Academic quality
Programme monitoring and review
Our approach to monitoring and reviewing programmes to ensure academic quality.
We have a robust system for monitoring and reviewing our programmes. This ensures that our programmes stay current, provide an strong learning experience and remain a viable and valuable asset to the University.
Our process is designed to:
- Ensure that programmes remain current and valid in light of developing knowledge in the discipline, and practice in its application.
- Evaluate the extent to which the intended learning outcomes are being attained by students.
- Evaluate the continuing effectiveness of the curriculum and of assessment in relation to the intended learning outcomes.
- Ensure that recommendations for appropriate actions are followed up to remedy any identified issues/concerns.
Monitoring methods
We annually monitor the effectiveness of our programmes through the Portfolio Performance and Annual Quality Report (AQR) processes. Use the drop-down below to learn more about these and the other monitoring methods we use.
The University adopts a general, risk-based framework where deliberate steps are taken to use a range of data sources to monitor, manage and enhance the quality of provision.
The Portfolio Performance Dashboard displays key performance indicators across the University's portfolio at subject and programme level, including B3 metrics. It provides senior management with a central location from which to access consistently defined performance indicators in line with OfS B3 conditions.
Module leaders, with Heads of Schools, are encouraged to develop a range of evaluation techniques that provide students and staff with the opportunity to comment on all aspects of module provision.
To ensure standards across the sector, external examiners are employed to monitor provision. You can find out more information about this role on the External examiner pages.
In terms of the monitoring process, external examiners see a range of work and marks and attend School Assessment Boards. A Regulatory External Examiner works with the University Assessment Board.
External examiners write a report each year and a member of York St John University will write a formal response to this.
The Portfolio Performance Dashboard is available to all programme teams across the University.
A School Portfolio Risk Profile is produced annually to assess risk in terms of regulation, reputation, sustainability and quality. The reports are used to inform the Portfolio Performance review meetings which are held at School level for any programmes identified as having areas of risk. Good practice will also be discussed. Action Plans are then completed for all programmes which address the data and any associated risks identified through the review process.
Programme teams should give careful consideration to their external examiner report whilst completing the Action Plan.
Completed Action Plans should be scrutinised by the School Quality Panel (SQP) before onward submission to the Academic Quality team at quality@yorksj.ac.uk for consideration by the Quality and Standards Committee.
Templates are available from Registry for:
- Action Plan: to be completed by Programme Teams with the relevant Associate Heads and considered by SQP.
- Validated collaborative provision: to be completed by Validated Collaborative Partners in discussion with the Collaborative Programme Representative (CPR). Included is a template for the review of the management of the partnership to be completed by the Partner and CPRs. Both are to be submitted directly to quality@yorksj.ac.uk. This will be distributed by Academic Quality to the relevant School.
- Franchised collaborative provision: focuses on the management of franchise collaborative partnerships. This is to be completed by the Partner and CPR(s) for each collaborative partner and submitted directly to quality@yorksj.ac.uk. This will be distributed by Academic Quality to the relevant Schools.
York St John University is committed to producing an annual critical account of academic and scholarly activity in the University. This report draws on a number of sources including the distillation of information coming from the Portfolio Performance process. This report ensures that the Academic Board and the Board of Governors are confident in the academic health of the University.
