January 2018
The undergraduate programme review is now in phase 3. The majority of the curriculum mapping workshops have taken place, with great input from our student participants. Departmental programme review teams are populating their panel dialogue templates. Our student partners are in the final stages of conducting their mini-research projects on different aspects of programme review including the student experience of course choice and joint programmes.
We are currently scheduling the programme review panel dialogue meetings with the involvement of external reviewers and members of USSC and GSSC. Kate Neilson will contact you shortly, if she has not done so already, with potential dates. It would be really helpful, if you would confirm your programme review team’s availability as soon as possible.
Questions to consider:
- 1. Have you considered joint programmes? Please liaise with other departments regarding joint programmes, especially where changes are being proposed. The Department of Economics, which has a number joint programmes or students from other programmes taking core modules in economics, has designated two academic colleagues to represent the department in their interactions with partner departments. To find out more get in touch with Charlotte Knights, Departmental Manager (c.knights@lse.ac.uk).
- 2. Have you considered how changes to assessment or course availability might impact other programmes of study? With many courses, both compulsory and optional, available to students on other programmes, it is important that you advise other departments / programme teams of substantive changes to assessment or plans to add/remove courses from programme regulations in advance of your programme review panel dialogue meeting.
- 3. Have you engaged with students? As you know student engagement is an integral part of the programme review process including through their participation on departmental programmes teams and consultations with SSLCs. You may want to look at the guidance for ideas about student engagement, available on SharePoint and on the LSE Teaching and Learning Centre website at: https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/Teaching-and-Learning-Centre/Support-for-LSE-Departments/Support-for-LSE-departments
- 4. Would you like to suggest any changes and/or additions to the programme level dataset? Please get in touch with the team at TLC.Programme.Review@lse.ac.uk with suggestions of any changes. An updated dataset will be circulated by January 26.
FAQs:
- 1. Do students need to be invited to the programme review panel dialogue meetings?
Yes, there should be two students from the departmental programme review team present at the panel dialogue meetings.
- 2. Who should we speak to for guidance around assessment changes?
Please get in touch with your Teaching and Learning Centre departmental adviser to discuss your ideas for changes to assessment from both a design and implementation point of view.
- 3. Who should I speak to for guidance on rationalisation and changes to programme regulations?
Colleagues in TQARO can advise on changes to regulations, in terms of appropriate consultation at the departmental and School levels as well as timing for implementation. Please contact Casey Hawkins (c.hawkins@lse.ac.uk) for further information.
- 4. What role should our Departmental Teaching Committee (DTC) play in the programme review process? DTCs are asked to approve proposed programme changes including changes to assessment and regulations either at a meeting, through correspondence with members or via a comment from the Chair. This is an important part of moving to a more decentralised approach to decision-making on programme changes. It is also a necessary part of LSE’s quality assurance obligations.
- 5. When should departments submit the panel dialogue template?
Departments should submit the panel dialogue template to the central programme review team (TLC.Programme.Review@lse.ac.uk) at least two weeks prior to the panel dialogue meeting. In the case of those undertaking the ‘lite review’, departmental programme teams should submit their template by the end of LT11.
- 6. Who should attend our programme review panel dialogue meetings from the departmental teams?
The programme director and programme manager (or equivalents) are expected to attend the panel dialogue meetings, as well as two students, two academics and a lead from the other department in the case of joint programmes.
- 7. Who will be on the programme review panel?
The panel will include the following members: a member of USSC or GSSC, an external reviewer, Claire Gordon (Head, Teaching and Learning Centre), Tom Hewlett (Head of Teaching Quality Assurance & Review Office), Kate Neilson (Programme Officer – to scribe) and your TLC Departmental Adviser. Other colleagues from the School and/or the central programme review team may also be present.
- 8. How were the external reviewers selected? External panel members have been selected on the following basis: (i) acts as programme director or equivalent in the relevant discipline and (ii) their location at one of the peer institutions identified by departments for the peer institution benchmarking project conducted by ESU in 2017.
Good news/good practice to share:
Colleagues across the School are always interested in finding out and learning from what is going on in other departments. Please do send us positive examples of your partnership with students, changes to assessment that you have been considering or any other aspects of the programme review process that you think your colleagues would like to know about. We would like to share these across the School.
If you have any further questions regarding the undergraduate programme review, please contact the central team at TLC.Programme.Review@lse.ac.uk