Annual Academic Year Review
2008-2009
(18th edition)
Compiled by Academic Standards, Registry
September 2009
Submitted to Academic Board 24th Sept 2009
Contents
CONTENTS
1 Introduction 1
2 Registry Overview 2
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Student Statistical Data
2.3 Research
2.4 Student Admissions and Recruitment
2.5 Academic Developments
2.6 Internal Quality Assurance
2.7 External Quality Assurance
2.8 Freedom of Information/Data Protection
3 Strategic Planning Office 52
3.1 Structure and Organisation
3.2 Planning and Data anlysis
3.3 Social Engagement
4 Business Services 56
4.1. Overview
4.2 Funded Mechanisms for Economic Development
4.3 Further examples of Economic and Social Engagement activity
4 Finance 62
5.1 Overview
5.2 Developments
6 Staffing 65
6.1 Post and Staff Summary 2008/09
6.2 Gender Equality
6.3 Race Equality
6.4 Disability Equality
6.5 Age Diversity
6.6 Recruitment and Selection of Staff
6.7 Promotion and Regrading of Staffing Posts
6.8 Formal Procedures
6.9 Leavers
6.10 Sickness
6.11 Staff Development and Staffing Strategy Progress
7 Centre for Learning and Teaching 90
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The University's Learning and Teaching Strategy
7.3 Credit-bearing Courses
7.4 Outreach Work with Faculties, Schools and Course Teams
7.5 Learning Technologies
7.6 Research
7.7 Publications
7.8 Major Events and Activities Co-ordinated and Supported by the CLT
7.9 Awards
7.10 External Links and Developments
8 Information Services 101
8.1 The Department
8.2 Student Survey
8.3 E-learning Support
8.4 Brighton Sussex Medical School
8.5 University Centre Hastings
8.6 Libraries
8.7 Media and AV
8.8 UniCard
9 Marketing and Communications 105
9.1 5 Year Plan
9.2 Distinguishing Features
9.3 Priorities
9.4 Progress Against Aims
10 Residential and Catering Services 115
10.1 Residential Services
10.2 Catering Services
11 Estate and Facilities Management 120
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Eastbourne
11.3 Request for a Midwifery Skills Facility
11.4 The Future of Aldro Flat
11.5 Falmer Campus
11.6 Grand Parade
11.7 Mouslecoomb Site
11.8 Major Maintenance
11.9 Minor Capital Works and Improvements to Building Entrances and Communal areas
11.10 Energy, Water and the Environment
11.11 Space Management
11.12 Integrated Estates Data Management System (IDMS)
11.13 Facilities Management
11.14 Student Feedback
12 Sustainable Development 128
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Curriculum
12.3 Staff and Student experience
12.4 Research
12.5 Economic and Social Engagement
12.6 Physical Environment
12.7 Governance, Management and Relationships
12.8 External Influences
12.9 Conclusion
13 Health and Safety 134
13.1 Key Developments
13.2 Fire risks, Procedures and Incidents
13.3 Accidents and Incidents
13.4 Training
13.5 Inspection Programme Summary
14 Student Services 143
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Developments
14.3 Career Planning and Development
14.4 Chaplaincy
14.5 Counselling
14.6 Disability
14.7 Health and Wellbeing
14.8 Nurseries
14.9 Welfare
14.10 Forward Planning
15 Sport and Recreation Service 151
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Sports Development Unit
15.3 Learning and Teaching
15.4 Local, Regional and National Developments
15.5 Sports Facilities
15.6 Student Support
15.7 Other Developments
16 University of Brighton Students’ Union (UBSU) 158
16.1 University of Brighton Students' Union (UBSU)
16.2 Union Rebranding
16.3 Brighton SU on Campus
16.4 Brighton SU Media
16.5 Community Relations
16.6 Freshers Fair
16.7 Training and Development
16.8 Investors in People
16.9 Academic Advice 2008/09 Student Adovacy and Research Service (SARS)
16.10 Elections
16.11 Student Activities
16.12 Brighton University South African Scholarship Scheme (SASS)
16.13 Sports Clubs
16.14 Segregrated Fees Expenditure 2008/09
Introduction 1. Introduction
1 Introduction
The Annual Academic Year Review 2008/09 provides the Academic Board with an informative and reflective overview of academic support activity and performance during the period 1st August 2008 to 31st July 2009. Its intention is to highlight central departments’ major developments, achievements and innovations during the period, rather than forming a comprehensive and detailed record of all the University’s activities.
