Senate

Subject: Report of a Validation Panel on a proposal that Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, deliver a one-year programme in Graphic Communication leading to the Loughborough University Honours degree of Bachelor of Arts

Origin: Unconfirmed Minutes of Learning and Teaching Committee on 3 June 2004

The Committee considered the report of the panel. Attention was drawn to the potential of the collaboration leading in due course to the recruitment of postgraduate students to LUSAD and the establishment of links with other parts of SE Asia through NAFA’s own connexions in the region.

Attention was also drawn to the ways in which staff of LUSAD would be supporting the programme, including participation in the selection of students, the setting of projects, and the assessment process.

It was RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to Senate that the report be approved and that, subject to the clarification and resolution of the issues identified in paragraph 50, the programme be validated for an initial period of three years with effect from the beginning of NAFA academic year 2004/05 (starting July 2004) and that the continuation of the validation beyond the end of the initial period be subject to review towards the end of academic year 2005/06.

It was also resolved to endorse the further recommendations set out in paragraph 52 of the report, for onward transmission to Senate, for action within the University.

Author: R A Bowyer

Date: June 2004

Copyright © Loughborough University. All rights reserved

Learning and Teaching Committee

Report of a Validation Panel on a proposal that Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore deliver a one-year programme in Graphic Communication leading to the Loughborough University Honours degree of Bachelor of Arts

Background

1. Loughborough University School of Art and Design was approached by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) about a possible collaboration in the area of Visual Communication in 2002 following a visit by senior management of NAFA to the UK.

2. This was followed up by Alan Bunkum and Mario Minichiello on behalf of LUSAD with a reconnaissance visit to NAFA in November 2002. They presented a positive report on the institution and the quality of its provision.

3. Discussions were subsequently held with the PVC(T) of the day and other members of the PDQ Team, in which the Director and senior staff of LUSAD indicated their wish to pursue the collaboration.

4. Approval in principle was given to proceed by the Executive Management Group (EMG) and relayed to NAFA in January 2003 by the DVC.

5. Further discussions about the form of the collaboration resulted in the following proposals being put forward:

· That Loughborough University validate a year-long programme of study at Honours degree level to lead to the Honours degree of Bachelor of Arts of the University

· That Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts be responsible for the delivery of the programme

· That before admission to the programme, students must successfully complete the Diploma [in Visual Communication] at NAFA (a three-year programme including one year of Foundation Studies), and

· That the selection of students be made by the University in consultation with the staff of NAFA.

6. These broad proposals were accompanied by details of the support that the University would provide for the collaboration, particularly in terms of LUSAD’s contribution to the operation of the programme, as well as costings.

7. Agreement was reached on the costings in November 2003, after several iterations, and NAFA requested that the validation process be initiated.

Process

8. In accordance with the University’s standard validation procedures, a Validation Panel was established comprising

· Professor Morag Bell, PVC(T) – Chair

· Professor Terence Kavanagh – Dean/Senate member

· Dr Paul Byrne – AD(T)-elect of Social Sciences and Humanities

· Robert Bowyer – Programme Development & Quality Team Manager

with Mario Minichiello, Academic Director of LUSAD, providing subject specialist advice to the Panel.

9. Assistance with the preparation of programme documentation for the validation was provided to NAFA during the lead-up to the validation event by Mario Minichiello.

10. The Panel received a substantial set of documentation covering both institutional and programme specific issues (copies of which are available on request from the Secretary to Learning and Teaching Committee, ext 2230) and visited NAFA on 29 and 30 April 2004.

