Academic Health 2012/13: Post Graduate Course/Programme Report Template and Guidance

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1 Academic Health 2012/13: Post Graduate Course/Programme Report Template and Guidance The following pages are designed to assist course and programme leaders in preparing annual academic health reports. For more detail on the academic health process and associated datasets please refer to the Academic Health Handbook, available via The content considered during the academic health process has not changed from previous years. It is recognised that the institutional data provided may be of limited use for postgraduate courses either due to currency issues or small numbers involved. It is therefore expected that course teams supplement the institutional dataset with their own data of an equivalent nature. (eg The course leader may independently collect information about employment destinations of their graduates). ALL of the sections on the template should be completed and should include tables of data to support the evaluative text. At the end of the report there is an opportunity to make suggestions for improvements to the academic health process and template for postgraduate courses for use in future years.

2 Academic Health 2012/13: Course/Programme Report Course(s) under consideration: MA Information Studies (MAIS) Executive Summary Highlights 1. The course continued to recruit and run well, with most graduates finding appropriate employment Issues 1. Loss of teaching resource. A key member of the teaching team took up FT duties elsewhere in the university. While she committed to undertake her teaching for , this loss made ongoing recruitment to the course impossible.

3 1. Admissions Home/EU International Total Fulltime Parttime Fulltime Parttime Fulltime Parttime Total for Total for Total for The course continued to recruit at very similar levels to the previous 2 years. 2. Progression The student progression rate is high and PT students routinely progress from year 1 to year 2. The other key progression point is to the project/dissertation. In , 2 students did not progress at this stage. 1 student was referred in the Research Methods module and the other failed it. The student who failed is repeating it in Achievement MA PG Diploma PG Cert Total The total number graduating (16) was the same as in the previous 2 years, thus further demonstrating consistency. In , 2 students graduated with Distinction at MA level. A total of 4 students graduated with a PG Cert, which is unusually high. See section 4, below. 4. Retention and non-continuation Retention and non-continuation are not normally issues for MAIS. In , a total of 4 withdrew before completion. Two of them were university employees, who although they had good practical experience did not have an UG degree and found the coursework at Masters level too demanding. The other two left because of personal reasons

4 5. Feedback from students Insert School Course and Module Survey data No survey or other numerical data available. However, the students were invited to give comments on the course as a whole as part of a dissertation/project event in June Feedback on the course as a whole was overwhelmingly positive, with many students citing the mix of academic and practical skills which the course team has worked hard to maintain over the years, for example: [Gaining] research/critical thinking skills, which are of use beyond the course The main thing that I gained was a set of applicable, vocational skills that could be hard to gain in first jobs i.e. management theory/skills, writing reports and business plans. [Gaining] practical & theoretical knowledge of issues in the profession, evidence of work-based skills like presentations & project management Constructive criticism tended to centre on the workload towards the end of semester 2, particularly with regard to deadlines. NB in response to this, the semester 2 workload and deadlines have been re-examined. However, with the current course structure, there is relatively little leeway for flexibility. The situation will be kept under review. 6. Destinations of Graduates May include commentary on the use of the Career Planning Agreement and other employability measures. Of the 16 students who graduated in , 10 have either managed to secure employment or were already working. The employers include: Oxfordshire Public Libraries; the University of Sussex; University of the Arts London. One student has applied to do a PhD

5 7. Student profile Include trends where relevant. The gender balance remains consistent with the previous 2 years and is predominantly female (65%). The age profile remains consistent with the previous 3 years The number of students from ethnic minorities remains low, as does the number of international admissions. 8. Course organisation, delivery and content This section of the report should include discussion of changes in mode of delivery, issues and outcomes relating to delivery, changes in course/programme management and changes in content. Significant changes should have been recorded in the programme specifications and approved at School level. It was a very difficult year for the MAIS team, ending with the temporary withdrawal of the course with effect from The key changes were: A change to semester delivery. Overall this was successful, in that the course was harmonised to the delivery modes of the other PG awards in the School and indeed to teaching throughout the university. The change in delivery also offered an opportunity to review and update the module content. A decision to introduce an optional module from the MSc IS course for Approval for inclusion into the EMA scheme, designed to attract more international students and to help bring international candidates up to the required standard for Masters level study. Loss of teaching resource. A key member of the teaching team took up FT duties elsewhere in the university. While she committed to undertake her teaching for , her loss was a substantial blow. Permission to replace the lost hours was not granted and a suspension of recruitment for became inevitable. The course was temporarily withdrawn by FASC on 18 October 2013, due to lack of resources and pending a redesign of the PG awards in Computing

6 9. External Scrutiny (please append all reports from the current year) a) External Examiner Dr Louise Cooke, from the University of Loughborough, is the external examiner. She provides detailed constructive reports and is always willing to discuss initiatives and concerns with the teaching team. In her report from December 2013, she comments favourably on the course overall and in particular on the evidence of staff keeping the curriculum current. Comment I have been very impressed with the way in which the programmes team have continued to deliver the programmes to the highest standard despite ever-diminishing levels of resource. They are to be commended for their hard work and persistance in this context. Course Team Response (linked to action plan) The issue of the ever-diminishing levels of resource continues. Some additional support will be needed e.g. fractional and HPL contracts to ensure that the needs of the current cohort of students are met. b) Professional and Statutory body activity MAIS was re-accredited by CILIP in June 2011, valid until CILIP has changed the way it conducts accreditation. 10. Action Plans a) Progress against previous action plan No. Action Responsibility Timescale 1 Review the impact of the semester structure on the student learning and staff teaching experiences Course team End of academic year Review course content and module delivery in light of the new structure; CILIP s new knowledge and skills; future sustainability Course team Through etc 3 Devise an action plan to address the Requirements and Recommendations arising from the Periodic Review AM To FASC, 25/1/13 4 Implement the actions needed to address the Requirements and Recommendations arising from the Periodic Review, as appropriate 5 Review practitioner/teacher delivery of certain subjects including cataloguing and classification; information retrieval; budgeting AM/course team AM/course team Through End of academic year

7 b) Action plan for coming year No. Action Responsibility Timescale 1 Ensure that the current cohort of students are fully supported Course leader to complete their degrees 2 Negotiate the ongoing fractional and HPL contracts which will be needed to support the current cohort of students Course Leader /Assistant Head - Computing

8 Annual Theme Additional discussion points raised by Academic Standards Committee Schools are asked to (i) reflect on how the Student experience of elearning is monitored and enhanced and (ii) outline any School-based enhancements that have been adopted this year to enhance the quality of provision and student experience

9 Comments on and suggestions for improvement of the academic health process and template - 8 -