The
Report of the
Executive Summary
Background
1. A full account of the background
to
2. In October 2006, an ‘Agreement
for Validation Services to be provided to the
Stage 1: Institutional validation
Stage 2: Subject validations
Stage 3: Annual monitoring and maintenance of records
3. The institutional validation panel
visited BUE on 15 and
(i)
the
validation process continue to its next stage (subject validations in April
2007), and
(ii)
the conclusion of a formal agreement beyond the next
stage, to proceed with the validation of BUE programmes, be contingent on BUE
responding positively to the information requests and other recommendations
contained in the report, and on the satisfactory resolution of whatever issues
may arise from the subject validations.
4. The subject
validation panels visited BUE on 15 and 16 April 2007 (Business Studies,
Economics, Political Science, Informatics and Computer Science), and 18 and 19
April 2007 (Engineering). The panels were provided with a wide range of
documentation including programme and module specifications, samples of marked
work, and minutes of departmental meetings. The panels held meetings with staff
and students, and toured BUE’s facilities.
5. The
membership of the subject validation panel for Engineering was as follows:
Professor John Dickens, Professor of
Engineering Education, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Associate
Dean (Teaching), Faculty of Engineering - Chair
Dr David Twigg, Senior Lecturer,
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Civil and Building Engineering
Dr Peter Willmot, Principal
University Teacher, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Wolfson School of
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Dr Rob Edwards, Senior Lecturer in
Dr Gilbert Shama, Senior Lecturer,
Department of Chemical Engineering
Chris Dunbobbin, Assistant Registrar
– Secretary
6. The advice of Adrian Todd,
Professor of Petroleum Engineering at
7. The
following programmes were offered for validation:
BSc Civil
Engineering
BSc Architectural Engineering
BSc
Electrical and Communications Engineering.
BSc Mechanical
Engineering
BSc
Petroleum Engineering and Gas Technology
8. The following areas were covered
by the panel in relation to each programme, and are discussed in detail in the
full report:
Student
recruitment, experience and retention
Staffing
Curriculum
Learning
resources
Methods
of learning, teaching and assessment.
Outcomes of the Engineering Subject Validation
9. The panel
wished to record its gratitude for the excellent hospitality afforded to it by
BUE’s staff and students. All of the discussion sessions were open,
honest and helpful in clarifying and expounding on the information contained in
the documentation, and the panel’s requests for additional information
had been met positively.
10. The
panel offered its congratulations to BUE for putting together an impressive set
of programmes, within challenging time and staffing constraints.
11. The
panel remarked on the high levels of dedication and enthusiasm it had
encountered in staff. BUE had been successful in recruiting individuals of a
high calibre to date, and the panel hoped that it would be able to continue in
this vein.
12. The
panel had been very impressed with the students it had met. They had been
positive and articulate, and were excellent ambassadors for BUE.
13. The panel
was impressed with the evidence it had seen of the continuing development of
the physical resources on campus and with the plans for the future expansion of
the Engineering Faculty.
14. The
panel was pleased to have been provided with the opportunity to visit
BUE’s first internship fair, and welcomed this event as an indication of
BUE’s commitment to providing a means for students to obtain industrial
experience as part of their studies.
15. The
panel is able, therefore, to make a positive recommendation to
Recommendations
16. As a
result of its enquiries, the Engineering Subject Validation Panel recommends to
the Learning and Teaching Committee (LTC) and Senate of Loughborough University
to proceed with the validation of BUE programmes, subject to BUE responding
positively to the information requests and recommendations contained in this
report, which are summarised below.
Essential Actions
17. The
panel considers it essential for BUE to address the following issues before the
end of August 2007 (paragraph numbers in
brackets refer to the full report):
(i)
Build
on existing efforts to recruit additional high calibre academic staff
(preferably with
(ii)
Ensure
that appropriately qualified and trained TAs, laboratory assistants and
technical staff are recruited to operate specialist laboratory equipment (para 61).
(iii)
Report
back to LU on a regular basis in relation to progress in meeting staff
recruitment targets.
(iv)
Provide
LU with a detailed breakdown of the responsibilities of existing staff, in
relation to the delivery of specific modules (para 13).
(v)
Conduct
a review of module specifications, having produced ILO and
assessment matrices for each programme, with a view to:
(a) Reducing the number of ILOs at module level, and achieving a more
appropriate balance in relation to the coverage of ILOs at programme level
(paras 24, 35, 46).
(b) Reducing and rationalising the overall amount of assessment (paras
23, 35, 47).
(c) Reducing the amount of student contact time (paras 20, 34, 47),
while achieving the correct balance between theoretical and practical work,
particularly in Electrical and Communications Engineering (para 39).
(d) Preparing a strategic assessment code to provide consistent guidance
to module leaders in designing reasonably equitable assessments based on
modular weighting (para 49).
(vi)
Act
as a matter of urgency to provide further training for staff to ensure a
consistent approach to marking and feedback across the institution (para 71).
(vii)
Establish
as a matter of urgency, a systematic approach to double-marking on a
sample-basis across the full range of marks (para 71).
(viii)
Develop
administrative procedures to assist in reducing variability in marking (i.e.
marking schemes) and improve the standard of feedback (para 71).
