The checklist below has been devised to assist Faculty Quality Assurance Teams in monitoring the teaching and learning activities of individual departments.  It is intended that this should provide a structure for departments and teams but not that each question should necessarily be addressed separately.  The teams will be examining the quality of teaching and of the student learning experience in the context of the research environment which underpins it.  The checklist will be revised and updated to take account of experience gained in the quality assurance process.

 

A   How does the Department set about deciding whether or not a new course or unit should be established?  How do these procedures enable suggestions for change to be taken into account both from inside the institution (i.e. from departmental innovation, special reviews undertaken in response to advances in knowledge, restructuring within the Department, inter-departmental discussions, or consultations with students) and from outside (i.e. from national or local initiatives, industry, commerce or the professions, evidence of student demand, government, the HEFCE, the research councils, other national bodies, or the universities themselves)?

 

B    What information is requested in proposals for new courses or units?  To what extent do the procedures for assessing new proposals provide for scrutiny of the following:

 

      •     the purpose of the course or unit, including evidence of student demand and responsiveness to national need;

      •     the academic content, structure and level of the course or unit;

      •     lines of responsibility for the conduct of the course or unit;

      •     the balance of knowledge, understanding and skills to be achieved through the course or unit including aims, objectives and learning outcomes;

      •     the assessment methods to be used in relation to the stated learning objectives;

      •     the place of the new proposal within the Department's, Faculty's and institution's Plans;

      •     the availability of resources to support the course or unit;

      •     the claim made upon Departmental and University resources and services by the new proposal and how this bears upon other existing or proposed expenditure in the Department?

 

C   How does the Department secure advice on the merits of a new proposal, independently of the proposers themselves?

 

D   How effective are the mechanisms for assessing and approving new course proposals at departmental, faculty and University level?

 

E    What account is taken, in planning of courses and units, of changes in the profile of the student intake, particularly in respect of non-traditional entrants, such as BTEC students and mature students, and national changes such as those in the school curriculum?

 

F    Monitoring of existing courses and units:

 

      •     How does the Department assure itself that appropriate mechanisms for the monitoring of existing courses or units are in place and that these are working effectively?

      •     How does the Department review its courses or units?  Are there regular reviews?  What form do such reviews take?

      •     How does the department assure itself that the findings of such reviews are acted upon?

      •     How does the Department ensure that its resource allocations are adequate for the achievement of its goals, in respect of teaching and learning, taking into account such variables as fluctuations in student numbers?

      •     How does the Department make use of learning support services (eg administrative, library, educational technology, computing, careers) in relation to the requirements of its courses or units?

      •     How does the Department ensure that such learning support services are adequate in relation to the academic standards it wishes to achieve?

      •     What mechanisms exist for deciding on and effecting the cessation of courses or units?

 

 

A   How does the Department monitor quality of learning?

 

B    What are the Department's procedures for monitoring the effectiveness of existing courses or units?

 

C   What data on teaching and learning achievements are regularly gathered and scrutinised for each course or unit?

 

D   How are these data used within the Department to monitor the quality of provision?  Where the data reveal anomalies or problems, how are these acted upon?

 

E    How does the Department ensure that its assessment methods and procedures are appropriate for the teaching and learning methods followed by its students?  For example, where a student taking a degree course in a Department chooses optional units in another Department/Faculty, what are the mechanisms for ensuring that such optional units are appropriately assessed?  Where units offered by the Department form part of a number of courses in different subjects, how does the Department ensure that the needs and expectations of a wide range of students are met?

 

F    Monitoring students progress:

 

      •     What provision does the Department make for student induction programmes, for example in relation to learning-skills development?

      •     How does the Department monitor the completion/drop-out rates of its students and what are the mechanisms for taking action as a result?

      •     What are the Department's procedures for monitoring students' progress and academic performance?  How does it assure itself that, where appropriate, measures are taken to bring about improvements?

      •     How does the Department ensure the role of the personal tutor is maintained consistently?

      •     What are the Department's procedures for monitoring progress in the light of different student profiles and characteristics (eg mature and younger students, entrants with traditional and non-traditional qualifications, women and men, students with varying ethnic backgrounds)?