11. Members of NAFA meeting with the Panel included

· Mr Choo Thiam Siew, President of NAFA

· Dr Chew Kim Liong, Director, School of Visual Arts

· Mr Samuel Lee, Acting Associate Director (Degree Programmes), School of Visual Arts

· Mr Tan Nguk Koon, Head, Visual Communication Department, School of Visual Arts

· Ms Leong Poh Chou, Deputy Head, Visual Communication Department, School of Visual Arts (and designated pathway leader for the degree programme in Graphic Communication)

· Professor Yu Chun Yee, Academic Affairs Adviser

12. The Panel also met other academic Directors, members of the teaching staff in the School of Visual Arts, and Heads of various Services and Facilities, as well as a group of NAFA Diploma students potentially interested in enrolling on the degree programme under consideration.

13. The Panel held one series of meetings at the Middle Road campus, and toured facilities there. The Panel was able to see the existing facilities of the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Visual Communication Department at the Selegie Campus, and was shown examples of students’ work. It also visited the impressive new HQ and SVA building on Bencoolen Street which will open in July 2004.

14. The Panel’s recommendations and observations, which are set out at the end of this report, were conveyed to the senior management of NAFA in the course of the final meeting.

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts – Institutional Context

15. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1938 and is the oldest arts academy in Singapore. It is registered with the Ministry of Education and is governed by the Education Act. The government has agreed to preserve its private and autonomous status, but upgraded it in 1999 into a tertiary institution which means that it receives polytechnic level funding for development and recurrent budgets.

16. It is currently located in accommodation on three sites in Singapore. However, in recognition of NAFA’s place in the government’s plans for the development of Singapore’s creative and artistic capabilities, the institution has been allocated three parcels of land along Bencoolen Street for a new purpose-built campus. All three buildings have been completed and the Academy will begin the new academic year, 2004/05, in the new accommodation. The capital grant given by the government covered approximately 90% of the land premium and 80% of the building costs. The Ministry of Education has also provided over S$4M to upgrade current IT facilities and all three buildings will be connected into an integrated Wide Area Network.

17. NAFA consists of four Schools, namely, the School of Visual Arts, the School of Performing Arts, the School of Fashion Studies and the School of Young Talents. The panel was informed that this structure was under review. The degree programme in Graphic Communication would be located in the School of Visual Arts, Visual Communication Department. The School of Visual Arts will be located alongside NAFA HQ in the largest of the new campus buildings.

18. The School of Visual Arts has 1020 students on diploma and degree programmes and 319 on certificate programmes. The School of Performing Arts has 276 diploma and degree students, and 80 certificate students. The School of Fashion Studies has 222 students on diploma and degree programmes and 86 on certificate programmes. The School of Young Talents has 1760 students undertaking certificate programmes. There is a mix of full and part-time students.

19. NAFA has a staff strength of 335: 256 academic staff (72 full-time and 184 part-time staff) and 79 administrative. Of the 174 staff teaching at diploma level and above, 25% have Masters degrees or higher qualifications and a further 51% have first degrees. In the School of Visual Arts, 41% of the full-time academic staff teaching at diploma and degree level have Masters or higher qualifications and the ratio is improving rapidly. Many of the Masters qualifications are from US or UK institutions.

20. NAFA’s vision, mission and objectives were set out in the proposal document and presented to the Panel by the President, Mr Choo Thiam Siew. The strategies to achieve the corporate mission, and the strengths and unique characteristics of NAFA were set out by the President, who emphasised inter alia the high employability of the graduates. Reference was made to the room for expansion provided by the new campus and the intention to increase the number of foreign students from other parts of SE Asia.

21. Details of the organisational and management structure, and bodies responsible for quality assurance, were also included in the presentation and provided in the proposal document.

22. The Director of the School of Visual Arts presented information on the recent professional practice achievements of the staff, and award-winning work by students. The Director also described the mission and future plans of the School:

School of Visual Arts Mission

To provide excellent educational opportunities to nurture the growth and development of a creative and entrepreneurial cluster of vibrant artists, versatile designers and intellectual arts academics of international calibre.

