Programme Modification - Guidance Modification to a programme may result in a new programme code being issued to ensure that historic programme data can be maintained for transcript production. The guidance below sets out what information should be provided in each field of the form and, in the final column, why this information is required. The following codes are used for this purpose: AC Information that is collected to assist the approval committees in making their decisions. Whilst all of the information within the form will be considered, some questions are designed specifically to help the approval committees understand the development. asic data used for information and programme modelling Alignment with the University s strategic aims and/or the financial risk:reward of the development AA-required quality assurance processes and considerations Programme modification forms should always be accompanied by a modified programme specification. Please note that if the modification that you wish to make is to add a placement to an existing programme of study, the Proposal to add a new Placement to a Programme form should be completed instead of this form. 1 College State the College to which the programme belongs. 2 School State the School to which the programme belongs. 3 Department State the Department to which the programme belongs. 4 Collaborative organisation If this programme is delivered in collaboration with another organisation, state the organisation s name here. Otherwise state n/a. 5 ualification(s) and programme title State the qualification(s) and title of the programme subject to the modification e.g. MSc and PGDip Computer Science. 6 Programme code State the code(s) of the programme subject to the modification. 7 Date of implementation State the date, usually in terms of academic sessions, from which you want the modification to be implemented e.g. from the 2016/17 academic session onwards. 8 Nature of the proposed modification (s) 9 Rationale for proposed modifications Information about what aspect of the programme is being modified. Outline the rationale for the programme modification being proposed. This form should be accompanied by supporting information where relevant e.g. market research or NSS results. Please also refer to the,, AC AC
resource implications of the modification. 10 Will the modification result in an admissible programme of study which does not currently exist? (If Yes, please complete the Appendix. If No, please confirm what the fee for the modified programme should be.) 11 Do the proposed modifications necessitate module changes? 12 Do the modifications create any barriers to access to the programme? Should this programme be a collaborative one, further information should be provided detailing the impact of any changes on the arrangement and the associated legal agreement. Should you wish to deliver an existing Uo programme as a collaborative one, please contact the Head of Collaborative Provision for advice and guidance before completing and submitting any proposal. For those modifications which effectively result in new programmes of study, a number of pertinent questions from the new programme proposal form are reproduced on the Appendix. If the fee for the modified programme will differ from that for the original, please consult your College Planning Partner, Accountant, and Marketing and Communications Manager. Indicate Yes/No and whether these have been approved by the School and College yet. This question refers to protected groups such as those with disabilities or from minority ethnic groups. Indicate Yes/No. Where the answer is Yes, provide details of what action will be taken to limit these barriers, or where necessary why these barriers exist. 13 Type of modification With reference to the Guidance Document on Programme Modifications indicate whether your proposed modification is Exceptional, Major, or Minor and which of the example modifications within that document most closely correlates to the modification being proposed. 14 Consultations This section sets out all those areas of the University with whom you might have to consult before you can submit your modification. 14.1 Admissions If the proposed modification affects applicants who hold offers on the programme, you might have to inform them of the proposed modification. State here whether or not you have consulted with Admissions about this matter, and in both cases provide further details (either the reason for not consulting or the outcome of those consultations). 14.2 Existing students If the proposed modification will impact on existing students, they need to be consulted or informed. AC,,, State here whether you or not have consulted with existing students or not, and in both cases provide further details (either the reason for not consulting or the outcome of those consultations). There is a policy to which you might like to refer the Policy on Consulting
Students about Major Changes 14.3 Other Schools/Colleges If your modification will affect students from other Schools and Colleges (including irmingham International Academy), relevant colleagues should be consulted and informed of the proposed change. State here whether or not you have consulted with other Schools and/or Colleges, and in both cases provide further details (either the reason for not consulting or the outcome of those consultations). 14.4 Professional body If your programme is subject to accreditation by a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory ody, you might need to consult them before making the change. State here whether or not you have consulted with the professional body, and in both cases provide further details (either the reason for not consulting or the outcome of those consultations). 14.5 Study abroad and exchanges If your programme has a Year Abroad element you should consult with the Study Abroad and Exchanges team within International Relations. AC 14.6 Head of Collaborative Provision State here whether or not you have consulted with the team, and in both cases provide further details (either the reason for not consulting or the outcome of those consultations). If the programme is delivered as part of a collaborative arrangement, the Head of Collaborative Provision will be able to advise you on the implications of the change, and who should be informed. State here whether or not you have consulted with the Head of Collaborative Provision, and in both cases provide further details (either the reason for not consulting or the outcome of those consultations). 15 Approval 15.1 y School Detail the date the programme modification was approved within the School, and the body that approved it. 15.2 y College (Minor) If your modification is classified as Minor, the final approval body is the School. The modification must be reported to the College however. 15.3 y College (Major or Exceptional) If your modification is classified as Major, the final approval body is the College. Once you have submitted the forms to the College for approval, the secretary to the relevant College Committee should complete this section before sending it to the College Academic Policy Partner. If your modification is classified as Exceptional, the final approval body is the University. N.. all in-session
changes are classified as Exceptional. 16 Contacts Provide a named contact for each of the roles listed. Once completed forms should be submitted to the relevant School Committee for approval. If approved, it will then be passed to the College Programme Approval Review Committee, or a Committee acting on its behalf, for reporting or final approval. Appendix for modifications resulting in new programmes of study A1 Mode(s) of study State the mode, or modes, of delivery. This could be Full time, Part time, Distance Education, E- Learning, Work-based Learning, and/or Flexible. Please ensure that there is a clear distinction between modes i.e. Full time Distance Education OR Full time on campus, or Full time Distance Education A2 A3 Admissions requirements (For full time UG programmes only, confirm whether you envisage the admissions requirements to be above a minimum of A) Proposed student intake per annum Indicate admissions requirements. The number of full time UG students that can be admitted to HEFCEfunded programmes is limited, where the attainment of the student is below A or the equivalent. In order to recruit to a HEFCE-fundable programme you must indicate the number of students who would be below A standard that you envisage you may recruit. Indicate the number of students you expect to recruit per session. If it proves more accurate you can give the numbers over an extended period e.g.: 2014/15 7 2015/16 10 2016/17 onwards 15, A4 A5 Is the programme open to all suitably qualified candidates? Will a premium fee be charged? If new modules are being proposed as part of the new programme serious consideration should be given to the viability, practicality and benefits of any programme projected to recruit less than 10 students. Indicate Yes/No this question will determine whether the programme can be funded by HEFCE It is possible, in some cases, to charge a higher rate of fee on a programme, where there is a clear rationale for charging for a specific additional cost should the market support this.
