ACADEMIC SECTION INFORMATION NOTE |
2002-03 |
N8 |
|
From: |
Joanne Tallentire, Senior Assistant Registrar |
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This information note refers to decisions made at the following meetings:
ASC –
Senate –
Minute numbers are given to indicate the source of the information set out below. Where extracts of minutes are included verbatim, this is indicated by speech marks.
Summaries of academic policy decisions are available online at: http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/calendar/restricted/academic-policy-summary.html
1. Central Information in Departmental Student Handbooks
2. Submission of Departmental Minutes to Deans
3. Online Course Catalogue
SECTION B – FOR INFORMATION
1. Follow-up to Student Assessment of Courses (SAC)
2. Policy and Procedure for Examinations at a Distant Venue
3. Re-definition of Undergraduate Credits
4. Sub-Degree Framework
1. Central Information in Departmental
Student Handbooks (ASC.MM.271-274/02)
‘RESOLVED:
(i) that
the central information for handbooks be provided as an online resource from
October 2003;
(ii) that
departments be required to include links to the central information in online
versions of their student handbooks with effect from 2003-04;
(iii) that
the requirement to include standard items of central information in printed
copies of departmental student handbooks be withdrawn with effect from 2003-04;
(iv) that
if departments wished to include any topics covered by the central information
in printed student handbooks, they must use relevant extracts from the central
text as published in the online resource.’
The Systems Management Office is co-ordinating the
development of the central online resource and will inform departments of the
URL in due course.
2. Submission of Departmental Minutes to
Deans (ASC.MM.282-283/02)
‘Given the development of Annual Monitoring as a key
quality assurance and enhancement mechanism within the University, which
included the requirement for student feedback to be evaluated under the heading
of ‘Maintenance and Enhancement of Quality and Standards’, [Academic
Standards Committee]:
RESOLVED:
that Departments no longer be required to send
copies of the minutes of Staff/Student Liaison Committees and the unreserved
minutes of Departmental Meetings to Deans.’
3. Online Course Catalogue
(S.M.263/02)
‘RESOLVED:
that departments be required to maintain up-to-date
and complete entries of their courses in the On-line Course Catalogue.’
SECTION B – FOR INFORMATION
1. Follow-up
to Student Assessment of Courses (SAC) (ASC.MM.265-269/02)
‘Amendments to the reporting requirements within the Procedure for Student Assessment of Courses (SAC) were proposed, to create a link between this exercise and Annual Monitoring. It was proposed to cease to require each Head of Department to report to ASC annually on the process and outcomes of SAC within his/her department. Instead the outcomes of SAC would considered by departments as part of the Annual Monitoring cycle. Consideration of student feedback was already a requirement of annual monitoring. Such amendments would lighten the reporting load on departments whilst ensuring that the mechanisms for considering student feedback on the quality of their courses were both robust and appropriate.
Although SAC was course-based, whereas Annual
Monitoring was scheme based, as the majority of courses related clearly to one
or more particular degree schemes within a department the Head of Department
would need to ensure that the outcomes of SAC for individual courses were
directed towards the most appropriate Annual Monitoring forum.’
‘RESOLVED:
(a) that follow-up to Student Assessment
of Courses should take place as part of the Annual Monitoring process;’
The Deans are discussing the detailed implementation of this change and
further guidance will be provided in due course.
2.
Policy and Procedure for Examinations at a
Distant Venue (ASC.M.246/02)
Academic Standards Committee approved the Policy and Procedure for Examinations at a Distant Venue, as set out in Appendix A.
3.
Re-definition of Undergraduate Credits
(S.MM.258-259/02)
‘RESOLVED:
(a)
that
University credits at undergraduate level should be renamed workload credits with effect from October 2002;
(b) that a revised definition of the University’s
credit system at undergraduate level should be introduced from October 2002, as
follows (new wording underlined, old wording in square brackets):
‘Each undergraduate course is assigned a number of workload
credits, which indicate the proportion of the academic year’s work that is
devoted to the course. Courses are
normally assigned either 30 credits (full-years courses) or 15 credits
(half-year courses). For
undergraduate students the academic year consists of 120 [-135] credits (except
where ASC has approved a specific variation). Thus a standard three-year undergraduate
degree consists of 360 [-450] credits and a standard four-year degree consists
of 480 [-540] credits. [For taught Masters students a full-time academic year
consists of 180-210 credits.] To
calculate the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits, the
4. Sub-Degree
Framework (S.M.284/02)
The Senate resolved that the Sub-Degree Framework recommended by the
Board of Studies for Collaborative Education, and endorsed by Academic
Standards Committee, be adopted, as set out in Appendix B.