Relationships with other HE providers

23. NAFA has a long-term aim to offer its own self-validated degree programmes. At present, all degree programmes at NAFA are offered in collaboration with Higher Education Institutions in the UK. These are:

Visual Arts

All in collaboration with the University of Huddersfield, UK

BA (Hons) Fine Art: Painting and Drawing

BA (Hons) Interior Design

BA (Hons) Multimedia Design

BA (Hons) Fine Art with Contemporary Writing (from 2004)

BA (Hons) Exhibition and Retail Design (from 2004)

MA Contemporary Practice (from 2004)

Fashion

In collaboration with the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, UK

BA (Hons) Fashion

Performing Arts

In collaboration with the University of Wales, UK

BA (Hons) Music

24. A collaboration with the University of Western Sydney, Australia in relation to a BA programme in Graphic Design is on the point of being discontinued.

25. Each of the Bachelors degree programmes listed above forms the final year of a four-year programme of study at NAFA and is integrated with a NAFA Diploma programme. Huddersfield describes the form of collaboration as a franchise although there are some differences between the programmes delivered at NAFA and the home programmes offered in Huddersfield.

26. Three reports of University of Huddersfield validation panels were made available to the Panel, the latest, from December 2003, being concerned with all six Huddersfield degree programmes listed above.

27. The collaborative arrangements between Huddersfield and NAFA were the subject of a QAA Overseas Quality Audit in 2002, when QAA audited selected collaborative arrangements between UK HEIs and institutions in Singapore. The Panel received a copy of the QAA report which contained positive conclusions about the quality and standards of the provision and commented on a ‘real sense of mutual trust’ between the institutions.

28. The report of a team of international consultants on quality and standards issues, including an assessment of NAFA’s capability of running degree courses in the future, was also made available to the Panel.

Learning Resources

29. Significant resources are committed to the Library (some S$200k per annum) and stocks of books, periodicals and other materials are being increased. Recently, there have been rapid improvements in terms of information retrieval and access to electronic sources. A current awareness service is provided over the intranet. These improvements will be taken further forward with the move to the new campus in summer 2004.

30. A variety of communications and information technology facilities are provided in support of research, learning and teaching, and administration. Computing Services works in collaboration with School IT Officers and support specialists in maintaining staff PCs and departmental networked PC suites. All students have a password enabling access to email and the internet through the PC network. All staff are provided with a computer.

Student Support and Guidance

31. Academic guidance and support systems are in place including a tutorial system. Students experience a high number of contact hours with the teaching staff.

32. Student welfare and guidance arrangements include at institutional level access to careers guidance, counselling, and advice on personal or financial problems, and within the School of Visual Arts a Welfare and Pastoral Care Committee to provide immediate help and support.

33. The Ministry of Education does not provide funding for degree and part-time programmes (as distinct from full-time programmes at diploma level) and hence they are self-funded. However NAFA offers degree sponsorship and financial assistance schemes to eligible students. Tuition fees for the degree programmes offered in collaboration with UK HEIs are of the order of S$15750.

34. The Panel was supplied with copies of the NAFA Student Handbook and separate student handbooks for diploma and degree programmes. These contain succinct and helpful information about the structure, content and assessment of each programme, admission requirements, information about modes of learning, facilities and student support, with pointers to other information sources.

Quality Management and Enhancement

35. The Panel was supplied with details of institutional quality assurance structures for diploma programmes which explained how programmes were evaluated, the curriculum kept up to date and the views of students and other stakeholders taken into account in action plans for developments. Details of the assessment and examination process were also provided to the Panel. External assessors from industry are appointed for final year assessments. There is an appeal provision to allow students to apply for reconsideration of their assessment results.

36. Students have the opportunity to provide feedback on subject modules at all levels at the end of each academic year, using a standard module evaluation form. Periodic ‘dialogue sessions’ are also held at least once a semester where students can meet with the President, Director of School and Head of Department and feedback any concerns.

37. It is understood that the existing degree programmes are governed by the regulations of the relevant university and that quality assurance procedures consistent with the policies of the relevant university have been put in place.

