ASQC Minutes 3 June 2020

Minutes Of The Meeting Of The Cardiff University Academic Standards And Quality Committee (ASQC) Held On Wednesday 3 June 2020 At 10.00 Am Held Via Zoom

Present: Ms Claire Morgan (Chair); Professor Barbara Chadwick; Mr Tomos Evans; Mr Nick Fox; Dr Kate Gilliver; Dr Robert Gossedge; Dr Julie Gwilliam; Professor Martin Jephcote; Professor Dai John; Dr Emma Kidd; Ms Shekina Ortom; Professor Stuart Palmer; Dr Ryan Prout (up to Minute 1272); Dr Rhys Pullin; Dr Andrew Roberts; Professor Helen Williams; Dr Robert Wilson.

In attendance: Mr Rhodri Evans (Secretary); Ms Sian Ballard; Mrs Helen Cowley; Ms Hannah Darnley; Ms Kath Evans; Ms Tracey Evans; Mr Lloyd Hole; Ms Sian Lewis; Ms Sally Rutterford; Ms Tracey Stanley; Ms Martine Woodward; Mr Simon Wright.

1266 Minutes

The Minutes of the meeting of the Academic Standards and Quality Committee held on 29 April 2020 (paper 19/645) were confirmed as a true record.

1267 Matters Arising

Received and considered paper 19/646, 'Matters Arising'.

Arising therefrom:

1267.1 Review of Regulations (Minute 1258.1)

Noted that the finalisation of the equality impact assessments of the Regulations had been delayed as a consequence of the need to prioritise actions to mitigate disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

1267.2 Periodic Review (Minute 1258.3)

Noted

.1 that the development of a new re-validation process had been postponed until the start of the new academic year;
.2 that a task and finish group would be established to develop a new re-validation process - terms of reference and membership to be confirmed by the Chair of ASQC - and a schedule for implementation of a new process would be proposed by the group.

1267.3 Review of Chair’s Action (Minute 1258.6)

Noted that further work would be undertaken by the Deputy Head of Registry to develop a standard operating procedure, ensuring a shared understanding of the decision-making process and the location where supporting evidence was filed and available for review.

1267.4 Degree Outcomes Statement (Minute 1262).

Noted

.1 that the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) had issued a statement in May 2020 highlighting that the higher education sector was facing extraordinary pressures as it responded to the impact of COVID-19, and whilst it encouraged institutions to aim for publication of degree outcomes statement by the end of the 2019/20 academic year where they can, if this should not prove possible, the statement should be published by the end of the 2020 calendar year;
.2 that the University had undertaken considerable preparatory work in advance of drafting our degree outcomes statement:

• the degree outcomes data received at the last meeting of ASQC indicated that our profile was similar to other comparable universities with a similar subject mix;
• a review of our degree outcomes had been undertaken via the ARE process (see Minute 1271), ensuring that, where required, actions relating to degree outcomes had been agreed;
• our assessment and marking practices had been mapped to external reference points, as confirmed by the recent QER outcome report, and the degree algorithms, detailed in our academic regulations, have remained substantially unchanged for a prolonged period of time;
• we have a clear and established academic governance structure for reviewing and reporting on degree outcomes to Council, via the annual quality report;

.3 that due to other priorities, there had been insufficient time to finalise a draft degree outcomes statement in advance of the meeting. The drafting of a degree outcomes statement would be prioritised and completed during the summer in order that the statement can be considered, approved and published in Autumn 2020.

1267.5 Other Matters Arising

Noted that other matters arising would be considered elsewhere on the agenda:
.1 QER (Minute 1260.1)
See Minute 1269.
.2 Student Surveys (Minute 1258.4)
See Minute 1272.
.3 ARE (Minute 1258.5)
See Minute 1271.
.4 Programme Development (Minute 1258.2)
See Minute 1274.

1268 Items from the Chair

1268.1 Membership

Noted

.1 the following changes to membership which would take place at the end of this academic year:

• Dr Hannah Shaw, BIOSI and Dr Andrew Kerr, EARTH would replace Professor Barbra Chadwick and Dr Ryan Prout;
• Council would be appointing a member to serve on ASQC from next academic year as Professor Stuart Palmer’s term ends in July;
• the three student members: Mr Tomos Evans, Ms Shekina Ortom, and Mr Nick Fox finish their sabbatical term of office at the end of June 2020 and would be replaced by the new elected officers. The Chair thanked them for their service and the Committee wished Mr Tomos Evans well as next academic year’s Students’ Union President;

.2 the Chair thanked all departing members for their valued and helpful input and insights into the Committee’s deliberations.

