Faculty of Engineering
Faculty
Board
ENG07-M2
Minutes of the meeting of the Faculty Board held on 14
November 2007.
Members: Professor Steve Rothberg (Chair), Dr Lisa Bartlett, Mr
Andrew Cooney, Dr Adam Crawford, Professor Tony Croft, Dr Sandie
Dann, Professor John Dickens, Professor Phill Dickens,
Dr Roger
Dixon (ab), Dr Ashraf El-Hamalawi, Dr James Flint (ab), Mr
Matthew Gibson,
Dr Keith
Gregory, Dr Jane Horner (ab), Professor Weeratunga alalasekera, Mrs
Stephanie McKeating,
Professor
Shirley Pearce (ab), Dr Jon Petzing, Mr Bob Reed, Dr Basu Saha, Mr Ian Smout,
Dr Andy Stapley, Mr Tim Swift, Ms Mary Thomas, Professor Tony
Thorpe (ab),
Professor
Rob Thring, Dr Dave Twigg, Professor Yiannis Vardaxoglou (ab),
Professor
Richard Wakeman, Dr Kathryn Walsh (ab), Dr Stephen
Walsh, Dr Peter Willmot
Observer: Wg Cdr Jon Osborne (ab)
Apologies for absence:
Dr Roger Dixon, Dr James Flint, Dr Jane Horner, Wg Cdr Jon Osborne, Professor Tony Thorpe, Professor Yiannis
Vardaxoglou
In attendance: Ms Marie
Kennedy
1. Welcome
New
members were welcomed to their first meeting.
2. Minutes (ENG07-M1)
The minutes of the last
meeting were confirmed.
3. Matters arising from the Minutes:
3.1 Guardian ranking of
It had
not been possible to ascertain how the scores were calculated and the matter
would not be pursued further.
3.2 Pre-masters courses for international PGT applicants
The
Director of the
4. Constitution
and powers of the Board/ briefing note for members
(ENG07-P7a
– ENG07-P7b)
Members were content with the current terms of reference.
5. Departmental
Administrators’ workload issues
(ENG07-P8)
NOTED
(a) That workload increases were partly a result of
(i)
the introduction by central
services of additional, sometimes complex, procedures, some of which involved
reporting similar information in different formats;
(ii)
significantly increased numbers of students with additional needs.
(b) That departments needed earlier warning of students with additional needs; DANS should be able
directly to input to LUSI and not have to communicate with individual
departments.
(c) That increasing numbers of students in SAP caused considerable work for
departmental administrators, and that a working party had been established to
examine the reassessment culture.
(d) That these issues were not necessarily best dealt with by employing
additional staff but by changing processes, such as re-assessment procedures,
that were too complicated.
(e) That any extra staff should be at a high enough grade for administrators
to be able to delegate complex tasks, but that quite small re-organisation of
workspace and duties could sometimes improve both productivity and staff morale.
(f) That some issues may apply more to the Science Faculty: for example, members did not believe that the
majority of Engineering Faculty academics no longer understood programme regulations
and relied on administrators to interpret them.
(g) That the Chief Operating Officer had been asked to examine possibilities
for streamlining procedures, but that changes could
not be expected immediately.
6. Reports from Faculty Officers
6.1
Dean
NOTED:
(a) Implementation of the University
Strategy
The
various Implementation Plans were available on the Intranet at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/planning/strategy/index.htm.
Staff
submitting proposals of all kinds within the University should ensure that
there is a good fit with the Strategy.
(b) Director of Internationalisation
Strategy
Noted.
(c) Energy Technologies Institute (ETI)
The siting of the ETI at
(d)
Several
staff had been in discussion about the Centre, now entitled the Manufacturing
Transformation Research Centre (MTRC), which would probably be sited at
Nottingham or Anstey, near
(e) BUE
Dr David
Twigg was AD(T) for all BUE
programmes and not just those in Engineering.
6.2
Associate Dean (Research)
NOTED:
(a) Student recruitment 2007-08
PhD
registrations up to July 2007, and included in the RAE submission, were higher
than the usual annual intake. October
2007 recruitment had also been buoyant, giving the year the highest-ever number
of registrations.
(b) Proposed Review Mechanisms for
Research Degree Programmes, and the Monitoring of Research Student Progress
(ENG07-P9)
i.
The QAA Review Report had included
a number of recommendations, one of which had led to the piloting of proposed Review
Mechanisms by one department from each Faculty, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering had
been selected from the Engineering Faculty.
ii.
The paper had been
considered by Senate in June, and had led to the establishment of a research
student being co-opted onto each Faculty Board; the paper would be considered again by
Senate in a few days.
iii.
Monitoring of progress,
including a minimum number of formally-minuted
meetings pa between supervisor and student, was
unlikely to prove difficult for Engineering departments.
