Annual Academic Year Review 2007-2008 (17th edition)
Progression - tables 17 to 24
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- 4 Strategic Planning
- 4.1.2 Data analysis
- 4.1.3 Student number targets
- 4.1.4 Student retention
- 4.1.5 Differential fee, bursaries and University of Brighton Scholarships
- 4.1.6 Partner College Planning
- 4.1.7 The Accountable Institution
3.3 Progression - tables 17 to 24As with the Progression analysis above, data on achievement is presented consistent with the position as at the equivalent point in time last year. Thus it is possible to compare awards as recorded following the summer boards. When the second set of the Academic Health data is released after subsequent boards over the September period, additional Achievement data will become available, and will be provided such that the data from earlier years again matches the same time period and facilitates direct comparison. Table 17 reports the award outcome for all those students who successfully completed their programme of study in 2007-08 as well as for the previous two years, by faculty and school, as known from the Summer Examination Boards. It is important to note that achievement data will also include awards made in any one year from dormant status i.e. students for whom the final outcome was not agreed/conferred in their last year of active enrolment, but in the following academic year. Thus the numbers reported under any Progression analysis for students who have ‘Course completed’ in any one year will not exactly match the numbers of awards reported for that same academic year. The proportion of 1st and 2:1 class degrees awarded to students undertaking a degree-level programme of study has remained fairly constant over the three year period. Tables 18 – 24 summarise those achievements by the student characteristics, enabling us to identify any discernible differences between different student groups. Tables 1 to 24 are located at the end of this document. 4 Strategic Planning4.1 Planning and Data Analysis4.1.1 Corporate Plan 2007-12Following the launch of the University’s new Corporate Plan 2007-12, the Strategic Planning Unit’s focus of attention during 2007-08 turned to issues of implementation and the local strategic planning process. Faculties and Central Departments prepared draft strategic plans which were reviewed by Deans and Heads and through the University’s committee structure. Plans were discussed with the senior management team and then as part of the annual budgeting and planning meetings. The intention is better to align planning and resource allocations. A new approach to assessing and evaluating the University’s progress against the aims in the Corporate Plan developed by SPU was agreed by the Board of Governors. The revised method includes a summary presentation of the indicators of success set out in the Plan in the form of a ‘dashboard’ with an accompanying analytical and self-critical commentary. The first such analysis was received by the Board in the autumn with annual updates to follow. This forms the basis of the Annual Monitoring statement to HEFCE, part of the University’s accountability arrangements. 4.1.2 Data analysisThe Unit has two planning and data analysts, Penny Jones and Debbie Smith, who lead the work on the University’s data analyses. During the year they offered a series of ‘data road-shows’ to Faculties, Schools and Departments, where they presented and described the suite of analyses and range of institutional and sector data available and offered colleagues the opportunity to provide useful feedback. Major projects completed during the year include: analysis of National Student Survey (NSS) 2007 data annual Student Retention report annual Student Withdrawal survey report analysis of HESA Performance Indicators analysis of University League Tables analysis of the University’s bursary and scholarship scheme analysis of the University’s research degree qualification rate annual Recruitment Group data report analysis of the effects of HEFCE changes to the funding of students with equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQs) Work continues on finalising the University’s data framework, which aims to clarify the various data sets owned and analysed across the institution in any year and to maximise the effective use of data for decision-making. This framework will spell out what data are available, to whom, when and which committees make use of the various analyses. All the reports and analyses produced by the Unit are available on the SPU pages on staffcentral at http://staffcentral.brighton.ac.uk/spu/ Penny Jones and Elizabeth Maddison presented a paper on the University’s approach at the first UK conference on institutional research in June. 4.1.3 Student number targetsThe annual discussions about student number targets were concluded successfully, aiming to meet the three funding contracts - HEFCE, NHS and TDA - and one of the indicators of success in the new Corporate Plan (Aim 1). A group of external consultants was appointed to develop a specification for a new University student number database to assist and improve the planning process. An invitation to tender for development of the database is to be issued in the autumn. The work on student number targets was hindered significantly by HEFCE’s decision part-way through the cycle to withdraw funding for students following equivalent or lower qualifications. This will have a major financial impact and throws uncertainly into the planning process. 