Quality Handbook Supplement 1B - Course committee requirements

2.1 Course committees have terms of reference as follows:

Maintenance and enhancement of academic standards and quality

• To undertake, on behalf of Academic Board, responsibility for course management, development, delivery, monitoring and enhancement in accordance with regulations laid down by Academic Board, procedures in the Quality Handbook (QH), and validating agencies.
• To monitor, review and develop on a rolling basis: course operation and delivery (within the University and with any formal collaborative partners); subject and curriculum development; teaching, learning and assessment strategies; assessment policy and regulations.
• To respond to University policies and initiatives, including matters referred by Academic Board, Academic Standards and Quality Committee (ASQC), SASQC or the School Executive group.
• To develop proposals for course changes and enhancements.
• To prepare for, and contribute to, Periodic Review as appropriate.

External Examining

• To review the external examiner report(s) at the earliest course committee and agree actions in relation to this to be added to the Course Review Plan.
• To propose appropriate replacement External Examiners when necessary.

Monitoring of course health and annual reporting

• To review data relating to student progression and achievement, which should be considered initially at the end of the academic year (to inform the Interim Course Review Plan ) and then again following the referral boards in the autumn.  Actions to improve student success should be agreed and added to the Course Review Plan.
• To ensure that the definitive course and module information in CourseLoop, and placement award information (where applicable), is up-to-date and that the course-level NTU Online Workspace (NOW) publication requirements are met.
• To prepare a course review plan, which confirms the health of the course, taking into account feedback from staff, students and the external examiner(s), and findings from the National Student Survey, and internal module and course surveys.
• The course committee plays an important role in ensuring that the course remains current. At each course committee, the course team must discuss the ongoing implementation of the chosen course development priorities, with discussion outcomes and agreed actions captured in the minutes and reflected in the updated Course Review Plan. Actions may be for immediate implementation or phased over multiple years depending on their complexity and scope.
• To review at every meeting, and keep updated, a Course Review Plan.
• To review at every meeting the assessment and feedback plan to ensure that staff and students have the correct information about forthcoming assessments.

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies

• To ensure that new or revised Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Subject Benchmark Statements are fully considered and adjustments made to the course if necessary.
• To maintain links with Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) as appropriate and ensure that any changes to existing links or new links are notified to the School Academic Standards and Quality Committee (SASQC).

Collaborations and Partnerships

For courses that are taught as part of a collaborative arrangement:

• To consider the health of the collaborative arrangements (where appropriate) and the parity of the student opportunities at the collaborative centre.
• To consider collaborative academic lead reports following visits to the partner.
• To ensure that an up-to-date collaborative legal agreement and Advanced Standing Arrangements (where appropriate) are in place and signed.
• To ensure that the marketing materials are correct on partner websites.

3.1 The membership may vary according to the nature and scale of the course. Membership includes:

• Course Leader (Chair).
• Staff teaching on the course.
• Student representatives.
• Staff responsible for administering the course.
• A representative of the collaborative partner (if any).
• Head of Department (ex officio).
• Professional Services staff (by invitation as needed).

4.1 The course committee shall meet regularly, at least three times per year for those courses lasting a full academic session.

4.2 The dates of course committees should be circulated well in advance, and should take into consideration the availability of the membership including students.

4.3 The agenda of the course committee will vary according to the point in the academic year that the meeting is taking place.

4.4 Minutes should be taken, recording the outcomes of the meeting.

4.5 It is good practice for the minutes of course committees to be published in a physical or electronic location, where they can be read by all students and staff on the course.

4.6 Actions relating to one or more of the committee’s responsibilities may be delegated to a member or members.  Decisions taken, or work completed, outside of the meeting should be agreed by the membership, with progress and outcomes recorded in the minutes or course review plan as appropriate.

4.7 There is no formal quorum; instead, the course leader should decide whether the business of the meeting can be conducted on the basis of the members present.

4.8 Some of the work set out in the terms of reference for course committees may be undertaken by an individual as part of their job role tasks. For example, in the case of 2.1 s, an individual may be responsible for checking partner websites. The course committee, however, remains responsible for ensuring the work is completed.