The Review assists the Academic Board to fulfil its responsibilities towards the achievement of the aims and objectives of the University’s Corporate Plan and Annual Operating Statement. University staff may also find it a useful single source of information and reference regarding the range of the University’s academic support activities.
The information contained in the Review is particularly used to support the University’s annual process for assuring academic quality and enhancement (the ‘academic health’ process). It informs and complements the annual academic health reports prepared by schools and faculties in the autumn term. Together with these reports, it forms the focus of the annual academic health meeting of the Academic Standards Committee.
The timing of the production of the Review ensures that it is available at a sufficiently early stage in the academic year to contribute to debates within the University about the maintenance and enhancement of academic performance and the quality of the student experience.
The University of Brighton has produced an Annual Academic Year Review since its adoption of a University title in September 1992. It is now in its eighteenth edition.
AAYR 2008/09 - 1 - 18th Edition
2. Registry Overview
2 Registry Overview
2.1 Introduction
The Registry has continued to contribute fully to the University’s corporate objectives, underpinning the development and quality review of curricula, ensuring that all reporting requirements are met accurately and on time, and developing means to support and enhance the student experience.
The Registry department lost key members of staff during 2008-09, most notably Sharon Jones, Head of Registry, who resigned her post in November 2008 to take up a new appointment at University College, Cork. Judy Evans, the Deputy Head of Registry, took over as Acting Head for seven months between December 2008 and June 2009, and as the academic year closed the new Head of Registry, Martyn Annis, arrived to take up the role on 1st July. The Senior Assistant Registrar (Admissions) post remained unfilled for the entire year, and some structural and functional changes that had previously been mooted were postponed to allow full consideration by Martyn Annis on his arrival. However, the Widening Participation team moved into the Registry from the Strategic Planning Unit, and joined the Recruitment and Admissions team in enhancing and extending the development and delivery of University outreach activities to all potential students.
Carol Burns took up her post as Registrar and Secretary on 1st November 2008 following the retirement of Christine Moon on 31st July 2008, and has overall responsibility for both Registry and Student Services.
2.1.1 New Developments
Widening Participation
The formation of a new and expanded Widening Participation team within Registry enabled the outreach programme to be extended significantly, and the number of interventions increased from 1,882 to 4,667. The outreach programme is both comprehensive and cohesive and incorporates activities from year 5 through to Access. The team ran two successful summer schools one based at Brighton for year 11 and for year 12 at UCH. Following the award in February 2008 of the Frank Buttle Quality Mark for commitment to care leavers entering higher education, the first cohort joined the University in September 2008. There were seven entrants and at the time of writing nine care leavers had firmly accepted places for 2009. The Refugee Access Service was launched in March 2009 and has provided a mentoring service, an English course, and has been involved in the formation of a Student Action for Refugees group.
This year saw the requirement to submit a Widening Participation Strategic Assessment document to HEFCE by the end of June 2009. The document sets out the University’s objectives and intentions and provides a comprehensive overview of widening participation activities at the University, as well as establishing the baseline measures from which future widening participation activities will be assessed. Staff from across the University contributed to its completion which was coordinated by the Widening Participation Manager, Sarah Cullen, and the submission met the June 30th deadline.
Points Based Immigration System
This new framework for immigration management is being implemented by the UKBA (UK Border Agency) in several stages from March 2009 until full roll-out in February 2010. The impact of new duties around the University will build from this summer term onwards, beginning with small numbers of sponsored students, and affecting the whole of our new student intake by September 2010. There is an opportunity for the University to improve the level of its knowledge and management of course engagement for all students given the requirements for this for sponsored students. Registry will work with schools on this next year.
Recruitment and Admissions Committee
The new Recruitment and Admissions Committee under the chairmanship of Stuart Laing, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs), met three times during the year and now includes staff from across the Widening Participation, Recruitment, Admissions and International sections of Registry, facilitating the development of University recruitment and admissions strategies in an informed way.