4.1.4 Student retentionThe Unit continued to co-ordinate aspects of work on student retention, in accordance with the Corporate Plan indicator that the University should sustain undergraduate retention above its benchmark (Aim 4). Student retention activities are co-ordinated mainly through the work of the Student Retention Review Group (SRRG), chaired by the Head of Strategic Planning, Elizabeth Maddison, and recorded in the Student Retention data report published in May each year. The work of the Group includes the support and review of various retention projects across the University and reporting any policy or practice recommendations to the Academic Standards Committee. The roll-out of the two major retention projects continued – Student Support and Guidance Tutors (SSGT) and Student Ambassadors – with the majority of Schools now running at least one of these. Rachel Bowden, Deputy Head of Planning, and Paula Wilcox (SASS) presented a paper at the UK’s first Institutional Research Conference in June 2008, outlining the University’s approach to work on student retention and the development of the Student Support and Guidance Tutor model. In December 2007, the SRRG organised a University-wide Student Retention Conference, with keynotes from the National Audit Office and two national experts in the field of student retention and success. Over 100 delegates attended the event including staff from Partner Colleges. The SRRG together with Rachel Page from Student Services also maintains the student retention website, On the Right Path? An on-line survey was conducted during the year to gather feedback from both students and staff as to the usefulness of the current pages and work is underway to re-launch the site in the autumn with a new marketing campaign to raise awareness together with new and revised content. The pages can be found at www.brighton.ac.uk/ontherightpath Work continued to understand more about the reasons why students withdraw from the University through the use of a withdrawal questionnaire sent to every student who leaves their course. Students are asked to rate a number of factors about the course, University support, and personal issues that might have influenced their decision to leave. A report on the results is produced annually which describes the main reason given by students for withdrawing, which people and services they contacted when they were considering withdrawing and what if any further support or services might have influenced them to continue. The results of this year’s survey resented at an SPU lunchtime seminar. 4.1.5 Differential fee, bursaries and University of Brighton ScholarshipsThe Unit continues to lead the development of the University’s policy for differential fees and bursaries under the new tuition fee regime from 2006, and the supporting Access Agreement required by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). The Differential Fees Working Group, chaired by David House, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, continued to meet to agree policy decisions and to review operational details for the new system. During the year the Group focussed particularly on understanding the effects for the institution of the sudden withdrawal of Government funding for students applying to study for an equivalent or lower qualification (ELQ). The University decided to continue to fund these students for entry in 2008-09 but noted that the fee level would have to be reviewed for such students in 2009-10 to reflect the loss of public funding. The Group also manages the University of Brighton Scholarships and the process for the award of these by Heads of School and Partner Colleges continued. For 2007-08, 200 Scholarships were awarded to students based on performance in their end of year assessments. A celebratory event for those award winners who have just completed their first year of study will be held in the autumn where they will be presented with their awards by the Vice Chancellor. A number of winners this year are Scholars from the first year of the scheme. 4.1.6 Partner College PlanningPlanning for partner colleges continues to be overseen by the Partnership Manager, Tanya Izzard, working across both Registry and SPU. This has included liaison with colleges on bidding for additional student numbers as well as working closely with the Sussex Learning Network. Additionally, work has been ongoing to help colleges prepare for the development of college HE strategies, in line with HEFCE requirements. 4.1.7 The Accountable InstitutionA new piece of work during the year has involved the Head of Strategic Planning working on a project commissioned by HEFCE from Brighton and two other institutions, to review what makes for ‘the accountable institution’. Taking institutional corporate plans as the starting point, consultants are reviewing existing approaches to stakeholders and are making recommendations about good practice. The idea behind the project is that enhanced accountability led by institutions themselves will lighten the burden of reporting required by external agencies. Directory: reg reg -> Board of Historic Resources Quarterly Meeting 16 June 2016 Sponsor Markers Diversity reg -> Port Cambeltown dated 8th April 1830 Name reg -> Contents september 2009 I. Executive order reg -> In this issue reg -> Reginald irenee vachon reg -> Index for the Register Volumes 72-108 (1974-2010) reg -> A century of ufo sightings and Close Encounters in the Midwest Download 2.04 Mb. Share with your friends:
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