AGREED
That members should consult with their
departments to agree appropriate means of dealing with these proposals.
ACTION: all members
(c) Academic Technology Approval Scheme
(ATAS)
(ENG07-P10)
Requirements
also affected some taught postgraduates.
(d) RAE
Departments
had almost completed preparations for submission.
6.3
Associate Dean (Teaching)
(a) Recruitment
(ENG07-P11)
NOTED:
UCAS
data that showed the relative increases and decreases in popularity of subject
areas confirmed the further decline of Production/ Manufacturing Engineering. Fewer than 800 students entered the subject
in UK HEIs in 2007/08.
UK/EU undergraduate students
HEFCE
changes had obliged the University to request that departments increase their
intakes. All Faculty departments had met
their quota, albeit by heavy reliance on SEFS in the case of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering. 2008 targets
had not yet been set.
International undergraduate
students
Increases
in the number of registrations at Loughborough had been far greater than the
national average. The International
Office reported a decrease in the number of applicants from
The Dean
thanked and congratulated all staff involved in admissions throughout the year,
especially during August, and to all those involved in international admissions. Their efforts were visible in recruitment
data.
UK/EU postgraduate students
Intake
continued to be low, a reflection of the national picture, although the MSc Renewable
Energy Systems Technology part-time Distance Learning programme continued to be
popular.
International postgraduate
students
i.
The number of registrations
was close to the Business Plan.
ii.
Data for part-time students
were not usually available at this time of the year because students arrived at
different points throughout the year, and data were usually based on population
rather than intake. It might be possible
to provide data for part-time international postgraduates for the next meeting.
ACTION: AD(T)
In
response to members’ queries, the AD(T)
commented:
(a) That although it was believed that undergraduate recruitment to
Loughborough matched or exceeded that of other
(b) That members should be cautious when comparing applications for the 2008 and 2007
entries because of problems with the CIS database. UCAS data might show some decline because
applicants were now allowed only five choices of HEI. A more reliable indicator of the likely 2008
intake would be the number of CFs returned, and this
was not expected to decline.
(b) National Student Survey results 2007
NOTED:
Loughborough
had again performed well in the NSS and remained in the top six
The PCV(T) wished to remind all staff:
i. That other universities were aware
of the importance of these league tables, and would be making ever-greater
efforts to improve their positions;
ii. That it was important for
departments to respond to any student concerns demonstrated by the results. Departments would be asked in the Annual and
Periodic Programme Reviews about actions they had taken, especially in response
to any negative results.
The new Unistats website, http://www.unistats.ac.uk/,
would be launched on 26 November 2007 and would allow prospective students to
compare data such as NSS results, entry tariffs against actual intake
qualifications, achievement and Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE)
data.
The University
had recently been short-listed for two of The Times Higher Education Supplement
(THES) annual awards: the Best Student
Experience (which Loughborough had won the previous year) and Outstanding
Support for Overseas Students.
(c) Institutional Audit 2008
NOTED:
The
Institutional Briefing Paper (IBP) was being prepared by the Audit Steering
Group (which included a member of the LSU Executive) and would be sent, with
supporting documents, to QAA before Christmas.
The QAA had provided the University with names of members of the Audit
Team, and a timetable for the February Briefing Visit which included separate
meetings with the Vice Chancellor and with students involved in preparing the
Student Written Submission The latter
was due to be sent to the QAA by the same deadline as the IBP.
There
would probably be only four or five meetings with University staff during the
Audit Visit in March but they would not be themed, and were likely to range
across a number of topics.
The
Audit Team would probably select two of the 2006 Periodic Programme Review
departments to explore how University procedures were implemented. This would include actions taken by
departments and the University as a result of recommendations made in the reports.
(d) engCETL update
(ENG07-P12)
NOTED:
HEFCE
expected universities to continue funding the CETLs
after their five-year funding ended, which meant that all the Centres would be
seeking external funding at the same time.
The additional
teaching space provided by the engCETL was popular
and was increasingly booked by students for group work and for revision.
The engCETL had put a significant amount of resources into
developing learning and teaching materials, especially for DL courses. It wished to work with a wider range of
departmental staff, and encouraged staff to attend an event being organised in
a few days time.
(e)
NOTED:
The
government was not currently providing guidance to UK HEIs
regarding Bologna, but the QAA was revising the Framework for Higher Education
Qualifications (FHEQ) to bring them into alignment, and the Royal Academy of
Engineering had held discussions in October regarding the European Educational
Framework which was due to be ratified in 2010.
