Academic Policy & Governance

1.1  When a School designs a new programme, or redesigns an existing programme, it is strongly recommended that proposers consult the guidance on programme and course design before starting to complete the programme specification. The programme specification covers the key questions that should have been addressed during the programme approval process. [For this purpose, the University definitions for programme[1] and course[2] apply.]

1.2  Programme specifications will also be required as part of the documentation for the approval of any new programme and for Periodic Subject Review.

1.3  Programme specifications are intended to provide the core factual information to a range of users, including current and potential students, employers, academic/industrial reviewers and funding councils about a programme of study.

• Students: It is University policy that programme specifications at the University of Glasgow should be written in language that current and potential students will understand – plain English, no jargon and a good average sentence length.
• Employers & Academic and Industrial Reviewers: Programme specifications are also likely to be of interest to employers and to academic and institutional reviewers, although they are not primarily directed to this audience. They are referred to on the HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report) which is issued to all Glasgow graduates. The HEAR includes a weblink to the published programme specifications to provide detailed information on the programme structure and content.
• Funding Council: The UK Quality Code sets out expectations that Universities will provide students and other interested parties with information on its programmes of study. One of the ways this is done at the University of Glasgow is through programme specifications. Programme specifications provide clear and concise information on:
  • aims and intended learning outcomes of a programme;
  • teaching and learning methods that enable learners to achieve these outcomes and the assessment methods used to demonstrate their achievement;
  • the relationship of the programme and its study elements to the qualifications.[3]

1.4  Programme specifications should be readily available, will be published online, and should also be incorporated into student handbooks. The University is required to make programme specifications publicly available on its website.

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[1] Programme = a set of compulsory and elective courses leading to a defined award, with defined aims, intended learning outcomes, mode(s) of delivery, and scheme of assessment.

[2] Course = a self-contained unit of study on a particular topic with defined level, credit, value, aims, intended learning outcomes, mode(s) of delivery, assessment scheme, and possibly also pre- and co-requisites.

[3] For information on the Qualifications Framework in Scotland please consult https://scqf.org.uk/.

2.1  These guidance notes should be used for the preparation of programme specifications. Cross-references to other guidance or information sources are included. The University’s programme specification template is provided in PIP.

2.2  Academic & Digital Development will provide support and advice in preparing programme specifications. Named staff offer guidance and advice to staff in specific Colleges so please contact your College contact directly for further advice/details. Academic & Digital Development also provides extensive guidance on programme development and design.

2.3  Programme specifications are required for all new programmes. They should also be updated annually for existing programmes. Academic Policy & Governance will request that Schools update their documents each summer in advance of the new session.

2.4  Programme specifications should be developed for programmes lasting one or more years and leading to a final undergraduate or taught postgraduate award.[4] Programme specifications should not be produced separately for interim awards,[5] but possible exit points can be identified in the specification.

Therefore, the following general principles apply:

• Each School should produce a programme specification for its single honours programme(s) [except where the same degree is delivered in more than one College – see below], and for its PGT programmes.
• Separate programme specifications are not required for early exit awards. Discrete programme specifications are only required for designated degrees, certificates or diplomas where students are explicitly recruited to these.
• One programme specification may be sufficient to cover a number of closely related degree programmes where there is substantive commonality between the programmes, including Programme Aims, ILOs, Assessment Methods, and Teaching & Learning Approaches. It is not appropriate to group programmes in one programme specification if this produces a lengthy document with different sets of aims, ILOs etc. for different named streams. As a rule, no more than two streams should be included in the same programme specification, as they will necessarily have differences in their aims, ILOs and structure.
• MSci and MEng degrees should have separate programme specifications from Bachelor awards in the same discipline as there should be different aims and intended learning outcomes between these levels of award.
• A single programme specification should be produced where the same degree is delivered in more than one College (e.g. Geography, Psychology). The School in which the programme is primarily located should be responsible for its specification and the College in which that School resides is responsible for approval. It is essential to note that other Colleges offering the degree must be consulted on any development or update of the specification.
• Each School should produce a programme specification covering its half of any joint honours programmes to which it contributes. In most cases one programme specification should suffice for this purpose. Joint designated degree programmes would be included as exit awards in the honours programme specification, or as separate documents if the designated degrees are explicitly recruited to on a separate UCAS code.
• The Schools concerned should jointly produce a programme specification for any integrated honours programme to which they contribute.
• Programme specifications are not required for research programmes.[6]

