Learning and Teaching
Committee
LTC12-M3
Minutes
of the Meeting of the Committee held on 14 June 2012
Members: Prof.
Morag Bell (in the Chair) Dr Jane Horner
Dr Keith Pond Prof. John Feather
Prof. Memis Acar Prof.
Ray Dawson
Prof. Ruth Kinna Prof.
Fred Yeadon
Dr Brian Jarvis Dr Jennifer Nutkins
Jan Tennant Dr Phil Richards
Rebecca Bridger Prof. Simon Austin
James Carroll
In attendance: Rob Pearson, Dr Maurice FitzGerald (for
item 12/36)
Harriet Bott (for
item 12/37)
Apologies: Dr Robert Hamilton Dr John
McCardle
Prof. Michael Kong Nigel
Thomas
12/34 Minutes
LTC12-M2
1.
The Minutes of the Meeting of the
Committee held on 20 March 2012 were confirmed.
12/35 Matters Arising from the Minutes not
otherwise appearing on the Agenda
12/14 National
Student Survey
1. 74% of eligible students had
completed the questionnaire by the close of the survey in April. The results would be available for internal
review in August and published nationally on 17 September.
12/04 QAA Institutional Review
1.
Following the visit of the
QAA Review Team from 28 May to 1 June, the University had received a ‘key
findings’ letter which confirmed that provision at Loughborough met UK
expectations in terms of the academic standards of the awards, the quality of
student learning opportunities, and the enhancement of these
opportunities.
2.
A draft report would be
received for factual checking in mid-July and the final report would be
available on 20 August. There would be recommendations to be followed up
in due course.
3.
Staff were thanked for
their role in demonstrating the University’s commitment to providing for all
students learning and teaching of the highest quality.
12/36 Updating the Loughborough Student Charter
Received: LTC12-P27, LTC12-P27A
Noted:
1.
The committee welcomed a report
reviewing the successful launch of the Student Charter in 2011/12 and the
process whereby it had been revised in preparation for 2012/13.
2.
A draft audit and mapping of
dissemination activities provided welcome evidence of the embedding of the
Charter within Schools in its first year.
Agreed:
3.
The content of the 2012/13 Student
Charter was approved.
4.
Hard copies of the Charter would be
distributed to all incoming undergraduate and postgraduate students at the
start of the 2012/13 academic session.
5.
The Teaching Centre would fund the
printing and circulation costs of the 2012/13 Charter and would investigate
options for securing funding for future years.
6.
The recommendations contained on page
4 of the report, aimed at supporting the further dissemination of the Charter,
were approved. The Working Group would oversee their implementation.
7.
Dr FitzGerald would investigate the feasibility
of providing an interactive web-based version of the Charter that would provide
students and staff with further information on how the headline statements in
the Charter are enacted.
12/37 Review
of the promotion of outgoing exchange student mobility at Loughborough
University
Received: LTC12-P28
Noted:
1.
The
Committee welcomed a report on current and future promotional activities for
Erasmus and International Student Exchanges. Several areas of promotional
activity had been developed since the recruitment of a graduate intern in
August to work on promotional and support projects.
2.
It was felt
that some students were discouraged from taking study abroad opportunities by uncertainty
about the potential impact of grades achieved abroad on their degree
classification.
3.
Further work
was required to raise staff and student awareness of the opportunities for both
Erasmus work and study placements.
4.
Harriet Bott
was thanked for her work as a graduate intern over the past year and for the
presentation of the report to the committee.
Agreed:
5.
The Academic
Registry would review current practice and guidance in this area with a view to
making recommendations to a future meeting.
Areas for review included:
i.
module choice
and availability for incoming students
ii.
options for
encouraging student study mobility, such as permitting the accumulation of
credits from study abroad but discounting grades achieved when determining
overall degree classification.
iii.
the
feasibility of a combined promotional event for work placements and study
abroad opportunities, or whether separate events were more appropriate.
iv.
opportunities
for using Erasmus to fund short intensive programmes, such as summer schools.
v.
the role of
groups such as the International Mobility Team and the Placement Tutors Forum
in the promotion of work and study abroad, and the formulation and enaction of
policy and practice.
