Senate

Subject: New Programme Proposals/Strategic Changes/Other Matters requiring Senate approval

Origin Unconfirmed Minutes of the Meeting of Curriculum Sub-Committee on 13 October 2005

At its meeting on 10 November 2005 Learning and Teaching Committee recommended to Senate that approval be given to the following proposals. Details are available from the Secretary.

1. MSc Criminal Justice Research: New Programme Proposals

.1 The Sub-Committee considered proposals from Social Sciences for a new full-time/part-time programme with immediate effect. It was noted that the programme had been developed from an existing programme to provide a greater proportion of research training in order to attract ESRC recognition. It was commented that should the University choose to adopt the MRes award and, depending on the criteria established, the Department might wish to submit the programme at a later stage for a change of award from MSc to MRes.

.2 It was AGREED to recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee subject to the following matters being resolved to the satisfaction of the AD(T) prior to the meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:

(a) Programme Regulations

(i) Consideration of a better balance of module weightings between semesters.

(ii) Consideration of the requirements expected for the award of PGDip/PGCert, which should be included in the Programme Regulations.

(The awards of PGDip/PGCert were considered by the Sub-Committee under Minute 05/46.5 to be inappropriate for an MRes programme.)

(b) Programme Specifications

(i) Criteria for admission to the programme: ‘though other applicants would be given due consideration’ was superfluous with the inclusion of ‘typical’ in the first clause and should be removed.

(The Sub-Committee has suggested under Minute 05/46.5 that entry to an MRes programme should require a degree.)

(ii) The key/transferable skills listed should be more specific and measurable.

(i) SSP098 Dissertation: Consideration of a requirement to produce a journal paper, in appropriate form for a specific journal, as an assessment element of the module.

(The Sub-Committee has suggested under Minute 05/46.5 the requirement for a journal paper as an element of the MRes award)

(d) Assessment Matrix

(i) Completion of the % Individual Assessment column.

(ii) Explanation of how presentation skills would be assessed.

2. MSc Sustainable Infrastructure Services Management:
New Programme Proposals

.1 The Sub-Committee considered proposals from WEDC for a full-time/part-time programme with effect from October 2006. It was noted that the issue of programme title raised by the Business School had been satisfactorily addressed at the Strategic Stage. It was AGREED to recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee subject to the following matters being resolved to the satisfaction of the AD(T) prior to the meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:

(a) Proposal Form

(i) Item 14: Clarification of whether the links identified as likely to yield students had been approached.

(b) Programme Regulations

(i) Explanation of module ‘EEE’ and provision of a module specification.

(i) Para 2: Remove reference to WEDC Mission Statement and include external benchmarks.

(ii) Link methods of teaching, learning and assessment to ILOs.

(iii) An assurance that programme ILOs can be met irrespective of mode of study.

(d) Module Specifications

(i) CVP206: Size of assignments to be expressed as a word count rather than number of pages.

3. MSc Programmes in Occupational Health:
New Programme Proposals

.1 The Sub-Committee considered proposals from Human Sciences for the following full-time/part time programmes with effect from October 2006:

MSc/PGDip Occupational Health for Safety Professionals

MSc/PGDip Evidence-based Practice in Occupational Health

MSc/PGDip Occupational Health Management

MSc/PGDip Psychology of Work and Health

The Proposer, Professor Cheryl Haslam, and Head of Department, Professor Roger Haslam, attended for this item. It was commented that there was a clear overlap in the titles proposed with programmes currently offered by CHaRM. The proposer assured the Sub-Committee that CHaRM was content with the proposed titles. The new provision, which was from the health perspective, would complement CHaRM’s provision, which was more from the safety perspective. It was noted that the four proposed titles were differentiated by one taught module and the content of the project. In regard to the Librarian’s comments, it was reported that the Department could meet any additional Library requirements for the programme within its existing allowance.

(a) Programme Regulations

(i) To refer to the new Regulation XXI, which had superseded GRMPA/ARMPA and PGDip which had superseded LPD.

(ii) The award titles to be included in para 1 rather than para 2.

(b) Programme Specification

(i) Specific aims of individual programmes to be listed.

(ii) Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies to be more specific.

(iii) Para 7: Second para to be removed as unnecessary (and in the case of raising the threshold was now out of date).

(i) Specificity of the project topic in relation to programme title to be made clear in the project module. Alternatively, separate project modules to be created for each programme title.

(ii) The need to ensure that all ILOs were assessed e.g team skills.

(iii) The provision of module specifications for the four revised existing modules, together with copies of the existing modules with the changes annotated.

(iv) HUP701 to include the 5,000 word report identified in the Assessment Matrix.

(v) Deletion of ‘normally’ from MTLA fields.

(Secretary’s note: The proposed programme title ‘Occupational Health Management’ has subsequently been withdrawn by the Department)

4. PG Diploma in Management (NG Bailey):
New Programme Proposals

Further to Minute 05/28 of the meeting on 5 May 2005, it was AGREED to ratify the action of the Chair in recommending to the Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee proposals from the Business School for a new part-time programme with effect from October 2005.

(The Secretary’s email of 20 September 2005 referred)

5. Changes to Programme Titles

.1 It was AGREED to ratify the action of the Chair in recommending to the Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee the following programme title change (effective date shown in brackets):

MSc Construction Innovation and Management to
MSc Engineering Innovation and Management (October 2005 entry)

.2 It was AGREED to recommend to Learning and Teaching Committee the following change in programme title (effective date shown in brackets):

BSc Sports Science and Mathematics to BSc Mathematics and Sports Science (October 2007 entry)

(Note: This proposal was coupled with a proposal to transfer responsibility for the programme from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences to Mathematical Sciences)

6. Discontinuation of Programmes

It was AGREED to recommend to Learning and Teaching Committee discontinuation of the following programmes (proposed date of last intake shown in brackets):

BSc Sports Science and Social Science (October 2006)

BA English and Sports Science (October 2006)

MSc Packaging Technology (January 2005)

7. BA/BSc Industrial Design and Technology to BA Industrial Design and Technology

Following the approval by Senate in June 2005 of a new BSc in Product Design and Technology from October 2006, to approve a change in the award for the existing Industrial Design and Technology programme from BA/BSc to BA with effect from October 2006.

Author – Jennie Elliott

Date – November 2005