BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain Logistics Management.

Transcription

1 University Quality Panel Final Record of Accreditation Courses Code Title (in collaboration with partner if appropriate) Modes of delivery Partner: Middle East College, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Accreditation of the following partner courses: YA003A81ME YA003A83ME BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain Logistics Management. Interim Awards of: Advanced Diploma Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain and Logistics Management). Dip HE Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain and Logistics Management). Full Time Part Time YA004A81ME YA004A83ME YA005A81ME YA005A83ME Cert HE Business and Information Systems BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management). Interim Awards of: Advanced Diploma Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management). DIP HE Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management). Cert HE Business and Information Systems. BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance). Interim Awards of: Advanced Diploma Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance). Dip HE Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance). Cert HE Business and Information Systems See Appendix 1 for module diets Full Time Part Time Full Time Part Time Next Review Date: (if this is less than the normal 6 year period please state reason) 2018/19 Page 1 of 18

2 Deletions: Courses Code Title List all awards to be deleted N/A Modes of delivery Last recruitment date Final completion date for students Deletions: Modules Module code Module title Credits Date to be deleted N/A Exemptions (Please specify course which exemption relates to. If none, please state NONE. Use official wording from ARSC feedback.) 1. N/A Approval date (s): External Adviser(s) (Note name, job title, Institution and identify course(s) reviewed, if necessary.) 1. Prof Geoffrey Elliott. Faculty Pro-Dean and Professor of Information Systems. Faculty of Business, London South bank University. Approval date (s): 22 nd July 2013 PSRB(s) Approval (Please specify course which PSRB relates to. To include record of meetings held and outcome of consideration. Note official outcome and statement of accreditation). N/A (Note: this only applies to courses where PSRB accreditation is required for the course to run. Please state NONE if not applicable). Collaborative Approval (Please specify the named collaborative partner and related course. Outline process for approval e.g. meetings, resource visit and detail the approved mode of delivery and support). Collaborative partner: Middle East College, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Accreditation of the following partner Courses: BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain Logistics Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management). BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance) Resource Visit undertaken to MEC on 28 th August (Note: this only applies to courses where collaborative provision has been considered. Please state NONE if not applicable). General comments on the process (such as the nature of student/employer/industry engagement) A resource visit to MEC was undertaken on 28 th August During this visit, the accreditation panel and an external subject specialist met with members of the MEC executive, teaching staff and Page 2 of 18

3 students currently studying on the awards accredited by Dublin Institute of Technology. A tour of the campus was made to evaluate the suitability of the facilities to support delivery of the courses. The findings from this visit are appended to the Process Record for information (Appendix 2). During the visit the panel explored with the MEC Senior team, the current arrangements with Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and proposals for transferring students to the UoW awards. The panel were informed that the contract between MEC and DIT was being terminated by mutual agreement. The reasons articulated for the split were noted by the panel. There are currently 170 students enrolled on the DIT awards, 90 of which are studying at year 2 (third semester). Because of the time envisaged to acquire approval from the Ministry of Education to offer the UoW awards, students will not immediately be informed of the change. Furthermore, it was proposed that existing students will be given the choice to continue on with the DIT course to completion. Note: The Chair was informed by the UoW Vice Chancellor and Director of the International Centre on 11th September 2013, that they had been given sight of a letter between MEC and DIT confirming the termination of the contract. As part of the visit, the panel discussed with MEC the requirement for interim awards and the mapping of these to the University Academic Regulations. It was agreed that there should be three interim awards, as designated by the Oman National Framework. These were: MEC Award Advanced Diploma Diploma Certificate Equivalent UoW Awards Non-Honours Degree Diploma of Higher Education Certificate of Higher Education MEC confirmed that they permit students to enter the courses with advanced standing and that the maximum amount of APL permitted was 50%. MEC agreed to adopt and use University Performance Descriptors for marking of student assessments. Preliminary training on these was provided by the FSE Link Tutor on 29 th August Further training will be provided before the start of delivery of the courses. A visit was made to the University on the 10 th and 11 th September 2013 by Mr Ali Said Ali Al Araimi, MEC Deputy Managing Director and Mr Ashwin, Registrar, to finalise the operational details as articulated in the Memorandum of Co-operation and the Operations Manual. During this visit the mapping of modules contributing to interim awards was also agreed and approved. The grid reflecting this structure is appended to this report (Appendix 1). Accreditation TimeLine July August September Developmental meetings 25/07/13 14/08/ Sept 13 (Partner visit to UoW) Resource Visit to MEC Oman with 22/08/13 External Adviser (This list can be added to in order to give a full view of the developmental process) Page 3 of 18