Terminology regarding
The main
issues for UK HEIs were the MEng/MSc qualifications,
which were typically completed in fewer years than were comparable European
qualifications, and it remained to be seen if
(f) Engineering Diploma for
14-19-year-old students update
NOTED:
The new
Diploma would be introduced in schools in 2008 and its effect felt on the 2010
university entry. The content had been
revised to include sufficient mathematics to make it suitable for
undergraduate-level engineering, and had been based on the mathematical
component of Loughborough’s SEFS programme. The Diploma in Construction Skills did not
currently have sufficient mathematical content to be acceptable for university
entry.
Departments
would need to provide guidance to prospective students on any other qualifications
that would be required in addition to the Diploma.
(g) Draft e-learning strategy and
implementation
(ENG07-P13)
NOTED:
The
University proposed to appoint an e-learning ‘champion’, possibly
based in the proposed new Learning and Teaching Centre.
Members
felt
(i) that the draft strategy could be strengthened, and
(ii) that the engCETL should take this opportunity to make known its
capabilities and influence the draft strategy.
On a
related topic, members were concerned at the effect of current car-parking
problems on student recruitment:
departments were currently holding open days, and students and their
parents were being asked to park some distance away not only from the
department but from key support services such as Computing Services and the
MLSC. Departments might be able to
co-ordinate their open days and to share privately-hired transport to move
students and parents around campus.
There
was also some disquiet about the University’s decision to withdraw from the
New Route PhD (NRPhD), which would lose the
University a significant number of Kuwaiti and Saudi government-funded students.
AGREED
i.
That the Dean would write
to the Chief Operating Officer about current parking difficulties.
ACTION: Dean
ii.
That the AD(R) would make
inquiries about a possible replacement for the NRPhD.
ACTION: AD(R)
7. Science
and Engineering Foundation Programmes
(ENG07-P14)
NOTED
(a) That other HEIs’ Foundation Studies qualifications might also be
used for entry to the University’s undergraduate programmes.
(b) That some employers
refused to take on placement any students from the SEFS route, even though experience had shown that some SEFS
students did exceptionally well, and went on to achieve PhDs.
8. Award
of research degrees
(ENG07-P15)
APPROVED the following awards:
Doctor of Philosophy:
D R
R Remenyte-Prescott
“ “ “ “
L J
A D Ibrahim “ “ “ “
J Mugabi “ “ “ “
T P Ndezi “ “ “ “
R Jamaludin (Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering)
F
A M Sharaf “ “ “ “
Y Yusof “ “ “ “
Master of Philosophy:
H Yu (Electronic and Electrical
Engineering)
Doctor of Engineering
J P Edwards (Civil and Building
Engineering)
9. Personal
Titles
Congratulations
were offered to the following members of Faculty who had been awarded Personal
Chairs:
Professor Neil Dixon, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering
(Civil and Building Engineering)
Professor Stephen Ison, Professor
of Transport Policy (Civil and Building Engineering)
Professor Richard Hague, Professor of Innovative
Manufacturing (Wolfson
Professor Graham Hargrave, Professor of Optical Diagnostics
(Wolfson
Professor Michael Jackson, Professor of Machine Systems
(Wolfson
Professor Muhammad Sohail,
Professor of Sustainable Infrastructure (Water Engineering and Development
Centre)
Professor Jonathan Wright, Professor of Building
Optimization (Civil and Building Engineering)
Congratulations were also offered to Professor Weeratunge Malalasekera on his
recent personal title.
10. Membership
of the Board
(ENG07-P16)
NOTED.
11. Representation on other Committees
(ENG07-P17)
NOTED.
12. Curriculum Sub-Committee
NOTED.
13. Prize Committee
NOTED.
14. External Examiners’ reports
NOTED.
15. Staff Student Committees
NOTED.
16. Date of the next meeting
1.15 pm on Wednesday 21 May 2008, in the Council Chamber.
A sandwich lunch will be served at
1 pm.
17. Any
other business
(a)
Wg Cmdr
Osborne had invited members to attend a guest lecture to be delivered to DTUS
students on 15 November 2007 by Rear-Admiral Robert Love, Head of the Programme
for the Procurement of the new generation of aircraft carriers.
(b)
The Director of the Mathematics CETL, Sigma, reminded
members of the exceptional support provided by the Centre, which was especially
relevant for Engineering students. Sigma provided a huge range of resources, together
with daily drop-in services when students could consult experienced
academics. No student should leave a
Loughborough Engineering programme prematurely because they felt unable to cope
with the mathematical content. Support
was mainly designed for undergraduates but was also available for postgraduates. This included data analysis and presentation
for dissertations.
Members were asked to remind both
colleagues and students of the services available.
ACTION: all
members
Sigma had recently produced a
promotional video for Engineering students informing
them of the help available, and had appointed six student ambassadors to spread
the word. Three ambassadors were from
the Engineering Faculty, and Dr Croft would circulate members with their names.
ACTION: ACC
Author – Marie Kennedy
Date – November 2007
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