Quality Handbook supplement 0C - Glossary of terms

Glossary of terms

A:

Academic Appeals process: A two-part process comprising the Request for Reconsideration (R4R) stage, which allows a candidate to request reconsideration, on certain grounds, of the decision of the Board of Examiners, and the Academic Appeal stage, which allows a candidate to appeal, on certain grounds, the outcome of the Request for Reconsideration. The first stage is considered by a Reconsideration Panel in the candidate’s School and the second stage is investigated by the Appeal Investigator who will be the Academic Registrar or a nominee from within Academic Registry.

Academic Board: the senior academic policy-making body in the University.

Academic Course Approval Sub-Committee: has responsibility for the oversight of course development and approval for new courses and high-impact changes to existing courses. All approval decisions are submitted to ASQC for formal ratification.

Academic Integrity: the commitment to, and demonstration of fundamental values and behaviours including honesty, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Please note: Academic Integrity is often abbreviated to ‘AI’ but this should not be misconstrued as referencing ‘Artificial Intelligence’.

Academic liaison tutor (previously University verifier): The University appoints an academic liaison tutor to each course or cognate group of courses at a Validated Centre. The academic liaison tutor is appointed from the relevant University Link School and their role is to ensure, through a spirit of partnership, that academic standards, quality and student learning opportunities are maintained; act as a critical friend, providing advice and guidance, and facilitating two way communication between the partner and the University; where there is an approved progression route to a University course, to support student progression.

Academic mentor: see personal tutor and workplace tutor.

Academic Misconduct: Breaches of academic integrity which might constitute academic misconduct include multiple, non-concurrent breaches of academic integrity, collusion, fabrication, falsification or misrepresentation, minor breach of examination regulations or conduct, plagiarism, software-based text modification, and academic dishonesty.

Academic Partnership: an academic partnership is a course which is delivered with others and lead to academic credit awarded by the University. Academic partnerships include:

• Franchise
• Joint delivery
• Joint/double degree
• Dual degree
• Joint/double/dual award doctoral collaborations
• Validation service

The Academic Partnerships Sub-Committee (AcaPSC): The sub-committee has responsibility for comprehensive oversight of all types of academic partnerships. They report to the Academic Standards and Quality Committee (ASQC).

Academic Registry: a professional service department that focuses on graduation organisation and delivery; examination facilitation; student records; timetabling; the consideration of personal circumstances; academic appeals and irregularities; student complaints; immigration compliance; and the Student Code of Behaviour.

Academic Standards and Quality Committee (ASQC): has delegated responsibility from the Academic Board for the overview of the policies, practices and regulations governing NTU’s taught courses. A highly technical committee chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education).

AcaPSC: see The Academic Partnerships Sub-Committee.

Accreditation of prior certificated learning (APCL): see Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL).

Accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL): see Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL).

Accreditation of prior learning (APL): see Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Active Collaborative Learning (ACL): ACL pedagogies are student-centred and focus on activities that directly engage students in the learning process. The role of the academic is focused on the facilitation of learning, and providing timely feedback, while students engage in learning by doing through active collaboration with each other.

Advanced standing: the term used to describe the admission of a student beyond the beginning of a course.

AdvanceHE: Advance HE is a charity of and for the higher education sector that works with partners across the globe to improve higher education for staff, students and society. At NTU it is most well-known for its Professional Standards Framework (PSF) which underpins its fellowships.

Aegrotat award: an unclassified final exit award which may be offered by the Board of Examiners where a student has failed a module at level 6 (or has failures in trailing modules) and the student has been forced to withdraw due to serious illness.

Anonymous marking: the identity of individual students is kept from the markers to avoid conscious or unconscious bias. It is recognised that anonymous marking is not possible in oral, practical, performance, studio or work-based situations.

Apprenticeships are a real job combining on-the-job training with study, which allows apprentices to earn as they learn the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required for a specific role. Apprenticeships culminate with an end-point assessment. End-point assessment tests occupational competence and is either integrated within the academic award or non-integrated (administered by an external organisation). NTU delivers three types of apprenticeships:

1. Advanced apprenticeships are offered at level 3. These are equivalent to two A-Levels.
2. Higher apprenticeships are offered at levels 4 and 5. These are equivalent to a higher education certificate, higher education diploma or a foundation degree.
3. Degree apprenticeships are offered at levels 6 and 7. These are equivalent to a bachelor’s or master’s degree, respectively.

Apprenticeship Portfolio Sub-Committee (ApSC): has responsibility for comprehensive oversight of the standards and quality for the University's apprenticeship and skills portfolio, and reports to ASQC.

Approval to Proceed (ATP): the first stage of the business evaluation process and is designed to support strategic portfolio management. The ATP process captures minimum information about ideas for new or revised non-collaborative provision at an early stage. This allows all key stakeholders to decide which proposals are viable or desirable. Only then will proposals proceed to business evaluation and academic approval.

Approved Partner: the formal term for an external partner not categorised by other more formal collaborations.

ApSC: see Apprenticeship Portfolio Sub-Committee.

Aptem: is the University’s apprenticeship learner management system. This one system supports the apprentice from onboarding through to end-point assessment.

