Learning and Teaching Committee
Curriculum Sub-Committee
Minutes of the Meeting of the
Sub-Committee held on Friday 17 October 2008
Membership: Professor
Simon Austin (Chair), Professor Morag Bell, Dr Paul Byrne,
Professor John Dickens, Dr Martin Harrison, Dr Jane Horner, Ian Murray, Phil
Sawdon, Jan Tennant
In attendance: Dr Jennie Elliott
08/26 Minutes
CSC08-M2
The minutes of the meeting held on 8 May 2008
were confirmed.
08/27 Matters Arising from the Minutes
.1 It
was noted that all recommendations to Learning and Teaching Committee, and
subsequently to Senate where appropriate, had been approved. The relevant
minute of Senate was noted.
.2 Minute
08/02.2 (17 January 2008) - FdEng
Foundation Degree programme in Fundamentals of Powertrain Engineering: New
Programme Proposals
It
was noted that discussions with HEFCE were still ongoing and the programme had
therefore not yet started. A definitive
answer from HEFCE was needed.
.3 Minute
08/14.3 – MSc Information Management and Business Technology: New
Programme Proposals
It
was noted that revised guidance on producing Programme Specifications, together
with UG and PG exemplars, was under development and would come forward to the
next meeting.
08/28 Terms of Reference and Membership
CSC08-P26
.1 Members considered the Terms of
Reference of Curriculum Sub-Committee and AGREED:
- that they remained fit for purpose
- members’ responsibilities.
CSC08-P27
.2 The
Sub-Committee’s membership for 2008-09 was noted. The Sub-Committee was
alerted to the possibility that a meeting could be quorate without one of the
Faculties being represented, though this would be unlikely in view of the
Sub-Committee’s policy of having nominated alternates for Faculty Board
representatives. It was considered that should such a situation arise, the
meeting should take place and the Faculty representatives consulted as
necessary after the meeting.
08/29 BSc(DPS) Web Development and Design: New Programme Proposals
CSC08-P28
.1 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.
ACTION: JEME,
.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 ADT
(via the Faculty Board representative on CSC) prior to the meeting of Learning
and Teaching Committee:
(a)
Programme Regulations
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(b)
Programme Specification
ILOs: Teamwork was mentioned twice. The
proposers should consider whether teamwork should be mentioned under key
transferable skills only, or whether there were discipline-specific skills that
warranted listing under subject-specific skills. Otherwise the ILOs were an
exemplar.
(c) Module
Specifications
(i)
ISC200:
The proposers should consider whether there should be key transferable skills
for the module, noting the relationship between ILOs A1 and D1.
(ii)
Confirmation
was needed that there was no overlap with existing LUSAD modules whereby they
could be substituted for any modules listed. If substitution was agreed,
revised proposals and a signed consultation form from LUSAD would be required.
(d)
Curriculum Map
The proposers should reflect on whether it was
appropriate for the two alternative project modules to have different outcomes.
ACTION: JEME, MCH, IRM
08/30 MA Studio Ceramics: Methodologies and Practice: New Programme Proposals
CSC08-P29
The Sub-Committee considered
proposals from LUSAD for a new full-time/part-time programme with effect from
October 2009. The paperwork was considered to be exemplary. It was AGREED to
recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee, subject to the
following matters being resolved to the satisfaction of the ADT prior to the
meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:
(a)
Programme Regulations
(i)
These should refer to
‘programme’ rather than ‘course’.
(ii)
Paras 2.2 & 3.1: Delete as
unnecessary.
(iii)
(iv)
Paras 3.4 & 3.5: Clarification
was required as to whether reassessment ‘at an earlier
date’ or ‘in a special
assessment period’ were different, and thereby whether
both paras were needed and whether the wording needed to be revised.
(b)
Programme Specification
The
structure table should be replaced by a link to the Programme Regulations (see up- to-date
template)
(c)
Module Specifications
SAP201:
Remove ‘to’ at the beginning of each aim.
ACTION: JEME, PLB
08/31 MA Cultural Analysis/MSc Cultural Sociology: New Programme Proposals
CSC08-P30
.1 The
Sub-Committee considered proposals from Social Sciences for two new full-time
programmes with effect from October 2009. It was noted that the MSc programme
and the MA programme had been designed to meet the requirements for research
training recognition of the ESRC and AHRC respectively. The missed opportunity
of dialogue with LUSAD at the planning stage about areas of possible overlap,
as referred to in Minute 08/29.1, was noted.
.2 When
discussing module specifications it was noted that the MTLA field of SSP598
& 599 included a date by which a dissertation should be submitted. A long
discussion ensued as to whether it was appropriate or practical to include
submission dates/weeks within module specifications. They could provide useful
information to students, but would need regular maintenance to ensure that they
were correct and the information should anyway be provided to students via an
overview of assessment for their programme. It was agreed that specific
submission dates were not appropriate as these would change from year to
year. Members then voted as to whether:
(i)
reference
to submission weeks should be permitted but optional
(ii)
reference
to submission weeks should not be permitted unless a strong argument was
put forward
(iii)
as
for (i), but with a warning on the indicative nature of submission weeks
to automatically be included in the MTLA field of all module specifications.
Options (ii) and (iii) received 4 votes each.
Option (ii) was chosen using the Chair’s casting vote. It was therefore
AGREED to make this recommendation to Learning & Teaching Committee. It was
noted that this would not affect the need for year-long modules to indicate the
assessment to be undertaken in Semester 1.