12/38 Learning and Teaching Strategy Implementation
Planning Priorities
Received: LTC12-P29
Noted:
1. 2011/12 had been a busy year and significant
progress had been made against the implementation plan.
2. A Learning and Teaching Strategy Implementation Plan
for 2012/13 would be drafted over the coming months. Members discussed
priorities and identified the following possible areas of focus:
i. Development and promotion of e-learning. For example, development of an interactive online
tool to enable students to access the variety of support available across
campus that helps develop their academic and transferable skills.
ii. Rationalising sources of guidance and documentation
for staff and students, for example on work and study placements.
iii. IT projects, such as a full online admission system
and a CRM system project
iv. Support for postgraduates who teach.
v. Support for students in the transition from school
to University.
vi. Processes and timescales for programme approval.
vii. Support for learning and teaching in the new School
structure.
3. The e-Learning Advisory Group had drafted an update
to the University minimum online presence. The draft would be circulated for
comment.
12/39 The role of ADTs in Approving Programme
Proposals
Received: LTC12-P30
Agreed:
1.
A Dean or their nominee, such as a Head of Department, was required to
sign-off programme proposals as they were responsible for signing-off resource
commitments.
2.
AD(T)s would also be required to sign-off proposals, but would not be
the sole signatories.
3.
The requirements of the sign-off process would be considered during the
review of the programme and module approval and review process (see minute
12/28.2).
12/40 Institutional overview of External Examiner
reports - 2010/11
Received: LTC12-P31
Noted:
1.
The overwhelming majority of External
Examiner reports were very positive about Loughborough University, its staff
and students.
Agreed:
2.
The Academic Standards and Procedures
Sub-Committee would consider the broader regulatory issues identified in the
report and disseminate effective practice.
12/41 Report of Curriculum Sub-Committee – 10 May
2012
LTC12-P32, LTC12-P32A
1. It was agreed
to recommend new programme proposals and other strategic changes to Senate on
the advice of Curriculum Sub-Committee, as set out in the report.
2.
It was agreed that Chair’s Action
would be taken to approve the programmes for which there remained issues to be
resolved, as noted at the meeting.
12/42 Recommendations from the Academic Standards
and Procedures Sub-Committee – 21 May 2012
Agreed:
1.
The Committee approved the following
for submission to Senate for approval:
i.
Proposal for
amendment to Regulation XXI
Received: LTC12-P33
ii.
Proposal for Amendment to Regulation
XXII
Received: LTC12-P34
iii.
Proposal for Points
Based System Immigration and Participation Monitoring
Received: LTC12-P35
iv.
Proposal for merit
award
Received: LTC12-P36, LTC12-P36A, LTC12-P36B
12/43 The British
University in Egypt: Report of AILR Visit, 29-30 April 2012
Received: LTC12-P37
12/44 Key Information
Sets
Received: LTC12-P38, LTC12-P38A
Noted:
1.
AD(T)s were
encouraged to forward comments on the programme data to Chris Garrod in the
Academic Registry.
12/45 University Library Learning and Teaching
Group: Highlights from 2011/12
Received: LTC12-P39
12/46 National
consultations
Noted:
1. HEFCE Consultation on a Risk based
approach to Quality Assurance
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2012/201211/
2. UK Quality Code for
Higher education, Chapter B3: Learning and teaching - Draft for
consultation
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Newsroom/Consultations/Pages/learning-teaching.aspx
12/47 Minutes of sub-committees and working groups
Received:
1. Working Group to Review Practice and Guidance on Plagiarism Detection - 4
May 2010: LTC12-P40
Noted:
i. Rebecca Bridger provided comments on the
minutes to be taken into consideration by the Working Group when formulating
its recommendations.
ii. Issues arising from a recent Academic
Misconduct Appeal Hearing were noted and would be taken into consideration by
the Working Group.
2. ASPSC - 10
May 2012: LTC12-P41
3. CSC
minutes - 10 May 2012: LTC12-P42
4. ELAG
minutes 1 February 2012 and 17 April 2012: LTC12-P43,
LTC12-P44
12/48 Any Other Business
1.
It was noted that this was the last meeting
of the committee for Prof. Fred Yeadon, Rebecca Bridger and James Carroll. The
Chair thanked them for their contribution to the work of the committee and
wished them well for the future.
Author – Rob Pearson
Date – June 2012
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