1268.2 Framework for Variation

Received paper 19/657, Framework for Variation: Taught Programmes 2020/21)

Noted

.1 that due to the constraints in the delivery of on-campus provision due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there would be a need to consider possible variation to our degree programmes and how the programmes are delivered;
.2 that the Framework for Variation had been approved by the Vice-Chancellor and was being implemented in order that academic schools could consider the education provision we could confidently deliver in 2020/21 and to review how education provision would be delivered in 2020/21, taking into consideration our obligations under consumer protection law;
.3 the Framework ensured continued institutional oversight for the quality of the student experience and the standards of University awards whilst we respond to the challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic;
.4 that to support the development of a blend of high-quality on-campus and online teaching and assessment, a Digital Education Framework was being developed, built around five principles;
.5 that the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) had written to students and prospective students to advise that the University was looking at new and innovative ways to deliver the Cardiff University experience without compromising its public health requirements;
.5 that large lectures would not take place on-campus next academic year, therefore we would continue with engaging and enhanced online learning activities and classes, together with on-campus teaching and learning, and where social distancing requirements could be met, we were exploring some small group teaching on campus, such as tutorials or clinical, studio and laboratory sessions;
.6 that when making appropriate variations, the Framework specified that Schools should consider whether the variation to arrangements may be less successful for some students than others and ensure that the provision of teaching and assessment is, as far as possible, accessible to all students, and that an equality impact assessment of the Framework would be undertaken;
.7 that we were considering how to open our libraries to allow students and researchers to access resources that are not available online.

1268.3 The Student View

Noted

.1 that each year, the Sabbatical Officers in the Students’ Union submit an annual report - formerly called the Student Written Submission - and as of 2020 called The Student View. The report presents the aspects of the student experience which the Sabbatical Officers believe the University should give attention to over the coming academic year;
.2 that the University would respond to the report, via Council, and we were currently drafting our response to The Student View 2020.

1269 QER Reports and Action Plan

Received and considered paper 19/647 ‘QER Reports and Action Plan’.

Noted

1269.1 that the review team had judged that the University:

• meets the requirements of the ESG Part 1 for internal quality assurance;
• meets the relevant baseline regulatory requirements of the Quality Assessment Framework for Wales;
  and identified one area of good practice, the opportunities provided by CUROP to students to engage with research activities to enhance their learning and future career prospects, and one affirmation, the steps being taken to implement a revised ARE process that enabled a more responsive approach to the review and enhancement of student experience;

1269.2 the QAA had, on 14 May 2020, published the reports of the review team:

• an Outcome Report: a concise summary report aimed at an external audience e.g. students and members of the public;
• a Technical Report: which sets out the evidence underpinning the Outcome Report;

1269.3 that this was an excellent outcome for the University which demonstrated that we have robust arrangements for securing academic standards, managing academic quality, and for enhancing the quality of the student experience;

1269.4 the requirement for the University, by 9 July 2020, to publish a QER action plan, developed jointly with student representatives, addressing the Review Team’s affirmation, and explaining how the University would capitalise on the commendation;

1269.5 that the preparation for QER, the review visits, and the technical report identified additional matters which the University would wish to consider and address, and such matters would be identified, prioritised, and incorporated into the education and student experience plan;

1269.6 the Committee’s appreciation to all staff and students who had participated in QER and specifically to those who had supported the process: Mr Rhodri Evans, Ms Martine Woodward, Mr Lloyd Hole, Ms Jackie Yip, and Ms Kathryn Cribbin.

Resolved

1269.7 to recommend to Senate and Council that the QER action plan be approved for publication.

1270 Institutional Review, Monitoring and Evaluation of Credit Bearing Activity at Cardiff

Received and considered paper 19/654 ‘Institutional Review, Monitoring and Evaluation of Credit Bearing activity at Cardiff University’.

Noted

1270.1 that as part of the University’s preparations for the Quality Enhancement Review, two mapping documents had been produced, confirming to the Review Team:

• how the University continued to meet the requirements of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) for internal quality assurance; and
• how the University continued to meet the expectations and the core and common practices for quality and standards as expressed in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (UKQC);

1270.2 that ASQC was responsible, on behalf of Senate, for ensuring that the University’s academic quality system continued to meet the baseline requirements, as specified in the ESG and UK Quality Code, and therefore it would be essential that the mapping documents created for QER continue to be reviewed and updated on an annual basis by the relevant policy/process owners;

1270.3 that the preparations for QER had highlighted that we had a range of interconnected processes for monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating our credit bearing provision, but that there was not one overarching policy which provided an overview and clarified the interconnectivity between the processes.