4 Approval of Accredited Courses Course Structure See Appendix 1 Visit Report See Appendix 2 Confirmed by External Adviser See Appendix 3 Confirmed by Accreditation Lead See Appendix 4 Confirmed by Officer See Appendix 4 Additional items (Such as best practice that could be disseminated to a wider audience and any University wide issues) None identified The following actions are for on-going monitoring through the lifetime of the course(s) Responsibility Action Date Action to be closed by FQEC To receive and approve CVs On-going FQEC of new MEC staff employed to teach on the courses prior to module delivery. FQEC To receive and approve any changes to UoW staff involved in moderation of assessment to ensure subject expertise is maintained. On-going FQEC Date submitted to UQEC for approval 11 th November 2013 Date approved by UQEC Page 4 of 18

5 Record of Initial Planning Meeting (IPM) Date: 25 th July 2013 Present: Dr Alison Felce (Chair) Mr Phil Harris (School lead) Ms Rishma Dattani (International Office) Ms Janice Stanton (Quality Officer) Planning Approval Date (to include areas for consideration, where applicable, and whether SQEC or other) signed 10 th July 2013 SQEC Other UQP Short description of scope of validation / list of courses proposed Accreditation of the following courses with Middle East College (MEC), Muscat, Oman. BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain and Logistics Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance) Identify exemptions being proposed. (Please specify course which exemption relates to. If none, please state NONE) 1. None Collaborative Partner and nature of collaboration proposed e.g. Supported Delivery. (Please specify course which collaboration relates to. If none, please state NONE) Accreditation of partner provision. Collaborative Partner: Middle East College (MEC), Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Courses: BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain and Logistics Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance) Professional / Statutory / Regulatory Body (PSRB) and nature of PSRB to include level of involvement e.g. as part of the Developmental team or stand alone event. (Please specify course which PSRB relates to. If none, please state NONE) None Nature of student engagement (to include a brief outline) Not Applicable Nature of engagement with employers / industry / sector (to include a brief outline) Not Applicable Page 5 of 18

6 External Adviser nomination (to include brief outline of experience, institution and number proposed by School) Prof Geoffrey Elliott. Faculty Pro-Dean and Professor of Information Systems, Faculty of Business, London South Bank University. Developmental Team (please list details of participants and role e.g. Developmental Lead, Validation Lead etc) Dr Alison Felce (Chair) Mr Philip Harris Mr Brendan Riordan Dr Alex Hopkins (UQP panel member) Prof Geoffrey Elliott (External Adviser) Ms Janice Stanton (Quality Officer) Documentation Checklist (Please and/or specify details if required) Proposal Plan Course Specification Module Specification Collaborative agreement (please MoC specify) Operations Manual CVs (collaborative only) PSRB Record Template Not applicable Other (please specify) MEC Academic calendar Grading and assessment criteria Notional hours of study Resource lists Names of UoW staff moderating assessments and their areas of expertise Mapping documents Accreditation TimeLine Draft(s) available for comment (date) Draft(s) deadline response from team (date) July August Sept. End of July Proposed visit to Final drafts MEC for approval (Note: the months highlighted show the potential developmental timeframe for the team this does not however, imply that drafts will necessarily be submitted each month e.g. a draft submitted in October might not be re-drafted until December. This is at the discretion of the IPM.) Other comments, actions and items to follow up after the initial planning meeting Further clarification is required on the existing collaborative arrangement for these courses between MEC and Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). This is to include arrangements for informing current students and their transfer to the University of Wolverhampton award. Clarification is required around the use of external examiners by MEC and whether this is a legal Page 6 of 18

