Learning and Teaching Committee
Curriculum
Sub-Committee
CSC03-M3
Minutes of the
Twenty-eighth Meeting of the Sub-Committee held on Thursday
9 October 2003
Membership: Professor
S A Austin (Chair), Professor M Bell, Dr C Christie, Dr J L Horner,
Mr M Hutton (ab), Dr D R Worrall
By invitation: Mr J G Dickens, Dr
D R Green, Mr W P J Maunder
In Attendance: Dr J E M Elliott
Apologies
for Absence were received from Mr Hutton
03/31 Minutes
The minutes of the twenty-seventh meeting held on 8 May 2003 were confirmed and signed subject to the following amendment:
Minute 03/23 – MSc Water and Environmental Health to read MSc Water and Environmental Management.
03/32 Matters Arising from the Minutes
.1 It
was noted that all recommendations to Learning and Teaching Committee, and
subsequently to Senate where appropriate, had been approved. The relevant minutes of Learning and
Teaching Committee and Senate were noted.
.2 Minute
03/13 – Matters Arising from the Minutes
Further to Minute 02/24.2 of the
meeting on 9 May 2002 concerning comments on consultation forms from the
Director of the Careers Service that the Service would have difficulty in
dealing with extra demand from increased student numbers, the
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching) reported that she had spoken with the Director
of the Careers Service. The Careers
Service was trying hard to cope with the increase in student numbers and would
be seeking more resources for the future.
It was observed that other Support Services were increasingly making
similar comments to the Sub-Committee.
It was hoped that the Support Services could use the information on
proposed new programmes received by them during the consultation process to
help substantiate their case for more resources.
.3 Minute
03/15 – MSc Dynamics and Mathematical Finance/MSc Dynamics and Mathematical
Biology/MSc Dynamics and the Environment: New Programme Proposals
MSc Industrial Mathematical Modelling: Revision
MMath Mathematics: Revision
(i) It
was noted that the above new programme titles had been revised (see CSC03-P29)
(ii) The comments of the Director of the Quality Enhancement Unit
in regard to Programme Specifications
were noted.
(iii)
The
ADT(s) reported on progress on the review of Programme Specifications. As part of the preparation for the QAA Audit
in March 2004, it had been considered that Programme Specifications were in a
reasonable state and that a detailed review should start with Programme
Specifications from those departments identified for Discipline Audit
Trails. Members highlighted the
importance of Programme Specifications and the need to ensure that they were
achieving their purpose. It was AGREED to request Learning and Teaching
Committee to establish a group to review Programme Specifications as part of a
review of documents which departments were required to produce, looking in
particular at:
·
clarifying
the intended audience and ensuring a style correct for that audience
·
exploring
the possibility of a shorter main specification with ancillary documents, some
of which might be common across all specifications
·
ensuring
an appropriate and timely checking mechanism
·
the
need to avoid duplication of documentation
ACTION:
JEME
.4 Minute 03/17 – MA Art and Design (Studio Practice): New
Programme Proposals
It was noted that Senate had approved the
introduction of the programme from October 2003. (see CSC03-P29)
03/33 Procedure for Handling New Programme Proposals
The Sub-Committee considered comments from Learning and Teaching Committee. It was noted an ‘if required’ meeting of Curriculum Sub-Committee had been scheduled for 25 May 2004. That meeting would effectively be an extension of the May meeting and would not receive any new proposals. A document recently produced by Student Recruitment and Admissions on aspirations for new programmes as identified from Departmental Developmental Plans would prove a useful early warning of future proposals.
03/34 Principles for
Programme Design
.1 The Sub-Committee
received draft Principles for Programme Design intended as part of the
documentation for new programme proposals, noting that the Programme
Development and Quality Team had proposed some changes. These included a
revision of paras. 2 and 3 to clarify that aims and ILOs should be set out at
both module and programme level and to provide guidance on possible content,
together with the provision of a template to map aims, ILOs and assessment
methods. The Sub-Committee also
received a draft document on Reflecting on Assessment Practice referred to in
the Programme Design document, though intended specifically as a separate
stimulus note to departments, noting that the Programme Development and Quality
Team had proposed some additions to the document including reference to group
work. It was suggested that the
document should also pose the question of whether assessment practice could
cope with a significant increase in student numbers, requiring reflection on
the sensitivity of assessment practice to student numbers. Otherwise the Sub-Committee was content that
the revised document on Programme Design be included within new programme
proposal documentation, and the revised Assessment Practice document be made
available at the same time on the Audit intranet site as an aid to Departments’
preparation for Discipline Audit Trails, APR and PPR.