Articulation:  An articulation arrangement facilitates entry for students from another institution into a University course beyond the start of that course. For example, a 2 + 1 arrangement whereby a student completes two years at another institution, and then attends the University for one year and receives an NTU award. Advanced standing is granted to individual students OR cohorts completing a period of study on a named course at a named partner. Articulation agreements do not guarantee that a student who applies to study at NTU will be accepted onto the course (unless it is a condition of the agreement), and additional entry requirements may need to be met

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.

ASQC: see Academic Standards and Quality Committee.

Assessed Work-Like Experience (AWLE): a requirement for all NTU courses and provides embedded opportunities for professional experience. AWLE experiences allow students to apply their learning in real contexts, build confidence, and develop essential workplace skills. Please visit the Employability SharePoint site for further information on AWLE.

Assessment is a generic term for a set of processes that measure the outcomes of student learning in terms of knowledge acquired, understanding developed and skills gained. It enables students to obtain feedback on their learning and helps them to improve their performance. It enables staff to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching.

• Assessment Criteria describe what the learner is expected to do, in order to demonstrate that a learning outcome(s) has been achieved.
• Element: a module assessment will have at least one element of assessment that seeks to test one or more module learning outcomes or aspects of them. An assessment element is determined at module design and confirmed through the whole course assessment design. An assessment element may be further divided into sub-elements (for example, an element may consist of multiple pieces of reflective writing).
• An Assessment and Feedback Plan (AFP) is produced annually for each course and sets out the agreed assessment methods, timings and feedback arrangements for the session ahead.
• An assessment method is a type of assessment used to measure learning outcomes and set out in the definitive module information in the curriculum management system (CourseLoop) and Banner. At course delivery level, the assessment method will be translated into a specific assessment task.
• An Assessment Schedule sets out in tabular format a course's modules, indicating their assessment elements and weightings, as well as credit values, level and module title - and also whether they are year-long or half-year modules.
• Assessment strategy is a forward-looking statement of principles that states how assessment is to meet the aims of the course.
• An assessment task is a specific piece of student work, or linked pieces of work, carried out and submitted for module assessment. Assessment tasks stem from the type of assessment method set out in the definitive module information in the curriculum management system (CourseLoop) and Banner under the appropriate assessment element.
• Award assessment is a process by which the Board of Examiners judges whether a student has satisfactorily achieved the course and module learning outcomes.

Award Board: see Board of Examiners.

Award Framework: the University’s award framework is entirely congruent with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).

• Level 3: Year 0 undergraduate (foundation year)
• Level 4: Year 1 undergraduate
• Level 5: Year 2 undergraduate
• Level 6: Year 3/final year undergraduate
• Level 7: postgraduate taught (master’s)
• Level 8: postgraduate research (doctoral)

Award Level is the stage of study associated with the terminal award, e.g. Level 5 for a Foundation Degree, Level 6 for an Honours Degree or Level 7 for a taught master’s award.

AWLE: see Assessed Work-Like Experience.

B:

Banner: the University’s student records system, owned by the Academic Registry.

Blended Learning is a structured programme of study in which pedagogically informed decisions are made as to which elements of a module will be fully online or entirely face-to-face, providing varying degrees of flexibility.

Board of Examiners: a formal meeting of course team members, teaching staff, module leaders, administrators and the external examiner(s) (chaired by a senior School member) that makes decisions on student progression and awards for students on taught courses. At an Award Board, the external examiner(s) must be present, but not necessarily at Progression or Referral Boards.

Business Case: the final stage of the business evaluation process which includes consideration of the financial analysis and implications for academic and administrative staffing for a given course proposal.

Business Evaluation process: a series of stages that a proposal for a new course, or proposed changes to an existing course which have business implications, needs to undergo alongside the academic approval process. There are three stages to the business evaluation process: Approval to Proceed (ATP); Outline Summary; and Business Case.

C:

CAR: see Common Assessment Regulations.

A capstone project is a large project that is intended to be the final piece of an undergraduate degree. In order to support the principle of depth over breadth, the development of capstone projects was introduced as part of the 2011/12 Curriculum Review. Course teams are expected to provide a substantial, integrative piece of work in the final year of all undergraduate courses.

CADQ: see Centre for Academic Development and Quality.

Centre for Academic Development and Quality (CADQ): the administrative centre responsible for managing NTU’s quality arrangements, educational and academic development, flexible learning, the University’s apprenticeship provision, collaborative partnerships and validation services, course design, and the development of professional development and scholarship.

A classification aggregate is used in Honours, Extended and Foundation Degree courses where two levels contribute to the overall award classification.

Coach: there is considerable overlap between coaching and mentoring practices, but coaching is generally more goal-oriented than mentoring. Outside a sporting context this term refers to an individual who facilitates a coaching conversation, defined as a conversation that aims to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

COIL: see Collaborative Online International Learning

Collaborative Online International Learning: a form of virtual exchange, allowing students from different countries to use digital technology to collaborate on a meaningful project relevant to their studies.

Common Assessment Regulations (CAR): the University’s framework of principles and regulations governing assessment.