7 requirement of the Ministry of Education. A date for the resource visit to MEC is still to be agreed. Potential dates of week commencing 12 th August and 26 th August were suggested, subject to external adviser and partner staff availability. Page 7 of 18

8 Appendix 1: Course(s) Structure BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (with optional pathways) YEAR 1 C.P. L YEAR 2 C.P. L YEAR 3 C.P. L YEAR 4 C.P. L Analytical Mathematics 15 1 Broad Elective Broad Elective Research Methods and Project Design 15 3 Fall Semester Oral and Written Communication for Business and ICT Fundamentals of Business and Organisation 15 1 Pathway Elective Systems Analysis and Design Concepts Information Systems Management 15 2 Strategic Management Visual Programming 15 2 Project Management 15 3 Computer Organisation 15 1 Principles of Organisation and Management 15 2 Business Economics 15 2 Pathway Elective Spring Semester Principles of Accounting Principles of Programming Web Application Development 15 1 Relational Database Systems 15 2 Special Topic - International Management/GCC Economic and Business Environment Pathway Elective Pathway Elective Pathway Elective E-Commerce 15 3 Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence Database Systems Administration Page 8 of 18

9 Statistics 15 1 Project Business Law 15 3 Project Pathway modules Certificate in Higher Education Supply Chain and Logistics Management Diploma in Higher Education (Pathway) Accounting and Finance Advanced Diploma in Higher Education (Pathway) Human Resources Management BSc (Hon) in Business and Information Systems (Pathway) Operations Management Supply Chain and Logistics Management Procurement Management Supply Chain Management Information System Finance Management Cost Accounting Banking and Financial Products and Services Accounting and Finance Information System Human Resources Management Staffing, Training and Development Compensation and Performance Management Human Resource Information System 5 Warehouse Design and Management Financial Statements - Preparation and Analysis Employee Relations Page 9 of 18

10 Appendix 2: Visit Report Award / Programme /School: BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain and Logistics Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management) BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance) Details of Partner Institution: Middle East College, Muscat, Oman Date of Visit: 28 th August 2013 UW Staff involved (including external advisers): Partner Staff involved in visit (names/roles): Purpose of visit Dr Alison Felce (Chair) Mr Phil Harris (Key Proposer, STech) Prof Geoffrey Elliott, (External Adviser), London South Bank University Ms Janice Stanton (Quality Officer) Prof R. C. Bhattacharjee, Dean. Dr Kiran Gopakumar, Director of Teaching and Learning. Mr Ashwin John K, Registrar. Dr Kakul Agha, HoD Management Studies. Ms Arti Sharma, Faculty Head Resource visit in connection with the accreditation of partner courses as detailed above. Issue Local Context Comment on any local issues which might have an impact on module outcomes and / or content. LEARNING & TEACHING / ASSESSMENT Mode of delivery What arrangements are in place for student assessment in terms of moderation, subject & award boards? How will students be made aware of regulations relating to academic misconduct? Graduation Arrangements Comments None identified Full time and Part time The arrangements for design, setting, marking and moderation of assessments, is articulated in the Operations Manual (OM). The operation of Subject and Award Boards is also covered in this document. Students will be informed of MEC Academic Regulations and policy in relation to Academic Misconduct through induction and via the Student Handbook. Graduation ceremony will be held annually in a hotel in Muscat. Page 10 of 18

