Using the Programme Planner: how to make minor modifications to a module NOTE: A key concept to understand is that module specifications are version controlled documents. If a modification is required the current “published” version must be “checked out” for modification. Any member of staff can check out any module for modification, the old concept of modules only being editable by departmental administrators or their leaders no longer applies. Only one person can have a module checked out at any given time. Minor modifications to a module will have no impact on the programme or programmes which contain the module. These guidance notes cover: 1. Accessing the module specification. 2. Amending the module specification. 3. The approval workflow. 4. The decision of the Board of Studies. Definition of minor module changes. Definition of major module changes. TQSD 2013-14 Page 1 of 6 1. Accessing the module specification 1.1 Click on the link to the Programme Planner in the Tools item on the UoL Digital University staff home page and log in with your normal windows username and password, or you can navigate to http://programmeplan.liv.ac.uk, or access the Planner through the TQSD website: http://www.liv.ac.uk/tqsd/quality-and-enhancement-framework/programmedevelopment/programme-planner/. In the Programme Planner home page, you will see a list of the modules for which you are the module leader in which case you should click the option ‘Check out for modification (standalone)’ (see 1.3 below); but if you are not the module leader for the module you wish to change, you will need to use the ‘Search Catalogue for Modules and Programmes’ highlighted below: 1.2 1.3 In the search screen, you can search for a module using the full code (if you know this), or the letters in the code, .e.g. LAW; please use uppercase letters. When the search has located the module, it will appear as in the screen below; the equivalent of this will be on the home page of the Programme Planner if you are the module leader. In either case, you need to click on the option: ‘Check out for modification (standalone)’. 1.4 This will lead you to the screen below where you should select the ‘Minor’ option in relation to the nature of the module modification; you should also explain the rationale for the change in the text box provided. The text you enter here will be included in emails that will be sent to the module leader (if you are not the module leader) and to the Directors of Studies of TQSD 2013-14 Page 2 of 6 programmes that use the module (see 1.6 below), to advise them that you have checked out the module for modification. When you have completed this, click the ‘Check Out’ button indicated below: 1.5 Below is the text from the email that goes to Directors of Studies, as explained above; the section highlighted is inserted by the Planner, copied from the information entered in the rationale box shown above. The module TQSD101 has been checked out for modification by LIVAD\lmcaleer. As Director of Studies of a programme that uses this module, this is to inform you that changes to the module are being proposed. Please contact LIVAD\lmcaleer( [email protected] ) to clarify the impact the proposed changes may have on your programme. The rationale given for the change(s) is as follows: This is to add a new member of staff, Dr XXX, to the teaching team for the module. This email was automatically generated by the Programme Planner http://programmeplan.liv.ac.uk 1.6 Having checked out the module, you will be returned to the Programme Planner home page and the module will be in the module list at the bottom of the screen. You should click the ‘Edit’ button, as highlighted below, which will open the module specification for editing. 1.7 In the ‘View’ column in this screen there are two links. The ‘Published Specification’ link shows you the current module specification; the second link, ‘Specification in development’ shows the version you will be editing, and all changes you have made and saved. At any time, you can click the ‘Cancel Check Out’ option in the ‘Action’ column which will cancel and remove all changes you have made to the specification. Once you have used the ‘Edit’ link to make your changes to the module specification, and saved them, click on the ‘Request Approval’ link: 1.8 TQSD 2013-14 Page 3 of 6 BACK TO TOP 2. Amending the module specification 2.1 When you click the ‘Edit’ option as instructed above, the module specification will open and you can make all necessary changes. The Module Proposal, Scrutiny, and the Acknowledgement, Notification and Approval sections of the form will contain information from when the module was last approved and therefore these sections will need to be revised to reflect the current proposal. In the Module Proposal section of the form, please ensure this is completed to indicate that this is a proposal for minor modifications to the module (as shown below). This will ensure that the proposal follows the correct approval workflow. 