      •     What are the Department's procedures for informing students of their progress and academic performance?  How does it assure itself that these procedures are being followed?

      •     What complaints procedures are available to students during the course of their studies?  How does the department monitor such complaints?

 

G   Monitoring postgraduate training, advice and research:

 

      •     What mechanisms exist to ensure that the admission procedures for research students are satisfactory?

      •     What rules does the Department operate in respect of the role and duties of the adviser?  How does it ensure that these are followed?

      •     How does the Department ensure that the student and adviser are made aware of their respective roles?

      •     How does the Department assure itself that practices for both students and adviser accord with the institution's policies?

      •     What procedures are used to assess whether the student is progressing satisfactorily;  how is unsatisfactory progress dealt with?

      •     What complaints procedures are available to research students during the course of their studies?  How does the Department monitor such complaints?

      •     What procedures exist to ensure the proper conduct of the final examination?

      •     Where postgraduate students contribute to the teaching activities of the Department, what support exists to assist them, what training do they receive and how is their performance monitored?

H   The role of external examiners

 

      •     What are the roles and functions of the Department's external examiners?

      •     What are the Departmental arrangements concerning the number of external examiners for courses or units?

      •     Are the University's Guidelines for Heads of Departments and Examiners adhered to (reference CIRC 93/03)?

 

I     What procedures are used to ensure appropriate circulation of external examiners' reports within the Department?

 

      •     What means does the Department use to assure itself that points arising from the reports of external examiners are acted upon?

 

      •     How are external examiners' views sought on the content and structure of courses or units, on teaching and on the standards attained by students?  Are they encouraged in their final reports to draw attention to significant changes in standards observed during their period of office?  Are students informed of these views?

 

J     Undergraduate and postgraduate students' views:

 

      •     How does the Department assure itself that it is using satisfactory systems for student feedback?

      •     How are students' views used?  How are they assessed, and how are decisions made, and by whom, for action by the Department.  How does the Department ensure that proper attention is given to students' views;

      •     How frequently do staff/student liaison committees (or equivalent) meet, what issues are discussed, and how is the student feedback from such discussions used?

      •     How are students elected or selected to participate in such committees?  What are their terms of office?

      •     What other student representation exists on Departmental, Faculty and University committees?

      •     What attempts are made to obtain the views of graduates or other former students after they have finished their study programmes?

 

K   Views of external bodies - employers and professional accrediting bodies etc.:

 

      •     How does the Department seek the views of employers on graduate quality and courses or units?  How are views sought from employers taking students from vocationally orientated courses or units into posts in their respective professions?

      •     How does the Department seek the views of professional accrediting bodies on students and courses or units if appropriate?

      •     How does the Department respond to feedback from external bodies?

      •     What use does the Department make of the knowledge gained from first destination statistics relating to its graduates?

 

 

A   What encouragement is given to enhancing teaching quality and assessment by the use of effective new methods and techniques?  How are such methods and techniques evaluated and monitored, and how is the experience gained disseminated within the Department?  What contribution to the evaluation process is expected from students?

 

B    Provision for staff development

 

      •     What are the Department's policies and provision for staff development?  In particular, what provision is made for the training of new staff to enable them to learn teaching skills?  What opportunities exist for the updating of skills by more experienced staff, and promotions of innovative practice?  Are staff obliged or encouraged to engage in training activities?

      •     How does the Department identify and respond to the training needs of academic staff arising from national policies, such as widening access, and related to the long term planning of the institution?

      •     How does the Department seek to ensure that its courses or units benefit from the strengths of its research activities?

 

C   Career review and performance of academic staff

 

      •     What obligations do members of the teaching staff have placed upon them requiring them to be effective teachers?  How does the Department ensure that those obligations are met?  How is effectiveness defined?

      •     How are the commitment and teaching skills of staff monitored?

      •     How does the Department monitor the performance of staff employed on temporary contracts or on a fee basis, for example those employed by external organisations such as the NHS?

 

 

 

 

 

 

GC/30 September 1993