11 Comment on teaching accommodation and facilities. The campus is modern and teaching rooms well equipped with IT facilities and modular furniture that can easily be arranged to support different styles of delivery. During the visit it was noted that there was a significant programme of building works underway to further enhance the teaching accommodation. MEC have on campus an auditorium that has a seating a capacity for 280 people This facility is used to host guest lectures and conferences etc. STUDENT SUPPORT & GUIDANCE Comment on arrangements for student support. MEC offer both academic support and pastoral support to students through the Student Success Centre. As part of the building works, MEC are creating a dedicated area as a one-stop-shop for students to go for advice and guidance. This is due to open in the Autumn term 2013 and will house both registry functions and other student support services. Comment on any issues arising from students being recruited outside the partner institution. What arrangements are in place regarding advertising and marketing? Comment on social facilities LEARNING RESOURCES Comment on acquisitions / purchasing policy Not applicable As detailed in the Operations Manual. Social facilities for students are available on each floor of the teaching accommodation block. There are also cafeterias on campus serving hot and cold food and beverages. The library is large, modern and well stocked with books and journals. It offers quiet areas for selfstudy and is well equipped with computers for students to access electronic resources. The Library Committee meet twice per year to discuss collections. The panel were informed that all text books are reviewed by the Ministry of Education for purchase. Therefore it was easier for the College to subscribe to electronic books and journals as these were not regulated. Page 11 of 18

12 Comment on the availability of book stock in relation to the reading lists and core texts provided by the course leader. Journal stock English language material availability As above As above As above Access / opening hours / loan facilities Awareness of local external collections including access & borrower status ICT FACILITIES Comment on the appropriateness of ICT (compatibility of specialist software if appropriate) Comment on access to printers Comment on access to the internet via broadband, and hours of access to the internet. Comment on the availability of pcs / laptops for students. Comment on the availability of technical support and contingency plans in the event of a technical failure. QA / ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES Comment on the administrative support available for programme management. The library is open Monday to Friday between 7.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Saturdays. Not applicable The campus is equipped with modern, up-to-date IT facilities, with dedicated computer labs for student use. No specialist software is required for these courses. MEC use Moodle to support and enhance teaching on their courses. The college is equipped with modern follow me printer facilities, so that staff and students can send files to the printers from other areas of the campus or from home. The campus is fully Wi-Fi enabled. Students have access to 400+ PCs located within the learning lab and in the library area. The college employs a team of technicians and paid student helpers to support the IT equipment on campus. MEC currently offer these programmes with DIT and have existing administrative support in place to support the courses. Page 12 of 18

13 Comment on the experience of HE level programmes and of collaboration with other overseas universities MEC offer and have Degree awarding powers for BSc (Hons) Archives and Records Management that is delivered in Arabic. MEC has experience of working with other HE institutions, notably Coventry University and Dublin Institute of Technology. They also have professional partnerships with: Microsoft IT Academy. Cisco Network Academic Partnership Oracle Academic Initiative. Master classes are provided by visiting lecturers from other Universities and industry consultants. How are staff and student views fed into the programme annual monitoring? What arrangements are planned to ensure the effectiveness of the links between the two Universities? STAFFING Which local staff will be supporting this programme and what are their roles? Comment on the current experience of staff in teaching on HE level programmes in the same or similar field of study? Students complete module evaluations, both midterm during week 5/6 and at the end of the module. These are administered electronically. There is also student representation on the Learning and Teaching Committee. The college has a Student Council Committee, to which students are encouraged to stand for election each academic year. The Student Council engages with academic issues and informal activities such as clubs and societies. This is articulated in the Operations Manual. These courses are currently offered by MEC in collaboration with DIT and staff are already in place to deliver modules. The names of the academic staff and the modules that they teach on are articulated on the curriculum mapping document. The panel received copies of CVs prior to the resource visit and met with teaching staff whilst incountry. No issues with staff teaching experience was identified. All academic staff joining the college are required to have two years teaching experience. Those new staff not meeting this requirement are initially employed as demonstrators. MEC operate a peer review scheme. This is not formally reported, but is intended to be supportive and collegiate for academic staff. The college also has a teaching award scheme. Page 13 of 18