ACTION: JEME
.2 The Sub-Committee was informed that Departmental Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies had been put on hold following the initiation of a review of documentation and that the possibility of subsuming these within Departmental Development Plans was being explored to provide a more holistic approach to departmental planning incorporating research, learning and teaching, and Reach Out activities. It was suggested that Chairs of all Departmental Learning and Teaching Committees should be advised of this.
03/35 Masters
Level Programme in Chemical Sciences: New Programme Proposals
CSC03-P33
.1 The Sub-Committee
considered proposals from the Department of Chemistry for introduction in
Semester 2, 2003-04. The proposals
pulled together four award titles within a single set of Programme Regulations
and a single Programme Specification for the Masters level programme in
Chemical Sciences as follows:
Analytical
and Pharmaceutical Science
Analytical Chemistry (new title)
Pharmaceutical Science and Medicinal Chemistry (new title)
Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Science (new title)
It
was noted that the Department was considering the introduction of an additional
title, Forensic Analysis, for 2004-05.
.2 The Sub-Committee did not consider it appropriate to debate
the more general issues contained within the paperwork, and restricted its
discussion to the programme proposals themselves. Whilst acknowledging that the single set of Programme Regulations
should allow easy comparison of the content of the different award titles, the
Sub-Committee found this difficult with the format as presented. Whilst there was no University guidance on
the minimum difference in content between degree titles, the Sub-Committee
remained concerned that there should at least be some difference and requested
that Learning and Teaching Committee consider again the provision of some
guidance on this matter.
.3 It
was AGREED to recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee
subject to the following matters being resolved to the satisfaction of the
Associate Dean (Teaching) and Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee prior to
the next meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:
(i) Revision
of para. 5.10 of the Programme Regulations to make clearer via a table how the
module components of each title compare and the minimum differentiation, and
transfer of this to the Content section rather than Assessment section of the
Regulations.
(ii) Replace
Section 4 of the Programme Specification, which was difficult to follow and
included too much detail on timing which was subject to change, with the table
resulting from (i) above.
(iii) Identify
DL modules within the Programme Regulations.
(iv) Ensure
that the dissertation reflected the content of the award title, either by using
different dissertation modules or preferably by a stated requirement within one
dissertation module.
(v) In
view of the comments from WEDC, provide reassurance that the WEDC modules were
appropriate for the Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Science degree.
.4 Mindful
that a proposal for an additional degree title was possible during the year,
the Sub-Committee considered whether such a proposal could be ‘fast-tracked’ in
view of the new overarching format of the Programme Regulations. It was AGREED that such a proposal would
remain strategic and would require the approval of the Directorate and
Operations Sub-Committee, but questioned as to whether it should need to await
the next meeting of Curriculum Sub-Committee or could be handled by Chair’s
action. The Chair was uncomfortable
about handling such a proposal in this way, particularly with the absence of
any University view on the minimum difference in content to warrant a new
degree title, the probable absence of grounds for non-approval, and the
long-term effect of incremental changes without any committee overview. The Sub-Committee AGREED to forward these
comments to Learning and Teaching Committee to seek its view on whether a
proposal of this nature could be handled satisfactorily by Chair’s action.
ACTION: JEME, DRG, SAA
03/36 Undergraduate
Programme in Chemical Sciences: New Programme Proposals
.1 The
Sub-Committee considered proposals from the Department of Chemistry for
introduction in Semester 1, 2004-05. The proposals pulled together the
Department’s existing undergraduate degree titles (excepting Chemistry and
Sports Science) within one set of Regulations. There were no changes in content
proposed for those titles and it was understood that each would retain its
current UCAS code.
.2 The
Sub-Committee was unclear as to whether under the new Regulations one list of
candidates would be presented at the Programme Board, thereby all considered
within the same boundaries, or whether candidates would continue to be
considered as separate lists for each degree title, thereby possibly being
subject to different boundaries. This
raised the more general issue of whether candidates on closely-related
programmes should be considered as a single list by a Programme Board and
whether the Student Records and Examination system could cope with such an
arrangement. It was agreed that consideration of all students on a combined
list was preferable to ensure equity. The Sub-Committee AGREED to forward its
comments to Learning and Teaching Committee for further consideration as part
of the discussion on minimum differences between degree titles.
.3 It
was AGREED to recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee
subject to the following matters being resolved to the satisfaction of the
Associate Dean (Teaching) and the Chair of Curriculum Sub-Committee prior to
the next meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:
(i) Exclusion
of the degree titles in Chemistry with Environmental Science and Chemistry with
Materials from the Programme Regulations as those programmes were
discontinuing.
(ii) Provision
of one Programme Specification only covering the degree titles listed in the
Regulations, capturing the distinctive nature of each degree title and making
transparent the differences between the pathways.
