Policy Coversheet. Link Tutors: appointment and responsibilities

Transcription

1 Plicy Cversheet Name f Plicy: Link Tutrs: appintment and respnsibilities Purpse f Plicy: Intended audience(s): Apprval fr this plicy given by: T utline the arrangements fr the appintment f University Link Tutrs fr cllabrative academic prvisin and define their respnsibilities. Staff/External Parties Quality Cmmittee Last Review Date: 06/10/2017 Review Due Date: (3 years frm last review) Individual respnsible fr review: Authrising department: 06/10/2020 Directr f Quality Enhancement and Standards Academic Develpment Unit 1

2 LINK TUTORS 1. Intrductin 1.1 Staffrdshire University is cmmitted t maintaining and develping educatinal partnerships with universities, clleges and ther rganizatins in the UK and internatinally. 1.2 Staffrdshire University has a range f cllabrative activity with academic partner rganizatins, including franchise, validated, utreach and dual award mdels. All activity cmes within the scpe f the UK Quality Cde fr Higher Educatin, Chapter B10: Managing Higher Educatin Prvisin with Others. 1.3 Staffrdshire University is respnsible fr the standards f any award issued in its name. 1.4 All franchised and validated curses delivered in cllabratin with a partner institutin will be supprted by a Staffrdshire University Link Tutr, t supprt the academic quality and standards f the curse/s delivered at the partner institutin Cmmunicatin with cllabrative academic partners Staffrdshire University is cmmitted t having excellent cmmunicatin channels with its cllabrative academic partners, as this supprts bth in delivering an excellent student experience and psitive student utcmes. A Link Tutr will be a key persn in the cmmunicatin chain and respnsible fr effective engagement in relatin t the curse/s they are respnsible fr, and fr representing the wider interests f the university t the partner and vice versa. They will be a key interface with regard t the university assuring itself abut the maintenance f standards and academic quality, and als assist in mitigating risks in cllabrative partnerships. They may be expsed t bth peratinal and strategic issues. A key feature f the rle is the c-rdinatin and management f a relatinship with the cllabrative academic partnership. A Link Tutr will cmmunicate advice, infrmatin and gd practice in bth directins. A Link Tutr rle can therefre be a valuable develpmental rle fr any member f academic staff, as the Link Tutr will learn and develp new skills whilst wrking with the cllabrative academic partner. 3. Appintment f Link Tutrs 3.1 Individual Schls are respnsible fr appinting Link Tutrs. 3.2 Schls shuld cnsult with the apprpriate Partnership Manager prir t the appintment f a Link Tutr, and infrm them nce the appintment is agreed. 3.3 The tenure perid fr Link Tutrs will nrmally be fur years, after which the tenure may be renewed, if required. Re-appintment will be cnfirmed annually and be subject t cnfirmatin f satisfactry perfrmance in the rle. 1 Dual Award curses will be supprted by a Curse Manager (separate guidance is available fr this rle). 2

3 3.4 At the start f each academic year Schls must cnfirm details f all Link Tutr appintments with the Quality Enhancement Service (QES) wh maintain the register f Link Tutrs and will share this with the Cllabrative Academic Partnerships Office. 3.5 Any subsequent changes t the allcatin f Link Tutrs must be ntified by Schls t QES during the year. 3.6 Details f Link Tutr appintments will be given t partner institutins by the relevant Cllabrative Academic Partnership Manager. 3.7 New Link Tutrs will be required t attend inductin and training fr the rle. Attendance will be mnitred by QES. Similarly cntinuing Link Tutrs will be required t attend training annually and again this will be mnitred by QES 3.8 Appraisal f hw a member f staff has fulfilled their Link Tutr rle/s will be incrprated within the annual Perfrmance and Develpment Review (PDR). 4. Link Tutr Respnsibilities 4.1 The Link Tutr will have the fllwing respnsibilities: Cmmunicatin T act as the key day-t-day cntact between the university and the partner institutin in relatin t the academic peratin f the curse/s T ensure apprpriate, cnsistent and effective cmmunicatins between the University and the academic team at the partner institutin T facilitate and supprt, where necessary, wider cmmunicatin between the university and the partner institutin, eg. t encurage the develpment f ther links between the tw, such as prgressin and research links, and t supprt, as required, effective feedback n issues beynd the scpe f the particular curse/s fr which they are respnsible. T supprt the annual update f the Partnership Operatins Manual fr the cllabrative academic partner/s with which they are wrking (wrking with the Partnership Manager). Mnitring and Supprt T mnitr the peratin f the curse/s at the partner institutin t ensure that they are delivered as apprved. T ensure that any nging issues with delivery f the curse/s are raised, recrded and respnded t by the university and the partner institutin T prmte and mnitr awareness and adptin f University regulatins, plicies and prcedures; and t ensure that partner institutin staff have been infrmed f new r revised plicies and prcedures as and when they are intrduced. T advise and supprt staff at the partner institutin in the effective delivery f specified prvisin; including the disseminatin f gd practice in learning and teaching, and prmtin f quality enhancement. 3

