SHORT COURSES

Students may be enrolled to take individual, already approved, modules from award- bearing courses on a stand-alone basis. In addition short courses which are assessed may be allocated credit points in accordance with the University’s modular and credit structures.

 Faculties are authorised to determine the credit value, level and period of validity for such modules in accordance with their own processes.  There should be appropriate externality in these approval arrangements.  Five credit points is the minimum size allowed for such credit-bearing short-course modules, unless they are part of an awarding-bearing course, in which case it is 10 points.

 Where new modules are also to be part of award-bearing courses or undergraduate Honours subjects, or contribute to the Certificate of Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) award framework, they are introduced using the Course Revision process (CA3).   For stand-alone credit-bearing modules which are not to be part of an existing course, a Credit-bearing Short Course Form is used (CA9).  The form should be submitted at least eight weeks before the course is due to commence.  The processes associated with the CPPD are set out below.

 The records of accredited short-course modules and student performance are from 2011/12 included in the University’s module database and student records system. Students are enrolled on a special Faculty short-course code (“credit-bearing modules”).  Module enrolment lists, broadsheets and transcripts are available from the main student records system.  Students taking short courses or individual modules are formally ‘Occasional Students’ not ‘Registered Students’.  The latter term is reserved for students studying for named awards. ’Occasional Students’ have access to University resources in accordance with the requirements of the short course.  The loan quota from the Library is less than that for Registered Students.

Faculties establish appropriate boards to consider student performance.  (These are not formally part of the Boards of Examiners for award-bearing provision.)  Externality in the moderation of assessment is achieved through external examiner oversight.

Faculty Boards monitor their short course activity and receive annual reports to include information on new modules, student enrolment and performance.  Access and Distributed Learning provides an annual report on University activity to the Teaching and Learning Committee.

Certificate of Personal and Professional Development

The Certificate of Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) provides an award framework for accredited short-course modules at levels 3 and 4. The following statements apply to such modules. 

The Certificate is not intended to represent an integrated programme of study although students may choose to take modules in related areas.  It is a separate award within the University’s Qualifications and Credit Framework.  (Where faculties develop modules amounting to 60 credit points with overall coherence in a programme of study and where they anticipate that cohorts of students will take the full diet, a distinct certificate award should be proposed in accordance with the process for award-bearing courses, not those for the CPPD.)

Faculty approval of new short-course modules at level 3 and 4 which are eligible to contribute to the award is notified by a CA3 form.  The form is provided to the Module Office and a module code with a special PPD prefix assigned.  CASC and Access and Distributed Learning are informed of the Faculty’s introduction of the module.  Approval of modules developed by central departments is overseen by Access and Distributed Learning through its Accredited Professional Development Management Board, which also maintains oversight of the CPPD.

Students initially enrol on the framework code attached to the faculty of the first module of study; subsequent study can be chosen from any faculty offering CPPD modules.  Students who accumulate 60 credit points are eligible for the award of the Certificate of Personal and Professional Development.  In such cases the Faculty may wish to consider the CPPD award as an appropriate access route to further study.  From 2011/12, when a student draws 40 credits’ worth of modules from a specific faculty, that faculty will be identified on the award parchment.

Short-course modules within the CPPD are available to current registered students who may wish to take modules in addition to those within their award-bearing programmes.  Such modules are attached to the students’ existing records and will appear on their transcripts.  They cannot be substituted for modules in their main programme of study.

Generally existing external examiners and boards of examiners for courses or subjects or credit-bearing modules take responsibility for Faculty modules, but a ‘chief’ external examiner assumes responsibility for centrally delivered modules and participates in the board of examiners which confirms results and recommendations for final CPPD awards.

Management of this provision is undertaken by a Programme Committee comprising Faculty Coordinators of PPD and a Programme Director from the Access and Distributed Learning Division.  ADL monitors students’ accumulation of credit. Advisers of studies are not assigned to CPPD students; guidance is provided through the module coordinator, Faculty Coordinator or Programme Director as appropriate.  Module monitoring and student feedback are obtained by using the existing range of methods.

CPPD students have access to the full range of student and information services, including borrowing and electronic access in the library.

Non credit-bearing Short Courses

Faculties may offer short courses with no academic credit.  They manage these arrangements through their own processes or use the services of Lifelong Learning Administration (LLA).  LLA will draw up an activity contract with the sponsoring faculty.  This includes costings and quality assurance (such as arrangements for obtaining feedback from sponsors and/or participants).  During 2011/12 a pilot scheme for certain courses supported by LLA is being tested: this will seek to streamline application and enrolment processes as well as the payment of fees and certification of attendance.  As Occasional Students, non-credit-bearing short course students have access to University resources in accordance with the requirements of the short course.

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