modes of delivery Departmental committees and Faculty Executive and Academic Board to engage with student feedback on the curriculum and how it is taught. areas. provides services. Students behaviour disrupting classes in some areas. This is predominantly referred to with regard to Lectures rather than other teaching modes Assessment and Feedback Lack of prompt and detailed assessment feedback - monitor use and outcomes of online assessment Faculty Quality team led by Sub-Dean Quality will conduct periodic unannounced audits of assessment feedback to students All A&F actions ongoing. All Depts confirm that they are meeting the 15 day feedback requirement. Spot monitoring of feedback at unit level on-going, reporting into FAG and FAB Positive free text comments are made with regard to assessment there is a clear theme where the assessment guidance is available well in advance, is clearly broken down and transparent and dialogue around the assessment task and process is encouraged. Ongoing issues students identify in free text comments: Too much assessment, assessment bunching, a lack of a coherent overview of assessment across the course and year is a very clear source of dissatisfaction across all courses. There is equal discontentment with the length of time it takes to get grades back. Students are not happy with receiving feedback without a grade. There are consistent comments across all courses that feedback from work is always delayed. Lack of support the university gives you when you fail. This includes frustration with student mitigation services which are often described as a fruitless cyclical process with no tangible or supportive outcomes for the student. Academic Support Staff student ratio improvement needed, especially in hotspots such as ASS and Psychology. SSRs increased as detailed in HoD commentaries It is clearly evident in the free text comment on the high performing courses and improved courses, that relationships with academic staff are key to the students’ positive satisfaction, and this is illustrated in comments that Tutors are friendly, helpful and approachable. Staff support for students is very strong in some areas and a mindset to be embedded across all Depts. Arrangement by Academic teams of learning sets and seminar groupings linked to PATs also mixed tariff seminar groupings to enhance students Supporting staff new to the University and to specific roles
Section C: Action Planning for the coming academic year Specific Actions Ref Aims Actions required By whom (Main person identified in Bold) By when Resource needs with any costings. Success criteria – expected outcomes. Teaching and Learning 1.To provide engaging teaching and learning opportunities grounded in practice and research informed 2.Explore the opportunities for the use of Technology to enhance student engagement and learning 3. Increase placement opportunities 4.Create a forum for the discussion, development and sharing of pedagogic practice 5.Close the assurance enhancement loop - Teaching Quality Staff development, VLs, HEA Faculty Learning Development Forum ADSE, HoDs, PoLes, CCs ADSE, HoDs, PoLes, CCs AD, ADSE, HoDs ADSE, Sub-Dean Quality, Faculty TLAG rep, PoLes ADSE & Sub-Dean Quality, HoDs, PoLes, CCs July 2014 March 2014 July 2014 March 2014 July 2014 Apply for StEPs bid to support Staff costings by Dept as detailed in HoD summaries Speakers and hospitality 2K Improved student feedback to PEC, BUS responses and Increased student satisfaction in NSS Implementation of TEL bid encompassing a unit from each Dept Increase in available placement opportunities Increased cross-faculty engagement and discussion of pedagogy and the development of practice research ideas Consistent cross Faculty application of university strategies and policies Assessment and Feedback 6. To provide all students at the start of each academic year with a clear assessment Agree and introduce cross faculty template and ADSE, HoDs, PoLes, CCs Dec 2014 All courses to meet minimum feedback standards.
and feedback map 7. Explore students discontentment with assessment and feedback processes and introduce a Faculty assessment dialogue to manage students expectations 8. Review and enhance all stages of the assessment process from assessment creation to external moderation monitor and evaluate use via PECs Work with student partners to understand discontentment with assessment processes ADSE, student reps, PALs, PoLes, CCs ADSE, Sub-Dean Quality, HoDs, Externals, PoLes, CCs March 2014 Sept 2014 Feedback event hospitality, student incentives, Focus group transcriptions Increased student achievement. Improved NSS assessment and feedback scores “ “ Academic Support 9.Implementation of PAT policy 10. Enhance the embedding of skills learning support in courses and identify and support students at risk Allocation of PATs Introduce new PAT admin system with staff development support Staff development in coaching for all PATs Implementation of new PAD structures and processes Identification of target programmes in need of particular support ADSE, HoDs, Faculty Manager, PATs Faculty Manager HoDs ADSE, HoDs, PoLes, CCs, PAD team ADSE,Sub-Dean Quality, HoDs Nov 2014 March 2014 July 2014 July 2014 May 2014 Staff development time Staff development time Improved NSS scores in Academic Support category Reduced attrition and improved progression and achievement
Section D: University Wide Aims and Challenges Ref University Specific Aim/Challenge Suggested Resolution Priority Teaching and Learning Changes to Quality assurance processes for programme approvals and reviews are proving very labour intensive making it difficult to maximise the developmental opportunities that may come with the process Medium Assessment and Feedback Understanding students discontentment with assessment and feedback. Staff assessment overload. Development of a University wide project to develop programme based assessment. Develop a more ‘joined up’ approach to student achievement between academic and student support services High Academic Support Implementation of PAT Ongoing by way of coaching staff development and staff dev needed for new admin system and processes Medium Organisation and Management Equity of student experience received by students on Aylesbury and Butterfield sites. Timetabling Availabilty of facilities, resources and services needs further development Timing of all processes need to be 12 weeks earlier than last year – this is progressing High Medium Learning Resources Lack of availability and access to specialist computing facilities needed by Social Sciences for key aspects of curriculum, and which impacts on Review of ICT needs of ASS. Request made in February 2013 and no progress on agreed resource. Increasing student numbers via clearing High