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 You should also ensure that information entered in the Module Scrutiny part of the form (sections 4 to 6b) is revised as appropriate; for example, if the module was last approved as a new module the rationale for this will still show in the text box at section 6a, therefore you should delete this. Sections 7 onwards will show details of when the last proposal relating to the module were endorsed, approved and then notified to the CPD team/CLL where appropriate and to the SPIDER team in SAS. You will not be able to delete or edit this information; instead it will be automatically removed when the approval workflow is commenced; these sections will then be populated as appropriate as each stage of the approval workflow is completed. There are separate guidance notes for completing module specifications. In addition, ‘Help’ buttons in the specification form will open a new view containing guidance on completing the relevant section of the specification. TQSD 2013-14 Page 4 of 6 2.7 As explained above in 1.7, when you have completed the modifications, save and close the form and click the ‘Request Approval’ link. BACK TO TOP 3. The approval workflow 3.1 When you check out a module for modification, the Programme Planner will notify this to the module leader (if you are not the module leader) and all the Directors of Studies of programmes that use the module (see also 1.5 above). The module leader and/or Directors of Studies may contact you to discuss the proposed changes to the module. When you click on the ‘Request Approval’ link the screen below will open: 3.2 If you need to, you have the opportunity here to revise the rationale you provided for the changes to the module, to match the information you entered in section 1c of the Module Proposal section of the specification form (see 2.3 above). The text you enter on this page will be included in the task form used by the Board of Studies to record its decision on the proposal. Clicking on the ‘Begin Approval’ button will start the workflow whereby the Programme Planner will notify the Board of Studies responsible for the module. The Board of Studies will be asked to consider the proposal and record its decision to approve or reject the module modifications. BACK TO TOP 4. The decision of the Board of Studies 4.1 The Programme Planner will send you an email, shown below, when the module modifications have been approved by the Board of Studies. 4.2 There are separate guidelines for the Board of Studies in relation to its role in the approval workflow and these can be accessed from the Programme Planner page in the TQSD website for information. BACK TO TOP “Minor” module changes are those which do not have any direct effect on programmes and include the following: TQSD 2013-14 Page 5 of 6  Any change in the syllabus that does not result in a change to the aims and learning outcomes of the module.  Any change to the teaching and learning strategy that does not result in a change to the aims and learning outcomes of the module, or a change in the assessment strategy.  Any change in the module leader or teachers that do not result in a change in the aims and learning outcomes of the module. BACK TO TOP “Major” changes are those which may have knock-on effects on the programmes of which they are part and must, therefore, be fed back into programme approval as changes to existing programmes. Major modifications include the following:  Change in the module title.  Change to the amount of credit carried by the module or the level of the credit.  Change to the semester in which the module is delivered; this includes changing a module to be delivered over two semesters instead of one, or being delivered in one semester where it had previously been delivered across two semesters.  Change in the method of assessment.  Change in the weighting of assessment.  Change in the aims and learning outcomes.  Change in programme availability.  Change which will require exemption from the relevant University programme Model or Framework.1  Change to designate a module as mandatory.2  Change to remove a re-sit opportunity from an assessment, or to introduce a new assessment for which there will be no re-sit opportunity.3  Change such that the standard University penalty for late submission of an assessment will not be applied.4 BACK TO TOP 1 For UG programmes: the Model for Non-Clinical First Degree Programmes; for PGT programmes: the University Framework for Full-time and Part-time Modular Postgraduate Programmes; for C/DPS and CPD PGT programmes: the University Framework for the Diploma/Certificate in Professional Studies and Postgraduate Continuing Professional/Personal Development (CPD). 2 ‘Mandatory’ means that a module must be taken and passed and therefore compensation cannot be applied. The Code of Practice on Assessment, Appendix B, requires Faculty AQSC to agree to modules being designated as mandatory; the approval of University AQSC is required if more than 90 credits in a year of study are to be designated as mandatory. 3 The Code of Practice on Assessment requires the Faculty AQSC to consider requests for exemption from the requirement to provide a re-sit opportunity and recommend these for approval to the University AQSC. 4 The Code of Practice on Assessment requires the University ASQC to approve a request for exemption from the requirement to apply to the standard penalty for late submission of a particular assessment, via a recommendation from FAQSC. TQSD 2013-14 Page 6 of 6