Quality Assurance Services Collaborations and Partnerships Group Coordinator and Link Handbook
Contents 1. General Introduction... 1 2. Appointment of University staff to manage d Provision... 2 3. Faculty academic support... 3 4. Roles and responsibilities of University Coordinator... 3 5. Roles and responsibilities of Partner Coordinator... 4 6. Roles and responsibilities of University Link s... 4 Meetings and Visits... 5 Reporting and Documentation... 5 Monitoring and Checking... 5 Communications... 6 The Student Voice... 6 7. Role and responsibilities of Partner Course Leaders... 7 Meetings and Visits... 7 Reporting and Documentation... 7 Monitoring and Checking... 7 Communications... 8 The Student Voice... 8 8. Support of Leaders... 8 9. Support of Faculty Administrative Staff... 10
1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION The University s Strategy for the delivery of taught undergraduate programmes in collaboration and partnership, 2011 to 2016 (Approved by Academic Board November 2011) places significant focus on the development of franchise collaborative arrangements both with overseas HEIs and domestic and overseas private providers; we will move to a full franchise or articulation model over the next two years. will involve the development of a model which ensures the maintenance of quality and standards, of our awards delivered by recognised partners. In order to effectively exploit the opportunities and to manage risks associated with franchise delivery, the University will implement a structure of support involving academic and administrative staff from across the University, as well as areas of specialism such as the Libraries and Learning Innovation (LLI) team and Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT). Coordinator Professional Services - LLI / CLT Partner Link Faculty Administrative Staff Collaborations and Partnerships Group. Effective communication both within the University and between the partner and the University is critical to the successful operation of franchised provision. All University staff involved with a franchise arrangement should have a sound understanding of The Framework combined with a broader grasp of the University s Academic Principles and Regulations and the processes and procedures which underpin these principles and regulations. Staff development sessions will be delivered on an on-going basis by CPG and academic colleagues in the faculties and CLT, to support the implementation of these roles across the University. The diagram below illustrates how communication will be channelled between the partner and the University and how communication will be formalised by an annual 1
Partnership Board as well as internal Oversight Groups. The Partnerships and Collaborations Sub-Committee will retain oversight of outcomes of interactions between a partner and the University. Collaborations and Partnerships Group / Quality Assurance Services Oversight Group Coordinator (Faculty) Coordinator (Partner) Annual Partnership Board Partnerships and Collaborations Sub-Committee Link Course Leader Partnerships and Collaborations Sub-Committee Academic Quality & Standards Committee Link Course Leader Academic Quality & Standards Committee Academic Board Administrative Support/Professional Services Academic Board 2. APPOINTMENT OF UNIVERSITY STAFF TO MANAGE FRANCHISED PROVISION At the start of each academic year (i.e. 1 August), the Faculty will provide the Quality Assurance Services with an up-to-date list of faculty Coordinators, and Link s allocated to the franchised courses due to run during the year. Subsequent inyear changes to Co-ordinators and Link s will also be reported to QAS. Coordinators (and Link s) will be appointed for both overseas and domestic franchise arrangements. Other arrangements for collaborative provision (validated provision with FE partners, joint delivery and off-site delivery) will continue to be supported through the structure of Collaborative Delivery Coordinators (CDCs). If a partner institution has a small amount of provision i.e. two or three courses which comprise a cognate subject area, the appointed Coordinator may take on the responsibilities allied to both the Coordinator and Link. The Framework Activity cycle schedule provides staff with a practical timeline of tasks and responsibilities and should be utilised by University staff and partner institution staff alike. In addition, at the start of each academic cycle an Operational Plan will be produced by faculty staff in conjunction with partner staff. The Operational Plan will contain 2
key dates of quality assurance activity, for example the date of the Examination Committee and the dates of Annual Monitoring and Review meetings. 3. FACULTY ACADEMIC SUPPORT The Faculty will appoint a Coordinator. This role will be undertaken by a senior academic colleague. Where provision with a partner spans more than one faculty, a Coordinator will be appointed for each faculty. In addition, the faculty will appoint a Link. Link s will be responsible for provision at course level or in some cases in cognate subject areas and will work closely with the Course Leader based at the partner institution. 4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF UNIVERSITY FRANCHISE COORDINATOR The following encompass the key responsibilities of a faculty based Coordinator: Strategic and academic development Quality Assurance Ensuring the course is approved for delivery and where applicable has received the necessary in country approval Ensure the partner s policies on recruitment and selection are operationalised and in line with university requirements regarding admissions processes Ensure that appropriate resources are available and regularly updated to deliver validated provision Responsibility for compliance with the University s Academic Principles and Regulations Act as a focal point of communication between the partner and the University Attendance at the Oversight Group (s) (internal liaison group) on behalf of the Faculty Share good practice in relation to Teaching and Learning supported by staff development activity Attendance at the annual Partnership Board Oversee compliance with the Collaboration Agreement Work closely with CPG / QAS Ensure Examination Committees are appropriately chaired by an Associate Dean of the Faculty or nominee (approved by QAS) Provide regular reports to the Dean of faculty and where relevant other members of FLT and Directors of service areas as well as senior colleagues at the partner. Ensure guidance in relation to the approval of public information is adhered to by the partner Support any mutual review activity as required Support annual monitoring and review process by the production of a partner level report 3