ACTION: JEME, DRG, SAA
03/37 MSc Mobile Communications/MSc Networked Communications: New
Programme Proposals
The Sub-Committee considered
proposals from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering for
October 2003 entry. It was AGREED to
recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee subject to the
following matter being resolved to the satisfaction of the Associate Dean
(Teaching) and the Chair of Curriculum Sub-Committee prior to the next meeting
of Learning and Teaching Committee:
(i) Assurance
that it would not be possible for a student to be awarded one of the proposed
new degree titles having undertaken identical taught modules to a student
awarded the Digital Communication Systems title.
ACTION: JEME, JGD, SAA
03/38 MSc Plant Management: New Programme Proposals
.1 The
Sub-Committee considered proposals from the Department of Civil and Building
Engineering in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, for 2003-04
entry. It was intended that all modules
would be taught at the MoD barracks at Chatham: four of the five modules by
authorised military plant instructors and one by the proposer, Dr Edwards. The Research Project would be co-supervised
by MoD instructors and University staff.
.2 The
Sub-Committee was informed that the Engineering Directorate had determined that
the title of the proposed programme should be changed to Construction Plant
Management to avoid the possibility of it being mistaken as a Chemical
Engineering programme. The proposer had
subsequently suggested the title Off-Highway Plant Management rather than
Construction Plant Management, as the programme covered more than construction
plant. The Sub-Committee was minded to
retain the original title of Plant Management, there being no other programmes
in the University with that title.
.3 The
Sub-Committee raised a number of concerns with the proposals, namely:
(i) Whether
the provision would be up to the University’s standards.
(ii) How
the hours of student effort per module would be met for the two-week block
modules (e.g. was coursework to be completed within the two weeks?)
(iii) The
similarity of indicative reading on most of the modules.
(iv) The
apparent low-level mathematics content of CVP024.
(v) The
high 80-credit weighting for the research project, particularly if a
significant proportion of entrants might not be graduates.
(vi) The
involvement of only one Internal Examiner across the programme.
(vii) The
absence of any support from the construction industry as a potential employer.
.4 The
Sub-Committee did not feel confident to make a recommendation on the proposals
at this time, being unconvinced that the proposed content was at Masters level,
and requiring in particular assurance on item .3(i) above. It was AGREED to request Learning and
Teaching Committee to establish a small group to engage directly in discussions
on this with the MoD Instructors at Chatham, probably comprising the proposer,
the ADT, a QEU representative and Academic Registry representative. It was suggested that the teaching
observations by QEU as mentioned in the Collaborative Proposal QA Statement
could take place in advance of the programme’s approval.
ACTION: JEME, JGD
03/39 MSc
Sports Nutrition (DL version): New Programme Proposals
.1 The Sub-Committee
considered proposals from the School of Sport and Exercise Science for 2003/04
entry. Members expressed surprise that
the proposed DL programme appeared totally disengaged from the recently
approved MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition and would have expected the
proposed programme to include DL versions of modules on the existing MSc. The
Sub-Committee requested that the Department provide a document comparing and
contrasting the content and ILOs of the two programmes, with a commentary as to
the intention whether or not to bring the programmes closer together in due
course. The document would be submitted to Operations Sub-Committee when it considered
the proposals at its meeting on 20 October.
.2 The Sub-Committee was
not prepared to make a recommendation on the proposals at this stage and
requested that revised proposals be submitted to the next meeting on 15 January
2004 to include the following:
(i) The
mapping document referred to in .1 above.
(ii) A
clearer indication of assessment and an explanation of where and how
examinations would be undertaken.
(iii) The
views of the External Examiner for the existing MSc, who ideally should be approached as the External Examiner for
the DL version.
(iv) The
inclusion of at least one additional Internal Examiner across the modules, so
that the programme did not have one sole Internal Examiner.
(v) Assurance
that Aberdeen University was willing to release the programme and a statement
of who owned the DL material (such information would also be useful to
Operations Sub-Committee at its meeting on 20 October). In addition it was suggested that the
proposer considered the removal of the prefix ‘Introductory Course/Core Course’
from the module titles.
ACTION: JEME, WPM
03/40 BSc Sport and Exercise Science (Intercalated): New Programme Proposals
It was AGREED
to ratify the action of the Chair on behalf of Curriculum Sub-Committee in
recommending to the Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee the introduction
of a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science (Intercalated) from 2003/04 for
one-year students from Medical Schools. (The proposals had been approved by Senate on 25 June 2003.)