Collaborative academic lead: appointed by the link-School for School-based collaborative course provision and Validation Service provision. The collaborative academic lead is normally an academic subject specialist member of University staff.  In their role, the collaborative academic lead formally represents ASQC in monitoring collaborative provision. The role is multifaceted and incorporates elements of relationship management, quality assurance, and educational development.

Collaborative operational document (COD): a text written during the academic approval process for collaborative provision which represents a shared understanding by the University and the partner of the mechanisms through which the collaboration will operate and the roles and responsibilities of each party. The COD is considered and agreed by the PDAG or by URDC in the case of doctoral degrees.

Collaborative provision (CP) is educational provision leading to an award of NTU, or to specific credit towards an NTU award, which is delivered and/or supported and/or assessed through an arrangement with a partner organisation. There are five categories of partnership:

1. Distance Delivery
2. Articulation
3. Foundation Degree Progression
4. Nottingham Trent International College Progression
5. Delivery under Pearson licence (Higher National Qualifications)

Compensation may be used by the Board of Examiners to award a pass where a candidate has marginally failed to achieve all the assessed learning outcomes for a module, provided that the board is satisfied that the candidate has met the module learning outcomes (assessed and learned) or equivalent elsewhere. Compensation is a matter of academic judgement.

Consideration of Personal Circumstances: previously the Notification of Extenuating Circumstances (NEC) process. A mechanism allowing students to tell the University about circumstances that have affected their ability to study, prepare for, or complete an assessment, and to request that consideration is given to enable them to perform at their best.

Consideration of Personal Circumstances Contact (CPCC): Responsible for considering requests above and beyond the two short extension requests per year of study that are automatically approved. The CPCC may decide that a student would benefit from further or specialist support. The CPCC is responsible for signposting the student to the appropriate source of support and facilitating access via the Course Leader or Personal Tutor if needed.

Consideration of Personal Circumstances Panel (CPCP): a School panel responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Consideration of Personal Circumstances policy.

A course is a curriculum of modules and structured learning, independent learning and associated learner support, which together have been designed and approved to lead to a specific named award or awards of the University. A course may contain pathways that usually comprise a subset of the full course diet and may lead to awards in their own right.

A course committee is the formal body that manages the ongoing operation of a course of study, monitors its success and formulates actions to enhance its quality. A committee will be chaired by the course leader and include in its membership all relevant teaching and administrative staff, as well as student representatives.

A course co-ordinator: see collaborative academic lead.  

Course Design and Approval Process: the process by which a new course, or a change to an existing course, is approved. Please see Quality Handbook Section 5: Course Design and Approval and the Academic Quality Hub.

Course Review: NTU’S policy for monitoring course performance according to internal and external metrics. Appropriate interventions are identified for compliance and enhancement and captured in a Course Review Plan. Courses must seek re-approval before or at the five-year mark.

A course leader is a member of academic staff responsible for leading staff associated with a particular course, and for managing its successful operation and development.

CourseLoop: NTU’s curriculum management system, CourseLoop, enables course and module teams to propose, create, manage and review changes to the University’s taught portfolio. CourseLoop also supports the management of business cases associated with changes to existing courses and new course developments.

Course Information (on CourseLoop): comprises the definitive curriculum information about a specified course of study, including the aims and course learning outcomes, the assessment and teaching and learning strategies.

CPCC: see Consideration of Personal Circumstances Contact

CPCP: see Consideration of Personal Circumstances Panel

Coursework is any assignment that is not produced under time constraints.

Credit transfer: credit transfer allows a student to utilise credit awarded by a UK higher-education degree awarding body in accordance with the relevant higher education qualifications framework towards a similar or related course at another university. The University to which the student is applying for credit transfer determines the status of the credit gained and the extent to which it can be utilised in relation to the course the student has applied to study. This process does not guarantee that credit gained will be accepted in part or full by another University but does allow students to potentially utilise existing credit towards another course, thereby making it easier to transfer.

Criterion-referenced assessment is the use of a set of explicit criteria to judge a student’s work so that individual performance is judged and is not related to the performance of other students.

Cross-School Standards and Quality Sub-Committee (X-SASQC): a sub-committee established by ASQC to monitor and review the quality and standards of courses which are designed to work across several Schools, including the Global Summer School, Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE), Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA), International Postgraduate Certificate in Education (IPGCert), and Microcredentials.

Curricular Decolonisation: focuses on deconstructing power relations that lie within teaching, learning and assessment. It's of paramount importance to acknowledge the impact of coloniality on university culture and to focus on efforts to open up the academy so that students, lecturers and researchers are able to engage with multiple other perspectives, in addition to Euro-American knowledge and methodologies.

A Curriculum Map charts each module against the course outcomes. It will indicate - for each module - where a course outcome is “taught” or assessed.

D:

Deferral: where a Board of Examiners is unable to reach a decision about a student because of an absence of relevant information or where a student has been allowed to postpone completion of assessment elements until a later date.

Definitive Module and Course Information: the most up-to-date course and module curriculum information, which is held on CourseLoop.

Degree apprenticeship: see higher education apprenticeships.

Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching (DELTA): An 8-week online non-credit bearing module ‘Introduction to Learning and Teaching at NTU’ (unassessed). Often an HR requirement for staff in teaching and/or supporting learning roles.