Resolved

1270.6 to approve the annual review of the mapping documents by the relevant policy/process owners with a report of the review being submitted to ASQC in order that the Committee can provide annual assurance to Senate and Council, via the annual quality report;

1270.5 to endorse the development of a single, overarching policy that specified the University’s approach for the monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating credit bearing activity.

1271  Reports on Annual Review and Enhancement (ARE) 2019/20

Received and considered paper 19/655R ‘College Report on Annual Review and Enhancement (ARE)’.

Noted

1271.1 that paper 19/655R contained three standardised College Reports, providing ASQC with an overview of the implementation of the revised ARE process, reporting on areas of strength and areas that require further development;

1271.2t hat the recommendations for the enhancement of ARE from each College report would be considered alongside paper 19/678 outlining the proposals for ARE 2020/21;

1271.3 that each College report confirmed that all Schools had engaged with the revised ARE process in 2019/20 and that College ARE Sub-Committees met in late January and April/May 2020 to review action plans, identify shared issues, concerns and best practice. Where necessary, school meetings had taken place to discuss action plans, although the impact of Covid-19 had delayed the provision of feedback to Schools;

1271.4 that all Schools had reflected on the ARE areas of focus and, where appropriate, had action plans that were fit for purpose;

1271.5 that some Schools had been identified as ‘at risk’ through ARE, and the relevant College had requested specific action plans to address areas for improvement, detailing timescales for review and evaluation;

1271.6 that where Schools had been identified as ‘at risk’, the relevant College had confirmed that the overall quality of educational provision within the School could not be considered ‘inadequate’, however further targeted support was essential to ensure each School continued to meet the baseline requirements for academic standards going forward;

1271.7 that the NSS results in SHARE, ENGIN, CHEMY, BIOSI, and HCARE would be monitored in July 2020 to see if there was any improvement in results in line with the bespoke action plans;

1271.8 that the progression and attrition rates in the ENGIN, COMSC, and CHEMY would be monitored to ensure that action to support students at all levels of study improved their retention;

1271.9 that the degree outcomes in HCARE, PHYSX, and COMSC would be monitored for the proportion of first-class honours degrees awarded;

1271.10 that all Colleges would explore and discuss with Schools how to improve the PRES Research Culture scores, with specific monitoring of the action plan in GEOPL due to the low scores for supervision, research culture, and progress and assessment;

1271.11 that there were a number of identified areas of risk for HCARE: student satisfaction; degree outcomes; and PhD submission rates; and therefore it would be appropriate to have an early conversation with the school to provide support and be assured that the school was able to address the identified issues promptly.

Resolved

1271.12 to confirm that the ARE process had been completed as specified, and that Schools had engaged with the process and developed appropriate action plans that were fit for purpose, consequently all Schools had met the baseline requirements for academic quality and standards;

1271.13 that the Chair, on behalf of ASQC, would discuss with the College Pro Vice-Chancellor (BLS) the issues identified in the College ARE report in relation to the School of Healthcare Sciences with the view to provide support and develop appropriate intervention strategies to protect academic standards and the student experience;

1271.14 that a progress report from Colleges would be presented to ASQC in Autumn 2020.

1272 Update on Student Surveys

Received paper 19/648, ‘Update on Student Surveys’.

Noted

1272.1 that the paper outlined the planned survey activity in 2020/21 which could be used to support the ARE process;

1272.2 that the NSS data would be received in July with Student Experience Enhancement meetings to go ahead as per Survey Management Framework and ARE process. SEEPs would to be updated in September 2020, as part of ARE process;

1272.3 that Module Evaluation data was available for the Autumn Semester (2019/20) modules only. Changes to Module Evaluation in 2020/21 would be considered by SESG in June 2020;

1272.4 that in addition to reviewing the current survey data, CESI was assessing the multitude of ways the University listens to, and addresses, the student voice, to ensure we continue to listen to students during this challenging period, and to establish how feedback could be sought from students on their digital experience.

1273 Annual Review and Enhancement (ARE) 2020/21

Received and considered paper 19/678, ‘Annual Review and Enhancement (ARE) 2020/21’.