(ix)
Provide
LU with samples of student work on an ongoing basis, to allow a full assessment
of the extent to which ILOs and programme objectives are met (para 69).
(x)
Establish
procedures for the collection and storage of a range of student work for
validation and accreditation purposes (para 70).
(xi)
Take
steps to promote a health and safety culture in laboratories (para 63).
(xii)
Build
on progress already made in developing the physical and electronic resources of
the library, and establish, as quickly as possible, robust procedures to
facilitate liaison between the librarian and academic staff regarding the
expansion of its stock of books and digital library facilities for teaching and
research purposes (para 67).
(xiii)
Establish
a detailed strategy for the purchase and commissioning of laboratory equipment,
and for the allocation of space for storing materials (para 60).
(xiv)
Amend
the existing exam paper proofing procedures to state explicitly that one
element of the proof-reader’s role is to check that there is appropriate
coverage of the ILOs and that comprehensive model answers have been provided
(para 37).
(xv)
Build
on existing IT facilities, taking into account the equipment which students
have of their own (para 64, 65).
(xvi)
Take
urgent steps to ensure the consistent application of academic misconduct
regulations, including providing advice and support to staff and students, as
appropriate, on encouraging proper referencing, and supporting staff to
‘design-out’ plagiarism, as far as possible, by setting creative
assignments (para 74).
(xvii)
Provide
a report on BUE’s review of the extent to which the English language
competence of it students impacts upon their overall academic performance (para
38).
(xviii)
Review
the existing module evaluation form, and establish procedures to investigate
any module which receives an average score of less than 3 (para 76).
18. The panel considers it essential
for BUE to address the following issues before the end of August 2008, and to
provide an update on its progress in doing so before the end of the 2007
calendar year (paragraph numbers in brackets
refer to the full report):
(i)
Incorporate,
within student timetables, more free time in which to pursue independent study,
and/or to engage in recreational activity (para 32).
(ii)
Build
on existing progress in exposing students to industrial experience through the
provision of internships and site visits, and the involvement of industrial
practitioners in the delivery of material.
(iii)
In
relation to the Civil Engineering and Petroleum Engineering and Gas Technology
programmes, find space in the curriculum for field courses (paras 16, 59).
(iv)
Where
appropriate, review programmes with a view to incorporating a major, open-ended
final year group design project (paras 15, 55).
(v)
In
relation to the Civil Engineering programme, take steps to ensure that an
emphasis is placed on acquiring British rather than American textbooks (para 21).
(vi)
Establish
a detailed strategy to develop the e-learning system, including a
recommendation for a minimum level of content in relation to every module, and
details of the means by which academic staff will be provided with practical,
administrative and pedagogical advice and support in relation to the provision of
e-learning materials (para 66).
(vii)
Establish
a policy on the distribution of learning materials, within the wider institutional
e-learning policy (para 36).
Advisable Actions
19. The
panel considers it advisable for BUE also to:
(i)
Review
arrangements for module ownership to ensure that only full-time
members of staff are
designated as internal examiners (para 70).
(ii)
In
relation to the Civil Engineering programme, consider amending the
programme structure to increase the number of optional modules taken by
students (para 17).
(iii) In relation to the Electrical and Communications Engineering
programme, amend module specifications where appropriate to reflect where
material taken from relatively specialised LU Masters level modules is pitched
at a slightly lower level of difficulty, so as to be suitable for BSc level
students (para 30).
(iv) In
relation to the Electrical and Communications Engineering programme,
consider removing some of the more specialised material from the
syllabus, at least initially, so as to avoid difficulties associated with
recruiting staff qualified to teach in these areas (para 31).
(v) Consider
the specific requirements for accreditation and chartered status for
each
of the engineering programmes (para 33).
(vi)
In
relation to the Electrical and Communications Engineering programme, review the
timetable for Year 1 with a view to increasing the proportion of timetabled
laboratory time (para 39).
(vii)
Consider
(as part of the first APR) restructuring programmes, where appropriate, to
include fewer, more heavily weighted modules in order to minimise difficulties
associated with integrating a large number of smaller modules, reduce the
number of students needing to undertake reassessments because of a poor
Semester 1 performance, and ease the overall burden of assessment (para 45).
(viii)
Encourage
markers to provide generic feedback on exam performance, via the e-learning
system (para 73).
(ix)
Establish
Industrial Advisory Groups as a means of developing and
deepening industrial
contacts.
(x)
Begin
making preparations to establish a system to allocate final year student project
topics, in accordance with staff expertise, ensuring that student expectations
are managed, and certain staff are not overloaded.
(xi)
Consider
how best to meet the expectations of students and parents in relation to
contact time and guidance from academic staff, in ways other than setting short-term
assessments (para 48).
20. Progress in addressing the
issues in paragraph 19 above will be subject to review by LU as the
collaboration develops. Mechanisms and timescales will be subject to agreement
between the institutions.
Actions for LU Attention
21. The
panel has undertaken to pursue the following issues (paragraph numbers in brackets refer to the full report):
(i)
Seek
advice from Professor Todd in relation to the Petroleum Engineering and Gas
Technology programme, with regard to the EI’s specific requirements for
accreditation (para 54).
(ii)
Investigate
the viability of establishing an arrangement to allow BUE students to undertake
work placements in the