ACTION: JEME
.3 It
was AGREED to recommend the proposals to Learning and Teaching Committee,
subject to the following matters being resolved to the satisfaction of the ADT
prior to the meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:
(a) Programme
Regulations
(i)
The
title listed for SSP502 should correspond to that on the module specification.
(ii)
Para
6.3 of MA regulations: Requires rewording to ensure that it conforms with Regulation XXI para 16.2.
(b) Programme
Specification
(i)
Details
of accreditation: ’to be confirmed’ to be replaced with ‘to
be sought’.
(ii)
(iii)
ILOs
to be revised in accordance with the FHEQ descriptors for an M level qualification.
(iv)
The
Aims and ILOs were surprisingly similar for the two programmes. The opportunity should be taken in
Section 7 of the Programme Specification to distinguish
the two programmes.
(v)
Paras
8 & 9: To ensure that the generic information was kept up-to-date, this should be provided via a link to the
central site holding this information.
The information specific to the
department should remain in the specification.
(c) Curriculum
Map
The
map showed assessment of each ILO to be spread across most modules. The proposers
should consider focussing module ILOs more closely on the topic of the module. This, together with higher level programme ILOs, might help to reduce the population of the Curriculum Map and
further differentiate the ILOs of the programmes.
(d) Assessment
Matrix
The
Matrix should be resubmitted in the up-to-date format.
(e) Module
Specifications
(i)
SSP504:
Several elements of coursework assessment were implied in the MTLA field. These should each be weighted.
(ii)
SSP598/599:
The submission date for the dissertation should be removed.
08/32 MSc Management and Leadership (Association for Consultancy and Engineering): New Programme Proposals
CSC08-P31
.1 The Sub-Committee considered proposals from the
.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 ADT prior to the meeting of Learning and Teaching Committee:
(a)
Assurance
that the Department of Civil and Building Engineering would be willing and able
to contribute to the programme, together with signed confirmation of this by
the Head of Department.
(b)
Programme Regulations
(i)
(ii)
(c)
Programme Specification
(i)
Programme
Title: Delete ‘Postgraduate Certificate in’.
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Paras
8 & 9: To ensure that the generic information was kept up-to-date, this should be provided via a link to the
central site holding this information.
The information specific to the
department could remain as a departmental link.
(d)
Module Specifications
(i)
The
codes for the Civil & Building Engineering modules should reflect whatever
is agreed between the two
departments. Whether or not they were existing modules,
the module codes should reflect the department undertaking the majority of the
‘teaching’.
(ii)
Responsible
Examiners and delivery period information should be inserted. Coursework submission timings should
be removed.
(e)
Curriculum Map
This
was over populated. The programme ILOs should be revisited to raise their level.
The revised Map should be checked by
Civil and Building Engineering in regard to CV modules.
ACTION:
JEME, PLB, JGD
08/33 MA/MSc Product Design in Business: New Programme Proposals
CSC08-P32
It was AGREED to ratify the action
of the Chair in recommending to the Chair of Learning and Teaching Committee a proposal for an
additional full-time pathway within the suite of Masters programmes in Design and Technology,
with effect from October 2008.
08/34 BA History and Politics/ History and International Relations/ History and Geography/ History and English: New Programme Proposals
Strategic approval for these new
programmes had been granted in June 2007.
The Sub- Committee AGREED that its
requirement for operational approval to be sought within a year of strategic approval be waived in this
instance. The Chair of History was now
in post and a lecturer would be
appointed shortly. Operational proposals
were expected to come forward to the
January 2009 meeting of the Sub-Committee.
08/35 Discontinuation of a programme
CSC08-P33
It was AGREED to recommend to
Learning and Teaching Committee the discontinuation of the following programme, subject to approval by
the Directorate and Operations Committee:
MEng, MEng (DIS) Wireless
Communications Engineering (last intake Oct 2003)
08/36 MSc Research in Analytical Chemistry: New
Programme Proposals
CSC08-P34
.1 The
Sub-Committee considered proposals from Chemistry for a new full-time/part-time
pathway within the suite of Masters programmes in Chemical Sciences, with
effect from October 2008. It was noted that the proposal referred throughout to
MSc by Research in Analytical Chemistry, but that the ‘by’ could
not be included. The proposals had been submitted late because they were mistakenly
submitted as part of the Annual Update for programmes in 2008/09. Strategic
approval had recently been received by Chair’s action. The new project module proposed had been
approved during the Annual Update process.
.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 ADT prior to the meeting of Learning and Teaching
Committee:
(a) Programme Specification
(i) To provide assurance that the ILOs for the
suite of programmes were in accordance
with the FHEQ descriptors for an M level qualification.
(ii)
Aims
and ILOs to be added for the new programme. It was expected that the
development of sophisticated research skills would be listed, particularly in view of the large
100-credit project module, and that there would be skills relating
specifically to this programme.
(b) Curriculum
Map/Assessment Matrix
These
should be provided.
ACTION: JEME, MCH
08/37 Dates of Future Meetings in 2008/2009
Thursday 15 January 2009 (am)
Thursday 7 May 2009 (am)
Thursday 21 May 2009 (am) (if necessary)
Author –Jennie Elliott
Date – October 2008
Copyright © Loughborough University. All rights reserved.