03/41 MMath Mathematics: Introduction of DPS Award
It
was AGREED to ratify the action of the Chair in recommending to the Chair of
Learning and Teaching Committee the introduction of the DPS option for students
on the MMath Mathematics programme from 2003/04.
03/42 Professional
Certificate/Diploma in Retail Automotive Management:
Change of Title
CSC-P38(a) (tabled)
.1 The Sub-Committee
ratified the action of the Chair on behalf of Curriculum Sub-Committee in
recommending to the Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee a change in the
title of the above programme to Automotive Retail Management, from 2003-04.
.2 The Department had been
requested to provide additional information on a further proposal subsumed
within the above to change the awards for the programme from Professional
Certificate/Diploma to Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma. It was AGREED to approve the proposal
subject to the following amendments being made to the Programme Regulations to
the satisfaction of the Associate Dean (Teaching) prior to their submission to
the Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee for approval on behalf of Learning
and Teaching Committee:
(i) All
references to Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma should be
revised to read Loughborough Postgraduate Certificate and Loughborough
Postgraduate Diploma respectively, in accordance with GRMPA, under which the
programme would now be governed.
(ii) References
to Ordinance XXXIII should instead be to GRMPA.
(iii) Deletion
of references to a distinction for the Certificate, which GRMPA does not allow
for.
.3 The
Department had also been requested to provide additional information on 31 new
modules created for the above programme for which approval had been sought
during the Annual Update process. With
the Sub-Committee content that the proposed module changes to the programme
fell within the boundary of a minor change, the Chair was prepared to approve
the modules as part of the Annual Update process.
ACTION: JEME, WPM, SAA, MB
03/43 Discontinuation
of Programmes
.1 It was AGREED to ratify
the action of the Chair in recommending to the Chair of Learning and Teaching
Committee discontinuation of the following programme (proposed date of last
intake shown in brackets):
BEng Mathematical Engineering (October 2002)
CSC03-P39
.2 It
was AGREED to recommend to Learning and Teaching Committee discontinuation of
the following programme:
MA Design Studies (no current
students)
03/44 Membership and Terms of Reference
The membership and Terms of Reference of the Sub-Committee were noted.
03/45 Annual Renewal of Validated Programmes
Further
to Minute 03/29 of the previous meeting, the procedure and timetable for the
renewal of module specifications, programme specifications and programme
regulations for validated programmes in 2003 were noted.
03/46 MSc Programmes in the Department of Economics: New Modules
CSC03-P42 (tabled)
.1 At
the Chair’s request, the Sub-Committee received two proposed new modules from
Economics for which approval had been sought during the Annual Update
process. The Chair was anxious that the
Sub-Committee’s views be sought in view of the likely precedent that was being
set should approval be granted. The
Sub-Committee’s attention was drawn to the report from the Economics Periodic
Programme Review Panel and subsequent discussion by Learning and Teaching
Committee which had led to the proposals coming forward. The two modules were
intended to substitute for the dissertation on the MSc programmes.
.2 Whilst
the Sub-Committee questioned the desirability of no longer having a
dissertation as a compulsory element in a taught Master’s programme, it
acknowledged that there was no requirement for a dissertation within GRMPA and
that Learning and Teaching Committee had endorsed in principle the proposals
from the Department of Economics to replace the dissertation by a
‘comprehensive examination’ for most students. The Sub-Committee’s role was
therefore to consider the two new modules as presented.
.3 The
Sub-Committee considered it unacceptable that both modules represented a
re-assessment of material that had already been assessed via other modules on
the MSc programmes. In addition the
proposals were unclear on the nature of the examination, and on whether the
examination for Part B (ECP301) was a pre-prepared essay. Concern was also expressed at the lack of
supervision that students would experience.
.4 The
Sub-Committee AGREED that it could not approve the proposed modules, which it
felt did not provide an adequate substitute for the 60-credit dissertation, and
questioned whether the Department might think about a possible alternative
approach. The concept of two linked
modules was felt to be confusing. The
Department was requested to submit to the next meeting of the Sub-Committee
revised proposals which would:
(i) involve
material distinct from other modules on the programme
(ii) demonstrate
how the new module(s) would fit in with other modules and their modes of
assessment
(iii) define
clearly Methods of Teaching, Learning and Assessment
(iv) provide
for the support of students
(v) include
module specifications printed from the CIS database.
Should the revised proposals be approved at the next meeting it might be
possible for the Department to introduce them within the 2003-04 session.
ACTION: JEME, WPM
03/47 Dates of Future Meetings in 2003/2004
Thursday 15 January 2004 (am)
Thursday 6 May 2004 (am)
Tuesday 25 May 2004 (am) (If required)
Author - Jennie Elliott
Date – October 2003
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