Diagnostic assessment provides an indicator of a learner's aptitude and preparedness to undertake a module or course and identifies possible learning weaknesses, but does not contribute to formal assessment.

Digital broadly describes the use of computer technology, independently of, or integral to online environments.

Directed Learning broadly made of facilitated activities, both synchronous and asynchronous, that a student is expected to undertake each week to meet the learning outcomes

Disability: the University applies the definition of disability that is included in the Equality Act 2010. A disabled person is someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Discover Uni is an official source of information about higher education. It is owned and operated by the UK higher education funding and regulatory bodies. These are: The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, The Office for Students in England, and The Scottish Funding Council. It includes official statistics about higher education courses taken from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges about all their students.

Distance Delivery: a category of partnership in which an existing or new NTU course is wholly delivered by NTU staff, either at the partner’s or another organisation’s premises. A proportion of the delivery may take place at the University; however, the majority of teaching is off-site. This category also includes research degrees delivered and supervised at a distance.
Distance learning see Online Learning.

Double marking: a form of non-anonymous marking where more than one marker grades student work, but each marker is not aware of the grades given by the other markers.

Dual awards: a category of collaborative provision in which NTU collaborates with another degree-awarding body in order to jointly supervise a programme of doctoral study. Arrangements made on an individual doctoral candidate level and are subject to a cotutelle agreement; they entail formal periods of study and research at each institution.

Dual degree: a category of School-based collaborative provision in which NTU collaborates with one or more degree-awarding bodies (or equivalent) in order jointly to deliver a course which entails formal study periods in two or more centres, leading to different and separate awards from each partner. The student receives two award certificates and transcripts on successful completion, one from each degree-awarding body. A dual degree is longer and greater in credit volume than for each of the individual awards but shorter than if they had been studied separately. Please note that in some countries this is the only permitted process for undertaking collaborative degrees.) Each partner retains ultimate responsibility for the oversight and academic standards of its own course.

E:

Educational Gain: references the diverse and interconnected ways students develop throughout their university journey. The ‘Live, Learn, Work’ framework at NTU provides a shared language for staff and students to articulate their growth. Please see Educational Gain on MyHub for further information.

Element: see assessment element.

ENQA: see European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

Entry profiles are published information on the personal, professional and educational experiences and interests that would be advantageous to prospective applicants in addition to formal requirements, and which may be used in assessing suitability and ability to benefit from the course. This information appears alongside course information on the UCAS (Universities & Colleges Admissions Service) website.

ESG stands for Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, against which NTU has mapped its Quality Handbook. See also European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education: this body has produced Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, against which NTU has mapped its Quality Handbook.

An examination is an assessment produced under time constraints. Includes seen and unseen examinations, phase tests, class tests, oral examinations and open-book examinations.

Extenuating / exceptional circumstances: see Consideration of Personal Circumstances.

Expectations: statements in the Quality Code that set out what all UK higher education providers expect of themselves and each other and what the general public can therefore expect of them.

External examiner: an independent expert appointed by the University to comment on student achievement in relation to established academic standards and to look at approaches to assessment.

External Examiner Appointments Panel (EEAP): a sub-committee established by ASQC to scrutinise nominations for external examiners.

F:

Face-to-face learning requires learners and teaching colleagues to be in the same physical environment.

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ): a QAA framework for academic awards and levels used by NTU.

First sitting (first attempt): a candidate is allowed a further opportunity to undertake an assessment without any penalty.

Flexible learning: empowers students by offering choices regarding when, where, and how they learn, as well as how they pay for their course.

Formative assessment is designed to provide learners with feedback on progress and informs development, but does not contribute to the overall formal module assessment, although it is used in conjunction with summative assessment.

Foundation Degree: a higher education qualification at level 5.

Foundation Degree progression: a category of partnership whereby admission with advanced standing to an NTU course is granted to regular cohorts of students. All foundation degrees must have an articulated progression route from a named foundation degree award to a named bachelor’s degree, generally to level 6.

Franchise: a category of School-based collaborative provision in which the partner delivers the whole of an existing NTU course to NTU students, at its own centre. The partner is approved by NTU. In some cases, the course could be newly designed by NTU or could be a modified version of an existing NTU course; the course may be designed to ‘top up’ an existing award offered by the partner. The course (or level/module) is taught and assessed by the partner. Students receive an award certificate and a transcript/diploma supplement from NTU. The partner name, language (where not English) and location of delivery are detailed on the transcript/diploma supplement.

G:

Generative AI (GenAI) refers to advanced algorithms trained to produce original content, such as text, images, audio, video, and other data, that mirrors human-like understanding and creativity.

Generic grade criteria are a University-wide set of descriptors at key attainment levels, i.e. 1st, 2:1, 2:2 and 3rd on Honours Degrees. They are used by course teams to set the grade criteria for the specific course.

Generic Level Descriptors are University-wide descriptors that indicate the broad learning outcomes expected at levels 3-7. They are used to set the outcomes for a specific course and its modules at each level.

Generic Grading Descriptors define the standards of performance expected across the NTU 17-point grading scale. These are aligned to the University’s generic level descriptors.

Good academic practice: a commitment to, and demonstration of essential academic skills such as accurate referencing, using information appropriately, acknowledging where information comes from, not representing the work of others as your own, reporting truthfully on research findings, and acting in an ethical manner.

