About the Pre-Delivery Checklist
To support the successful launch of Transformed courses, Education Board has approved a pre-delivery checklist to support departments as they plan and prepare for the first year of delivery.
Key points to note include:
- The pre-delivery checklist contains key activity considered essential to the successful launch of CT courses as well as recommended items that represent opportunities to further align delivery with the University’s Curriculum Principles.
- Departments are strongly encouraged to engage with Professional Service support at an early point. Sources of support and key timeline considerations are detailed to enable timely and effective support for departments.
- Education Board considers departments to be best placed to consider the checklist items in the context of their transformed courses and to oversee relevant activity. Heads of Departments are accountable for progress and can delegate responsibility to relevant groups or individuals. Activity will not require approval as part of the CT process.
Key timeline considerations
Please note the following areas where early engagement (Semester 1) between departments and professional services is critical to ensuring course planning and delivery can be supported:
| Early engagement needed on: | Please contact: |
|---|---|
| Timetabling: it is essential for departments to initiate engagement at an early stage if timetable or space needs will be very different to previous patterns. | Academic Registry |
| Academic Year Planning: if a department wishes to schedule teaching or learning activities other than exams during assessment periods these need to be identified early to feed into the academic year plan and identify additional exam scheduling requirements. | Academic Registry |
| Skills support: Departments are requested to liaise with the Skills Centre and the Library where provision of face-to-face or digital skills support in a course is anticipated. The Skills Centre and the Library are keen to understand how they can support academic tutors directly to fully embed skills development either themselves in seminar work or via us in lectures/workshops/digital tools. | Skills Centre; Your Subject Librarian |
| Technology Enhanced Learning: The TEL team have prepared resources to support Curriculum Transformation. If you anticipate using existing learning technologies in new ways please talk to the TEL team for advice and training, with sufficient lead time to allow them to help you plan and prepare fully for course delivery. You may also want to take a course team approach to reviewing your Moodle course design, structure or scaffolding opportunities. | Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT) |
Library space and resources: CT may impact on one or more of the following:
New resource needs will require decisions in Semester 1 2022/23 so that any requirements can be included in the Spring 2023 planning round and any infrastructure adaptations made over Summer 2023. | Your Subject Librarian |
Key activity for successful launch of transformed course
Key considerations:
Skills support: Departments are requested to liaise with the Skills Centre where provision of face-to-face or digital skills support in a course is anticipated. The Skills Centre is keen to understand how it can support academic tutors directly to fully embed skills development either themselves in seminar work or via us in lectures/workshops/digital tools. Please contact the Skills Centre for support with this item.
Technology Enhanced Learning: If you anticipate using existing learning technologies in new ways please talk to the TEL team for advice and training, with sufficient lead time to allow them to help you plan and prepare fully for course delivery. You may also want to take a course team approach to reviewing your Moodle course design, structure or scaffolding opportunities. The TEL team are always very busy from June through August, preparing and delivering upgrades to software, and the subsequent guidance updates, so please engage at the earliest opportunity to avoid clashes with pre-planned work. Please contact Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT) for support with this item.
Library and Information skills support: Allow time at the start of the course for a library induction if your students are not already provided with a department-wide library induction. New students are generally not aware of the resources and services offered by the university library and may lack the techniques and understanding needed to successfully navigate them independently.
Talk to your Subject Librarian about embedding information literacy training at the most appropriate point(s) in the course: information literacy “is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use.” Subject Librarians can help and support staff and students with the following:
- Effectively using specialist library resources for literature, data, statistics and software.
- Critically evaluating sources and retrieved information. For example, its relevance, authority or balance /bias.
- Correctly referencing sources selected for coursework.
- Avoiding plagiarism.
- Understanding copyright in the context of UK higher education.
Key sources of support:
Skills Centre: contact academicskills@bath.ac.uk
Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT): contact tel@bath.ac.uk
Careers and Placements:
- Ghislaine Dell (Engineering and Design)
- Hannah Kirby (Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Aste Dahl (School of Management)
- Jo Rouse (Science)
Library: contact your Subject Librarian
Student Services: contact TBC
Key considerations:
Timetabling: it is essential for departments to initiate engagement at an early stage if timetable or space needs will be very different to previous patterns. Beyond this, Timetabling will request information from depts as part of planning. Please contact Academic Registry for support with this item.
Academic Year Planning: if a department wishes to schedule teaching or learning activities other than exams during assessment periods these need to be identified early to feed into the academic year plan and identify additional exam scheduling requirements. Please contact Academic Registry for support with this item.
