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Introduction:
Programme Monitoring and review is
the consideration of the effectiveness of the programme in
achieving its stated aims, and the success of students in
attaining the intended learning outcomes. Periodically, the
continuing validity of those aims and outcomes must be reviewed
and relevant action plans for improvement must be designed
and implemented.
Annual monitoring is a process of critical reflection by
staff responsible for the design and delivery of programmes
as a means to assure the quality of provision, the maintenance
of standards and to promote improvement by identifying actions,
reflecting on actions previously taken, and identifying and
sharing good practice. This forms part of the process of reflecting
on the design and delivery of individual modules, reflecting
on feedback from stakeholders -students and external examiners
– and links to the process undertaken at faculty level
and ultimately the institutes’ level (through Quality
Assurance and Enhancement Committee). The process therefore
provides the basis for identifying issues which lie outside
the department (whether faculty-level or institute-level issues)
and for promoting the exchange of good practice across departments
and faculties.
Purpose
The purpose of this code of practice is to articulate the
institute’s requirements for the annual monitoring of
programmes by academic departments. The code is a fundamental
part of the institutes quality assurance and enhancement system,
and reflects the contribution that all academic staff make
to the assurance and improvement of the student learning experience
and the maintenance of academic standards.
Objectives
- To ensure that programmes remain current and valid in
the light of developing knowledge in the discipline and
its practice in its application
- To evaluate the extent to which the intended learning
outcomes are being attained
- To evaluate the continuing effectiveness of the curriculum
and of assessment in relation to intended learning outcomes
- To ensure that appropriate actions are taken to remedy
identified shortcomings
- To develop an action plan for continuous quality improvement
Responsibility for the monitoring of a Programme lies with
the nominated Programme Team. Programme monitoring should
be completed at the end of the academic year.
Monitoring and Review Processes
(a) Each module (subject) should be subjected to student
evaluation annually.
(b) Each Module leader should submit a module report to
the Programme leader after the students have been examined
in the module.
(c) Each Programme leader should submit a Programme report
annually to the
Faculty Board.
(d) Each Faculty Board should produce on an annual basis
an Evaluative
Overview of the Programmes – the Faculty Annual Report.
(e) Each Faculty Programme should be subjected to review
annually.
(f) Reports with action plans should be discussed in QAC
and sent to Senate for approval.
Please see the following guidelines below for Module Monitoring,
Evaluation and Review
1. Guidelines for Module
Monitoring, Evaluation and Review
1.1 Module monitoring is essentially a
process designed to ensure that
(a) Modules are operating effectively;
(b) Adequate standards of teaching and learning are being
met; and
(c) Appropriate remedial action is taken when problems are
identified.
1.2 Each module should have a designated
member of staff responsible for it as Module Leader. That
member of staff will be responsible for carrying out monitoring
procedures for the particular module for which s/he has responsibility
and for reporting the outcome of that process to the relevant
Department.
1.3 A significant element of module monitoring
is the student feedback through questionnaires distributed
during the delivery and/or at the end of the module. The
Module Leaders or other member(s) of staff involved
in the delivery of the module should undertake the
evaluation of the student feedback.
1.4 A module report should be submitted
by each module coordinator to the programme coordinator
after students have been examined in the module.
A standard module monitoring report is provided.
The following guidelines are provided to allow a standard
module monitoring report to be produced by each Module leader:
- Academic Year:
- Module Code and Title:
- Module leader:
- Department/ Programmes which owns the module::
- Faculty:
- Other Academic Staff involved in the delivery
of the module:
- Overview of module;
- Comment on any achievement or problem(s) related
to the module (curriculum, resources, mode of
delivery, assessment) encountered during the semester/ academic
year and propose any action that can be taken by the Module
leader , Programme leader/Department, Faculty or Institute.
- Give information on any problem that may have been identified
in the previous year and how it was dealt with by the concerned
parties.
- Data on student performance in continuous
assessment and in examinations:
- Give the statistical data on the student performance
in continuous assessment and in the individual questions
in the examination written paper and comment on them.
- Compare the performance with that of last year and
comment on any factors that may be associated with any
difference found in the data of both years (if applicable).
1.5 Feedback
The significant issues raised by students through the student
feedback questionnaires should be stated. Feed back from other
staff/students forums should also be considered.
Comments of the External Examiner(s) on the module (if any)
should be considered and the actions taken or proposed as
a result should be given.
1.6 Staff Development Needs
Comment on staff development needs identified in relation
to either the curriculum or other requirements.
1.7 Gender analysis and monitoring
Data on the gender should be provided by the nominated departmental
equality for persons. Improvement actions should be given
in the recommendations.
1.8 Module Specification Sheet
The module specification sheet should be attached to the
report.
1.9 The module report, submitted to the
Programme leader will be discussed at the level of departments.
Minutes of the meetings should be kept for reference.
- If significant changes to the module are proposed
arising from the monitoring process, the rationale behind
the changes has to be given e.g. requirement of external
bodies, developments in the subject area, modules offered
by competitors, comments of external examiners or feedback
from students or graduates etc.
- Improvement action plans must be
shown.
2.0 Programmes Monitoring and Review
The purpose of the Programme monitoring
process is to ensure that the modules offered in the Programme
are operating effectively, that adequate standards of teaching
and learning are being met, to identify good practice and
to ensure that appropriate remedial action are taken when
problems are identified.
2.1 The Programme leader prepares an annual
report on the Programmes for which s/he is responsible, based
mainly on the reports of the Module Leaders.
A standard programme monitoring report is provided.
2.2 The report should comprise the following
information:
- Academic Year:
- Faculty:
- Programme leader:
- Department/ Programme
- Academic Staff involved in the delivery of the
Programme:
- Overview of the Programme
- Comment on any major successes, achievements or problems,
relating to the Programme(curriculum, resources, mode of
delivery, assessment), encountered during the academic year.
List also any significant changes and developments brought
to the Programme during the academic year.
Feedback on the Programme from students
- Summarize issues raised by students from various modules
offered in the programme and Comment
on the significant issues raised by students through questionnaires
or faculty Board meeting(s) etc.
2.4 Feedback on the Programme from External
Examiner(s)
State the main issues and actions that were taken or proposed
(if any).
2.5 Student Performance
(a. Comment on any trends or developments observed in the
student numbers and progression in the Programme during the
academic year.
(b) Give the statistical data on each module of the Programme
and comment on them.
- Admission statistics and Progression statistics
- Award statistics, including honours classification
- Graduate employment, including the most recently available
graduate employment statistics.
- Equal opportunities information
(c) Compare modules within the Programme compared to previous
years.
2.6 Staff Development
Comment on any staff development needs identified during
the year. Comment also on the effectiveness of staff/academics
and any procedure used to monitor their performance. The report
on staff development needs should be submitted to the Head
of the Academic Practice Unit.
- A report is provided for each year/level of the Programme
by the respective Programme coordinator. All the Programme
coordinators’ reports are submitted for consideration
at the departmental meetings.
- The faculty Board will then produce an evaluative overview
of the Programme –the Annual faculty Report, which
will be considered by the relevant Departments. The latter
may decide to take appropriate or remedial action, if
necessary.
- All programmes reports must report on previous years
implementation plan.
- All annual reports must go through must the QAC and
Senate
- Programme teams should meet at least four times a year
to review improvement plans and discuss other issues.
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