Themes for periodic reviews
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Examples of questions a periodic review panel might consider
These questions are provided as a guide only and are intended to be neither
prescriptive nor exhaustive. However, panel members may find it useful to refer
to these questions when reading the Periodic Review documentation as a prompt
for possible lines of enquiry.
- Have the recommendations made at the last review been met?
- Does the curriculum reflect the requirements of the relevant subject
benchmark(s)?
- Are the learning outcomes appropriate to the course(s)?
- How do
employers contribute to the curriculum and what impact has this had?
- How has the
curriculum been developed over the last five years to reflect major developments
in the discipline?
- How have changes in student demand impacted upon the
curriculum?
- How has the curriculum been influenced by the research interests of
the teaching team?
- Do the present methods of assessment provide adequate opportunities for the
learning outcomes of the course(s) to be demonstrated?
- Do the present assessment
methods have an adequate formative function in developing students’ abilities?
- What innovations in assessment methods are under consideration or have recently
been introduced?
- Are there criteria to enable internal and external examiners to
distinguish between different categories of achievement?
- Is the balance of
coursework and examinations across the course appropriate?
- Is the assessment
strategy adequately responsive to the varying needs and backgrounds of students
(e.g. in terms of nationality or disability)?
- What evidence is there that all
graduating students will have achieved the required learning outcomes?
- Do the design, content and organisation of the curricula encourage
achievement of the intended learning outcomes in terms of knowledge and
understanding, cognitive, practical and key skills?
- Are there appropriate
methods of learning and teaching in place to enable students to achieve the
intended learning outcomes?
- How have the possible requirements of students with
disabilities been anticipated in order to enable students to achieve the
intended learning outcomes?
- Where there are work placement and /or study abroad
elements in the course(s), how effectively do these contribute to the
achievement of the learning outcomes?
- How are skills for employment promoted and
supported? (including a consideration of PDP)
- What arrangements does the
department put in place to promote study abroad opportunities to students?
- How
many students has the department sent abroad in the last three years?
- What steps
is the department taking to increase the number of students participating in
study abroad?
- Have developments in learning and teaching (either generally or in
the particular discipline concerned) affected teaching on the degree courses
under review over the last five years?
- How effectively do staff draw upon their
research, scholarship or professional activity to inform their teaching?
- What
are the principal means by which good practice is shared among those involved in
delivering the course?
- If this is the first review since a course’s inception, to what extent have
the student number projections from the New Course Documentation originally
approved been met?
- In light of the statistics provided, and considered against
the background of evidence drawn from the department's own quality management
processes, is the Review panel satisfied with the progression rates of students
on the course?
- Are the feedback arrangements considered adequate by (a) staff
and (b) students?
- Are the arrangements in place for student support effective?
- Are the learning materials relevant, sufficient, and readily available (e.g.
reading lists; hard copy or web-based learning materials?
- How effectively do the
learning materials facilitate student learning?
- Are there any deficiencies in
the provision of Library and IT facilities or of any other facilities, which are
subject-specific (e.g. laboratory equipment)?
- Is suitable learning and teaching
space available?
- Are there any staffing issues relevant to the effective
operation of the curriculum and the students’ ability to achieve the learning
outcomes of the course(s)?
- Have recent external examiners been satisfied with the standards (a) set by
the award and (b) achieved by students?
- How have regular student questionnaires
(including SAMT in the case of courses in University departments) contributed to
quality enhancement in relation to these courses?
Page last updated:
03 May 2013
