HPRC07-08-96

University of Manchester

Faculty of Humanities

Undergraduate Education Review Implementation Plan

We need to start thinking about how we are going to implement the recommendations of the Undergraduate Education Review. As background a copy of the University level implementation plan has been circulated (HPRC07-08-95).

The key recommendations can be divided into 4 categories:

Category 1: Recommendations handled at University level – no specific Faculty input

R4, R5, R6, R7, R11, R14, R20, R25, R26, R27a, R27b, R28

Category 2: Recommendations where AD T&L will work with University level

R1, R2, R3, R8 (with HoFHR), R10, R15

Category 3: Recommendations where AD T&L needs detailed work with Schools

R9 & R16, R12, R13, R17

Category 4: Recommendations re e-learning: AD T&L liaise with IT team to implement proposals in Schools

R19, R21, R22, R23, R24

It is the category 3 Recommendations which will involve by far the greatest effort. Essentially they will involve reviewing all u/g programmes in the Faculty to ensure:

(i)they can demonstrate that they meet the final version of the Purposes of Higher Education that the University adopts; (R12 and 13)

(ii)that they can deliver on the needs to deliver more personalised learning in the form of reducing sizes of seminar/tutorial groups and providing more time for advising (R9, 16, 17)

To deliver this we will need to begin by working with Schools in the following stages:

1. Identify the current situation, across all their existing u/g programmes:

(a)the current pattern of units taught (mix of compulsory and options);

(b)the pattern of teaching delivery – e.g. number of lectures and seminars;

(c)size of lecture and seminar groups;

(d)input of time of academic staff (broken down into research and teaching staff, TFs, GTAs, bought-in teaching etc)

(e)provision of academic advising support

(f)pattern of assessment and feedback to students

(g)capacity to employ more GTAs (how many more PGR students might be used as GTAs)

(h)How far programme meets the Purposes of Higher Education.

2. Identify where we think current provision falls short of needs for personalised learning (e.g. seminar groups too large or infrequent, meetings with advisers too infrequent) and also falls short of meeting Purposes of Higher Education.

3. Identify possible targets for improving personalisation broken down into: short-term - within existing resource envelope; medium-term – changing resource mix (recruiting more GTAs / TFs); long-term – hiring more staff if unit of resource improves.

4. Identify strategies for achieving targets for improved personalisation where short-term will depend particularly on reducing the number of units taught.

5. Identify strategies (mainly reform of curriculum) that will allow programme to meet Purposes of Higher Education.

The timescale for doing all this has to be between March 2008 and December 2008. This cannot be done just by relying on AD T&L at Faculty level or UG Directors at School level. At both levels we will need to set up small Task Forces to drive this programme of work with appropriate administrative support.

Proposed Implementation Process

1. Oversight of the process will be undertaken by monthly meetings of TLC – these meetings will be in addition to the scheduled meetings of TLC.

2. Each School should establish its own implementation task force, chaired by the School Director of T&L, to oversee the implementation activity at school level and consult with the faculty task force.

3. A faculty task force will be established consisting of the AD T&L, the TLO Senior Programme Administrators and two senior academics from Schools with experience in the teaching and learning process who are not currently Directors of T&L. The task force will undertake the detailed work, beginning with step 1 above.

  • Members of the task force will concentrate on specific Schools and work with them through out the implementation process.
  • The task force will be established now, and will meet week commencing 17th March to establish key milestones for the process.
  • The task force will include members of the faculty IT team when necessary.