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[4] An award is a degree, certificate or diploma which is conferred following the successful completion of a defined programme of study. This might be a one-year Certificate of Higher Education, a two-year Diploma of Higher Education, a three-year ordinary/general/designated degree, a four-year Honours degree, a five-year Integrated Masters degree or a one- (or more) year Masters programme.

[5] Such as the Certificate/Diploma of Higher Education, or a Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma where the same programme leads to a Masters award.

[6] These principles were approved by Education Committee on 15 December 2004 and confirmed by Academic Standards Committee on 3 October 2008.

All Programme Specifications have to be approved through the College Board of Studies. All new programmes, and changes to programmes, must be approved no later than 31 July.

The programme specification template has been designed to help Schools through the process of compiling programme specifications for their programmes of study, and is available on the PIP system.

General guidance is included in the template in red italicised text, which will be deleted in PIP when the programme specification has been approved so will not be published. Please note that all sections of the template must be completed (except in situations where the guidance text indicates that a field should be left blank). More detailed guidance follows.

The following subsections provide guidance for proposers about how the fields of the specification form should be completed and what information needs to be included in each field:

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4.1 General Information (Fields 1–7, 13-21 and 24)

These fields should be straightforward to complete as they contain factual information. Where the field is not applicable, please leave blank (e.g. accreditation details in Field 13 – where the programme is not accredited, please leave blank, as any characters included in this field are published on the HEAR).

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4.2 Programme Aims (Field 8)

i) This field should state what the University/School aims to provide to students through the programme. Start with a short introductory paragraph describing the subject of study covered by the programme, explaining the nature of the subject (particularly for the benefit of potential students who have not studied it before) and outlining what is involved in the study of the subject at university level. Emphasise any distinctive features of the programme, e.g., the benefits of studying in a research-led environment. Remember that the programme specification can be key to attracting students to study the programme.

ii) Following this introductory paragraph, list the principal aims (normally not more than about six) of the programme. This would normally be done in bullet points, though text could be used if this were considered to be more appropriate. The list of aims should be designed for the programme overall. Care should be taken to avoid listing ILOs rather than programme aims.

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4.3 Intended Learning Outcomes of Programme (Field 9)

i) This field should describe the programme’s intended learning outcomes (ILOs)[7] and should reflect the core attributes of a graduate of the programme. The ILOs should describe what all students should be able to do, in terms of particular knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes. The ILOs should be written at a level that reflects the final award, using active verbs. All assessment at Glasgow is conducted at course level and overall course grades determine the final award classification. It is therefore necessary to ensure that instruments of assessment which will test the achievement of Programme ILOs are built into course structures (see also 4.5).

ii) There can be confusion between ILOs at the programme level and ILOs at the individual course Programme specifications are directly concerned only with programme ILOs. When developing programme ILOs, it is important to ensure that no permitted selection of option courses would deny students the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of all of the programme ILOs. In practice this means that the programme ILOs must all be achievable through core and option courses. It may prove helpful to map the relationship between programme ILOs and courses clearly to be sure that all students will have the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the ILOs.

iii) ILOs should be developed in consultation with any relevant QAA subject benchmark statements and other relevant reference points should be consulted. Compliance with QAA subject benchmark statements is not compulsory, but the School should be in a position to provide a clear rationale, which has the support of the relevant academic staff in the School, for any deviation from what is set out in the subject benchmark. It is advisable to record this rationale in writing at the time when the programme specification is drafted, so that it can be referred to in the context of internal subject review processes so avoiding any confusion arising from changes in School personnel.