38. A range of opportunities and programmes are available for the professional development of staff, which include sponsorship for academic advancement, for example, to obtain Masters degrees. A staff appraisal scheme is in operation. Staff are appraised annually. The process leads to the preparation of personal development plans. ‘Good Teaching Practice Classroom Observation’ is also conducted on an annual basis by the immediate superior. Students will also have the opportunity to appraise the lecturer through a process conducted by the Human Resource Department without the presence of the lecturer concerned.

Delivery of the proposed degree

39. The Panel explored aspects of the proposed degree programme in Graphic Communication with the Visual Communication team, including

· How they saw the degree building on the diploma

· The purpose of the bridging programme

· The amount of group-work undertaken by the students

· The possibility of some element of peer contribution to assessment

· Their ambitions for the students themselves

40. Mario Minichiello had already discussed with NAFA staff, and provided them with examples of, the following documents:

· Peer assessment form

· A sample Contextual and Historical Studies (CHS) project brief

· Programme specification

· Bridging studies modules: studio and CHS

· Part C module specifications

· A student contract form (final project)

· University General Regulations

41. NAFA staff recognised that one of the major challenges for the institution was to cultivate more student-centred learning, to challenge the student mind-set and get them to take responsibility for their own work. They anticipated that the development of the degree would emphasise and promote the values of independent learning, originality and creativity, and the integration of academic and intellectual rigour with the acquisition of appropriate vocational skills.

42. LUSAD was keen to stress the importance of ‘Contextual and Historical Studies’, including theoretical study, and of helping students to express themselves through academic writing as well as short reports and verbal or visual presentations as practised on the diploma.

43. In its meeting with students, the Panel discussed the differences between a diploma and a degree, both in terms of content and approach, and in terms of eventual graduate employability. The Panel was impressed with the students’ appreciation of the intellectual challenges that would be associated with study at degree level. The students were keen to pursue studies to degree level and saw real advantages in having a degree in the employment market ahead of them.

44. The Panel was assured through its meeting with students and through seeing examples of student work that they were capable of achieving degree results comparable with LUSAD students.

45. The Panel received CVs of all NAFA staff likely to be involved with the programme. The teaching team had a wide range of professional expertise and teaching experience and were well mixed in terms of age, ethnicity and gender. Overall qualifications are commented upon above (para 19).

46. The Panel was satisfied about the good standing of NAFA as an institution and of the compatibility of its mission and objectives with those of the University and LUSAD. The financial statements for the last five years were examined by the University Finance Office and revealed a healthy financial position.

47. The Panel believes that excellent facilities and equipment will be available to support the degree programme.

48. LUSAD hopes that the collaboration with NAFA, as well as being rewarding and fruitful for staff in both institutions, will potentially lead to a number of students in the future looking to pursue their studies at postgraduate level with LUSAD in the UK. LUSAD also sees the collaboration leading to possibilities of building a broader base for international student recruitment in SE Asia.

Recommendations

49. NAFA was informed that the Panel would make the following recommendations to the Learning and Teaching Committee and the Senate of the University.

(1) That, subject to a number of adjustments and issues being clarified and resolved to the satisfaction of the University, the programme be validated for an initial period of three years with effect from the NAFA academic year 2004/05 (starting July 2004).

(2) That advertising be allowed to go ahead, provided it was indicated that the validation of the programme was subject to formal ratification by the University Senate.

(3) That the continuation of the validation beyond the end of the initial period be subject to review towards the end of academic year 2005/06.

