UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND AUDIT COMMITTEE
A meeting of the Academic Standards and Audit Committee of the Academic Board will be held on Tuesday, 31 January 2017 at 09.30 hours in the Central Committee Room, MacLaurin Building.
Agenda papers for this meeting have been issued to members, named alternates and officers in attendance only. Non-confidential papers may be obtained on request from Governance Services (telephone: 4564; e-mail: ).
Apologies should be conveyed to the Clerk, Mrs R E Haller (telephone: 4108; e-mail: ).
A G E N D A
1 APOLOGIES
To receive apologies for non-attendance at the meeting.
2 CHAIRMAN’S OVERVIEW
To receive the comments of the Chairman.
3 MINUTES – 22 NOVEMBER 2016
To confirm and sign the minutes. - Paper 3
(Confidential)
4 MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Category 9 Associate Deans of School (Academic Quality Assurance) (or named alternate who shall be the relevant Associate Dean of School (Learning and Teaching))
To note the appointment of Ms A Cain and Dr P Porter as Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching) to the School of Life and Medical Sciences and to note further that
Ms Cain and Dr Porter will serve on this Committee as the named alternates for
Ms P Shaughnessy and Dr S Schmeer with immediate effect.
4.2 To note the current membership. - Paper 4.2
5 MATTERS ARISING
5.1 Summary of actions – 22 November 2016
To note the actions arising from the meeting of 22 November 2016. - Paper 5.1
(Confidential)
5.1.1 Extensions to Validation and Periodic Review Deadlines – Minute 677.1 refers
To note the revised paper which had been circulated to members and officers in attendance, and noted at School Academic Committees. - Paper 5.1.1
MINUTE BOOK ONLY
5.2 Summary to School Academic Committees
5.2.1 To note that matters for report and consideration by the School Academic Committees from the meeting of the Committee held on 22 November 2016 were circulated to Deans of School and Associate Deans (Academic Quality Assurance) by the Chairman on 29 November 2016.
5.2.2 To note that certain information from the meeting of the Committee held on
22 November 2016 has been circulated to members and officers in attendance of School Academic Committees for note.
5.3 To note any matters not taken elsewhere on the agenda.
6 Annual School Reports on Academic Standards and Student Experience – ACTION PLANS
6.1 To note the current action plans formulated from the Annual School Reports on Academic Standards and Student Experience.
6.1.1 Dr S A Trainis, Computer Science - Paper 6.1.1
(Confidential)
6.1.2 Mr R E Wright, Creative Arts - Paper 6.1.2
(Confidential)
6.1.3 Mrs A McLauchlin, Education - Paper 6.1.3
(Confidential)
6.1.4 Dr A Lewis, Engineering and Technology - Paper 6.1.4
(Confidential)
(To follow)
6.1.5 Dr C Holman, Health and Social Work - Paper 6.1.5
(Confidential)
6.1.6 Dr D A Ball and Mr J Shahar, Hertfordshire Business School - Paper 6.1.6
(Confidential)
6.1.7 Dr M Groefsema, Humanities - Paper 6.1.7
(Confidential)
6.1.8 Mr K Rogers, Law - Paper 6.1.8
(Confidential)
6.1.9 Ms P A Shaughnessy and Dr S Schmeer, Life and Medical Sciences - Paper 6.1.9
(Confidential)
6.1.10 Dr S J Kane, Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics - Paper 6.1.10
(Confidential)
(To follow)
6.2 To note that these action plans will be received at the meeting of the Student Educational Experience Committee to be held on 7 February 2017.
6.3 To note that the School Action Plans will be reviewed at the meeting on 2 May 2017, and that the Annual School Reports on Academic Standards and Student Experience 2016-2017 will be received at the same meeting.
7 UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND REGULATIONS
Amendment/endorsement of the academic regulations for the academic year 2017-2018
7.1 UPR AS14 - ‘Structure and Assessment Regulations Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Programmes’
To receive a report from the Chairman concerning recommendations for the review/revision of UPR AS14
7.1.1 Re-enrolment opportunities for students with permanent failure at module level
To receive proposals from the Chairman. - Paper 7.1.1
7.1.2 Implementation of a Grade Point Avereage (‘GPA’) system
To receive proposals from the Chairman. - Paper 7.1.2
7.1.3 Chair’s Action on behalf of a Board of Examiners
To receive proposals from the chairman. - Paper 7.1.3
7.2 To note that any recommendations for the review/revisions of the following UPRs will come to a future meeting of the Committee:
UPR AS11 - ‘Schedule of Awards’ which will include proposals for the definition of learning outcomes for exit awards;
UPR AS12 - ‘Assessments and Examinations (Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate) and Conferments (University-Delivered Provision)’;
UPR AS13 - ‘Assessments and Examinations (Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate) and Conferments (Partner Organisation-Delivered Provision)’; and
UPR AS17 – ‘Academic Quality Polices and Procedures’.
8 COLLABORATIVE PROVISION
To note there are no matters to report to this meeting.
9 AUDITS 2016-2017
9.1 Ratification of Board of Examiner outcomes by absent External Examiners
To note that the audit report will be received at the meeting on 21 March 2017.
