Student Systems Board & ESS Task Group - Postgraduate Research Student Support
Overview
Over the last two years the ESS project has delivered personal tutors for UG and then PG Taught students. During 13/14 the ESS Task Group - Postgraduate Research (PGR) Student Support will be reviewing the PGR experience focussing on the following themes:
Regulation - codes of practice, guidance notes, complaints, assessment Largely a set of policies that the University should produce/define/maintain but which may have to be contextualised at a local level.
Academic Supervision/Supervisors Expectations of supervisors, particularly with respect to their selection and training.
Selection, Induction, Monitoring and Training of PGR students Lifecycle "management" of a PGR student.
Mentoring, advice, careers (including problem-solving) and representation Largely positive-developmental, but also aiming to be able to addresses any issues at an early stage.
These working groups will gather requirements which will then inform the discussions on how to address the requirements. The changes required to satisfy the requirements will be a mixture of business and system change. At this early stage the options for system change are expected to be one of the following:
Create functionality within the student record (EUCLID) for research administration
Extend the functionality within the Postgraduate Progression Management Database (PPMD)
Amend the existing Personal Tutor system to incorporate the needs of PGR students
Purchase and Implement a separate system to manage research administration with some integration to the student record.
Options 1-3 would be resourced from within the SSP ring fenced 10 FTE. Option 2 would need to include some rearchitecture so that data could be exposed to the research student community.
Option 4 in addition to the resource from within the SSP, it is likely to require procurement, funds to purchase the software, for licences and consulting.
This project will support the University better fulfill its responsibilities in respect of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) UK Quality Code for Higher Education - Chapter B11: Research degrees (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Quality-Code-Chapter-B11.pdf). The Quality Code is the definitive reference point for all those involved in delivering higher education which leads to an award from or is validated by a UK higher education provider. It makes clear what institutions are required to do in regard to key matters of principle that the higher education community has identified as important for the assurance of quality and academic standards.