4 T mnitr and advise n assessment practice, ensuring all aspects f university plicy and prcedures are applied T cnfirm arrangements fr setting, marking, mderatin and verificatin f assessed wrk, and participate in any f these as required T raise any cncerns with respect t the maintenance f standards, academic quality r student experience with their relevant Partnership Manager and Assciate Dean - Students T mnitr hw the partner institutin btains and respnds t student feedback and cncerns, including receiving summaries f student feedback btained as part f the mdule mnitring prcess T supprt effective student engagement, including receiving the minutes f Curse Cmmittees, and ensuring Curse Cmmittees have received annual mnitring and external examiner reprts as necessary. It is expected that the Link Tutr shuld physically attend (in persn, r virtually) at least ne Curse Cmmittee every academic year. T ensure that the partner institutin has received all the necessary External Examiner Reprts and t cntribute t the cllabrative respnse t the External Examiner, where necessary. T cntribute t the cmpletin f the annual mnitring reprt(s) in cllabratin with the partner institutin, ensuring that actins are taken frward and cmpleted as required. T discuss changes t curse infrmatin, plicies, prcedures and regulatins prpsed by the partner, btain guidance within the university n these as necessary and advise n relevant University apprval rutes; t supprt the partner thrugh this prcess. T supprt the partner institutin with university curse apprval, review and reapprval prcesses, including being a member f the presenting team at Peridic Review events. T supprt the partner institutin with advice and guidance in relatin t any Public, Statutry r Regulatry Bdy (PSRB) accreditatin requirements T supprt the partner institutin, and mnitr effective curse delivery, thrugh any teach-ut perid at the end f the partnership Staffing and Staff Develpment T ensure that all staff teaching n the curses have been apprved by the University in accrdance with University plicy T check an annual summary f the staff invlved in curse delivery at the partner institutin. T identify, in cllabratin with the partner, any relevant staff develpment needs and respnd t these with an apprpriate and timely staff develpment plan, where pssible. 4

5 Visits T prvide advance details f all visits t the Cllabrative Academic Partnerships Office and nte n the University travel calendar. T meet with the partner institutin: ne visit in persn per year, supprted by an additinal meeting by Skype/vide cnference. The meetings (in persn r virtual) shuld include attendance at a Curse Cmmittee; Link tutrs shuld als nrmally attend Award Bards (in persn r virtually) fr all institutins fr which they are respnsible; Additinal visits may be required as determined thrugh nging risk management assessment eg. where serius quality issues have been identified r where a partner is develping new prvisin r has multiple sites. Visits may be face-tface r by Skype/vide cnference as necessary. Quality Cmmittee will nte where additinal visits have been required, r where a decisin is taken by a Schl fr there t be n Link Tutr Visit (this wuld be unusual but may ccur, eg where a very small chrt f students is n a curse that is in teach-ut and nging mnitring thrugh the teach-ut plan suggest that n visit is required) If the Link Tutr is unable t undertake a visit, the Schl shuld arrange fr smene with suitable knwledge f the partner and/r area f prvisin t g in his/her place. Link Tutrs shuld wrk with clleagues in the Schl and wider University t ensure that the scheduling f any visits is apprpriate t the nging supprt f bth the curse/s fr which they are respnsible and the wider interests f the University and the cllabrative academic partnership. T meet with relevant curse staff and key sprt staff at the partner institutin t cnsider the delivery and management f the apprved cllabrative curse/s, t identify areas f gd practice r cncern, and determine ways in which t deal with any issues. T meet with students n the cllabrative curse/s at least nce per academic year t review the student experience and student engagement, and identify gd practice and issues t be discussed further with the curse team. T prduce a reprt n the University Link Tutr Reprt template fllwing each visit fr cnsideratin at the Schl. Where the Link Tutr has respnsibility fr mre than ne curse, the reprt(s) will need t reflect this and enable the university t mnitr each curse effectively. The Link Tutr reprt must be prduced within ten wrking days f the end f a visit and be sent t the Schl Quality Administrative Officer (QAO). The QAO will c-rdinate apprval and disseminatin f the reprt as fllws: send t Partnership Manager fr initial cnsideratin and cmment 5

6 receive cmments frm Partnership Manager, and submit t Schl Academic Cmmittee (SAC) receive apprved reprt frm SAC fr disseminatin t Link Tutr, Cllabrative Academic Partnerships Office, and QES fr fficial recrd send riginal reprt t partner institutin. Resurces T mnitr the availability f current resurces at the partner institutin (e.g. space, IT equipment, text bks, VLE, electrnic resurces) and ensure that: resurces are apprpriate fr the curse/s resurces reflect thse listed n relevant mdule descriptrs resurces are adequate fr the vlume f learning t be undertaken are apprpriate t secure the achievement f the learning utcmes resurces are accessible t all learners Infrmatin T mnitr the published curse infrmatin relating t Staffrdshire University award, including: the Curse and Mdule Handbks, prgramme specificatins, mdule descriptrs, plicies, prcedures and regulatins etc, t ensure that it is accurate, cmplete and current. T mnitr any website cntent, as abve, that relates t the Staffrdshire University award T identify where any published material r website cntent has nt been apprved by Staffrdshire University and reprt this t the Partnership Manager as a matter f urgency T reprt immediately t the Partnership Manager any cncerns abut publicity which arise during the undertaking f nrmal activities. Revised Octber