iv) The set of ILOs should cover the following areas (these were previously included in the specification template as sub-headings, but the headings have been removed in order to avoid duplication):

• Knowledge and Understanding

The knowledge and understanding that a student will be expected to have upon completion (such as “apply theoretical knowledge of the principles and methods of archaeology” or “apply knowledge of the major types of chemical reaction and the main characteristics associated with them”).

• Skills and Other Attributes

This category of ILOs may be further subdivided into three main groups: subject-specific/practical skills, intellectual skills, and transferable/key skills.

Subject-Specific/Practical Skills: For example, laboratory skills, scientific report writing, research skills and methods.

Intellectual Skills: For example, ability to analyse, criticise or synthesise, ability to formulate and test concepts and hypotheses, ability to solve problems and ability to learn independently.

Transferable/Key Skills: Suggestions for inclusion in the transferable/key skill field are listed below. However this list is not exhaustive and Schools may include other skills that are relevant.

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4.4 Learning and teaching approaches (Field 10)

This field should set out the learning and teaching approaches for the programme.

Consideration should be given as to how the teaching approaches support learning and hence the achievement of the ILOs. Background on how current research interests and activity of staff underpins teaching should also be provided. Relevant QAA subject benchmark statements and any other relevant reference points should again be consulted. Some approaches will be more appropriate than others for developing particular types of learning. For example:

Knowledge and understanding of a subject is often developed through lectures and seminars. Such direct teaching methods are usually supported by directed study of textbooks and journal articles (hard copy or electronic) and by assignment or project work.

Subject-specific/practical skills need to be developed through opportunities to practise the activity in an appropriate learning context (e.g. in a laboratory, in the field or on workplace placement). Workbooks or guidance manuals may be used to support learning.

Intellectual skills may be practised and demonstrated through more active learning processes involving assignments or projects, group-learning activity such as a seminar or tutorial, laboratory, workshop or field-based activity.

Transferable/key skills may be developed in a number of ways. Some, such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation and problem solving may be practised and demonstrated through more active learning processes involving assignments or projects, group-learning activity such as a seminar or tutorial, laboratory, workshop or field-based activity. They may also be developed through extra-curricular activities including work experience, student representative work, and social and cultural activities.

In all of the above, it is important to remember that the more active learning tasks designed to support the development of intellectual, subject specific and key skills will also play a key role in contributing to the development of knowledge and understanding.

It is not necessary to cross-refer the learning and teaching approaches to the ILOs in your programme specification. A list of the approaches used will suffice.

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4.5 Assessment methods (Field 11)

i) This field should detail how the assessment for the programme (conducted via course assessments) is structured to ensure that the learning outcomes are tested effectively, i.e. in such a way that enables all students to demonstrate achievement of outcomes to the best of their ability. It is not necessary to list every assessment method used in every course or to cross-refer assessment methods to the ILOs. A list of the methods used is sufficient.

ii) Before including an ILO in a programme specification, the School must be satisfied that there are courses within the programme which allow students to demonstrate the actual achievement of the outcome. This will only be possible if the ILO is appropriately assessed. This last point is particularly important in the light of the University’s Code of Assessment. [Chapter 1 of the Guide to the Code of Assessment provides more details.]

