Programme and unit development and approval

Policy for Programme Approval (PDF, 193kB)

New Programmes, High-risk changes and programme withdrawals (aPVC decision) - two stage approval of a business case and then an academic case approved by ACCG.

Changes to programmes - if low risk (aPVC decision) - approved at School and Faculty level without the need for a business case.

New units and changes to units - normally approved at School and Faculty level unless the cumulative changes are deemed high-risk.

Annual unit updating – no approval required for changes to description, director, teaching block (including running/not running) and pre- and co-requisites.

Information and guidance

For all programme changes it is suggested that proposers initially contact their aPVC Education & Students.

The Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) work with programme teams in a range of ways to develop and enhance curricula including curriculum festivals, TESTA and Teaching, Learning & Assessment Guides. They can also offer advice on blended teaching, decolonising the curriculum, employability in the curriculum and other curriculum related areas.

The Digital Education Office (DEO) help with using technology to enhance learning, teaching and assessment, including guidance on how to use AI in assessment.

Other Sources of information

Guidance

Curriculum Review and Development (CRD):

Schools may undertake CRD outside of the regular cycle of the quality assurance framework. It may be triggered for a variety of reasons, including:

  • a school wishing to develop its curricula
  • an outcome from a PSRB visit or a change to PSRB requirements.
  • a recommendation due to significant change within the discipline itself, approved by the Faculty or the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education. An example of this kind of trigger might be significant change to a relevant curriculum benchmark statement.
  • a concern raised by the Faculty, through the Dean or Faculty Education Director

The purpose of CRD would be to renew or rejuvenate a large proportion of the content of a programme or group of programmes (outside the normal annual programme review process).

Contact

Please email approval-help@bristol.ac.uk for help with any aspect of the programme and unit approval process.

Guidance for making changes to Programmes and Units taught at both UoB and MEC

Programmes/Units at MEC

Programmes taught in Bristol and Mumbai are awarded the same degree (from UoB) and must therefore be identical in aims and learning outcomes. There is some flexibility with optional units and how outcomes are assessed. The structure and delivery are the responsibility of the unit and programme directors and will be monitored by External Examiners and via Annual Programme Review.

A spreadsheet showing the mapping of the relevant units and programmes to those taught in Bristol is here: Mapping of MEC - Bristol Unit codes 26-27.xlsx. This is to help visualise where programmes and units are mirrored and where there is some approved divergence in programme structures.

Making changes to MEC programmes and units follows the same policy and process as making changes to UoB programmes and units, although with the expectation that both versions are changed at the same time.

Units and programmes taught in Mumbai are hidden in the catalogues but visible in UPMS.

Units taught in Mumbai are identifiable in UPMS as they have a Mumbai unit location (a new UPMS field).

Programmes taught in Mumbai are identifiable in both UPMS and the catalogue by the teaching institution.

Process for approval of changes

New units

If a new MEC/UoB  unit is being proposed this should be set up in UPMS as two separate units. Both units will have the same owning UoB faculty/department. 

Units should be identical in all aspects except the unit code and location. Units will not have the location as part of their title, instead this will be held as a data item against the unit and there is a systems development in UPMS / SITS underway to enable this.

Forms of assessment will normally be identical but there is some scope for divergence as long as the all Learning Outcomes are assessed. 

Please see link above for current mapping of units.  The MEC units will be hidden from view in the catalogue but can be edited in UPMS.

Changes to units

Any change to a unit taught at both UoB and MEC should also include the same change to the corresponding unit. Units hidden from the catalogue view can be found in UPMS in the usual way.

If for any reason the change is not to be applied to both units, this should be clearly stated in the approval information.

New Programmes

If a new MEC (or new MEC and UoB) programme is being proposed this will be set up in UPMS (by AQPO) as a separate programme. Both the MEC and UoB programme will have the same owning UoB faculty/department.

The programmes should be identical in all aspects, except the programme code. Programme titles should be identical except that MEC programmes will have (Mumbai) at the end.

Mandatory units should be identical, There may be different optional choice in MEC structures.

Changes to Programmes

Any change to a programme taught at both UoB and MEC should also include the same change to the corresponding programme.

Please see link above for current mapping of programmes.  The MEC programmes will be hidden from view in the catalogue, but can be edited in UPMS.

If for any reason the change is not to be applied to both programmes this should be clearly stated in the approval information (e.g. optional unit changes).