It is envisaged that Coordinators will have less communication at course level with partner based Course Leaders. The initial point of contact will be the Coordinator at the partner or via the Collaborations and Partnerships Group. 5. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTNER FRANCHISE COORDINATOR The role of the partner based Coordinator is not too dissimilar to that of the Faculty based Coordinator. There is significant emphasis on the partner based Coordinator to ensure adherence to the University s quality assurance framework. The partner based Coordinator is responsible for: Strategic and academic development of the collaboration Ensuring the course is approved for delivery and where applicable has received the necessary in country approval Ensuring full adoption of university s Academic Principles and Regulations Ensuring the institution s policies on recruitment and selection are operationalised and in line with university requirements regarding admissions processes Ensuring that appropriate resources are available and continually updated to deliver validated provision Acting as a focal point of communication between their organisation and the University Ensuring that effective means of safeguarding the academic and personal welfare and progress of students are in place Identifying staff development needs and ensuring staff receive appropriate training, development and support Attendance at the annual Partnership Board Ensuring compliance with the Collaboration Agreement Ensuring public information including publicity material online and hard copy and course level documentation receives formal approval by the university prior to publication Maintaining operational oversight of activity 6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF UNIVERSITY LINK TUTORS The roles and responsibilities of the Link should be read in conjunction with the Operational Guidance for Delivery. The Guidance will provide clarity as to the process that should be implemented, relevant documentation and templates to be used and how responsibility for the achievement of tasks is shared between the University and the Partner. 4
Meetings and Visits Attendance at student induction (for first year of operation and thereafter as appropriate) Member of and where necessary attendance at Examination Committee to be held at the partner institution (If the faculty FC is chairing the committee attendance may not be required) Member and attendance at annual review meeting and, where possible, in-year Enhancement and Development meetings and Student Focus Groups. These can be conducted via Skype/ Videoconference/ Adobe Connect Invite partner institution staff to attend relevant staff development activities in Leeds Regular meetings with the partner Course Leader (this could be via videoconferencing, Skype, or face-face) to include the exchange of information from course team meetings and discussions regarding curriculum content and assessment requirements. Reporting and Documentation Provision of up-to-date documentation and templates: course documentation, module approval templates, course handbook, programme specification and teaching materials to support delivery Ensure External Examiner reports and responses to reports are shared with the partner institution staff and students Report any issues relating to the academic standards or academic quality of the programme to the Coordinator, Head of School, Associate Dean and QAS Complete an annual monitoring report reflecting on the partnership over the last academic cycle Monitoring and Checking Provide advice and guidance in respect of University s Academic Principles and Regulations Advise on admissions decisions regarding non-standard entrants including issues of accreditation of prior learning and entry with credit (with the support of the International Office where appropriate) Conduct a sample of applications and admissions decisions made by a partner to ensure compliance with course level criteria and institutional admissions policy Liaise with staff to ensure assessment is carried out in accordance with section C of the University s Academic Principles and Regulations Approve the Course Handbook ensuring it is produced on the relevant template and is suitably contextualised to the collaborative setting prior to submission to CPG Ensure that staff appointments are made in accordance with University requirements and are approved by the University (Guidance on appointment of staff) Ensure that partner institution staff are aware of the appointed External Examiner 5
Monitor the continued effectiveness of the facilities and resources including student support and learning resources Ensure staff have up-to-date teaching materials to deliver the programme as required by the University Meet with students at least once a year, either at a specific student focus group as part of the annual monitoring and review or at a scheduled event Identify any staff development needs and respond to those accordingly either through the faculty via the Coordinator or with the support of the Quality Assurance Directorate Ensure the operation of annual monitoring meetings and the completion of the course level annual report Communications Maintain effective communication channels between the partner institution and the University Maintain effective communication with the Leeds based course team Promote awareness and adoption of University regulations, policies and procedures, and to keep partner staff informed of new or revised policies and procedures as and when they are introduced. Disseminate good practice from the University or HE sector as a whole Provide advice on general programme-related matters, e.g. module development, curriculum review, etc. Raise awareness of progression opportunities for students at the University The Student Voice Ensure partner institution staff are aware of the process of appointing course representatives Support partner staff (in the first year of operation and where necessary) to provide course representatives with appropriate training and support primarily through the student induction process Ensure staff are aware of the need to encourage students to engage with module evaluation and that this data is submitted to the University in the format defined in the required timeframe Ensure there are clear and effective mechanisms for recording and responding to issues raised by students and for reporting back on actions taken or not. Ensure partner staff are aware of the University s student appeals process and can advise students accordingly 6
7. ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTNER COURSE LEADERS Meetings and Visits Coordination and delivery of student inductions Member of and attendance at Examination Committee and where possible attendance at the Board of Examiners to be held at the University Member and attendance at annual monitoring and review meetings, including enhancement and development meetings, student focus groups and annual review meeting. The Course Leader may also be responsible for chairing these meetings Support the biannual mutual review of the operation of the course led by staff from the University s QAS and the relevant Coordinator Attendance at staff development at the partner institution and the University (where possible) Attendance at internal meetings and committees in accordance with organisational structures and processes. For example, course team meetings Regular meetings with the relevant University staff ( Coordinator / Link / QAS). These can be held via videoconferencing, Skype or face-to-face Reporting and Documentation Distribute current University documentation, including course document, programme specification, module specifications to staff and students as appropriate Contextualise on an annual basis the Course handbook and submit to the Link for approval Ensure staff and students are aware of comments made by the External Examiner in the annual report Ensure students know where the can access a copy of the External Examiner report Raise any issues relating to academic standards and quality with the relevant University staff i.e. Link / Coordinator Monitoring and Checking Support University staff in overseeing compliance with the Collaboration agreement Provide support to local staff in respect of the University s Academic Principles and Regulations Ensure students are admitted in accordance with the admissions profile of the course and the admissions regulations of the University Ensure assessment is carried out in accordance with University regulations and as advised by the University Coordinator / Link Work with University staff to ensure all student data is submitted to the University administrator in a timely manner and in the format defined by the University. Data includes admissions, attendance, retention, withdrawal, progression and completion, and module evaluation data Work with University staff to ensure all public information receives University approval prior to publication 7
Work with University staff to ensure staff appointments are made in accordance with university requirements Work with University staff to ensure partner staff are aware of who the external examiner is for the course Identify any staff development needs specifically within the teaching team and respond to those accordingly either through the Link or with the support of the QAS Ensure the operation of annual monitoring meetings and the completion of the annual report in conjunction with the Link Communications To maintain effective communication channels between the partner institution and the University (specifically the Leeds based Course Leader and Leaders) To promote awareness and adoption of University regulations, policies and procedures; and to keep local staff informed of new or revised policies and procedures as and when they are introduced. The Student Voice Ensure course representatives are appointed at each level of the course Ensure there is a well-publicised formal mechanism through which staff and students can regularly communicate on matters relating to the student experience Ensure students engage with module evaluation and that this evaluation outcome data is submitted to the University in the format defined and in the agreed timescales Ensure students are engaged with the overall quality assurance processes and that their voice is listened to and responded to 8. SUPPORT OF MODULE LEADERS A Link will serve as a conduit for information, advice and guidance to support the running of a franchise course. Link s cannot however, work in isolation and will need the support of the Leeds based Course Leader (If the Link is not the Course Leader) as well as Leaders. 8
The below diagram illustrates the anticipated interaction between Link s, Course Leaders and s/ Leaders. Head of School Coordinator (Faculty) Coordinator (Partner) Course Leader Link Course Leader (Partner) Leader Leader Leader leader Leader Leader Key areas of responsibility for a Leeds based Leader include: The timely provision of teaching materials via the Link (Appendix 2 of the Framework contains further information on teaching materials) Advice and guidance in relation to curriculum content, teaching materials and assessment tasks and assessment criteria Timely moderation of a sample submitted by the partner to the University Communication is likely to be via the Link in the first instance, although there may be cases when a at a partner wishes to discuss an issue specific to the teaching and /or assessment of that module directly with the Leader in Leeds. Good practice 9
would be for the Link to facilitate a structured event (face-face or via virtual means) to share and discuss materials at the start of the academic cycle. The University has a useful virtual conferencing system (Adobe Connect http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/staff/connect.htm) that could facilitate this type of activity. The facility enables the virtual sharing of documents and discussion. The only equipment required is a PC and headset. 9. SUPPORT OF FACULTY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF The Operational Guidance for Delivery provides a comprehensive description of the University s processes and procedures in the context of franchise delivery. The guidance sets out who (student administration / quality assurance and governance), is responsible for the various elements and how these should be achieved. 10