Quality Handbook Supplement 6B - Course Review Plan (template for courses)

1.1 The Course Review Plan is the principal document supporting implementation of the Course Review and Re-approval Policy (Quality Handbook Section 6).

1.2 Through the review of priority quantitative data (see: The TEF/B3 Performance Dashboard) and additional qualitative evidence, this plan promotes a cycle of assurance and quality improvement.

The Plan

1. Serves as a framework to capture opportunities for improvement, action and associated evidence of impact to ensure effective maintenance and ongoing enhancement of the course.
2. Ensures that course review and planning align with institutional and sector regulations, while supporting the management of quality, student experience and outcomes.
3. Is primarily for course leaders, Heads of Department and Deputy Deans.
4. Will inform the annual SASQC report to ASQC.
5. Must be completed and prior actions updated in each year of the approval cycle.
6. Must include all course offerings, modes and cohorts.
7. As part of NTU's commitment to the Race Equality Charter (REC), which is supported by the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team, course teams are encouraged to record any observations on ethnicity and course performance data (continuation, completion and progression).  This may take the form of comparing course performance across different ethnicities, but course teams may wish to explore School Insights data and intersectionality more broadly to align with School priorities.

Further information

• Please see the Course Review and Re-approval Policy for more information on the scope of the policy and approval durations.

2.1 All courses are subject to a maximum 5-year fixed-term approval period. During Year 3 of the approval cycle, courses must be evaluated to determine the recommended re-approval route and support planning for any required redesign activity. The re-approval route is dependent on a range of criteria including, but not limited to, trends in the Official B3/TEF data and the level of changes to the course since last approval.

2.2 While the Course Review Plan is structured as a five-year cycle, Schools may determine that certain courses require re-approval earlier than the five-year point. This may be due to PSRB timelines, regulatory requirements, or course performance.

Further information

• Please see Quality Handbook Section 6 or Quality Handbook Supplement 6A for more information on Re-approval.

School Re-approval

2.3 A course may be Re-approved at School level if all the following conditions are met:

1. Continuation, completion and progression are above the B3 threshold.
2. There are no concerns identified based on a trend analysis.
3. Identified course changes fall within the remit of School approval, as per Quality Handbook Section 5. In this instance, SASQC course change deadlines must be met.

2.4 If a course has existing exemptions from the Course Design Requirements (Quality Handbook Section 12), and it is intended to retain these, the School must seek approval from ASQC before either School or University-level Re-approval. Please note that Schools must also seek approval for proposed exceptions to the Semester Model; these are held in a separate Register.

University Re-approval

2.5 If a course does not meet the above criteria, then University-level Re-approval via the Academic Course Approval Sub-committee is required.

2.6 In the same way that new courses are subject to post-approval course start date lead times (see QHS 5K), so are Re-approvals. These considerations determine when teaching on a new or revised course can commence. Depending on the nature of the proposed change (where a change is justified), the School may seek exemption from such lead times in accordance with QHS 5K. Where substantive changes are sought, a teach-out plan may be required to ensure continuity of delivery and academic standards for existing student cohorts.

Definitions

2.7 ‘B3’ metrics refer to the Office for Students’ ongoing regulatory condition, which defines the minimum requirements for the quality and standards of higher education courses in the UK.

1. Continuation (B3 metric): The proportion of students who were observed to be continuing in the study of a higher education qualification (or have gained a qualification) one year and 15 days after they started their course (two years and 15 days for part-time students).
2. Completion (B3 metric): The proportion of students who were observed to have gained a higher education qualification (or were continuing in the study of a qualification) four years and 15 days after they started their course (six years and 15 days for part-time students).
3. Progression (B3 metric): The advancement of students from their studies and into positive outcomes, such as employment or further study. This includes measuring how well students move from one stage of their education to the next, and their success in achieving their intended career goals or continuing education.

2.8 The Course Review Plan must include data and/or screenshots from the OfS Outcomes Table in School Insights. Additional tables may be included to support your data analysis e.g. OfS Split-Indicator Chart.

2.9 For the Continuation and Completion metrics only, ‘NTU OfS metrics’ are available in School Insights to allow colleagues to view a broader range of academic years, including more recent data. The intention is to help identify the current direction of travel. Combined with an understanding of how TEF performance is measured, this should support judgements about whether future TEF datasets are likely to show improvement or decline, and again whether any specific action may be warranted.

Please use the following link to download an editable version of the Course Review Plan Template, which includes:

• Course Overview Data
• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4
• Year 5
• Information on Re-approval
• Route A: School Re-approval
• Route B: University Re-approval
• Teach Out (where required)

Course Review Plan template