A6 Will a bench fee be charged? It is possible to charge additional bench fees on top of the standard fees to cover the costs of additional course activities e.g. field trips. A7 What fees will be charged? Indicate the fees that will be charged to each student group. (Note that we are unlikely to be able to recruit part time overseas students due to the Points ased Immigration System.) A8 A9 Will fees be charged through anner? Will the fee income be managed centrally or by the College/School? Programme fees should be set based on a specific spinal point on the University fee ladder, or in the Overseas fee matrix. If your proposed fee does not feature on the ladder or matrix, a clear rationale for this choice will be required. Your College Planning Partner will be able to advise on this. Indicate whether you want student fees to be collected via the central charging system and paid into a nominated account (anner), or whether the School wishes to collect the fee directly (School). In either case indicate the account to which the fees will be paid. The expectation is that the vast majority of fees will be collected through anner. A clear rationale will need to be provided if you wish to collect fees through the School/College Indicate whether you want the fee income for this programme to be managed (including forecasting and budgeting) by the College Accountant, or by the Planning Office. (If the fee is to be managed by College/School, please give the Account Code if this is known) A10 Will fees be charged by programme or by module? Students can be charged a single fee for each programme year for which they register, or a fee for each module they register upon. Charge by module can be useful for flexible programmes in which the students take a variable number of modules each year. Students on research programmes are always charged per year. If you are proposing a new research programme, indicate n/a here.
A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 Will students be required to pay a deposit? A marketing case confirms The market will support the proposed fee for the programme There is sufficient market demand to ensure viable student numbers for the programme The programme content and structure is appropriate for the market Non-standard programme elements If you wish students to pay a deposit upon receiving an offer indicate Yes here. Please also indicate the amount of the deposit (either 250 or 500) and which students will be required to pay it. Your College Marketing and Communications Manager will be able to assist with these questions. The responses should be based upon the market research report they produce (or that is produced with their support). State here if there are any nonstandard programme elements of a type liable to require exemptions from Regulations (e.g. Postgraduate Masters programmes in which the ratio of taught elements to dissertation is not 120/60; undergraduate programmes in which the ratio of stage 2 and stage 3 or the weighting of a year abroad or year in industry is non-standard.) Please also state the reason for including these elements i.e. what the students will gain from these elements. A16 Placement elements State here if the programme will include a placement as either an integral or optional element. For guidance on what constitutes a placement, please refer to the draft Code of Practice on Placement Learning. If the programme will include a placement, the Proposal to add a placement to a Programme form must be completed in addition to this form. A17 Student support for nonstandard or off-campus elements State here how students will be supported whilst they are undertaking the non-standard programme elements outlined above. You should also indicate here how off-campus students (e.g. those on distance education programmes) will be supported. (You might find it useful to refer to the Code of Practice on placement
A18 A19 A20 What training and support is available for staff managing non-standard programme elements or off-campus study? Is the programme dependant on a key member of staff? How will the programme be delivered in the absence of key staff? learning ) Development and maintenance of programmes with non-standard elements can be challenging and demanding. It should be indicated here how any such staff will be supported in terms of: Training and development; and Administrative and other support. If delivery and/or management of the programme is dependant upon one key individual, state Yes. If the programme could be delivered, unchanged, by other staff, or if a number of staff are involved in the programme, state No. If you answered Yes above, you will need to detail how the programme could continue should the key member of staff be absent. Shortterm absences are not a concern the approval Committees are interested in ensuring that students who have already begun the programme, and applicants holding offers for the programme, are able to complete the programme as advertised., If you answered No above, state n/a. A21 Teaching space requirements In as much detail as possible, state the teaching space that will be required for delivery of the programme. This is particularly important if the programme will have a large number of students, will be delivered outside of the usual timetable, or requires specialist space. A22 A23 Joint Honours or Major/Minor: if so, can the programme be delivered within the block timetable? Please state any foreseen implications for Library Please confirm that the requirements will be possible. If this is not a Joint Honours or Major/Minor programme, state n/a. If this is a Joint Honours or Major/Minor programme, it is important to know at an early stage if the programme can be timetabled in accordance with the block timetable. For example: will extra/new Library materials be required to support this
A24 Services resources Are there any aspects of this programme which are not in line with the University s Code of Ethics? programme? If so, what is the anticipated level of financial investment required, and how will this be met? Will there be demands for particular Library services e.g. additional skills training sessions, or negotiating of resource licences to support alternative modes of delivery? (Please contact your School Library Rep, Subject Advisor or College Director of Operations if you require further assistance.) Please consult the University s Code of Ethics and describe any aspects of the programme which contravene. A25 Export controls If your answers are any other combination than Yes to 25.1 and No to 25.2, please inform your College Academic Policy Partner before progressing the modification further.,