50. The adjustments required and issues which need to be clarified and resolved are as follows:

(1) The criteria for determining students’ eligibility to be considered for entry to the programme should be amended:

· These should include a mark of 70% in the project undertaken in the final year of the NAFA Diploma in Visual Communication

· The requirement for a minimum pass mark in respect of ‘Research Methodologies’ in the NAFA Diploma should be dropped

· Students whose first language is not English should normally be required to have a TOEFL score of 600 or IELTS Band 6.5

By way of clarification, it was confirmed that the University would allow students from outside NAFA to be considered for entry to the degree programme. In 2004/05, they would have to (a) fulfil all agreed eligibility requirements, (b) be successful in the NAFA/LU selection process, and (c) pass the bridging modules in the same way as NAFA students. From 2005/06 when the bridging material has been incorporated in the NAFA Diploma (see 5 below), it would be important to ensure that the selection process was sufficiently robust to test the capability of students to complete the degree programme successfully. There might need to be additional support provided for students whose previous studies, though at a suitable level, had not provided appropriate preparation for the nature of the degree programme.

(2) The content of the bridging modules for 2004 should be finalised through further discussion between LUSAD and NAFA within the next few weeks. In due course, NAFA should take steps to incorporate the bridging material into the final year of the Diploma programme, in time for the second intake in 2005/06, thus obviating the need for bridging studies after completion of the Diploma.

(3) The Honours classification of the degree to be awarded at the end of the programme should be determined 100% on the basis of the degree modules. The Research Methodologies element of the Diploma should not contribute to the degree classification, nor should the bridging modules. The bridging modules must be passed before students commence the degree programme.

(4) The proposed 4-week study visit to Loughborough in December/January should not be included in the programme for 2004/05. In the view of the Panel, it would not be feasible to accommodate such a visit at the time proposed. However, the University would be prepared to give the principle of such a visit further consideration, and would also welcome opportunities for the exchange of both students and staff between the two institutions.

(5) Staff of NAFA are strongly advised to visit LUSAD in May/June 2004 to experience the final year internal assessment process in action. (See 51(1) below.)

(6) NAFA should be provided with further information about the University’s regulatory framework and associated quality assurance procedures, and advised of the procedures it would be expected to adhere to.

(7) A draft of the student handbook entry for the programme should be submitted to the University prior to publication.

(8) When the programme is underway, students’ scripts relating to the ‘Contextual Studies’ elements of the programme should be sent to LUSAD for marking.

(9) Copies of the individual ‘student contracts’ for the degree projects should be sent to LUSAD for approval (as pdf files) before being confirmed.

(10) Both NAFA and LUSAD should formally identify the individual staff members who will participate in the running of the programme and form a joint programme team. A timetable should be drawn up for the year, identifying the dates for key actions and responsibilities on either side.

51. The Panel also indicated to NAFA as follows:

(1) It was suggested the visit to Loughborough in May/June 2004 last approximately one week; that LUSAD staff on the programme team make a return visit to NAFA in early June; and that the bridging modules run during July. It was felt the best timing for the start of the degree programme would be early August.

(2) The costings negotiated in the course of 2003 would be checked by the University to ensure that costs would be adequately covered, particularly with the programme starting in 2004. The intention was for both parties to at least break even. The fees charged to students would be for NAFA to determine, but it was appreciated that NAFA wished to take LU’s validation charges into account in setting the level of the programme fees.

(3) The University would wish to support staff development in any way it could, for example, through conferences, symposia, research seminars. NAFA staff seeking additional qualifications would be encouraged to undertake studies at Loughborough.

52. In addition, the Panel makes the following recommendations for action within the University:

(1) That the Director of LUSAD provide written confirmation of the School’s commitment to the collaboration with NAFA and willingness to accept responsibility for supporting the operation of the programme.

(2) That LUSAD draw up a strategy designed to maximise opportunities to increase taught and research postgraduate registrations arising out of the collaboration.

(3) That a serving External Examiner with responsibility for campus-based LUSAD modules be appointed as External Examiner for the degree programme at NAFA.

(4) That students on the degree programme be registered simultaneously as students of NAFA and of Loughborough University and be given access to the University’s on-line library resources.

(5) That a written agreement be drawn up for signature by the Heads of the two institutions.