Noted

1273.1 that the review of ARE included the recommendations outlined in paper 19/655R, identified in the College ARE reports;

1273.2 that in its first year of operation, ARE focussed on ensuring that baseline requirements for quality assurance were being met.  In addition, key institutional quality enhancement led discussions had taken place, outlining progress on institutional themes and projects with Schools providing an evidence-based narrative on progress;

1273.3 that the new approach to ARE has been well received by staff in Schools and was reported positively to the QER review team highlighting the benefits of a more proportional and timely approach. Staff highlighted significant improvements in the timeliness and focus of conversations with the College which allowed them to implement changes immediately when issues were highlighted rather than at the end of the academic year.

1273.4 Student Experience Enhancement Plans (SEEPS)

Noted

.1 the Colleges had identified that they would like to develop the SEEPs further to ensure there was clearer advice and guidance for Schools when completing them;
.2 the Colleges had identified that further work was needed to proactively support Schools in ensuring that actions were clearly prioritised and aligned with institutional priorities and monitored/completed within the anticipated timescales.

Resolved

.3 the SEEPs would be retained and updated as part of the 2020/21 ARE process, ensuring that the actions were prioritised and achievable, they were not excessive in number, and provided an indication of the effectiveness of actions when completed.

1273.5 Curriculum design and delivery

Noted

.1 to provide greater clarity and enable more focussed attention around the impact and effectiveness of changes to curriculum design and delivery, the area of focus (portfolio development) should be re-titled;
.2 that analysis should focus on the impact of the move to remote learning and associated changes to curriculum and assessment, and the delivery of a blend of high-quality on-campus and online teaching, along with any wider student experience issues from feedback received from students and staff.

Resolved

.3 the portfolio development area of focus be re-titled Curriculum Design and Delivery.

1273.6 Student Satisfaction (survey data)

Noted that the student satisfaction area of focus would be retained enabling schools to reflect on student survey data received as outlined in paper 19/648.

1273.7 Programme Outcomes (progression, award and non-continuation)

Noted

.1 that the programme outcome area of focus would be retained with more emphasis on cross referencing programme outcome data with feedback from External Examiner reports;
.2 discussions regarding progression, award, and non-continuation would continue to be a critical feature of the monitoring of academic standards within Schools;
.3 the review of degree outcomes data through ARE, allowed Schools to provide an analysis which would inform the content of the degree outcome statement in relation to actions being taken to manage risks and challenges.

1273.8 Module evaluation and module outcomes

Noted

.1 both module evaluation and module outcomes would be retained as an area of focus, acknowledging that module evaluation data may be limited for ARE 2020/21;
.2 it was anticipated that significant attention would be paid to module outcomes at the summer 2020 Examining Boards, ensuring that the marks awarded were an accurate reflection of the academic standards achieved by the students and which could be used to inform ARE discussions;
.3 Examining Boards would be required to record discussion and decisions relating to academic standards in the Examining Board Framework form, and that the form should be used as the source of discussion and analysis for ARE as it connects the conversations around programme outcomes, module outcomes and curriculum design and delivery.

1273.9 Data

Noted

.1 that all College ARE reports identify that the data provided could be presented in a more accessible format and that further work was needed in the areas identified below to ensure Schools could interrogate the information in a simple way to support meaningful analysis:

• Award data: Students who had achieved their intended awards (rather than exit awards) as a proportion of the total;
• Profile of degree classifications by programme, school, college and institutional, including differential outcomes for students with different characteristics;
• Progression data: students at the end of each stage of study as a proportion of the total number of students enrolled on the programme, including information on August resits, repeating students, and students who had been excluded;
• Module outcomes data: differential outcomes across modules looking at student satisfaction, standard deviation, pass/fail results and average marks;

.2 that the development of a Data Service was intended to address the wider institutional issues around data which had been recognised and identified as part of Nicholls Review and the QER process.

Resolved

.3 that additional work be commissioned through BI to ensure the data received for ARE was fit for purpose and could be easily interrogated.

1273.10 the College ARE sub committees would continue to meet at designated times during the academic to review the data and analyse school submissions and action plans and a finalised schedule for ARE 2020/21 would be confirmed and disseminated to Schools by the Colleges.

Resolved

1273.11 that the above recommendations for the enhancement of ARE be implemented for ARE 2020/21.

1274 Programme Development Policy

Received and considered paper 19/651 ‘Programme Development Policy’.

