This page provides additional detail and guidance on the course and unit information requested by EQSC at Phases 2 and 3. Templates for drafting and collating this information for F/SLTQC approval are available from the Academic Registry Phase 2 webpage.
Annex 3: Course Information (including Course Description)
NOTE: character limits, where defined, are strict as content is intended to fit within webpage design parameters.
Course Information
Purpose: the material information required for marketing purposes at this stage. We are obliged to provide material information to students about their course which forms part of their contract with us. Once we have made them an offer, material information should not be changed without their consent.
Course title:
Course level: UG or PGT (select relevant option from dropdown menu in CT App).
Course type: (select relevant option from dropdown menu in CT App). See this Guidance text for course types in the CT App document to help select the correct option for your course. For PGT courses, this will include whether mode of study is full-time or part-time.
Intended final qualification: the academic award gained upon successful completion of the course e.g. BA (Hons) (select relevant option from dropdown menu in CT App).
Intended award title: This will appear on the certificate; should be your approved course title that accurately reflects the subject(s) studied.
Duration of full-time course: number of years.
Owning department: (select relevant option from dropdown menu in CT App).
Variants: where applicable, off-campus activity types; select from: Year-long work placement; Year-long overseas study; Year-long combined work and study; 2 x semester work placements; Professional placement(s) (select relevant options in CT App).
Main location of study: where/how the majority of learning takes place, from: 'Bath'; 'Distance Learning'; 'Other' (select relevant option from dropdown menu in CT App).
Awarding bodies: assume University of Bath unless any academic partnership exists.
Entry requirements: The minimum expected academic and, if applicable, experiential requirements for entry to the course(s). Are entry requirements changing from those currently listed in the 2022/23 course pages? (Y/N) - If Y, please state proposed changes.
Designated Alternative Programmes (DAPs): Within NFAAR, programmes designated as specific alternatives for situations where a student does not meet the criteria to remain on their current programme of study. Not all programmes will have a DAP.
Exit awards: Awards available if student cannot/does not achieve the intended award. If named exit awards state the learning outcomes achieved and any contributing units. Choose from: CertHE (unnamed); DiplHE (unnamed); PG Cert (unnamed); PG Dip (unnamed); PG Cert (named); PG Dip (named).
Additional costs and extra requirements: Costs beyond tuition fees that may / will be incurred. Anything that students may feel is surprising. Please provide information on equipment or other materials to which students will need access. All students will be expected to have regular access to a computer, headset and microphone as a minimum. Please also provide information on any additional expectations for instance the requirement to undertake a DBS check.
Academic year of entry: e.g. 2023/24
Course Description
Purpose: the material information required for marketing purposes at this stage: student-focused text for use in the digital prospectus (hence character limits). We are obliged to provide material information to students about their course which forms part of their contract with us. Once we have made them an offer, material information should not be changed without their consent. It is possible to make small changes to this information up until 31 July 2022 if these are required at Phase 3.
Audience: prospective applicants/students (although this text will be reviewed and endorsed by signatories, the use of student-facing language is encouraged as appropriate for the intended output)
Note: this is an updated version of the course description text provided at Phase 1.
Course summary: 1-2 sentences on what the course is about. (160 characters with spaces included)
Course approach: General subject and how does Bath approach the subject. If applicable, what do you gain from the different pathways? (1,200 characters with spaces included)
Learning and Teaching: The approach to blended learning for 2023/24 is subject to consideration. Please tailor the statements provided in the template provided to the requirements of your course. We will ask you to make adjustments to this text at Phase 3, once the University’s approach is agreed. (1,200 characters)
Assessment: Please tailor the statements provided in the template to the requirements of your course. Please provide an indication of the overall assessment methods. Changes to this information can be made at Phase 3. However, changes should be kept to a minimum.
Professional development: How does the course prepare students for placement and graduate positions? Skills could include lab work, data analysis, presentation skills, writing for academic and research purposes, and anything else that is specific to your subject area. (400 characters with spaces included)
Specialist facilities: Detail unique facilities that will support student learning (e.g. specific lab spaces, equipment). Written in non-specialist language. (400 characters with spaces included)
Placement/Study Abroad: If applicable. What will a student gain from this? What preparation is provided? Examples of employers. Is a placement compulsory/guaranteed/paid? Examples of employers/locations. (1,000 characters with spaces included each for placement and for study abroad as applicable)
Careers: Type of positions students are recruited to, including some recent employers. (400 characters with spaces included)
Professional accreditation: Details on accreditation if applicable. (250 characters with spaces included per accrediting body)
Course Highlights: Please outline three key learning and teaching features that have enabled you to realise the Phase 1 course vision (aligning these to the principles of Curriculum Transformation). (250 characters with spaces for each highlight statement)
Annex 4: Course Structure
The Course Structure Template (available from the Academic Registry Phase 2 webpage) will enable you to show the structure of your course.
Notes:
State if co-existent M-level course: refers to whether a Masters level equivalent is available.
Weighting within course: refers to how much each year contributes to the degree classification.
