City University London

Research APE form version June 2015

Annual Programme Evaluation (APE)

Research Degree Programmes

This form should be completed with reference to the Guidance for Annual Programme Evaluation as soon as reasonably possible after the end of the academic year. It is not necessary to wait for data to become available; this should be added as it becomes available. The APE, and updates made to it are reviewed regularly by the Programme Committee (PC) and SSLC (see APE guidance for more details).

Programme/ programmes covered
Academic year under review
Senior Tutor for Research
Key contact (if a group of programmes covered by the APE)
Associate Dean (Education)/ Associate Dean (Research Students) or equivalent
Date received by Board of Studies
Date last reviewed by Programme Committee (or equivalent)
Date last reviewed by SSLC
Date of next Periodic Review

Partnership Provision

Applicable (complete section below) Not applicable

Check all types that apply

Definitions of types: http://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/135815/city_university_london_collaborative_provision_typology.pdf

Research APE form version June 2015

Joint Programme with non-Degree Awarding Powers (DAP) Body

Joint Programme with Degree Awarding Powers (DAP) Body

Franchised Provision

Articulation Agreement

Access/Feeder

Franchised Access/Feeder

Off-site partnership delivery

Research APE form version June 2015

Name of partner/s
Name of Partnership Co-ordinator

Academic Partnership Co-ordinator Annual Report attached

Mission/Education & Student Strategy

General annual reporting

This section is designed to help capture at a programme level activity that might be of interest across the School and then across the University. It is particularly helpful to gather:

· Good practice in learning and teaching, including features that students particularly commend and the source of that feedback

· How the programme relates to the University’s overall strategies and where staff have introduced curriculum, learning or teaching developments which will contribute to achieving the University’s aspirations for its courses and students.

Please report in two parts, as follows.

Good practice:

Features students have said they like: please include areas which represent the views of the cohort through surveys as well as particular comments from individual students via committees and in one-to-one meetings. Specific examples (such as the use of educational technology/ blended learning within a specified module/ peer review initiatives) are more helpful than general updates (e.g. ‘good teaching’). Please also state the source of the feedback (e.g. from a survey or SSLC).

Features students have said they like / Source (e.g. NSS, SSLC)

[Add additional rows to cover different hubs/areas as required].

Supporting the Education and Student Strategy/ Research and Enterprise activities

The Education and Student Strategy has five priority areas, known as ‘hubs’. Please use this space to report on both how the programme aims or goals help deliver these and on any developments or innovations you have introduced which can be used as an example of achieving the strategy. This is also useful in identifying where the School or University might want to focus project work in the future. Please also include the source (e.g. external examiner report) as evidence.

Do not feel inhibited about including an initiative or practice because you are not sure to which hub it relates; this can be provided here in free text. It is more important to capture the activity than fit it into the right heading.

Hub / Developments or innovations / Source (e.g. external examiner report)
Research and Practice Informed Education (e.g. e.g. specific initiatives informed by research/practice and which are linked to the curriculum)
Support for Success (e.g. initiatives within the course or a tutor’s particular support which has a positive impact on students or certain groups of students)
Career Development and Employability (please make reference to any specific initiatives, placements or internships available to students on the Programme)
City Communities (e.g. specific initiatives in place to support a greater student community. This might be certain events, groups, etc.)
In the Heart of a Global City (e.g. how the Programme makes the most of City’s location and connections)

Student feedback

This section focuses on student involvement on evaluating the programme and examples of changes made as a result of feedback.

Student views

Please include student views on the current version of this document. It is good practice to ensure students have access to the current copy, as well as receiving the APE and on-going updates via the SSLC.

Please indicate how student views are collected and how students can contribute to the content of the APE:

The following section should be used to present to students for promotional purposes and at SSLC and in other fora where feedback can usefully be obtained from students.

Your Voice, Our Action
Changes made within the Programme as a direct result of feedback received via student surveys or other channels (e.g. SSLC): please list each area separately so that this can be used by Programme teams and at university level for promotional purposes as part of the Your Voice Our Action campaign. Please write in student-facing language.
How your (student) feedback has informed change on your course
Area (please specify) / Student feedback
You Said / Change Implemented
We did / Impact on student experience (include student views on action taken)
1
2
3

[Add more boxes as required to ensure all changes implemented are captured]

Statistical data

Provide a commentary on the data (see Appendix 1 and 2) including significant trends, which should include reflection on recruitment, progression and retention data, contextual factors and comparisons to sector competitors. Reference should be made to items in the action plan addressing findings from the data. Detailed module evaluation data will have been considered through PC/ SSLC meetings and fed into developments so further commentary here is not anticipated. More information about performance monitoring can be found by following the link: https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/strategy_and_planning_unit/performance-indicators.html

Summary evaluation

The summary might usefully cover: the overall health of the programme over the past academic year; the cumulative impact of enhancement activity; relevant wider changes within the programme, discipline area, School and/or University; future direction, relevant opportunities and challenges; and any other areas the programme team wish to highlight.

Approved research supervisors

Please provide a list of approved Category A and Category B research supervisors.

