Faculty of Science
Faculty Board
SCI08-M2
Minutes of the Meeting of the Faculty Board held on 22
May 2008
Members: Professor Ken Parsons (Chair),
Apologies for Absence:
In Attendance:
Martine Ashby (Secretary), Jo Corlett, Shehab Hashem.
Note: The meeting was inquorate.
08/1 Minutes
The minutes of the
Meeting of the Science Faculty Board (SCI07:M2) held on 15 November 2007 were confirmed.
08/2 Teaching Centre
SCI08-P1
SCI08-P2
Professor Morag Bell, PVC
(Teaching) and Jan Tennant, Head of Academic Practice and Enhancement, attended
for this item.
A University Teaching Centre was to be established primarily as a
resource for academic staff in their teaching role. The Centre would seek to
meet the professional development needs of staff and to support them in meeting
the challenges arising from strategic priorities, department-based initiatives
and developments in learning and teaching practice. It would also be a
professional development resource for other staff whose role encompassed
learning and teaching responsibilities.
The Centre was being created for a number of important reasons. The
University already had a strong reputation in learning and teaching and needed
to ensure that it maintained this reputation. One of the themes of the
University’s strategic plan was to value high quality teaching. The
Centre was being created to support staff whilst they worked to meet this
objective. The recent QAA review had tested the University’s quality
enhancement mechanisms. The University needed to ensure that these were
maintained, and the Centre would contribute to this aim.
The Board was provided with details of the new areas of work covered by
the Centre. Faculty Boards were being invited to comment on the objectives for
the Centre and to offer suggestions as to other priorities for inclusion in the
final version of the plan. A member noted that the 2016 strategy included an
intention to build on the University’s strengths in pedagogical research.
However, this was not made explicit in the Centre’s stated aims and
scope. It was proposed that more mention could be made of links with CETLS, and
it was also noted that the Centre would need to provide information about its
services to staff.
The Centre would have clearly defined objectives and its performance
would be assessed. One of the criteria which it would be judged upon would be
whether staff valued the service which it provided. The Centre would be staffed
primarily by the Academic Practice and Enhancement team in Professional
Development. Two additional posts had been requested. In response to a question
on the cost of running the new Centre, the PVC(T)
agreed to forward further details to members. ACTION: MB
08/3 Development and Alumni Relations
Ron Gray, Director of Development
& Alumni Relations, attended for this item.
The Board was given an introduction to the structure and work of the
Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO). DARO’s overarching
mission was to develop relationships to support the University’s
strategic goals. This included maintaining a good relationship with the
University’s alumni. It was noted that DARO could not do this alone and
needed the help of academic staff to sustain and build upon existing
relationships.
Departments could help DARO by informing it when they received visits
from academics from overseas or had contact with alumni. They could also help
by promoting the Alumni association to students and by providing material for
the alumni magazine and other forms of communication with students.
The Director of DARO responded to members’ questions on methods of
keeping in contact with students, DARO’s priorities and a recent
Government initiative to match charitable giving in higher education.
08/4 Centenary
Celebrations for 2009
SCI08-P3
Dr Anne Mumford, Director of
Change Projects, attended for this item.
Dr Mumford summarised plans to celebrate 100 years of tertiary education
in Loughborough in 2009. The celebrations would have three major strands: a
prestigious lecture programme, an open day and celebratory events for staff in
departments. These strands would be supplemented by a range of other
activities. Departments were invited to propose world-renowned individuals who
might be invited to participate in the lecture programme. Proposals should be
forwarded to the Dean by the end of May. Dr Mumford also welcomed comments from
members on the timing of the open day, which would take place on a Saturday, ACTION: All
08/5 League Tables
Fidelma Hannah, Director of
Planning, and Dr Sophie Crouchman from the Planning Office attended for this
item.