The different types of ILOs can be associated with certain modes of assessment.

iii)  Where work-based or placement learning forms a mandatory part of the programme, programme teams may wish to consider using Schedule B as the more appropriate Grading Basis, given the ILOs and potential involvement of external staff in marking.

iv)  The paragraph below can be used for Field 11, followed by specific information as indicated in the associated example.

v)  All assessment is conducted in the immediate context of the courses comprising the programme. The intended learning outcomes indicated in Field 9 are, however, generic to the programme as a whole and the extent of any individual student’s attainment of them will be demonstrated as follows:

Example

The student’s theoretical knowledge of the principles and methods of archaeology will be assessed in the examinations, coursework essays and fieldwork assignments set within the core courses in general and theoretical archaeology. They will be further assessed in the examinations and coursework set within the optional courses comprising the programme. The student’s detailed knowledge of two or more special areas of archaeology will also be assessed in the examinations and coursework set within these optional courses.

The student’s laboratory skills and scientific report writing will be assessed throughout the programme as part of the core course in artefact dating.

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4.6 Programme Structure and Features (Field 12)

This field should include an easily understood description of the programme structure: the basic curriculum information (the structure and credit value of courses year by year, when particular courses are taught, and exit awards available on the completion of each stage). If any courses are taught in any other language than English this must be specified here, as should information on any courses taught elsewhere. A tabular presentation of the structure is usually most helpful. Where a long list of options may be selected, a supplementary web link can be provided.

A standard paragraph referring to the location of degree regulations has been added to Field 12 and should be retained (although (d) which relates to Honours should be deleted where this is not applicable).

The following information may also be included (as web links if the relevant information already exists):

• opportunities and/or requirements for placement or overseas study which may include a) the relative weighting of the placement in the overall programme; b) whether it is essential to pass the component; c) whether it alone determines or directly contributes to the award and/or classification;
• reference to the Code of Assessment or an explanation of the Primary Grades especially if these are used to describe progress requirements;
• progression requirements[8] (and whether satisfying these would automatically lead to entry to later stages of the programme);
• modes of study (e.g. full-time, part-time, by online distance learning) and any differences that might apply if studying on a particular mode;
• matters specific to professional programmes (e.g. a requirement to undertake clinical or school experience placements) or to programmes accredited by professional or statutory bodies (e.g. holders of accredited degrees are eligible to follow a route to corporate membership).

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4.7 Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Statements and Other External or Internal Reference Points (Field 22)

QAA subject benchmark statements exist for honours degrees in most disciplines, and for masters degrees in a small number of disciplines. These benchmark statements can be found at https://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements.

This field should include a web link to any benchmark statement relevant to the programme.

If the programme has been designed to meet the requirements of a professional or statutory body, this field should also contain a web link to that body’s own benchmark statement.

If no relevant benchmark exists, this should be stated.

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4.8 Additional Relevant Information (Field 23)

This field gives the opportunity to present a more rounded picture of the teaching and learning environment within the School/College to enhance the informative and promotional function of the programme specification. Emphasise areas where the School or Subject Area has distinctive features (more than the norm for the University), such as particularly good IT facilities, using materials from the University’s Archives in learning and teaching, ‘buddy’ systems in operation, etc. To keep the field concise, relevant web links should be provided to standard information/services. Examples of items that could be included under this field are:

• School specific Library and IT facilities;
• student support systems or services;
• employability or other School initiatives;
• student feedback and representation opportunities;
• examples of employment or further study undertaken by recent graduates.

There could also be references to more detailed information on the programme, School, and/or University (either publications or web links).

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4.9 Date of Production/Revision

The date of the initial production or revision should be provided.

To ensure that programme specifications remain current they should be reviewed on an annual basis. Academic Policy & Governance will email Colleges each summer requesting that specifications are checked and updated prior to the start of the new academic session. Note that only corrections and minor changes should be included in the annual updating exercise; substantial changes to programmes should be approved by College Boards of Studies in the usual way.

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Feedback on the usefulness of the guidance notes would be welcomed. Please send any comments to Ruth Cole (ruth.cole@glasgow.ac.uk).

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[7] Further information is available at: https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_868967_smxx.docx (see section 4, p.8)

[8] Detailed regulations must not be quoted here as these can easily become out of date. The regulations should be referred to at source (i.e. in the University Regulations).