Subject: Foundation Degrees Policy Statement
Origin: Learning and Teaching Committee, 11
November 2004
The Committee considered, on the recommendation of
the PDQ Team, a draft University policy statement on Foundation Degrees. It was noted that the statement was drafted
to complement the University’s Policy on Collaborative Programmes and was
intended as a reference point for academic and administrative staff involved in
collaborative provision.
It was suggested that it would be helpful to include a reference to
arrangements for progression from the Foundation Degree to an Honours Degree,
as this had been a problematic area. It
was important that agreement on this point was reached between the University
and the partner organisation before any FD was launched. It was agreed that the statement be suitably
revised before submission to Senate.
Attention was drawn to the fact that two of the University’s existing
FDs with Loughborough College had been selected by QAA to be included in a
sample of FDs to be reviewed during 2004/05 (item 22 on the agenda). The reviews would be based on similar
principles to all other QAA programme-level review methods, lead to threshold
judgements about standards and the quality of learning opportunities, and result
in published reports. The University as
awarding institution would be responsible for ensuring that there was an
appropriate response to any matters identified by the review team for further
attention.
Author – R A Bowyer
Date – November 2004
Copyright © Loughborough
University. All rights reserved.
Subject: Policy in relation to Foundation Degrees
Origin: PDQ Team; Learning and Teaching
Committee
Senate is invited to approve a brief policy statement on Foundation Degrees, as proposed (in bold) below.
David
Blunkett, Secretary of State for Education and Employment, announced plans to
introduce foundation degrees in February 2000.
The
‘Foundation Degree Prospectus’ was issued by HEFCE in July 2000, incorporating
an invitation for consortia to bid for funds to develop prototype FDs. A consortium would comprise an HEI as
degree-awarding body, institutions delivering the FD – commonly FECs, and
employer representatives.
Funds
were available to successful consortia for the design and development of the
prototypes from November 2000. Funding
for teaching provision applied from 2001/02.
The
prospectus detailed a set of ‘core features’ with the aim of establishing the
FD as a qualification with a clear identity, and a ‘qualification benchmark’
for the FD was also issued subsequently by the QAA. The distinctiveness of the FD is said to come from the clear and
planned integration of the following characteristics within a single award
underpinned by work-based learning: ‘accessibility; articulation and
progression; employer involvement; flexibility and partnership.’ The FD is located at the intermediate level
in the FHEQ.
Additional
impetus to FD developments was given by the Government White Paper, The
Future of Higher Education, published in January 2003, which stated the
Government’s commitment to expanding FD provision. The White Paper promised funding for additional places for
FDs rather than traditional three-year honours degrees and the strengthening of
links between further and higher education to give students clearer progression
pathways and support the development of work-based degrees. It also envisaged the creation of
‘Foundation Degree Forward’, a national network of universities leading the
development of FDs.
In
October 2003, HEFCE called for bids for ASNs to support FDs from 2004/05. An additional 10,000 FTE places were
available. HEFCE provided for a
regional distribution of the places and there is a strong emphasis on
contributing to economic strategies prepared by the RDAs and building on links
with the business community. The East
Midlands did not submit sufficient good quality bids to reach its target and a
second invitation to bid has been issued.
The
East Midlands Universities Association has a Foundation degree strategy which
includes the following aims:
There
are signs that some employer organisations are beginning to look more actively
for educational partners who might be prepared to offer FDs to serve the
requirements of their sector workforce.
By
spring 2003, there were 12,000 students following FDs across the country. There are 1100 different FD courses listed
by UCAS as being in validation and available to students.
LU bid for a prototype FD in 2000, in collaboration with Loughborough College and New College Nottingham. It was unsuccessful, but the bid went forward into the ASN competition for places from 2001/02, and ASNs for the delivery of the FDs at the Colleges were indirectly funded via the University.
The
Colleges developed two separate FD programmes which LU validated from September
2001. Both Colleges have presented
further FD programmes for validation subsequently.
The
FD programmes currently validated by the University are as follows (start date
in brackets). Progression routes to
Honours degrees are in place where indicated ‘+’.
Loughborough College
Sports
Science (01) +
Sports
Science with Sports Management (02) +
Leisure
Management (02)
Tourism
Management (02)
Hospitality
Management (02)
Exercise
and Health (04)
New College Nottingham
Events
and Facilities Management (01)
Peterborough Regional College
Learning
Support (02)
Loughborough
College has indicated that it is taking the FDs in Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality
Management to another validating institution and that the 2004 intake will be
the last to these programmes. It has
not been possible for LU to establish a progression route for these FDs;
another institution has collaborated with the College to provide progression
opportunities and the same partner will take over the validation of these FDs.
LU
declined to proceed with the validation of proposals from NCN for the
introduction of an FD in Licensed Trade Management or with proposals for an
Honours top-up in Service Sector Management.
The
PRC FD has been validated for one cohort only.
APU has been acting as validating body for the programme for students
entering from 2003 onwards.
A
major factor limiting the expansion of validated
provision, including Foundation Degrees, and leading to the reappraisal of some of the University’s
existing arrangements, has been the adoption of a Policy on Collaborative
Programmes which clearly states that in future the University will normally consider collaborative programmes only in disciplines in
which it has subject expertise, and that the active and willing engagement of a
University department in a cognate subject area will be a normal prerequisite. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/policy/aqp/appendix/21/index.htm
In the current environment, national,
regional and institutional, it is suggested that it would be helpful to have a
policy statement in respect of Foundation Degrees to steer future University
involvement.
Learning and Teaching Committee
recommends the adoption of the following statement (revised from the
version proposed to the Committee by the PDQ Team):
Loughborough University
is willing to consider the validation of Foundation Degree programmes at
Further Education Colleges in the East Midlands, provided that any arrangements
entered into accord with the University’s Policy on Collaborative Programmes.
The University will
expect any FD programme proposed for validation to take full account of the
‘defining characteristics’ of Foundation Degrees[1]
and will require arrangements for articulation with at least one Honours degree
programme to be in place before validation can proceed.
The University has no
plans to deliver Foundation Degree programmes itself.
The
import of the proviso in the first statement is
The
‘defining characteristics’ include ‘guaranteed articulation to at least
one honours degree programme’; ie this is a standard requirement.
[1] Handbook for
the review of foundation degrees in England 2004-05 (QAA, 2004)