GOS: see Graduate Outcomes Survey.

Grade-based assessment (GBA): the University’s approach to the grading of student work, using a marking matrix (assessment rubric). It includes grade criteria and a 17-point grading scheme.

Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS): run by HESA and aims to capture the perspectives and current status of recent graduates. The outcomes of GOS feed into league tables and other national performance metrics for the University. All graduates who completed a higher education course in the UK are contacted by HESA 15 months after they finish their studies. The survey aims to help current and future students gain an insight into career destinations and development.

Group assessment might consist of a) a group of students forming a single judgement on a piece of work to which they have all collaborated, b) a group of students forming judgements on each student's contribution to the piece of group work, c) a tutor forming a single judgement on the group work, d) a tutor forming judgements on each student's contribution to the piece of group work.

Guided Independent Learning is an activity undertaken by students beyond directed learning. Guided independent learning is not scheduled and is completed in the student's own time.

H:

Head of Department (HoD): A member of academic staff who is responsible for leading an area of a School’s work, normally subject-based.

I:

Improving Academic Practice process: a process which identifies areas of academic integrity requiring improvement and culminates in the creation of a support plan.

Inclusive Assessment Practice: deliberate and planned assessment activities which enable equitable participation in assessments across all stages of study.

ITE/Initial Teacher Education: is a category of course in its own right with the specific requirements which are mandated by the DfE. ITE is classed as a Joint Delivery partnership for management purposes.

Interim Course Report (ICR): Prepared by the course leader at the end of the academic year for consideration by SASQC on an annual basis, this report provides an annual “health check” of the course, i.e. that everything is appropriately in place to assure the quality and standards of the provision for the next cohort of students. It also provides an opportunity to assess progress made on the Course Development Plan (an output of the most recent Periodic Course Review) and update this where necessary.

J:

Joint Academic Assurance Board (JAAB): The role of JAAB is to ensure that Nottingham Trent International College’s (NTIC) academic standards and student learning opportunities are appropriate for the purposes of progression from NTIC Foundation Certificate, International Year One and Pre-Master’s programmes to defined Nottingham Trent University (NTU) courses.

Joint delivery: a category of School-based collaborative provision in which the partner and NTU jointly deliver an existing NTU course (or part of a course, or module) to NTU students. The location of delivery may vary. The course could be a modified version of an existing NTU course to suit the nature of the partnership or a new course that is jointly designed by both partners. This category also includes jointly delivered and/or supervised research degrees. Students receive an award certificate and transcript/diploma supplement from NTU.

Joint/double degree: a category of School-based collaborative provision in which NTU collaborates with one or more degree awarding bodies (or equivalent) in order jointly to design and deliver a course which entails formal study periods in two or more centres, leading to a single award made jointly by both partners. The student receives one award certificate which carries the crests/logos of the participating degree awarding bodies. The student receives one transcript/diploma supplement which describes the nature of the collaboration and details all credits and in which locations these were achieved. A double degree applies where there is a legal impediment in the partner’s jurisdiction to making a joint award.

L:

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.

Learning and Teaching Manager (LTM): an academic located in, and representing, a School. Individually, and as a group, LTMs are important contacts for advice on learning and teaching issues and developments.

Learning Engagement Time describes the range of learning and teaching approaches that students experience on a module. Learning engagement time comprises two broad learning methods: directed learning and guided independent learning. Learning engagement time accounts for the total number of hours for a module.

A learning outcome is a statement of what a student is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate at the end of a learning process. All course learning outcomes must be assessed in at least two of the modules that comprise the course.

Level: this term refers to each of the annual stages of a course. The term “level” is most commonly used within “level descriptors,” which indicate what a student is expected to have achieved in knowledge, skills, attitudes etc. by the end of a particular level of the course.

Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE): From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for LLE funding for the first time for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. The LLE will allow people to develop new skills and gain new qualifications at a time that is right for them. It will replace higher education student finance loan and Advanced Learner Loans.

‘Live, Learn, Work’: the three themes of the Educational Gain Model. Each theme contains dimensions that collectively describe a student’s developmental journey. Please see Educational Gain on MyHub for further information.

• Live: the personal and social dimension of student development, encompassing wellbeing, confidence, curiosity, engagement, and a sense of belonging within and beyond the university community.
• Learn: the academic and intellectual dimension, focused on deepening subject knowledge, applying critical thinking, and adopting socially conscious approaches to learning and practice
• Work: the professional and career-focused dimension, involving the development of workplace experience, collaboration, and transferable professional skills that prepare students for future employment and lifelong success.

LLR: Library and Learning Resources.

LTM: see Learning and Teaching Manager.  

M:

Major project: All courses must include a major project which develops synthesis and criticality, functioning as a culmination to students’ studies.

MAP stands for MyAcademicPortfolio, the University’s academic work planning and allocation system.

A marking matrix (assessment rubric) describes the performance standard required for each grade for each of the assessment criteria. The assessment criteria must map to the module learning outcomes. Example of contextualised marking matrices are included on the Professional Development Pathway for Assessment and Feedback on Thrive.

Mentor: a member of staff or alumni who uses their knowledge and experience to support a student through their course. A student or peer mentor with more experience may also mentor a less experienced student.