Annex 5: Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
The CILOs Template (available from the Academic Registry Phase 2 webpage) will enable you to collate your draft Intended Learning Outcomes. Units will need to be mapped to CILOs. This indicates where CILOs will be summatively assessed during the course. The map will help demonstrate that all CILOs are suitably addressed by the available units, and that all students will be able to meet the CILOs regardless of any optional units they might take.
Intended Learning Outcomes are statements that explicitly describe what every student needs to have learned to successfully complete the course or level of study. ILOs should focus on what subject knowledge and understanding, as well as skills, behaviours, values, and ethics, students must be able to demonstrate by the end of the course. Course and unit level ILOs are important aspects of course design, and are required for Phase 2 and 3 approval.
CILOS:
- A maximum of 12 individual ILOs per course.
- Each ILO should be assigned to one or more categories from: 'knowledge and understanding'; 'intellectual skills'; 'professional and transferable skills'.
- An additional statement is required for each of 'Placement' and 'Study Abroad' where relevant. These statements are not assigned to a category.
To help you write your CILOs, see the guidance and resources page. The resources include an action verb word bank and checklist to help you. You'll also find exemplar ILOs from a range of different disciplines.
Note:
Optional units within the course year may be grouped in a single column for mapping purposes provided that the ILOs can be met by any option choice permutation: It is the option choice permutation that is important here. E.g. you could tick a group work related learning outcome if all the combinations of options which can be chosen hit the learning outcome. This could work well for courses that are building in pathways but could be problematic for courses with lots of units, where there is greater free choice of options. If units can't be grouped in this way then one column per unit should be used.
Annex 6: Feedback and oversight
Note: In addition to the Annex form itself, a number of other items are requested to evidence engagement and approval (as appropriate) from key stakeholders ahead of F/SLTQC. These include: Admissions and Outreach, Student Immigration Service, accrediting bodies, external examiners; students; Head of Department, DLTQC. Evidence (in the form of relevant documents, reports, email copies, minutes etc.) should be submitted alongside the Phase 2 annexes, and will be available for F/SLQTCs to view on request.
Confirmation of the following items is required ahead of FLTQC approval:
Course Development team
Have you followed up any outstanding issues from Phase 1 feedback from UG Admissions & Outreach / PGT Recruitment & Admissions? Specific follow-up actions will have been communicated to CDTs following Phase 1 CTC. CDTs should refer to these. Guidance is available here or contact UG Admissions & Outreach / PGT Recruitment & Admissions.
Is your course proposal compliant with Student Immigration requirements? Key structural changes that might impact on immigration requirements should have been flagged at Phase 1 and considered by APC where appropriate. Guidance is available here or contact the Student Immigration Service for further advice and guidance.
Has your Accrediting Body/ies confirmed that the University may advertise the course as accredited for [your designated year of] delivery? Y/N or N/A
Information on any specific requirements/conditions placed on the course by the relevant Accrediting Body, including the timeframe for accreditation of the transformed course.
Confirm you have provided evidence of engagement with Accrediting Body/ies: List supporting document(s). Suitable evidence of engagement (e.g. copies of emails; reports received) to be submitted alongside annex.
How have students been consulted as part of Phase 2 activity? Please complete at the relevant phase. List ways in which students have been consulted (e.g. SSLCs).
How have students been consulted as part of Phase 3 activity? Please complete at the relevant phase. List ways in which students have been consulted (e.g. SSLCs).
External Examiner (not required at Phase 2)
External Examiner has confirmed that the proposed course, including the Course Intended Learning Outcomes, is aligned with relevant subject benchmark statements (if applicable) and FHEQ level(s): Y/N
Confirm you have provided External Examiner report and Course Development Team response: List supporting documents provided.
Additional comments: optional
Head of Department
The HoD has indicated their endorsement of the transformed course, including that sufficient consideration of key organisational and planning issues (e.g. course delivery, staff roles, teaching teams) has taken place: Y/N
The HoD has confirmed that the Course Description and any other course information to be used for marketing and recruitment activity is accurate: Y/N
Confirm you have provided evidence of HoD endorsement (for example, copy of email): List supporting document(s) provided.
DLTQC
DLTQC supports the proposed course: Y/N
Confirm minutes of relevant meeting have been provided.
Annex 7: Phase 2 Unit-level information
Note: Faculty Marketing colleagues will provide guidance and support to ensure copy is appropriate for marketing purposes (e.g. unit synopses).
Unit title: maximum 120 characters, succinct enough for a transcript. Ensure that the unit title stated here matches that appearing on the relevant course structure template (QA-CT: Phase 2, Annex 4).
Unit identifier: If your unit title may not uniquely identify the individual unit (e.g. ‘Research Methods’, ‘Project’, ‘Dissertation’, ‘Placement’, etc) then please state an additional identifier here to enable the information provided in this document to be matched to the correct unit as it appears in course structure(s), e.g. ‘Final year project (MEng Civil Engineering courses)’. The identifier is not part of the official unit title. Please ensure this identifier matches units as titled in Annex 3.
Credits (ECTS): in line with Academic Framework and Regulation guidelines.