10 audits 2015-2016
To receive a report from Ms Rendell concerning progress on actions arising from the gap analysis audits carried out in the academic year 2015-2016. - Paper 10
(To follow)
11 PLACEMENTS POLICY GROUP – Minutes 635 and 684 refer
To receive revised terms of reference and composition. - Paper 11
(To follow)
12 AGENDA – PART II
To note and approve Part II of the Agenda (items A-E).
(NOTE: Members wishing to comment on any item in Part II of the Agenda, which consists of items requiring formal note and /or approval, are asked to inform the Chair, through the Clerk, Mrs R E Haller, e-mail: , telephone extension 4108, not less than 48 hours before the meeting. If no such indications are received, Part II will be taken as noted and approved.)
13 CHECK LIST FOR COMMUNICATIONS
To agree how decisions and actions to be taken as outcomes of this meeting will be communicated.
14 PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
To identify people development needs and to refer them to the Manager of People Development, Department of Planning, Development and Change.
15 RISK
To consider any risks inherent in the matters dealt with by the Committee during the meeting but not discussed when the item concerned was taken.
16 EMERGENCY BUSINESS
(Admissible only with the consent of the Chairman given prior to the meeting.)
17 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, 21 March 2017, 09.30 hours, Central Committee Room, MacLaurin Building.
Items for the Agenda should be notified to the Clerk, Mrs R E Haller, (e-mail: , telephone extension: 4108), B204, Hatfield by Tuesday
28 February 2017. Supporting papers should be lodged with the Clerk no later than Tuesday, 7 March 2016.
It will be assumed that items from the Schools have been submitted with the approval of the Dean of School.
A G E N D A – PART II
A ACADEMIC QUALITY
Programmes, Courses and Collaborative Agreements
To note the reports confirmed by the Chairman of the Student Educational Experience Committee and ratified by the Vice-Chancellor for the period 9 November 2016 –
17 January 2017, with the summary of conclusions and recommendations, which will be noted at the meeting of the Academic Board held on 15 March 2017.
- Paper A
B ACADEMIC SERVICES
To note the amendments/revisions to the Academic Services publications for the period 9 November 2016-11 January 2017. - Paper B
Publications are available for inspection online at:
http://www.studynet1.herts.ac.uk/ptl/common/aqo.nsf/Homepage?ReadForm
Members and named alternates wishing to view or obtain copies should refer to this site.
C STUDENT EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
To note publication of the minutes of the meeting of the Student Educational Experience Committee held on 8 November 2016. - Paper C
(Confidential)
EDRMS ONLY
D MATTERS REPORTED FOR INFORMATION
D.1 Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)
D.1.1 Quality Review Visit Handbook
To note publication on 2 December 2016 of guidance to higher education providers from the QAA, on behalf of HEFCE and DfENI, and as part of the funding bodies' operating model for quality assessment, on the aims of and preparation for Quality Review Visits.
D.1.2 To note publication of revised subject benchmark statements for Area Studies, Health Studies, Psychology, Social Work, Music, Communication, Media Film and Cultural Studies, and Land, Construction, Real Estate and Surveying on 7 October 2016
(CL-16-16).
D.2 seec credit level descriptors
To note publication of SEEC Credit Level Descriptors, revised to December 2016, which can be viewed online via:
http://www.seec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SEEC-descriptors-2016.pdf
D.3 Specific Course Designation: Monitoring visit at The Interactive Design Institute Ltd
To note publication on 22 December 2016 of the final visit report, which can be viewed online via: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews-and-reports/provider?UKPRN=10006389#.
D.4 QAA HE Quality Review – Oaklands College
To note the date for the Quality Review Visit for Oaklands College has been set for
20 March 2017.
D.5 Information for Students
To note the draft guidance published by the QAA arising from the consultation on the provision of information to prospective undergraduate students, to which a response has been made on behalf of the University. - Paper D.5
D.6 Draft Handbook for TNE Review
To note the QAA request for consultation on a revised method for reviewing the quality of our Transnational Education (TNE), to which a response from Dr Haddleton has been made on behalf of the University. - Paper D.6
E ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE SCHOOL ACADEMIC COMMITTEEs (SAC) 2015-2016
To note the Annual Reports of the School Academic Committees (SACs) from the Deans of School, as follows:
E.1 Hertfordshire Business School (HBS), from Professor D Ward; - Paper E.1
EDRMS ONLY
E.2 School of Computer Science, from Professor W Clocksin; - Paper E.2
EDRMS ONLY
E.3 School of Creative Arts, from Ms J Glasman; - Paper E.3
EDRMS ONLY
E.4 School of Education, from Dr L Trodd; - Paper E.4
EDRMS ONLY
E.5 School of Engineering and Technology, from Dr R Day; - Paper E.5
EDRMS ONLY
E.6 School of Health and Social Work (HSK), from Ms J Kelly; - Paper E.6
EDRMS ONLY
E.7 School of Humanities, from Mr J Ridgman; - Paper E.7
EDRMS ONLY
E.8 School of Law, from Professor C Wild; - Paper E.8
EDRMS ONLY
E.9 School of Life and Medical Sciences (LMS), from Dr R Southern; - Paper E.9
EDRMS ONLY
E.10 School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics (PAM), from
Dr M Thompson. - Paper E.10
EDRMS ONLY
ASAC agenda 31.01.17 6/6