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The full summary of how our Management and Quality Assurance Systems and Procedures fit together is below:
Management and Quality Assurance (QA) Systems and Procedures (word 259k)
The Management and QA Systems and Procedures of these awards are determined by the requirements of Bath Spa University, the School of Development and Participation's Wessex Partnership, and external organisations such as OfSTED, Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) and Standards Verification UK (SVUK).
Moving towards a consistency in delivering and supporting the entitlement of our trainees is our key challenge within the new reform agenda for Teacher Education and Development.
In order to ensure consistency across all centres, a management and QA system has been agreed which includes:
a set of guidance, procedures, documents, management and QA tools which are in place across the partnership
an online portal for sharing and developing these systems and tools in the form of a Lifelong Learning Initial Teacher Training Programme Handbook.
The university has agreed with all partner colleges on key aspects of common Course Management which ensures consistency across all centres. A number of new procedures and documents are being introduced during 2007/8.
The Components of the LL ITT Course Management System are:
These are the key definitive documents for the Awards, and are central to all course management.
2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This document is a concise statement the differing roles and responsibilities across the teaching teams.
Course Team Roles (word 215k)
3 NEW STAFF APPROVAL AND INDUCTION
This document
explains the Wessex Partnership's approval requirements for new staff,
including minimum requirements for tutors, mentors and observers
working on LL ITT, and an induction process for all categories of
staff.
New Staff Approval and induction (word 222k)
4 COURSE TEAM FILES AND TRAINEE RECORDS
We are working towards a common required format for all centres in how they organise and maintain their Course Team Files and Trainee Records. The key document summarises BSU requirements for the files which should be kept and maintained by each centre, and all teaching staff in that centre.
The Course Team Files section includes:
General programme documentation
Registration / Induction documentation
Assessment Documentation
Practical Teaching Documentation
Mentoring Documentation
Risk Assessment
Teaching Information
Course Management documentation - BSU
Course Management documentation - Partner College
Quality Assurance Documentation
The Trainee Records section includes:
Evidence of progress and achievement of individual trainees
5 COURSE MANAGERS' MEETINGS
Play an essential role in course management and QA. Further details can be found in Quality Assurance section.
6 FIELD AFFILIATE VISITS
Play an essential role in course management and QA. Further details can be found in Quality Assurance section.
COMPONENTS OF THE QA SYSTEM
1 QA ACTIVITY AND RESULTS
1.1 Wessex Partnership Biannual Reviews of Collaborative Programmes
A visiting panel from the University meets with a panel (including trainee representation) from the further education partner at an agreed date during the year. The meeting is informed by responses to a set of pre-determined questions. These questions are informed by both the QAA Code of Practise for Collaboration Provision and the OFSTED Framework for Inspection.
Results
Minutes and action points which are reported to the BSU Academic Quality and Standards Committee Sub Committee for Collaborative Provision.
Wessex Partnership Annual Review Questions (word)
1.2 Visits to partner centres by BSU the ITT (LL) Team
Members of the BSU Initial Teacher Training (LL) team, including Field Affiliates and the Award Leader, visit each partner college, and write a report on that visit at least four times each year to:
Monitor and review all aspects of quality
Support new and existing staff in all aspects of delivering the awards.
Support all staff with curriculum development and implementation.
Teach on course activities and sessions as negotiated.
Agree reports produced with the college Course Manager before forwarding to BSU.
Results
A report on each visit is written by the Field Affiliate, with associated documents (e.g. observation reports / SWOT analysis). This is then sent to the Award Leader and copied to the Course Manager.
Field Affiliates - Support for Partner Colleges (word 37k)
1.3 Course Managers' Meetings
Course Managers' Meetings (all course team members are welcome to attend) take place at least five times per year, and include a mix of fixed and tabled items on the agenda. Including:
Review of previous action points
Course / Module Reviews
Information share / update
Staff development
Future planning and curriculum development
QTLS update
They provide:
an informal forum for discussion
a means of reviewing activities, plans and developments and agreeing actions for improvement
a staff development forum
a support network for all teaching staff
opportunities for cross-centre interaction. moderation and team building
Results
Meetings are minuted and circulated to all course team members with associated documents. Action points are reviewed and followed up at each subsequent meeting.
1.4 Collection of Trainee and Staff Feedback
1.4.1 Trainee feedback
Trainees give feedback on their experience in a number of ways:
Participation in Wessex Annual Reviews - two student representatives are invited to each Review.
Participation in Advisory Group Meetings, which take place in each centre at least once a year, and are a forum for discussion on aspects of the awards for students, staff and the award leader..
Student evaluations of each module studied (BSU Paper-based and online surveys)
Student Annual Trainee Satisfaction survey (BSU Paper-based and online surveys)
Discussions with Field Affiliates during visits
1.4.2 Staff feedback
Staff feedback is gathered in a number of ways including:
Participation in Course Managers' Meetings.
Participation in Wessex Annual Reviews - the course manager, and a member of college management of each college are present at each Review.
Participation in Advisory Group Meetings, which take place in each centre at least once a year, and are a forum for discussion on aspects of the awards for students, staff and the award leader..