MAS roll-out
Schools began using the SITS Application and Admissions functionality (MAS) during 2008-09, with the Registry Systems and Data team delivering training and support for schools for the first time. Only the schools of Environment and Technology, Chelsea, and Humanities remain to follow next year. The value to the University of having data on the corporate rather than local systems has become clear with the increased significance and use of qualification data resulting from the Equivalent or Lower Qualifications (ELQ) policy implementation, and the introduction in March 2009 of the new Points Based Immigration System (PBS) by the UK Border Agency, impacting on all international students and employees.
Automated progression
Following the commitment by the Academic Board to require all schools to use the automated progression functionality within SITS for 2008-09 the Registry has seen a significant reduction in the number of outstanding progression results for 2008-09. At the end of July 2008 over 6,000 results were outstanding, whilst at the end of July 2009 some 2,000 progression decisions remain to be entered onto SITS.
UniCard
Following the SAIP Review into re-enrolment in 2006-07 which recommended the introduction of a new, photo-id card for the University, Registry has over the past academic year worked with colleagues in Information Services (IS) and other stakeholders such as Estates and Residence and Catering to agree the specification, purchase and implementation of a new student identity card for the University, the UniCard. This card will eventually have ‘smart’ capabilities including access control and a money ‘purse’, although the initial roll-out for all students in 2008-09 will focus on ensuring that all students have a combined student and library card with a photographic image, to improve security and identification.
BSMS SITS
As the academic year draws to a close, Registry are in the process of completing, with the support of Administrative Computing Services (ACS), the merger of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) version of SITS with the core University of Brighton dataset. This will facilitate the recent incorporation of the Institute of Post Graduate Medicine (IPGM) with BSMS in allowing all data to be stored within the one student record database, whilst access to data belonging to the two universities as part of the joint School will be managed to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.
Student Administration Improvement Programme
The implementation phase of the Student Administration Improvement Programme (SAIP) review into Partner College and University Administrative Links took place during 2008-09. Admission and enrolment processes were mapped out, revealing too much work running in parallel rather than being shared between the institutions. The main elements of implementation have therefore focussed on establishing a timetable of training, communications and data reporting between the institutions during the admission and enrolment cycle. Changes to the start-of-term enrolment activities for students will be made so that they perceive an in-person enrolment event at the partner college as their registration at the University of Brighton as well. The success of this approach will be in the effective management of a streamlined enrolment process without duplication of effort or data.
Scholarship
The Registry has now taken over the responsibility for the management of the annual Scholarship awards, including working with both schools and Marketing and Communications to facilitate presentation events akin to the annual Award Ceremonies. Data on students in receipt of scholarships will be processed in a similar way to the Ceremony data management, to facilitate schools’ planning and possibly to produce certification of their award.
2.2 Student Statistical Data
2.2.1 Student Numbers – Table 1
The data used for the annual monitoring of Academic Health allows staff the opportunity to undertake controlled queries on the information, using Microsoft Excel. This dataset also includes comparable data from the previous two years, but will not be totally consistent with any data provided prior to 2004-05 for the annual Academic Year Review. Any comparisons with previous years in this report are based on the data provided by this method, and reference should not be made to versions of the Academic Year Review reports for 2003-04 and earlier.
When reading this summary analysis of the 2008-09 position, the Notes for Guidance that accompany the annual Academic Health dataset on Staffcentral should be referred to for a full explanation of definitions and data used. Where reference is made to comparable statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) these come from the annual HESA Reference Volumes, for which the latest series available covers the academic year 2007-08.
2008-09 saw an overall decrease in the number of students who were active* during the academic year of 0.3%. This is in contrast to a 3.1% increase in the previous year (2007-08). An analysis of the Higher Education Students Early Statistics (HESES) Returns made by the University in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 shows fluctuation in growth over the period, with a decrease in growth between 2006-07 and 2007-08 of just over -4% followed by growth between 2007-08 and 2008-09 of 7.5%. These apparent differences will be in large part due to the different datasets used for internal analysis and external returns, as the note* below indicates.
Postgraduate Research students fell by 8.3% from 2007-08, compared to the 2.3% increase experienced between 2006-07 and 2007-08, and there has been a 1.9% increase in the overall numbers of Postgraduate Taught students between the same period. Undergraduate students have shown a decrease of just over half a percent (-0.54%) between 2007-08 and 2008-09, and make up 80.0% of the total student population in 2008-09, a similar proportion to 2007-08 (80.2%). This compares to 78% in the HE sector as a whole for 2007-08, according to HESA statistics (the latest data available).