Research APE form version June 2015

Action planning

The following section is designed to be used as a rolling document throughout the year. The form has been designed so it be cut and pasted into other documents, uploaded onto Moodle and presented at SSLC and Programme Committee meetings to ensure that all key issues identified are followed-up with an appropriate action plan and the feedback loop is being closed off appropriately. This will ensure that they are seen by the programme team and students. It also helps make clear to students what actions are being taken in relation to their feedback. Please use the action plan to provide a summary of previous and incomplete actions and new actions arising, gradually removing each items as they are complete. The annual review process should provide a snapshot of issues arising and everything achieved over the year. Please include a separate action plan for each programme covered by the APE.

Summary of actions (2014-15/ 2015-16)
The action plan below should: provide an update of any actions from the preceding year’s action plan and detail any items that were not completed; highlight any new issues identified; cover the main actions planned in the areas identified. These should cover any incomplete actions from the previous year and new actions identified from student and/or external body feedback (including module evaluations, student surveys and external examiner reports) or to ensure the necessary programme enhancements.
Please also consider any items that will support the next periodic review.
Date and academic year / Area (e.g. Supervision/ Student Support/ Progress and Assessment/ Research Culture/ Research Skills/ Career Development and Employability/ Competitor Analysis and Market/ Student Engagement and Community/ Other) / Issue, source (e.g. level of supervisor contact, SSLC) / Action (please be specific and note if this is a new or ongoing action) / Person(s) responsible for action / Intended impact or actual impact of action / Support needs for implementation of action (e.g. specific service/ technology, etc.) / Deadline / Status of action (e.g. complete/
ongoing/longer-term)
1
2
3
4
5

[Add more boxes as required to ensure all key actions are noted

Research APE form version June 2015

Appendix 1: Management Information

School annual monitoring report of FT & PT H/EU and OS PhD students (or equivalent)

This report is to enable Schools/Departments to monitor the progress of those students whose intended award is a doctoral degree and to ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken by Schools/Departments if necessary.

Please populate cells with the number and %.

Full-time, Home/EU PhD students
Year / students in
population / APRs completed / students awaiting examination / submissions / resubmissions / qualifiers within
4 years / qualifiers outside
4 years / qualifiers within 7 years / qualifiers outside
7 years / students still active / students qualifying
but not
with PhD / students in writing-up / students in suspension / students withdrawn
Minor revisions / Major revisions
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16

Research APE form version June 2015

Full-time, OS PhD students
Year / students in
population / APRs completed / students awaiting examination / submissions / resubmissions / qualifiers within
4 years / qualifiers outside
4 years / qualifiers within 7 years / qualifiers outside
7 years / students still active / students qualifying
but not
with PhD / students in writing-up / students in suspension / students withdrawn
Minor revisions / Major revisions
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16

School annual monitoring report of FT & PT H/EU and OS PhD students (or equivalent)

Part-time, Home/EU & OS PhD students
Year / students in population / annual progress reports completed / students awaiting examination / submissions / resubmissions / qualifiers within 7 years / qualifiers outside 7 years / qualifiers within10 years / qualifiers outside 10 years / students still active / students qualifying but not with PhD / students in writing-up / students in suspension / students withdrawn
Minor revisions / Major revisions
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15

Notes for completion

· these figures should include all internally and externally registered students;

· any part-time overseas students included in this data should normally be registered externally;

· only those students who have successfully progressed from MPhil/PhD to PhD, (or equivalent) and are registered with an intended award of a PhD (or equivalent), are included in the RDQR population. Once a student has progressed to PhD the qualification rate is calculated retrospectively from the original date of registration as an MPhil/PhD student. Schools will, therefore, want to ensure that students are not registered as doctoral students until they are confident that academic progress is satisfactory to warrant progression.

· the census date is 31 July of each academic year;

· four years is the University’s normal maximum period of candidature for a full-time research student. HEFCE measure the completion of full time research students over seven years. Periods of suspension are included in the RDQR data;

· seven years is the University’s normal maximum period of candidature for a part-time research student. HEFCE measure the qualification rate of part-time research students over ten years. Periods of suspension are included in the RDQR data;

· students who switch mode of study from full-time to part-time (or vice versa) before transferring to writing-up are counted as part-time students.

School annual monitoring report of progress of FT & PT H/EU and OS MPhil/PhD students (or equivalent)

This report is to enable Schools/Departments to monitor the progress of those students who are currently registered as MPhil/PhD students (or equivalent) and to ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken by Schools/Departments if necessary.

Full-time, H/EU and OS MPhil/PhD students
Year / No. of students in population / No. & % of mid-year reports completed within 6 months (first year students only) / No. & % of annual progress reports completed within 12 months / No. & % of annual progress reports completed after 12 months / No. & % of students upgrading within 12-18 months / No. & % of students upgrading after 18 months / No. & % of students still active / No. & % of students in suspension / No. & % of students withdrawn / No. & % of student complaints upheld by the School / No. & % of student appeals upheld by the School
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16

Research APE form version June 2015

Part-time, H/EU and OS MPhil/PhD students
Year / No. of students in population / No. & % of annual progress reports completed within 18 months (first year students only) / No. & % of annual progress reports completed within 18 months / No. & % of annual progress reports completed after 18 months / No. & % of students upgrading within 18-24 months / No. & % of students upgrading after 24 months / No. & % of students still active / No. & % of students in suspension / No. & % of students withdrawn / No. & % of student complaints upheld by the School / No. & % of student appeals upheld by the School
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
14/15
15/16

Notes for completion

· these figures should include all internally and externally registered students;

· any part-time overseas students included in this data should normally be registered externally;