Noted

1274.1 that following consultation, with the Pro Vice-Chancellors (Heads of College) and the Vice-Chancellor, the Chair of ASQC had approved that the Recruitment and Admissions Strategy Group (RASG) should be the institutional body for Stage 1 approval/oversight of new programme development, effective from academic year 2020/21;

1274.2 that the paper highlighted the proposed changes introduced in the new programme development policy which had been identified as part of the end-to-end review of the process, the most significant changes being the increased authority of Boards of Studies, and support for programme development;

1274.3 the University’s principles of programme structure, design, and delivery would be a key consideration when developing all programmes, along with the Digital Education Framework currently being established;

1274.4 that there was an expectation that the academic sponsors for new programmes would engage with the core workshops offered through the CESI before submitting a new programme proposal to the Programme and Partner Standing Panel;

1274.5 that the revised thresholds of change, which granted increased authority for Boards of Studies, had been mirrored in the Framework for Variation that Schools were currently using, and consequently Schools would become familiar with the revised thresholds and accountability for the decisions taken by Boards of Studies which would support the implementation of the new policy;

1274.6 that it was anticipated that the increased thresholds, for changes which could be approved by Boards of Studies, would reduce the number of major changes to be considered and approved by the Programme and Partner Standing Panel;

1274.7 that, by the end of the 2020/21, a review to consider the academic governance arrangements within Schools, specifically the relationship between Boards of Studies and the School Board, should be undertaken to ensure that decisions relating to programme changes were being taken by the appropriate body within Schools;

1274.8 that due to the significant workload to review degree programmes by the start of 2020/21 academic year, Schools would be encouraged to critically evaluate the rationale for all other proposals to change programmes, particularly major changes, and to bring forward only those which were regarded as essential;

1274.9 that Colleges would be asked to review the number of proposals for major changes to programmes that have been put forward for 2020/21 and beyond, taking into consideration the stage each proposal has reached in the programme development process, and to confirm which proposals could be paused and considered under the new revalidation process in 2021/22;

1274.10 that the information on Coursefinder should ensure that the University continued to comply with its responsibilities under consumer protection law, was attractive and meets the expectations of prospective students, and enabled Boards to Studies to make appropriate changes to programmes.

Resolved

1274.11 to recommended that Senate approve the Programme Development Policy;

1274.12 that Colleges review the number of proposals for new programmes and major changes to programmes that have been put forward for 2020/21 and beyond to ascertain if the proposals remain prioritised, as they continue to support institutional priorities and financial resilience, and to confirm sufficient capacity remained available to undertake the development work;

1274.13 that the information presented on Coursefinder be reviewed to ensure there are no unintended consequences arising from the detail of programme information published in relation to our responsibilities under consumer protection law.

1275 Procedures for the Application, Submission and Assessment of Higher Doctorates

Received paper 19/652 ‘Procedures for the Application, Submission and Assessment of Higher Doctorates’.

Noted

1275.1 that ASQC members had been consulted regarding the arrangements for the award of Higher Doctorates, via discussion paper 16/486, ‘Review of Senior Doctorates’, and subsequently ASQC and Senate had approved the Regulations for Higher Doctorates for the 2019/20 academic year;

1275.2 that the procedures had been developed to support and clarify the application of Regulations for Higher Doctorates on matters relating to the application, submission and assessment of Higher Doctorates.

Resolved

1275.3 to approve the Procedures for the Application, Submission and Assessment of Higher Doctorates.

1276 Reports from Groups

Received paper 19/649, 'Report from Programme and Partner Standing Panel’.

Noted

1276.1 that discussions around opportunities for students to undertake study abroad and placement opportunities next academic year had taken place in the Student Experience Strategy Group (SESG), with input from the Head of Global Opportunities;

1276.2 that an options and risk analysis had been proposed by the Dean Of Employability and the Head of Quality and Academic Standards for discussion and analysis which had been included as an appendix to the Framework for Variation 2020/21 as guidance for Schools;

1276.3 that when developing Study Abroad agreements, all Schools had been advised that there must be careful consideration of the balance of incoming and outgoing students on each arrangement, including specific language requirements. In addition, School had been asked to confirm that modules offered from other Schools were available before being confirmed to incoming students to ensure a positive study abroad experience.

1277 Action taken on behalf of the Committee

Received and noted paper 19/653, ‘Routine Actions Taken on Behalf of the Committee’, paper 19/650, ‘Actions that Exceed the Permitted Variation of Arrangements due to Covid-19’, and paper 19/656, ‘Scaling Guidance.

1278 Date of Meetings: 2020/21

Noted that the dates of next academic year’s meeting would be confirmed in due course and notified to members.