Learning and Teaching Committee

Subject: Report of Curriculum Sub-Committee – Matters for Discussion

Origin Unconfirmed Minutes of the Meeting on 17 October 2008

The Sub-Committee considered proposals from Information Science for a new full-time programme with effect from October 2009. A member commented that an opportunity for exploring interdepartmental collaboration with LUSAD in some areas of the programme had been missed. The Sub-Committee was informed that LUSAD had been informally consulted about the programme and that differentiation between modules on the programme and apparently like LUSAD modules had been assured.

The general issues of encouraging interdepartmental collaboration in module and programme provision and avoiding confusion between disciplines in programme/module titles were then discussed. Such confusion should not arise with module titles, as the module code would clearly identify the discipline. Proposals for new modules already required the statement that no other suitable modules were available on the LUSI module database, and consultation was already required where terminology in a programme title could cause concern for another department. For this proposal the programme title was not felt to be misleading. It was considered that the Sub-Committee had never been given a formal indication that it should be working to encourage inter-departmental collaboration in module/programme provision. In regard to module provision, there could be considered to be financial disincentives to such collaboration. The Sub-Committee AGREED that this should be further discussed at Learning and Teaching Committee, so that the Sub-Committee could be clear whether or not it should be working to encourage collaboration.

Author – Jennie Elliott

Date – October 2008