Level: FHEQ values: choose from 4, 5, 6, 7. Should align with course year in which unit is to be taught, where 4 is Year 1.
Unit owning department: The department responsible determining the outcomes of the unit (i.e. the department where the Board of Examiners is located).
Teaching department(s): if different from owning department then specify:
- departments the academic(s) teaching the unit is/are located in.
- percentage split between teaching departments.
Unit outline
Where a unit is compulsory on a course, the following text is included in the digital prospectus entry for that course.
Where a unit is optional on a course, the unit will be described in the digital prospectus course page by means of the ‘Optional units’ overview section in the Course Description.
Unit synopsis: maximum 500 characters, including spaces. This will appear in the ‘Description’ section of the unit catalogue webpage. Style guide:
- Please keep language simple and jargon-free.
- Begin with an active verb, e.g., ‘develop’, ‘advance’ ‘conduct’ ’work’, ‘explore’.
- Don’t repeat content contained in the unit title.
- Include the real highlights/unique elements here.
- Address the audience directly, e.g., ‘you will work in teams’.
- Never use words or phrases that could be misconstrued as a promise of a guaranteed future reward or benefit (against CMA – e.g. ‘Become an expert in’, ‘Develop expertise’).
- To reduce the amount of unit change over time detail which might need updating every year should be avoided.
Phase 3 Unit-level information
Items marked with * are not required for Phase 3 approval but will be required in due course to facilitate setting up units in University systems.
Unit Intended Learning Outcomes: the knowledge and skills students will be assessed against. Published in the unit catalogue and any unit outline provided by the department. Typically, 4-6 ILOs are expected for each unit.
Each ILO should start with the following wording for consistency and to ensure language is student-facing: 'By the end of the unit you will be able to...'.
Unit content: description of content, rather than the unit synopsis. To reduce the amount of unit change over time detailed content which might need updating every year should be avoided.
Requisites: information about any unit dependencies, including, Type (co-requisite; pre-requisite), Name of requisite units.
Is the unit generally available? Indicate whether the unit-owning department allows this unit to be used by other courses. (Y/N)
Period the unit will run: Choose one from: Semester 1; Semester 2; Academic Year; Calendar Year (e.g. 52 weeks); Summer Vacation. Included on the unit catalogue webpage.
Teaching and learning activity types: common, defined types of delivery, from. Choose from: lectures; seminars; group projects; tutorials; online learning; independent study; design studio; laboratory classes; problem-based learning classes. This will appear in the ‘Description’ section of the unit catalogue webpage.
*For each type of activity above:
- Duration (in hours).
- Teaching pattern (when activity will be running).
Indicative resource requirements: indicate, from: Flat GTA; Computer Lab; Tiered lecture theatre; Seminar room; Specialist facilities (department-owned); Other resource requirement(s).
Total hours: ECTS credits x 20. This will appear in the ‘Notional study hours’ section of the unit catalogue webpage.
Total timetabled sessions ['total contact time' on previous template versions]: from the teaching activity details provided above. This includes Live Online Interactive Sessions (LOIL).
Total independent study time ['individual study time' on previous template versions]: total hours (as above) minus contact time.
*Unit convenor: the academic responsible for delivery of the unit. Does not appear online.
*Staff teaching on the unit:
For each summative assessment task:
Method: high-level classification, from: Examination; Coursework; or, Practical. This will appear in the ‘Assessment summary’ section of the unit catalogue webpage.
Type: more detailed version of above method e.g. essay, poster, case study, dissertation, project report etc. This will appear in the ‘Assessment summary’ section of the unit catalogue webpage.
Timing: indicative only: choose approximate week number between 1 and 52, where Week 1 is Semester 1 teaching week 1. Week 52 is welcome week. See academic year charts for specific years.
Weighting: percentage contribution the mark for the task makes to the unit mark. This will appear in the ‘Assessment summary’ section of the unit catalogue webpage.
Is assessment task designated as requiring a qualifying mark ['Must pass' on previous template version]? not relevant if there is only one summative assessment in the unit.
Group work: whether the assessment is designed to be undertaken by a group of students working together. If Yes, will the mark be the same for the group or individually differentiated?
*Assessment task title: a meaningful description succinct enough for a transcript.
Examination arrangements: to include:
- Duration:
- Closed/open book:
- If open book, the permitted material:
- Material to be provided in the exam (e.g. calculator, formulae book etc.):
Assessment details: how to complete the assessment including any restrictions such as word length.
Reassessment: either ‘like for like’ (e.g. same format as original task) or state what it is if different.
Rationale for Course Design
An oral report in the meeting, unless instructed otherwise by the F/SLTQC.
The following points must be addressed in the rationale, in whatever format provided. Give an overview of:
- your course-wide approach to design
- your strategy for assessment across the course
- how you have taken forward your Phase 1 course vision at Phase 2
- how your design choices enable you to meet the CT Principles
- your transitional plans for delivering courses with placement or study abroad variants, where students on a sandwich year who start in 2022/23 (on the existing course) will reach their final year at the same time as students who start in 2023/24 (on the transformed course) and do not take a sandwich year.