Library space and resources: new approaches to teaching are likely to create different demands on study space, whether in quantity or type of use. These changes need to be planned early to be adopted successfully. Consider the study space and equipment requirements for the independent learning your students will be expected to undertake. For example, are either group work or shared IT facilities required, and is there suitable and sufficient provision? This will require decisions in Semester 1 2022/23 so that any requirements can be included in the Spring 2023 planning round and any infrastructure adaptations made over the 2023 Summer. Ensure the availability of appropriate teaching facilities for the Library’s information literacy training, which may benefit from taking place in a GTA computer room.
Please contact the Library for support with this.
Key sources of support:
Timetabling (Academic Registry): timetabling@bath.ac.uk
Library: contact your Subject Librarian
Key considerations:
This item refers to the detail of assessment (including formative assessment) not previously approved as part of the requirements of Phase 2 and 3. Changes to course assessment strategies signed off as part of Phase 2 and 3 must be approved at Faculty level. Please speak to your Faculty Assistant Registrar in the first instance.
Support and guidance on planning the detail of your assessment strategy is available from the Curriculum Development Team (CLT). Guidance is also available from the CLT Hub.
For guidance on using technology for assessment, please talk to Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT).
Key sources of support:
Curriculum Development Team (CLT):
- Robert Eaton (Engineering and Design)
- Jo Charles (Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Liz Beaven (School of Management)
- Liz Beaven (Science)
Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT): tel@bath.ac.uk
Key considerations:
Support and guidance on planning your feedback strategy is available from the Curriculum Development Team (CLT). Guidance is also available from the CLT Hub.
For guidance on using technology for marking and feedback, please talk to Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT).
Key sources of support:
Curriculum Development Team (CLT):
- Robert Eaton (Engineering and Design)
- Jo Charles (Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Liz Beaven (School of Management)
- Liz Beaven (Science)
Key considerations;
Activity in this item may include preparing assessment briefs, marking criteria, exam papers, and agreeing marking and moderators.
Support and guidance on marking criteria is available from the Curriculum Development Team (CLT). Guidance is also available from the CLT Hub.
Key sources of support:
Curriculum Development Team (CLT):
- Robert Eaton (Engineering and Design)
- Jo Charles (Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Liz Beaven (School of Management)
- Liz Beaven (Science)
Key considerations:
Technology Enhanced Learning: If you anticipate using existing learning technologies in new ways please talk to Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT) for advice and training, with sufficient lead time to allow them to help you plan and prepare fully for course delivery. You may also want to take a course team approach to reviewing your Moodle course design, structure or scaffolding opportunities. The TEL team are always very busy from June through August, preparing and delivering upgrades to software, and the subsequent guidance updates, so please engage at the earliest opportunity to avoid clashes with pre-planned work. Please contact Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT) for support with this item.
Library resources: Consult your Subject Librarian about library resource requirements for courses and units as soon as possible: they can advise on current collection strengths as well as the availability and costs. For example, if new modes of assessment include open book exams, your Subject Librarian may suggest alternatives to exam textbooks, such as lecture notes, or digitised extracts provided by the Library.
Ensure there is a reading list for each unit and supply the Library with this information by the end of March 2023. The Library recommends the adoption of the Library Lists reading list software to introduce real-time information about readings, provide a consistent student experience and guarantee the resilience of links to readings, whether the student is on or off campus. You can either create a Library List yourself by referring to our guide, or you can ask us to create the Library List by emailing your reading list to library@bath.ac.uk
The Library Scanning Service can provide you with electronic copies of recommended book and journal extracts to ensure copyright compliance, accessibility for students with disabilities, and the payment of author royalties (via the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society). Please contact the Library for support with the above.
Significant additional resource cost requirements will be needed before the 2023 Spring planning round. New Library materials ordered from Spring 2023 will be available from Semester 1 2023/24.
Skills Centre support: for face-to-face materials (delivered either by Skills Centre or academic tutors) turnaround can be quite swift. For digital resources the Skills Centre will need more time to develop. Please contact the Skills Centre for support and to discuss your course needs.
Key sources of support:
Skills Centre: contact academicskills@bath.ac.uk
Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT): contact tel@bath.ac.uk
Library: contact your Subject Librarian
This item may include departmental decisions about team teaching, or reconfigurations of teaching teams to meet the needs of your transformed course. For example, moving to 'course year teaching teams' and/or updating job descriptions and/or workload allocation models where relevant.
Key considerations:
Skills Centre support: for face-to-face materials (delivered either by Skills Centre or academic tutors) turnaround can be quite swift. For digital resources the Skills Centre will need more time to develop. Please contact the Skills Centre for support and to discuss your course needs.