Staff evaluations of each module studied (BSU Paper-based and online surveys)
Discussions with Field Affiliates during visits
Second marking / moderation sessions
Examination Boards
Staff Development Sessions
Results
Summaries of student and staff feedback appear in the following documents:
Course Managers' Meeting minutes
Wessex annual review minutes
Advisory Group Minutes
Summary reports of module evaluations.
Field affiliate reports
Second marking / moderation reports
Student and staff feedback is synthesised and summarised as part of the annual LL Self Assessment Report.
FEEDBACK FROM TraineeS and Staff
Feedback from trainees and staff is a very important aspect of these awards, and there are a number of ways in which this is collected and fed into quality improvement.
Module evaluation
After each module, it is a university requirement that trainees and staff should complete the module evaluation forms (at least once in each year this will be carried out online). The Course Manager at each partner college is then responsible for completing the module evaluation summary and forwarding a copy to the Award Leader and Field Affiliates within one month of the end of each module.
Module evaluation forms - trainee (word 69k)
Module evaluation forms - staff (word 70k)
Module evaluation summary (word 81k)
Mentor Evaluation
As part of our ongoing action plan for mentoring development to support improvement of trainees' specialist area teaching, we are introducing evaluation forms for mentors to complete twice each year. These will be distributed, completed and analysed with the assistance of online survey software, and reported on by the Bath Spa University Team as part of Course Team meetings.
Mentor evaluation form (word 66k)
Mentor evaluation form summary (word 66k)
TRAINEE FEEDBACK DURING VISITS
Advisory meetings take place are when BSU staff visit colleges. Trainees and staff can discuss and give feedback on the LL ITT awards, and any other matters. They take place at least once each year in each partner college, and a number of key changes in the awards have resulted from feedback given in these meetings.
1.5 Assessment and Moderation
A comprehensive system of assessment and moderation of trainee work is in place to satisfy all internal and external requirements. Each centre has a clear schedule of assessment deadlines, and these feed in to the university requirements for an annual Examination Board and Resubmission board. Moderation and second marking of trainee work ensures consistency across centres, and the capacity to highlight and act on any causes for concern. Moderation and second marking reports contribute to an award leader report to each centre after each examination board, and action points are taken up by the course team, and monitored by Field Affiliates when they visit.
A programme of moderation of teaching practice and mentoring will be introduced during 2007/8.
Results
Reports to each partner college regarding student work sampled
Summary reports circulated across the partnership.
1.6 External Examiners
There is one external examiner for the LL awards, who is a practitioner on a similar programme at another university. He attends our annual Examination Board, spending the day before the board sampling trainee work. There is also an opportunity during the day of the Examination Board for the course team to meet with the external examiner. From 2006/7 annual external examiner activity has included a visit to at least one college, (Weston College in 2007), to observe teaching on the awards, sample trainee work and meet with staff and trainees. All centres will be visited in this manner on a rotating basis.
Results
An annual external examiners report
2 QA REPORTING
The QA activity described in section 1 is only fully effective when the reporting of that activity provides clear information to identify strengths and areas for development, and provide ongoing actions to support improvement. The reports which are designed to achieve that goal are:
2.1 Action Plan for LL Improvement
To record Quality Assurance priorities, and progress towards achieving priorities, an 'Action Plan for LL Improvement' has been developed by the School for Development and Participation. This document is structured around the OfSTED Inspection Framework, and is a 'quick reference point' for summarising developments and activities. It addresses the following:
Key Priorities
Responsibility
Source of Action
By whom
Comments
As new data comes in, priorities are reviewed and updated, providing a useful tool for improvement and record of actions taken over a period of time.
2.2 Wessex Partnership Annual Review action points
A summary of all action points from Annual Reviews and progress on achieving those action points is maintained by the School for Development and Participation.
2.3 LL ITT Self Evaluation Documents (SEDs)
A Self Evaluation Reporting system, devised as part of the OfSTED 2008-11 ITT Inspection framework will be introduced during 2008/9 in order to:
Provide reporting which is clear, straightforward, and embedded in 'normal' course and partnership activity.
Ensure consistency of reporting across all partners
Provide analysis and action points which can benefit both individual partners and the partnership as a whole.
These SEDs will be designed to provide responses to all areas of the OfSTED Framework for Inspection and are collected and produced by each centre to an agreed calendar. An interim and final report is produced by each centre each year.
The Award Leader also produces an overall LL ITT Self Evaluation Document each year to be submitted to OfSTED.
2.4 Partner College Self Assessment Reports
Each partner college produces self assessment reports on this provision as a part of their own internal QA requirements. These reports are copied to the BSU Award Leader, and helpful evidence is incorporated in the BSU SED.
2.5 School for Development and Participation Annual Reports
This includes a 'SWOT' analysis, annual objectives, risk assessment, review of previous year's objectives and progress on the current year's objectives. The aim of the methodology is to produce a set of action points for the year ahead. Action points inform School annual and strategic plans, and all annual reports contribute to the university's overall annual operating objectives within the strategic plan.
2.6 OfSTED Self Evaluation Document
In addition to the reports indicated above, a full Self Evaluation Document (SED) will be produced for OfSTED purposes each year.