Origin
The Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee is a committee of Education & Student Experience Committee and has delegated responsibility to oversee the provision of all education delivered under the name of the University of Southampton. The School Programmes Committee was implemented to support the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee in carrying out its delegated responsibilities.
Purpose
- To oversee the delivery of educational programmes consistent with the university strategy as it applies to education and student experience, ensuring implementation of the University’s regulatory and quality assurance framework for taught programmes and taught parts of research programmes.
- The Chair is responsible for ensuring that any equality impacts against each project/policy/process/procedure have been considered as part of the decision-making process.
Responsibilities and activity
- To oversee delivery of educational programmes consistent with the University strategy as it applies to education and student experience.
- To ensure implementation of the University’s regulatory and quality assurance frameworks for taught programmes and taught parts of research programmes, to assure the attainment of appropriate academic standards as described in external reference points.
- To identify areas where action needs to be taken to enhance the student learning experience.
To report to Faculty Education & Student Experience Subcommittee and Faculty Graduate School Subcommittee on issues related to the student experience.
- To report to the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee on quality monitoring and regulatory matters for taught and taught parts of research programmes according to that committee’s specified reporting schedule.
- To receive and consider reports from external review and/or accreditation of taught and taught parts of research programmes by Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies.
- To receive and consider updates from Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies regarding changes to accreditation requirements.
- To appoint examiners for taught programmes and taught parts of research programmes, on behalf of Senate.
- To receive and consider the reports from, and approve responses to, external examiners for taught programmes.
- To receive and consider any feedback from Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee arising from reports, eg, External Examiners reports, Annual Monitoring.
- To receive and consider reports and action plans from Programme Approval or Programme Review panels and to monitor progress via the Programme Action Plan.
- To ensure compliance with the requirements of regulatory bodies when making authorised changes to existing modules and programmes, and when proposing new or when scrutinising and/or proposing the withdrawal of taught or taught parts of research programmes to the Faculty and Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee.
- To establish student prizes and the award of those prizes.
- To receive reports from Staff Student Liaison Committees.
Reporting arrangements
The School Programmes Committee reports to the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee.
It also reports to the Faculty Education & Student Experience Subcommittee and Faculty Graduate School Subcommittee on issues related to the student experience.
The School Programmes Committee may set up and disband from time to time such advisory/working groups as it decides are required to execute its business.
- Chair: Deputy Head of School (Education)
- Head of School
- Doctoral Programme Directors (programmes with taught part(s))
- Representative from University of Southampton Malaysia (UoSM) (where applicable)
- Faculty Academic Registrar/Head of Taught Programme Administration (or nominee)
- Students’ Union: School (and, where applicable, Departmental) Presidents
- Secretary
The Chair may co-opt additional members as necessary (including to act as chairs of advisory/working groups).
Members who are unable to attend may send a substitute with permission of the Chair.
Quorum and frequency
Quorum
The School Programmes Committee will be quorate with one third of membership plus one in attendance.
Frequency of meetings
The School Programmes Committee will meet at least three times per year.
Resources
Secretariat support is provided by the Curriculum & Quality Assurance Team.
Terms of Reference review
Date of last review:....... June 2023
Date of next review:...... September 2024
Standard Agenda - School Programmes Committee