The University is committed to maintaining the quality and currency of its programmes, and to providing the best possible academic experience for its students – in line with the conditions of registration (B1-B5) set by the Office for Students. Procedures are therefore in place to ensure all programmes are re-validated at least every five years, and to provide a mechanism for making more minor annual changes, as necessary, in order to maintain the currency of the provision, to satisfy changing requirements of accrediting or commissioning bodies, or to enhance the student learning experience.
Programme Changes and Revalidation
Read this chapter if you are interested in any of the following procedures:
The approved programme specification and associated programme documentation – including programme and module handbooks (and, in the case of collaborative provision, the Operations Manual) - may be considered as the ‘contract’ between the University (as the awarding body), its Schools/Departments (and Partners), and its students, which sets out the terms of delivery of a programme, in line with the expectations of relevant consumer legislation.
Within this context, it is recognised that it may be necessary to make changes to existing programmes from time to time. All changes to existing programmes must be approved through the processes described in this section, and clearly communicated to students, staff and other relevant stakeholders in a timely manner to ensure they have access to accurate module and programme information at all times.
The different types of modification have been categorised according to their significance (see definitions below), and the approval processes tailored so that they are proportionate to the changes being proposed.
The same definitions and approval processes apply to collaborative arrangements, but some key points to keep in mind when partners propose curriculum or assessment changes include:
- Where programmes leading to the same award are being delivered by more than one partner, through a franchise arrangement or via the ACP, and/or also by the University, modifications should be agreed by all parties, in order to ensure continued comparability of the standards of the award and quality of the student experience across all delivery locations. However, changing delivery at all sites may not be appropriate for all types of modification, some of which may be to respond to local needs, therefore advice on such proposals should be sought from the link QAO.
- Modifications to jointly-provided programmes leading to dual or joint awards must be agreed by all partners involved.
- In the case of validation, credit rating and articulation arrangements, the partner organisation must notify the University when modifications are to be made to their programme, and the Faculty AESC/QLIC must ensure that the partner programme continues to meet the University’s requirements for the credit being awarded.
If you have any questions about the information in the Handbook, please contact your link Quality Assurance Officer in the Academic Policy & Quality Office.