Micro-credentials are discrete modules ranging from 5 to 15 credit points. In certain instances, these can be accumulated or "stacked" to qualify for more substantial awards.

Mode: refers to the means by which the course is delivered. This can refer to any one or more of the following: full-time (FT); part-time (PT); sandwich (SW); online learning; flexible learning.

Moderation is a process by which the assessment tasks and the completed assessments themselves are considered by a peer(s) to ensure fairness, validity, reliability and rigour of the procedure. Internal moderation is conducted for all assessments and involves members of the subject or module team. External moderation, which involves the external examiner, is required for all assessment that leads to a terminal award.

A module is the sub-unit of a course. A course comprises a number of modules within each of its levels. The number of modules within a course depends upon the size of the modules, which are determined according to University regulations and agreed through the course approval process.

Module assessment is the process by which the learning outcomes of a module are tested. A module assessment will typically be divided into formal assessment elements.

A module leader is a member of academic staff who is responsible for a named module and leads other staff associated with that module.

Module Information (on CourseLoop): comprises the definitive curriculum information about a specified module within a course of study, including the module learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment details.

MSQSC: see Mansfield Standards and Quality Sub-Committee.

MySay: the University platform for student evaluation surveys designed to capture student feedback on any issues or areas of best practice regarding the content of the modules and courses, the ways in which they are delivered and their overall learning experience.

N:

Norm-referenced assessment is the grading of students on the basis of their relative performance in a cohort.

NTIC: see Nottingham Trent International College

Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC): a branch of Kaplan which offers International Foundation Years, International Year Ones and Pre-Masters courses to international students for admission to degrees at NTU where students do not yet meet the academic entry requirements for study at NTU.

Notional study hours of learning: the number of hours that (it is expected) a learner at a particular level will spend, on average, to achieve the specified learning outcomes at that level.

NOW is NTU's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), centred around the D2L Brightspace platform. It integrates various tools to facilitate learning, teaching, and assessment, while also hosting essential learning resources

O:

OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Its work covers all students whether undergraduate or postgraduate, national or international, young or mature, full-time or part-time, studying on a campus or by distance learning. Please see the Glossary of Key Terms used by the OfS in Appendix 1, below.

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. It inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages. It also inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. In the context of NTU, Ofsted assesses Further Education, Access and Apprenticeship programmes.

Online learning is any combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning and teaching that takes place using an internet based-medium. Online Learning is a planned experience over weeks or months where content has purposefully been designed and built for the online environment.

Outline Summary: the form in CourseLoop which is completed as part of the academic approval of new, and revisions to existing, courses and modules. Where business evaluation of a proposal is required, stakeholder review and approval of the Outline Summary also serves as the first stage of that process.

P:

Poor Academic Practice: a lack of understanding of scholarly practice and appropriate academic attribution.

Pathway: a designated route through a particular course, which indicates the predominant emphasis in the course. For example, in BSc Applied Biology (Environmental Biology) the bracketed subject indicates the pathway and the major emphasis.

PDP: Personal Development Planner (or Personal Development Plan).
Peer assessment: a type of learning in which students assess a piece of work by their peer, often in pairs. This is a valuable learning activity, usually involving marking their peer's work against the grading criteria, which helps students to become familiar with and interact with the criteria. This thereby enables students to improve the quality of their own work, in the context of the grading criteria.

Penalty Framework (previously Academic Irregularities penalty framework): a transparent, fair and proportionate penalty framework for cases of upheld serious academic misconduct which are applied consistently.

Periodic Collaborative Review: forms part of the University’s normal quality management procedures for collaborative provision. It is the way in which the University satisfies itself that collaborative arrangements continue to fulfil the requirements for quality, that the academic standards of the awards are appropriate and that there are comparable student learning opportunities to those students studying at the University. The review process is both developmental and judgemental. A form of periodic collaborative review is undertaken every three to five years for all School-based and Validation Service collaborative provision.

Periodic Course Review (PCR): a mechanism by which course teams reflect on the validity, currency, and the academic quality of the provision once every three years. The review consists of a face-to-face discussion with external stakeholders and students centring on key data sets provided in advance of the meeting to enable appropriate consideration of the current and future quality and standards of the course. The outcomes of the review are recorded within the Course Development Plan.

• Periodic Review (PR): Periodic Review enables the Academic Board to maintain oversight, via ASQC, of the efficacy of each School’s approach to the management of quality and standards, through the lens of the OfS’ B Conditions, particularly in priority areas and in alignment with the ethos and specifics of the University’s policies.  It is also the tool by which Schools demonstrate that they are able to identify potential problems in advance of any negative impact on the student experience or on student outcomes.

Personal tutor: also known as an academic mentor. A member of NTU academic staff who provides academic, pastoral and professional advice and guidance for a nominated group of students. They may provide a gateway to further support. Tutorial support may be provided in groups or one-to-one.

Placement: an agreed and negotiated period of learning that takes place at a workplace to help students develop skills, knowledge or understanding as part of their course.

Placement learning: where a student undertakes a negotiated and agreed period of work within the workplace. The learning experience is underpinned by formal agreements between the student, education provider, and employer, with clearly defined learning outcomes that are monitored and assessed according to academic standards.