FOR ACTION:
Heads of Department
Directors of
Centre
for Psychoanalytic Studies
Centre
for Theatre Studies
Human
Rights Centre
Pan-European
Institute
Centre
for Theoretical Studies
FOR
INFORMATION:
Vice-Chancellor
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
Deans
Academic
Registrar
Academic
Section Administrators
Departmental
Administrators (including Centres listed above)
Executive
Officer, Socrates Office
Academic Standards Committee
Appendix A
EXAMINATIONS
SAT IN DISTANT VENUES
1. All
candidates are required to sit examinations at the
EITHER
(i) there are exceptional
circumstances, supported by appropriate documentary evidence, such as
incapacity to travel for medical reasons, or the death of a close family
member. (This applies to resit examinations only.)
OR
(ii)
a student is required for academic reasons to be in residence outside
the
2. Requests under (i) above will only be considered from students
who are
domiciled outside of the
3. Requests must be submitted in writing to the Examinations
Officer in the Academic Section. The student shall detail in his/her
application the reason why s/he is not able to sit the examination in the
specified venue. In all cases supporting
documentary evidence shall be supplied by the student.
4. Requests based solely on financial grounds will not be
granted.
5. Approval to sit an examination at a distant venue is
conditional upon:
(a) the University securing a suitable alternative venue which is
approved by the Examinations Officer, for example a British Council Office or
an educational establishment with university status, where equivalent standards
of accommodation and supervision to those provided by the University in the
specified venue can reasonably be assured;
(b) the examination being able to be scheduled concurrently with the
same examination being held at the specified venue.
6. A Distant Venue Fee of £100 is payable where a request is
approved, in addition to the standard resit fees payable by all students
resitting examinations at the specified venue. The Distant Venue Fee may be
waived by the Dean of School in exceptional circumstances. The student is
liable for any costs incurred at the distant venue, such as invigilation and
postage.
7. The
deadlines for receipt of applications by the Examinations Officer for sitting
examinations in places other than specified examination venues are:
Summer Examination Period 28 days
prior to the commencement of the Examinations
Resit Examination Period Ten
days before the start of the resit examination period.
8. Requests
will be given preliminary consideration by the Exams Officer, who shall
investigate the feasibility of securing appropriate arrangements (see para 5)
and forward the request to the relevant Dean of School with a recommendation
whether the request should be granted or disallowed. The final decision shall rest with the Dean.
9. The
Exams Administrator shall inform the student in writing of the Dean’s decision
and shall provide the student with details of the arrangements for the
examination, including exam time, venue and local costs payable, if any.
10. Once the Examinations Office
has notified the student in writing that s/he is permitted to sit the
examination(s) at a distant venue, the student will be liable for payment of
the Distant Venue Fee, which if not paid will result in the student being in
debt to the University and being unable to register for the next academic year
or being ineligible to receive a degree until the debt is paid.
Nicola Jackson
Examinations Officer
October 2002
Proposed Sub-Degree Framework: Outline Structure
Appendix B
Certificate (C) Level (former HE Level 1)
Un-named Certificate of Continuing Education
60 credits at Level C
Note: offered by the Centre for Lifelong Learning
Un-named Certificate of Higher Education
Normally 120 credits at Level C
May include 30 credits at Level FE3/HE0
Named Higher Certificate
Normally 120 credits at Level C, from coherent study
programme
May include 30 credits at Level FE3/HE0
Intermediate (I) Level (former HE Level 2)
Un-named Diploma of Higher Education
Normally 240 credits, minimum 60 credits at Level I
Named Higher Diploma
Normally 240 credits, minimum of 60 at Level I
Named Foundation Degree
Normally 240 credits, minimum of 120 at Level I
Must include work-based learning
Named Ordinary Degree
Normally 300 credits, minimum of 60 at Level H
Honours (H) Level
(former HE Level 3)
Named Honours degree
Normally 360 credits, minimum 120 at Level H
Note: included here for purposes of comparison