Technology Enhanced Learning: If you anticipate training or upskilling needs for staff to use planned learning technologies please talk to Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT) for advice, with sufficient lead time to allow them to help you plan and prepare fully for course delivery. The TEL team are always very busy from June through August, preparing and delivering upgrades to software, and the subsequent guidance updates, so please engage at the earliest opportunity to avoid clashes with pre-planned work. Please contact Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT) for support with this item.
Library and Information skills support: Please give your Subject Librarian sufficient lead time to allow them to plan their training materials thoroughly and provide them with a good understanding of how the library training fits into the broader plan for skills development.
Key sources of support:
Skills Centre: contact academicskills@bath.ac.uk
Technology Enhanced Learning (CLT): contact tel@bath.ac.uk
Library: contact your Subject Librarian
Further support and guidance to be shared here from March 2023.
Departments are recommended to talk with their Faculty Assistant Registrar in the first instance.
Further information about the University's approach to monitoring and evaluation in AY 2023/24 will be communicated in due course.
For questions regarding Online Unit Evaluations please contact the Student Engagement Team (CLT).
Key sources of support:
Student Engagement Team (CLT): studentengagement@bath.ac.uk
Information on student handbooks for AY 2023/24 will be released in due course.
Key sources of support:
Academic Registry: academic-standards@bath.ac.uk
Recommended for consideration as part of launch of transformed course
Key sources of support:
Key sources of support:
Climate Fresk staff session:
- 3 hour session: in groups of 5-8, participants link the cause and effects of anthropogenic climate change. Based on the most recent IPCC Report, they are able to take a step back and understand the systemic nature of the challenges. Systems thinking cause and effect.
- Details TBC. Contact the Climate Action Team for further information.
Citizenship and Sustainability sessions:
- Offered as part of the CLT's professional development programme for staff who teach, but open to all staff, this session considers how we can interpret the theme of citizenship and sustainability and how embedding this theme in our curricula links to University goals and those of the wider education context, including Climate Action. Sign-up for the session on:
Find out more about Climate Action Education opportunities.
Key sources of support:
The key principles which underpin Curriculum Transformation support the embedding of good practice in mental health and wellbeing in teaching and learning. You can find out more about how CT aligns with the themes of the University Mental Health Charter and how undertaking the items listed in the checklist above can contribute to this.
For information on the University's wellbeing support for students see the Student Support webpages.
Timeline considerations:
The Students' Union PAL team will need to confirm new schemes in February the year before a new scheme is introduced (i.e. February 2023 for CT courses launching in 2023/24), so initial conversations in Semester 1 are advised. Recruitment for new PAL Leaders starts in March.
Key sources of support:
Find out more at subath.com/peer-support/pal/
Contact the Peer Support Team in the SU: peersupport@bath.ac.uk
Key sources of support:
- The Quality Assurance (QA) Code of Practice statement details the principles of the University’s Personal Tutorial System: QA33 Personal Tutoring (bath.ac.uk).
- The hub of resources and guidance for Personal Tutoring at Bath is available online: Personal Tutoring Guidance (bath.ac.uk) including Further resources for personal tutors (bath.ac.uk)
- Senior Tutors and the Senior Tutor Forum discuss and can advise on practices at Bath: Senior Tutors (bath.ac.uk)
- The UK Advising & Tutoring association has a variety of resources on personal tutoring and staff can sign up as affiliate members ofr free: New institutional membership of the UK advising and tutoring association (bath.ac.uk)
Key sources of support:
We encourage you to share innovative practice that you may be adopting as part of your Curriculum Transformation plans. Departments and Faculties/the School have a variety of fora, including Communities of Practice, that offer opportunities to share ideas.
The CLT organises a range of different sessions throughout the year to promote and share good practice and innovation, including lunchtime 'masterclasses', lightning talk events (multiple speakers presenting for no more than five minutes each), and our annual EduFest in May. Please email the CLT if you would be interested in contributing to one of these events.
Additionally, you may be interested in the Teaching Development Fund. Different pots of funding are available for staff to 'seed', 'shape', or 'share' innovative teaching and learning practice. Please contact Steph Kamffer in the CLT to find out more.
Key links
Curriculum Transformation homepage
For PGT courses launching 2024/25: Full Phase 2 and 3 process and templates (Academic Registry webpage)
For UG/PGT courses launching 2023/24: Full Phase 2 process and templates (Academic Registry webpage)
For UG/PGT courses launching 2023/24: Full Phase 3 process and templates (Academic Registry webpage)