Placement tutor: a member of NTU academic staff who provides academic, personal and professional advice and guidance for a student while on placement. This may include visiting the student.

Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education: The Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE) is a level 7 programme. Successful completion leads to Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education / Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA).

Progression Board: see Board of Examiners.

Progression Partnership: a form of collaboration in which students studying at named partners are entitled to entry onto the beginning of an NTU course once they have met the admission requirements.

PR: see Periodic Review.

Professional Standards Framework: The Advance HE Professional Standards Framework (PSF 2023) recognises high-quality teaching and/or support of learning across four levels of Descriptors through a taught route to Advance HE Fellowship (e.g. PGCLTHE), commonly aligned to Descriptor 2, and an experiential route to Fellowship across Descriptor 1 to Descriptor 3, and Descriptor 4 through the NTU TILT Professional Recognition Scheme.

PSRB stands for Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body. PSRBs are organisations that set the standards for, and regulate entry into, particular profession(s) and are authorised to accredit, approve or recognise specific courses leading to the relevant professional qualification(s) for which they may have a statutory or regulatory responsibility.

Q:

QAA: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Quality Code: refers to the QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education, a series of reference points to aid higher education providers in offering their students a high-quality experience, supporting them through well-designed courses to achieve the qualifications that will help them to fulfil their longer-term career aspirations.

Quality Handbook (QH): the primary source of University policies, procedures, processes, regulations and guidance that define and assure the academic standards and quality of the University’s academic portfolio. The Sections are listed in QHS 0B, which is available on the Academic Development and Quality website.

Quality Handbook Supplement (QHS): the QH is supported by a number of Supplements. These Quality Handbook Supplements (QHS) contain more specialised policies, requirements and guidance notes, but can also take the form of technical and procedural manuals, templates and/or forms. The Supplements are listed in QHS 0B, which is available on the Academic Development and Quality website.

R:

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): a process for assessing and, as appropriate, recognising prior experiential learning or prior certificated learning for academic purposes.  This recognition may lead to credits that can be counted towards the completion of a course and the award(s) associated with it – i.e. admission with advanced standing.

Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL): relates to prior learning (such as professional development awards or employment-based awards) which is at higher education level but which has not led to the award of credits or qualifications positioned on the relevant higher education qualifications framework. A process of assessment enables a decision to be made about whether the learning is suitable for recognition. RPCL may lead to the award of NTU credits and exemption from certain modules to reflect prior learning and achievement.

Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL): a process through which learning achieved outside education or training systems is assessed and, as appropriate, recognised for academic purposes.

Referral: where the Board of Examiners deems that a student has failed a module assessment (or element of it) and is required to be reassessed at a later date with a penalty.

Referral Board: see Board of Examiners.

Reliability refers to consistency in the marks allocated in the following circumstances:

1. Different assessors marking the same piece of work.
2. An individual assessor marking each piece of work in a batch of marking.
3. the same assessors on different occasions.

Repeat: where the Board of Examiners decides that a student has to repeat a module (or modules) by full attendance and by completing all elements of the module assessment.

Repeat without attendance: where the Board of Examiners decides that a student has to repeat a module (or modules) without full attendance but by completing all elements of the module assessment.

Request for Reconsideration (R4R): The first stage of the Academic Appeals process.

S:

A sample is a representative proportion of module assessments usually taken at key grading points.

Sampling is the process whereby a peer reviews a sample of student marks for the purpose of moderation.

SASQC: see School Academic Standards and Quality Committee.

SCALE-UP: see Student Centred Active Learning Environments with Upside Pedagogies

School Academic Standards and Quality Committee (SASQC): body primarily responsible for academic quality and standards within a School.

School Insights (PowerBI dashboard): the University’s course data reporting tool.

School Standards and Quality Manager (SSQM): each School has an SSQM who liaises with academic colleagues and CADQ on matters relating to the quality management.

SDGs: see Sustainable Development Goals

Second marking: a form of marking where more than one marker grades student work, but the second marker is aware of the grade given by the first marker.

Self-assessment is a process that involves a student in the marking of their own work. There are three aspects to this process: (i) involvement in setting the assessment criteria, (ii) making judgments on their own work and (iii) monitoring and reviewing their own learning.

Serious Academic Misconduct: Serious breach of examination regulations, conducting research without favourable ethical opinion, contract cheating, and personation are all considered to be examples of serious academic misconduct.

Serious Academic Misconduct Panel: reviews the evidence relating to an allegation of serious academic misconduct and decides, on the balance of probabilities, whether to uphold the allegation. If the allegation is upheld, the panel will recommend a penalty from the Penalty Framework to the Board of Examiners. Where the serious academic misconduct is admitted, the Panel will recommend an appropriately reduced penalty from the Penalty Framework.

Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area: produced by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

Strategic Plan (University, reimagined): The University’s vision 2020-2025, consisting of six main themes: Connecting Globally, Creating Opportunity, Empowering People, Enriching Society, Embracing Sustainability, and Valuing Ideas.

