Senate Assessment Regulations be amended to ensure that the probity and security of all examination style assessments, including Class Tests, can be assured (section 4.2, page 9 of paper 12/442);

.4  members’ views that further work needed to be undertaken to establish current practice with respect to Class Tests and the rationale for the approach taken in Schools prior to ASQC developing specific guidance for Schools to support their operation;

.5  student feedback that examinations were scheduled too close together on occasion and the preference for examinations to be spread throughout the examination periods (page 11 of paper 12/442);

.6  that whilst a small number of Schools had indicated they would preferred all their examinations to be scheduled in the first three weeks of the Spring Semester Examination Period rather than over the newly introduced 4 week minimum timetabling constraint, it was recognised that allowing such variation could minimise the potential to spread the examination load for students in other schools (page 11 of paper 12/442);

.7  that progression of students on a sandwich year was often not confirmed for some time after the placement had been completed (section 2.3, page 4 of paper 12/442), and this related to timing of Examining Boards, and may also be exacerbated by late receipt of results from overseas institutions;

.8  that questions around equivalencies of qualifications obtained by students studying at other institutions was being considered by the Collaborative Provision Working Group;

.9  that the Memorandum of Understanding of Agreements with collaborative partners should be used to address the issues of qualification equivalencies and prompt receipt of results to support timely progression decisions;

.10  that further guidance on qualification equivalencies was available from the European Consortium for Accreditation in HE via its Joint programmes: Quality Assurance and Recognition of degrees awarded (JOQAR) project (found at http://www.ecaconsortium.net/main/projects/joqar);

.11  that work was being undertaken to improve student understanding of Extenuating Circumstances and to complete and impact assessment for proposed remedies.

RESOLVED

.12  to submit to Senate a revised version of paper 12/442, amended to reflect the above issues, and to confirm the view of ASQC that confidence in assessment within the University was well-founded; enhancement of practice in this area continues to be a priority for the University, and was being progressed mainly through the Assessment Matters project;

.13  to recommend to Senate that ASQC’s decision in 2011-12, to extend the minimum timetabling constraint that can be requested by Schools in the Spring semester examination period to 4 weeks, be confirmed;

.14  to request Schools that offer a Year of Experiential and/or Professional Learning to review the ways through which progression and feedback from this period of learning was managed and to identify ways, where appropriate, of expediting this process.

714.2 Update Report on Institutional Oversight of Assessment Related Issues in MEDIC

Received and considered paper 12/443, 'Update Report on Institutional Oversight of Assessment Related Issues in MEDIC’.

NOTED

.1  an update presented in paper 12/443 on the assessment-related issues that occurred within MEDIC in 2012, including:

-  an outline of the investigation undertaken by Dr Turner, Director of Registry, Governance and Students, and the ensuing recommendations detailed in his report (Turner Report);

-  an overview of the framework established to ensure institutional oversight of the implementation of the recommendations; and

-  the agreed actions to date;

.2  the view of members that ASQC can be confident in the institutional oversight of assessment-related matters in MEDIC outlined in paper 12/443;

.3  that the Chair of the Assessment Processes Task and Finish Group would work with MEDIC to produce a joint Response and Action Plan to the Turner Report by the end of January 2013 (page 3 of paper 12/443);

.4  the vital importance of ensuring that the Action Plan arising from the Turner Report was sustained, and that a robust institutional oversight was maintained;

.5  that a further update would be provided to the next meeting of ASQC.

RESOLVED

.6  to endorse the approach, and timescales, for the management of the assessment-related issues outlined in paper 12/443.

715 STUDENT VOICE

715.1 National Student Survey Action Plans

Received and considered paper 12/487, 'NSS Action Plans'.

NOTED

.1  an overview of the follow up to the submission of NSS Action Plans by Schools, and the NSS performance levels set for 2013, presented in paper 12/487;

.2  the follow-up action with Professional Service Directorates, following receipt of 2012 NSS results, detailed in paper 12/487;

.3  that much work on enhancing the student experience was being undertaken in Schools, and that there was a high level of student engagement in the NSS Action Plans;

.4  that the 2013 NSS commences on 28 January and continues until 30 April 2013.