14 Comment on the opportunities for staff development for UoW and overseas staff. What staff development activities have staff engaged in over the past 12 months, which relate to this programme? What steps have been taken to prepare the local administrative team and tutors for delivery of the programme? Comment on the English Language competence of local tutors and evidence of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent Comment on any issues raised by ADP / OSP for specific attention.. MEC encourage their academic staff to study for a Pg. Cert in Learning and Teaching. This course is currently offered by Coventry University and delivered in block delivery mode. Although attendance is not compulsory, the take up by staff is approx. 40%. Other staff development courses are available as required, or as determined by the Head of Department following performance appraisal. The Faculty Link Tutor will provide staff induction for MEC academic staff around performance descriptors before the courses commence. The English language skills of the MEC teaching staff that the panel met with were excellent. None identified Page 14 of 18

15 Appendix 3: External Adviser approval External Adviser Report Template Name of external adviser Institution of external Process Record Reference Number Named validation Prof Geoffrey Elliott London South Bank University PR47018 Middle East College, Oman, accreditation of: BA (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain and Logistics Management). BA (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance) BA (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management). General Comments The approval visit was conducted very professionally; and the planning and administration by Janice Stanton was excellent. The event covered all the necessary areas for overseas collaborative approval and was clearly mapped to the expectations of the QAA quality code. As an external panel member I was given full authority to question the college and the University; and the event was Chaired in a thorough and professional manner. The outcomes of the collaborative approval event were clear and transparent. The University has clearly linked to a College of substance, both in terms of resources and in terms of clear understanding of academic quality assurance scrutiny and monitoring by MEC. The recommendations and conditions were appropriate and I have confidence in both the University and College to manage the collaborative arrangements. For the provision included in the above process record, I can confirm that academic standards are set at the appropriate levels and that the course structure, content and available resources are such that standards can be met. Furthermore the provision has benefitted from external views during the planning and development process. Signed Professor Geoffrey Elliott Page 15 of 18

16 Date 28 th September 2013 Please use this section to highlight good practice and feedback on the developmental process (This may include engagement with staff and the use of the University s online systems e.g. WOLF and e:vision) The administration for this overseas collaborative event was excellent. The University conducted a thorough and professional programme of activities in approving the academic collaboration with MEC in Oman. Page 16 of 18

17 Appendix 4: Approval Team Report Accreditation Team Report Name of Lead (Chair) Award/ School (Faculty of Science) UWBS Dr Alison Felce Accreditation of the following partner courses delivered by Middle East College, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Supply Chain Logistics Management. BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Human Resource Management). BSc (Hons) Business and Information Systems (Accounting and Finance) Process Record Reference Number PR47018 For the provision included in the above process record, I can confirm that due process has been carried out the provision conforms to relevant regulatory requirements the provision conforms to relevant external requirements the provision has benefited from external views during the accreditation process General Comments MEC is an established provider of HE within the Sultanate of Oman. It was clear from the visit that the MEC team have a detailed understanding of UK-based QAA requirements giving the team confidence in the provision that is being accredited. For future validation and accreditation activities with collaborative partners the UoW guidance on roles and responsibilities within the process should be followed and full information should be provided to the validation/accreditation team. There were a number of queries, short delays and misunderstandings that could have been avoided had the team been fully informed of all material issues at the earliest possible stage in the process. Please use this section to highlight good practice and feedback on the developmental process (This may include engagement with staff and the use of the University s online systems e.g. WOLF and e:vision) The iterative nature of the process and the tenacity of the Officer and External Advisor ensured that the provision was interrogated to an appropriate level and not signed off until all requested information was received. The use of WOLF to share documents and for commentary is of great value with international provision such as Page 17 of 18

18 this. Date confirmed by Lead 11 th November 2013 Date confirmed by Officer 11 th November 2013 Method of UQP approval Date this report was approved by Chair for forwarding to UQEC Approved by Chair 11 th November 2013 Page 18 of 18