Members were informed
of the origins of HEI league tables, the characteristics of the major tables
and changes made since their introduction. There were four major
The methodology used
to compile subject table data was problematic for some subject areas. For
example, student data calculated using JACS codes was combined with SSRs and
financial data, which were calculated using cost centres, and were therefore
difficult to map across. Similarly RAE results were linked to units of
assessment which did not correspond directly with any of these. The complexity
of HESA data also sometimes led to confusion. Some compilers appeared to be
sympathetic to these concerns and allowed institutions to do a limited amount
of mapping and to submit data corrections. However, they were unable to
guarantee that corrections would be accepted.
The Planning Office
took action to mitigate problems as far as possible by ensuring consistency of
HESA staff, students and finance returns and by reviewing league table data in
advance and checking for inconsistencies. However, these previews did not allow
them to see in advance how other institutions had performed, and they were
unable to take account of standardisation and other changes that might be
introduced.
It was noted that
‘value added’ criteria in one table, which was calculated using
entrance qualifications and degree classifications, could give higher scores to
institutions with lower entry qualifications and was in danger of ignoring data
for qualifications other than A levels.
The Director of
Planning responded to questions on the way in which spending was attributed in
HESA returns. She agreed to supply HODs with HESA data for their subject areas
so that they could see how the expenditure was recorded. ACTION: FH
08/6 Career Destinations
SCI08-P4
Susan Reed and Sally Western from the Careers Centre
attended for this item.
The Faculty
Board received a presentation on first destination statistics for
A summary of the 2007 First Destination statistics for the Faculty’s graduates is available at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/careers/section/careers_service/whatdolugdo.html
08/7 Dean’s Report
i
Faculty
Financial Position: The Dean noted the Faculty’s sound financial
position drawing attention, in particular, to those departments which might
experience difficulty in meeting their income targets.
ii Staff Survey: Departments were reminded
that the University was to carry out a survey of all staff. It was anticipated
that the survey would be repeated biennially. Members were encouraged to attend
associated presentations and to complete the survey.
iii Larger Cost Centres:
The Dean noted that larger cost centres
would be introduced within the University if there was seen to be good academic
reason for doing so. A Design Centre was to be created which would bring
together individuals from various departments who had a design focus.
iv Grants and Contracts:
The Faculty was to make
applications for grants and contracts a very high priority in 2008/09. A
Faculty Research Support Officer had been recruited to assist staff when making
grant applications, and departments were encouraged to
take advantage of the service which he could offer to them.
08/8 Associate Dean’s (Research) Report
i EPSRC
Grants and Contracts:
SCI08-P5
A presentation on
grant and contract applications made to the EPSRC and grants and contracts
currently held had been included in the agenda papers for information. It
showed the University’s ranking as compared with other institutions in
terms of number and value of grants held and revealed that there was room for
improvement. Departments were encouraged to take note of the figures and to
review their strategy for making applications accordingly. They were also
encouraged to take advantage of the technical support service which would be
provided by the new Faculty Research Support Officer. ACTION: All
ii Postgraduate
Research Student Issues: The
postgraduate research student regulations and associated codes of practice were
to be revised in response to comments made in a recent QAA review.
iii Review
of Research Degree Programmes: The QAA review had also resulted in the
establishment of a new round of reviews of research student provision in
departments the first of which, a review of the Department of Computer Science,
had confirmed that provision in the Department was appropriate.
iv RAE/REF
Update: Results of RAE 2008 would be published on 18 December in the form
of a profile of the University’s performance for each unit of assessment.
It was not clear how long the existing funding mechanism would remain in place.
The introduction of
the Research Excellence Framework (REF) had been delayed by a year and would be
in operation from 2009. However details of the criteria which the REF would
make use of were still being devised. Departments were
encouraged to continue their efforts to generate good quality research and to
maintain present levels of research postgraduate recruitment. ACTION: All
08/9 Associate Dean’s (Teaching) Report
.1 Recruitment 2008:
i Recruitment Targets
SCI08-P6
Undergraduate
and postgraduate taught recruitment targets, as agreed with HODs, were
NOTED.
ii Application Statistics
SCI08-P7
There had been a decrease in the number of UK/EU undergraduate applications for 2008 entry, reflecting the reduction in the number of choices on the UCAS application form. However, the overall number of firm acceptances in the faculty had increased compared with last year, and it was hoped that it would meet its target in August. By contrast, international undergraduate applications and firm acceptances were down on the previous year.