715.2 University Survey Activity

Received and considered paper 12/488, 'Update on University Survey Activity'.

NOTED

.1  an outline detailed in paper 12/488 of:

-  highlights from the outcomes of the “Welcome to Cardiff” survey;

-  timing and guiding principles for a University-wide survey of second year students, proposed for implementation in 2013-14;

-  proposals for the introduction of a survey for those undertaking placement learning in 2012-13;

-  the approved core set of module evaluation questions for implementation from 2013-14;

.2  that students on health-related placements should continue to be surveyed in accordance with the requirements of the relevant professional body and would not be asked to complete the placement survey;

.3  that schools could include additional questions to the core set of module evaluation questions;

.4  the need to ensure that there was an enhanced focus on engaging students with the outcomes from all surveys in order that they are better informed on actions being taken.

RESOLVED

.5  to approve that a University-wide survey of second year students be conducted in February-March 2014;

.6  to approve the guiding principles for a University-wide survey of second year students, as detailed in paper 12/488, to be implemented in 2013-14;

.7  to approve the introduction of a survey for those undertaking placement learning in 2012-13;

.8  that the Committee be updated on the development of the University-wide survey of second year students and the survey for those undertaking placement learning at its next meeting.

716 POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH ACTIVITY 2012

Received and considered paper 11/1009R, 'Monitoring of Postgraduate Research Activity 2012: The Process and Key Outcomes'.

NOTED

.1  the key outcomes from the 2012 Monitoring of Postgraduate Research Activity exercise, detailed in paper 11/1009R;

.2  that the Review Group, convened to review School submissions, had recommended four Schools (CHEMY, EUROP, JOMEC and SHARE) be approached for further clarification where the submissions had provided insufficient detail and/or had raised particular issues for the University’s attention;

.3  that the required meetings had taken place, and had provided greater confidence in terms of the quality of PGR management and support in the four Schools;

.4  that the outcomes of the 2012 Postgraduate Research Monitoring Activity should be set against the positive picture evidenced in the Annual Report on Assessment, paper 12/442 (vide Minute 714.1 above);

.5  that the University will continue to monitor Postgraduate Research Activity in 2013, and build on the experience of operating the process in 2012.

RESOLVED TO REPORT TO SENATE

.6  that the University can continue to have confidence in the quality of learning and opportunities provided for its research students and in the standards of its Postgraduate Research awards, but that issues identified in a small number of Schools in respect of the management of the PGR experience and the support offered to students will be reviewed as part of the 2013 exercise.

717 COLLABORATIVE PROVISION SUB-COMMITTEE: 13 DECEMBER 2012

Received and considered paper 12/444, being the Minutes of the Collaborative Provision Sub-Committee held on 13 December 2012.

Arising therefrom:

.1 Mapping of Processes against the Draft Chapter B10 of the UK Quality Code (Minute 96.6)

NOTED that a Working Group was being established to take forward the actions arising from a mapping exercise in relation to the indicators and requirements outlined in Chapter B10 of the UK Quality Code, and consider the Sub-Committee’s comments in relation to this exercise.

718 REGULATIONS SUB-COMMITTEE: 14 DECEMBER 2012

Received and considered paper 12/445, being the Minutes of the Regulations Sub-Committee held on 14 December 2012.

Arising therefrom:

718.1 Senate Regulations for Modular Undergraduate Programmes (Minute 254)

NOTED

.1  that the Assessment Matters Steering Group had considered and supported the proposals set out in Regulations Sub-Committee Minute 254.3 reflecting the view of members that:

- a further progression set might be introduced (at 9.1.2) for Four-Year Modular Integrated Master’s Programmes to allow students to progress between years with 100 Credits, to bring this into line with undergraduate programmes, and to ‘future proof’ Senate Regulations;

- the secondary classification rule (11.4) as applicable “for Four-Year Integrated Master’s Programmes might be amended such that borderline candidates would need only 120 Credits at Level 6 or above to have been achieved at the higher classification for promotion to the higher classification (as opposed to 180 Credits at Levels 5, 6 and 7);