Student Centred Active Learning Environments with Upside Pedagogies (SCALE-UP): one of NTU’s preferred pedagogies, centred on active, collaborative, and student-led learning. It combines several core components, including backward assessment design, flipped learning, strategic group formation, chunked learning activities, public thinking with peer feedback, and formative support. In practice, students work in small groups to solve problems, discuss concepts, and engage deeply with course content.

Student Engagement: In the Quality Handbook, ‘student engagement’ will normally describe student engagement with their studies.

Student Representation: In the Quality Handbook, ‘student voice’ and ‘student representation’ will normally refer to the participation of students in quality enhancement and quality assurance activities.

Student Voice: In the Quality Handbook, ‘student voice’ and ‘student representation’ will normally refer to the participation of students in quality enhancement and quality assurance activities.

Sub-element: see assessment element.

Success for All (S4A / SfA): The NTU Success for All initiative represents the NTU institutional commitment to address disparities in student progression, attainment and outcomes. This is done through developing appropriate routes to support access, participation and success for all students at NTU. Success for All is everyone's responsibility.

Subject benchmark statement: a statement published by QAA that sets out what knowledge, understanding, abilities and skills are expected of those graduating in each of the main subject areas (mostly applying to bachelor's degrees), and explains what gives that particular discipline its coherence and identity.

Subject: refers to an academic discipline, which can form part or all of the basis of a course.

Summative assessment provides a measure of achievement made in respect of a learner's performance in relation to the module assessment (or element) and / or the course learning outcomes.

Sustainability: Commonly described as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland, G. (1987), Our Common Future, United Nations, New York, NY).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):  SDGs Provide an overarching framework for measuring progress on sustainability at global, national and local levels. All courses must reference specific SDGs in core modules as relevant to academic discipline.

Synoptic assessment:  All courses must include a synoptic assessment. This will draw on students’ knowledge, skills and competencies developed during their course as well as any gained though co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities. Synoptic assessment provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their holistic development. By reflecting on their own learning, values, and identity, students can articulate how they have evolved across multiple dimensions—personal, academic, and professional. This synoptic assessment should be integrated into an appropriate module(s). For undergraduate courses, this must be embedded in the final year.

T:

Task and Finish Groups (T&FG): A T&FG may be set up by ASQC to consider in detail a particular theme or issue and report back to the Committee.

Team-Based Learning (TBL): one of NTU's preferred active, collaborative learning pedagogies. It is a structured form of learning which follows a specific sequence of individual study, readiness assurance tests, group work, immediate feedback and teacher facilitated discussion and debate, to create a motivational framework for student learning.

Technology-Enhanced Learning:

TEL: see Technology-Enhanced Learning

U:

University Research Degrees Committee (URDC): has delegated responsibility from the University Research Committee to monitor the academic standards and quality of research degrees and oversee the conduct of doctoral degrees.

University verifier (UV): see academic liaison tutor.

UET: see University Executive Team

University Executive Team: xxx

University, Reimagined:

URDC: see University Research Degrees Committee.

University Research Degrees Committee: xxx

University Research Degree Progression boards (URDPB)

V:

Validated Centre: an external organisation that operates under a validation service.

Validated Centre Standards and Quality Report (VCSQR): an annual report submitted by Validated Centres with more than one NTU validated course. The VCSQR provides Centre-level data and evidence and allows the Centre to reflect on the full range of University-awarded provision and to identify Centre-wide strengths and areas for development.

Validation Service: a particular form of collaboration in which an external partner delivers its own courses to its own students at its own centres. The courses are validated and awarded by NTU. Students receive an award certificate with the NTU crest alongside the partner’s name. Inclusion of the partner’s logo and a signature of the Head of Centre is optional. Students receive a transcript from the partner which has been approved by NTU

Verification is the totality of procedures that ensure assessment is fair, valid and reliable. It includes rigorous specification of courses, modules and assessment strategies that themselves are subject to validation and evaluation. It incorporates peer checking in the setting and marking of assessment tasks (moderation), clear assessment regulations and procedures, properly constituted Boards of Examiners and independent External Examiners. Evidence to indicate a sound verification process is obtained through monitoring, including the analysis of External Examiner reports and student results within and across modules. This evidence is evaluated to improve all aspects of verification.

W:

Whole course assessment (WCA): relates to a course assessment strategy which reflects the assessment decisions that have been made by the course team so that the principles and purposes of assessment are addressed. It embodies the assessment requirements as set out in the NTU Assessment Policy (Quality Handbook Section 15).

Work-based learning Work-based learning is learning achieved and demonstrated through engagement with workplace environments, reflective practice, and designated learning outcomes within apprenticeship and selected programmes at NTU.

Work-like experience: an overarching term that encapsulates many types of experience undertaken by students with employers, with the intention of enhancing their graduate employment prospects. AWLE is NTU's approach to Work-like experience, which draws from the fields of experiential learning, work-based learning, and vocational education and training. Please visit the Employability SharePoint site for further information on AWLE. See also Assessed Work-Like Experience (AWLE).

Workplace Tutor: All NTU apprentices will be assigned a Workplace Tutor (Academic Mentor). The Workplace Tutor is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the tripartite progress reviews in line with the apprenticeship funding rules and reporting on apprentice progress.

X:

X-SASQC: See Cross-School Standards and Quality Sub-Committee.