UK/EU postgraduate recruitment was becoming more difficult and both applications and offers were down, even for relatively new programmes which had recruited well in the previous year. International postgraduate applications were also down. This could be due in part to filtering of potential applications by agents.
International recruitment could receive a boost generally with the introduction of a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Departments were encouraged to continue efforts to meet international student targets and to put forward ideas for new recruitment initiatives.
Admissions tutors were congratulated on their successes to date.
.2 National
Student Survey: The 2008 NSS had finished and the University’s
response rate was up slightly on the previous year. The results would be published
in August.
.3 QAA
Institutional Audit: The University had received an interim letter and report following the
recent institutional audit. They had indicated that the auditors had confidence
in the University’s management of the academic standards of its awards
and of the quality of the learning opportunities available to students. They
had acknowledged a number of the University’s strengths such as the
prioritisation of students in the organisational structure and the impact of
the CETLs on related departments. The University had been asked to review a
small number of aspects of its activities.
08/10 Award of Research Degrees
SCI08-P8
Candidates for the
award of Higher Degrees were NOTED.
Secretary’s Note: As the meeting was inquorate the
Dean took Chair’s action to approve the award of Higher Degrees to
candidates as detailed in SCI08-P8.
08/11 Personal
Titles
It was NOTED that the following member of the Faculty had been awarded a personal title since the last meeting:
Dr
Steven Kenny, Reader in Mathematical Modelling
Dr Kenny was
congratulated on this award.
08/12 Job Specification for
Faculty Research Support Officer
SCI08-P9:
NOTED
08/13 Programme Proposals
.1 It was NOTED that the following programme proposals had been circulated to members for approval and no comments had been received:
i (major changes) BSc
Financial Management/MSc Mathematical Processes in Finance
ii (new) MSc
Information Management and Business Technology
iii (new) BSc Physics
with Cosmology
The BSc Physics with Cosmology programme had subsequently been approved by Learning and Teaching Committee.
.2 It was NOTED that Learning and Teaching
Committee had approved the following programme proposals:
i Changes
to Programme Titles
From: MSc Occupational Health
To: MSc Workplace Health (from October 2008 intake)
ii Discontinuation
of Programmes
BSc Information Networks and Physics (no intake)
BSc Information Technology and Physics (Last intake: October 2008)
08/14 Annual Programme Review
SCI08-P10
A report from the AD(T) was NOTED.
08/15 Associate Dean (Teaching): Actions between meetings
It was NOTED that the
Associate Dean (Teaching) had taken action between meetings as detailed in the
agenda.
08/16 External Examiners’ Reports
It was NOTED that
reports of External Examiners, and Departmental responses had been deposited
with the Secretary and were available for consultation on request.
08/17 Staff-Student Committees
It was NOTED that
reports of Staff-Student Committee meetings had been deposited with the
Secretary as detailed in the agenda.
08/18 Chair’s Action: Appointment of Prizes
Assessors
It
was NOTED that the Dean had taken Chair’s Action to approve Prizes
Assessors for the Faculty.
08/19 Faculty IT Support
SCI08-P11
A report from Dr Steven Kenny was NOTED.
08/20 On Line Learning
Development Officer Report
SCI08-P12
A report from the
Faculty OLDO was NOTED.
08/21 Quality Enhancement Officer Report
SCI08-P13
A report from the
Faculty Quality Enhancement Officer was NOTED.
08/22 Faculty Board Membership
It was NOTED that 9
vacancies existed for elected members (2 in Chemistry, 2 in Computer Science, 1
in Information Science, 1 in IPTME, 2 in
Mathematics and 1 in Physics) and up to 8 vacancies for co-opted members in the
2008/09 session. The Secretary would contact HODs regarding the appointment of
elected members. ACTION: MA
08/23 Valediction for retiring members
The Dean thanked
retiring members
08/24 Date of Next
Meeting
To be advised.
Martine Ashby
June 2008
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